WHAT WE OFFER

Purposeful Training. Individualized to You and Your Dog.

At Paws with Purpose, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all service dog training. Every handler is different. Every dog is different. Every training goal is different. Our job is to build a training program around you, your dog, your goals, and your dog’s individual abilities. Our primary focus is service dog training, including psychiatric service dog foundations, medical-alert and assistance foundations, mobility-related assistance, public-access preparation, obedience, and handler education.We also offer general dog training for clients who aren’t pursuing service dog work.

We don’t promise what we can’t deliver.

If we believe your dog can succeed, we’ll work hard to help you get there. 

If we believe something needs more work, we’ll tell you.

If we believe your dog isn’t suited for a particular type of service work, we’ll tell you that too.

Honest training produces better teams.

PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE DOG TRAINING

Psychiatric service dog training is individualized to the handler.

Rather than teaching every dog the exact same list of behaviors, we work to identify the behaviors and situations that are meaningful to you and your daily life.

Training may include:

Alert & Response Behaviors

Depending on the individual dog and handler, training may include behaviors designed to:

• Recognize specific changes in the handler’s behavior

• Alert the handler to an identified behavioral or emotional cue

• Interrupt unwanted or concerning behaviors

• Retrieve a handler’s attention

• Provide trained pressure-based assistance when appropriate

• Respond to specific handler cues

• Retrieve or bring specific items

• Seek another person when specifically trained and appropriate

• Provide other individualized disability-related tasks

Not every dog will be capable of every task.

Part of responsible training is determining what the individual dog can realistically and safely learn.

INDIVIDUALIZED ALERT TRAINING

Your dog doesn’t necessarily need to respond to the same cues as another service dog.

For example, if a particular behavioral change consistently occurs before or during a handler’s symptoms, we can evaluate whether that behavior can become part of the dog’s individualized alert-and-response training.

The goal is:

Recognize → Alert → Respond

The exact behavior used depends on the dog, the handler, and the training goal.

We also use controlled practice situations to evaluate whether the dog understands the behavior and can perform it consistently.

Training progresses gradually.

We don’t expect a young or inexperienced dog to immediately perform advanced work.

MEDICAL SERVICE DOG TRAINING

We also provide training foundations for medical service and assistance work.

Medical-related training can include individualized alert, response, retrieval, and assistance behaviors when appropriate for the dog and handler.

Potential areas may include:

Medical Alert Foundations

Training may explore whether a dog is able to learn a particular individualized alert behavior.

Because medical-alert ability varies significantly between individual dogs, we do not guarantee that a dog will be able to detect or alert to a particular medical condition.

The dog’s actual performance must be evaluated throughout training.

Medical Response

Depending on the handler’s goals and the dog’s abilities, training may include:

• Retrieving designated items

• Bringing specific objects to the handler

• Responding to a handler’s cue

• Finding another designated person

• Providing trained assistance behaviors

• Other individualized response behaviors

MOBILITY & ASSISTANCE FOUNDATIONS

For appropriate dogs and handlers, we can work on foundations for assistance involving mobility-related needs.

This can include training around:

• Walking alongside a mobility aid

• Remaining calm around wheelchairs

• Remaining calm around walkers

• Remaining calm around rollators

• Walking alongside a person using a cane

• Positioning and staying near the handler

• Retrieving appropriate objects

• Navigating public environments

• Responding reliably to handler cues

Safety comes first with mobility work.

Not every dog is physically or behaviorally appropriate for weight-bearing or other physically demanding assistance. Any advanced physical-assistance behavior must be appropriate for the individual dog’s size, structure, health, and abilities.

PUBLIC-ACCESS FOUNDATIONS

A service dog needs to be able to function in the real world.

Public-access preparation can include:

• Walking calmly beside the handler

• Not pulling on the leash

• Ignoring other animals

• Ignoring unnecessary distractions

• Remaining focused on the handler

• Settling appropriately

• Responding reliably to cues

• Remaining quiet when appropriate

• Walking past people without unnecessary interaction

• Maintaining appropriate behavior in increasingly distracting environments

We gradually increase difficulty as the dog progresses.

We don’t throw a beginner into the hardest environment and expect perfection.

