Support Dog Training Programs
Empowering Dogs. Supporting People. Changing Lives.
At Sit Happens Behavioral Specialists, we specialize in helping you train your own support dog to meet your unique needs—whether for mobility assistance, emotional support, PTSD, or medical response. We understand that a well-trained support dog is more than just a helper; they’re a lifeline, a partner, and a source of daily stability.
Our programs are personalized, practical, and grounded in real-world skills. With over 35 years of experience, Shari Murphy brings a compassionate and results-driven approach to every training session, ensuring both dog and handler grow in confidence, communication, and teamwork.
Whether you're just starting your journey or looking to refine advanced skills, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Let’s build the partnership that supports your life—together.
3 Focused Sessions to Prepare Your Service Dog for Real-World Success
Is your service dog ready to accompany you in public spaces—but you're unsure if they’re truly prepared to pass the Public Access Test (PAT)?
Join our 3-session Public Access Practice Course, designed to help you and your service dog build the skills and confidence needed to navigate public environments safely, calmly, and appropriately.
The PAT isn’t just a formality—it’s a benchmark for your dog’s readiness to work in the real world. Whether you're preparing for formal service dog certification or just want to ensure your dog can behave reliably in public, this test confirms that your dog:
🐾 Remains calm and focused around distractions
🐾 Responds consistently to commands
🐾 Maintains safe, appropriate behavior in public settings
🐾 Supports your independence and safety, not just at home, but everywhere
Passing the Public Access Test builds credibility, safety, and peace of mind for handlers and those around them.
Self-training a service dog is an incredible journey—but it’s structured, guided training that ensures you don’t miss critical details. Our PAT Prep Course gives you:
✅ Professional support tailored to your dog’s behavior
✅ Real-time troubleshooting and confidence building
✅ Safe, progressive exposure in public settings
✅ A clear roadmap to test readiness
Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 3 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $400 for 3 sessions
“Building a Calm & Connected Companion”
Help your dog become the emotional anchor you can lean on—with the guidance, structure, and science-based support they deserve.
Whether you're coping with anxiety, depression, trauma, or daily overwhelm, an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) can offer real comfort and emotional grounding. But that kind of support doesn’t happen by accident—it’s trained, nurtured, and built with trust.
This 5-session ESA training course is designed to help you and your dog develop calm, connected routines and emotional support behaviors that are attuned to your needs.
Unlike service dog tasks, ESA support is often quiet and intuitive—yet just as important.
Structured training helps your dog:
✔️ Tune into your moods and energy shifts
✔️ Respond with calm presence and comforting behaviors
✔️ Remain settled in public spaces or during overstimulation
✔️ Build emotional resilience through predictable routines
We help you guide your dog with kindness, so they become a confident, steady companion—at home or on the go.
🐶 A dog that supports you through stress, sadness, or overwhelm
🤝 A deeper emotional bond based on mutual awareness
🧘♀️ Tools to create calm, connection, and safety—every day
📍 Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 5 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $675 for 5 sessions
Build a Confident, Responsive Partner Through 3 Private, Specialized Sessions
Living with PTSD can affect every aspect of your daily life—but you don’t have to face it alone. A well-trained service dog can be a grounding, stabilizing partner in your healing journey.
Our 3-session PTSD Service Dog Training Course is designed to help you and your dog build the skills, trust, and emotional connection needed for daily support, public life, and crisis moments.
A service dog trained for PTSD doesn’t just obey commands—they read your emotional cues, offer calming presence, and intervene when you need it most.
This program focuses on:
🐾 Grounding behaviors during panic or flashbacks
🐾 Emotional regulation support through touch and positioning
🐾 Interrupting anxiety responses and repetitive behaviors
🐾 Building reliable routines and deep communication
Every session is personalized. No two people or dogs are the same—your team gets the support you need at your pace.
PTSD support dogs aren’t born knowing how to help—you train each other. This course provides:
✅ Gentle, expert guidance tailored to your mental health needs
✅ A deepened emotional bond between you and your dog
✅ Reliable support behaviors to lean on when symptoms spike
✅ Empowerment through predictable, practiced routines
📍 Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 6 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $750 for 6 sessions
Structured Support. Confident Steps. A Partner You Can Rely On.
Living with balance challenges, chronic fatigue, or mobility conditions means that every step matters. With proper training, your dog can become a calm, steady presence who enhances your safety and independence.
Our 6-session private, in-home training course is designed to help your dog learn safe, structured mobility support skills—from leash manners and body positioning to task training like item retrieval and light bracing. We’ll guide you and your dog through the process with personalized instruction and compassionate pacing.
Mobility support work requires precision, trust, and clear communication. Without proper preparation, it can be risky—for both handler and dog. Our structured plan helps build:
Safe and consistent positioning beside medical gear
Smooth, slow-paced walking for stability
Basic mobility cues like “brace,” “pause,” “heel,” and “retrieve”
Confidence around crowds, stairs, curbs, and distractions
By teaching these skills step-by-step, we prepare your dog to support you safely, calmly, and reliably.
We don’t just train your dog—we help you build a strong, communicative relationship. Every session is designed to strengthen the bond and teamwork between you and your dog, creating a reliable foundation of mutual trust and support.
📍 Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 6 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $750 for 6 sessions
Empower Your Daily Life with a Trained Mobility Support Dog
Living with Relapsing-Remitting MS means navigating changing energy levels, mobility fluctuations, and moments of unpredictability. A well-trained support dog can become your steady, reliable partner—offering balance, mobility assistance, and emotional grounding.
Our 6-session, private in-home course is designed for those with MS and tailored to meet your specific physical, cognitive, and emotional needs. Whether you’re recovering from a flare or building confidence for daily routines, we guide you and your dog step-by-step through practical mobility support training.
Mobility support dogs aren’t born knowing how to help—you train and grow together. With relapsing-remitting MS, it's crucial to have a plan that adjusts with your needs.
This structured program teaches your dog to:
Assist with balance and pacing
Offer emotional grounding during fatigue or brain fog
Respond calmly to mobility aids and real-world environments
Create safe, reliable routines you can count on—even during flare-ups
Flare-sensitive pacing and rest built into your plan
Guidance on choosing proper harness gear (rigid handle recommended)
Tools to help track energy and adjust daily goals
Strategies to keep training consistent—even through setbacks
📍 Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 6 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $750 for 6 sessions
Specialized Support for POTS, Vertigo, EDS, Postural Instability, MS & Mobility Challenges
Are you training a service dog to help with balance, mobility, or neurological conditions? Our comprehensive private in-home training sessions are designed specifically for individuals navigating:
✅ Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
✅ Vertigo or Balance Disorders
✅ Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
✅ Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
✅ Postural Instability or Chronic Dizziness
✅ General Mobility Support Needs
We know that no two journeys are the same. That’s why every session is individually tailored to your specific health condition, daily routine, environment, and goals.
Whether you're preparing for service dog task work or focusing on balance support, alerting, or assistance with movement — our training plans adapt to your needs, not the other way around.
These sessions go beyond obedience. We help you and your dog develop a deep, intuitive bond rooted in trust and communication — the kind of partnership you can rely on through flare-ups, fatigue, and uncertainty.
You’ll learn how to:
🐾 Shape consistent, reliable support behaviors
🐾 Build focus and responsiveness in distracting or unpredictable environments
🐾 Create calm, confident routines for both you and your dog
🐾 Train at your pace, with full respect for your condition
Training happens in your home, neighborhood, and daily environments, so your dog learns where it matters. We help you generalize skills in real-time settings — from hallways and driveways to stairs, counters, and sidewalks.
📍 Location: Private in-home sessions
🕐 Duration: 6 sessions (1 hour each)
💰 Investment: $750 for 6 sessions