OBEDIENCE & FOUNDATIONAL TRAINING

Before advanced service dog work can happen, the basics matter.

A dog needs a strong foundation.

Training may include:

Focus

Learning to pay attention to the handler despite distractions.

Name Recognition

Learning that their name means the handler is asking for their attention.

Recall

Learning to reliably return to the handler when called.

Stay

Learning to remain in position until released or given another cue.

Loose-Leash Walking

Learning to walk with the handler without constantly pulling ahead.

Heel

Developing controlled walking in a designated position when appropriate.

Impulse Control

Learning that not every distraction requires a response.

Calm Behavior

Learning how to settle instead of constantly looking for something to do.

Quiet Behavior

Working toward appropriate behavior around people, animals, and environmental distractions.

DOG-TO-DOG FOCUS

Service dogs need to understand that other dogs are not automatically an invitation to play.

We work on appropriate behavior around other animals, including:

• Passing other dogs calmly

• Maintaining handler focus

• Ignoring distractions

• Responding to the handler around other animals

• Remaining under control in increasingly difficult environments

The goal isn’t necessarily for your dog to love every dog they meet.

The goal is for your dog to be able to focus on their handler.

HANDLER TRAINING

We Don’t Just Train Dogs. We Train Teams.

This is one of the most important parts of Paws with Purpose.

If I teach your dog a behavior and you consistently handle them in a completely different way afterward, your dog isn’t going to magically understand which set of rules applies.

Consistency matters.

During your training program, we’ll explain:

• What your dog is learning

• Why we’re teaching it

• How we expect the behavior to be maintained

• What you should practice

• What your dog is struggling with

• What progress we’re seeing

• What needs more work

You will have responsibilities between training sessions.

I will do my part. You need to do yours.

TRAINING PROGRESS

Training isn’t a race.

Some dogs learn quickly.

Some dogs need more repetitions.

Some skills take significantly longer than others.

Your dog’s training plan will develop as we see how they respond.

We will periodically evaluate:

What is going well?

What needs improvement?

What is the dog struggling with?

What does the handler need to work on?

Is the current training plan still appropriate?

If something isn’t working, we’ll address it rather than pretending everything is fine.

DOGS NEED TO BE DOGS, TOO

Serious training doesn’t mean working a dog every minute of the day.

Dogs need appropriate rest, play, enrichment, and downtime.

As a dog progresses through training, appropriate recreational activities may be incorporated into the overall program.

A tired, stressed, or mentally overloaded dog isn’t going to produce their best work.

We want working dogs that can work — and dogs that can enjoy being dogs.

TRAINING TOOLS

Training tools are selected based on the individual dog, the behavior being taught, safety, and the training environment.

Depending on the situation, training may involve tools such as:

• Leashes

• Long lines

• Harnesses

• Collars

• Clickers

• Whistles

• Treats

• Toys

• Training vests

• Appropriate patches

• Other training equipment

No single tool is appropriate for every dog.

The goal isn’t to use the most equipment.

The goal is to use the appropriate training method and equipment safely and responsibly for the individual dog.

HONEST TRAINING REPORTS

You Will Know How Your Dog Is Doing.

After working with your dog, we will communicate what we worked on, what went well, and what needs improvement.

If your dog struggled, you’ll know.

If your dog made significant progress, you’ll know.

If something needs to change, we’ll talk about it.

We don’t believe in hiding problems from the handler.

You can’t fix a problem you don’t know exists.

OUR PROMISE

Paws with Purpose is built around three things:

HONESTY

We’ll tell you the truth about your dog.

CONSISTENCY

Training needs to continue outside of our sessions.

PURPOSE

Every behavior we teach should have a reason behind it.

We’re going to work hard for you and your dog.

We’re going to celebrate progress.

We’re also going to address problems.

And if we reach a point where we believe a particular goal isn’t appropriate for your dog, we’ll have that conversation honestly.

Because the goal isn’t simply to call a dog a service dog.

The goal is to build a reliable, capable, and well-trained working partnership.

READY TO GET STARTED?

Let’s Talk About Your Dog.

The first step is an initial consultation and evaluation.

We’ll discuss your goals, learn about your dog, evaluate their current foundation, and determine whether Paws with Purpose is the right fit.