Train your own service dog —with expert guidance from anywhere.
A structured, mentor-supported program guiding people with medical and mental health conditions through training their own service dog — at a fraction of the cost of a placed dog, with the coaching and accountability to actually finish.
For most handlers, the options aren't really options.
Between price tags, waitlists, and going it alone with YouTube — most people who need a service dog get stuck before they start. We built a real path.
- Fully trained, professionally placed service dog$25,000 – $40,000
- Typical waitlist for a placed dog1 – 4 years
- Co-train with a private trainer (long-term)$10,000 – $15,000
- Go it alone with YouTube / online-only coursesHigh failure risk
- ACE Hybrid Service Dog Program™ — full year, with coachingFrom $1,497
Three training tracks. Pick one, two, or all three.
Every track runs 12 months and includes a structured lesson plan paced for the work, four live Zoom coaching calls per month, a private support community, the Lead or Be Led 2.0™ PDF, and the path to ACE Certification.
Medical Alert Dog Training
- Physiological changes — diabetes, seizures, POTS, migraines, Crohn's, and more
- Scent imprinting — commitment to odor
- Odor discrimination — isolating the target scent
- Building trained alert reliability — a dependable, repeatable response
- Proofing under distraction
- Night alerts and live-condition work
General Service Dog Task Training
- Mobility: retrieval, pulling, bracing, counterbalance, pushing buttons to open doors
- PTSD & anxiety: behavior interruption, deep pressure therapy, grounding, guiding to exit, blocking
- Medical response: medication retrieval, seeking help, turning lights on/off, tactile stimulation
- Task reliability and generalization to new environments
Public Access Training
- Obedience and neutrality under real distraction
- Confidence and composure in real environments
- Specific in-public behaviors for easy handling — settling under benches and tables, waiting at doors, ignoring stranger interactions, riding elevators, slow controlled stairs
- K9 fitness — keeping your dog fit and working longer
- First Public Access Test included in the track
Or bundle your tracks for a fuller program.
Most handlers need at least two tracks working together — alerts, tasks, and public access are connected problems that benefit from connected training.
Payment plans available on every option. We'll talk through what fits before you commit.
Every track. Every bundle. Here's what you actually get.
Structured lesson plan
Written lessons plus demonstration videos, paced for the work and the team's progress — so learning is retained, not dumped. And if you need a lesson we haven't built yet, tell us and we'll create one. The program grows with real handlers.
48 live Zoom coaching calls
Four per month for a full year — two task-focused and two public-access-focused. Ask questions, submit videos for trainer review, request specific video examples, and get individualized help right on the call. Recorded if you can't make it live.
Private support community
Between calls, upload videos for feedback from peers and our team, hold discussions, share resources, ask questions, and meet handlers walking the same road. You're not doing this alone.
Lead or Be Led 2.0™ — PDF included
Trina's book, bundled inside every track. It's general dog training — not service-dog specific — but it's the foundation everything else sits on, with a chapter on dog selection, training exercises and games, puppy manners, and household skills.
Puppy Pathways™ Training Journal
One booklet to track everything in one place: a socialization & desensitization log, the full 15-component Public Access Test skills tracker, a trained response checklist (Introduced → Aware → Proficient → Solid), and printable session notes.
ACE Certification — Certificate + ID Card
Pass the Public Access Test and Tasking Skills Exam and you receive both a signed certificate and a matching ID card you can carry — documenting your team meets ADA criteria for public access.
Twelve months. Structured lessons. Four coaching calls a month.
One year is the minimum a service dog team needs — and many teams work with us for two. Each track is paced for the work, so you can actually absorb each stage instead of chasing a firehose.
Enroll in your track
Pick a single track or a bundle based on what your team needs. If you're not sure, start with the quiz or book a free call.
Lessons unlock at the right pace
Written instructions, video demos, and at-home drills — paced for the work, so learning is retained and not dumped.
Four live calls / month
Two task-focused and two public-access-focused. We watch you and your dog on video and correct what we see.
Final evaluation & ACE Certification
When your team is ready, we run the Public Access Test and task evaluation. Passing teams receive signed ACE Certification.
Most teams reach certification in 18 months to 2 years.
One year is the minimum — and we want you to hear that from us, not discover it the hard way. For most teams, certification realistically takes 18 months to 2 years of consistent training, depending on the dog you start with, the work you're training for, and the pace your life allows. That's exactly why we built the Ongoing Training Support Membership at $59/month — continued access to the community and live group coaching after your core 12 months wrap up, for as long as you need it. No one graduates into silence here.
Other ways to start.
Take a short quiz, get a professional opinion on your dog, talk it through with us, or — if you don't have the right dog yet — start with our Puppy Pathways™ program.
Is your dog a service dog candidate?
A quick self-screen for suitability. Free and no commitment — useful if you'd like a sense of where you stand before going further.
Take the Quiz →A professional read on your dog.
A 45-minute consultative evaluation with one of our senior trainers. Honest, written recommendation after — no sales pitch. $150, or $75 with code EVAL50.
Book an Evaluation →Talk it through with Trina.
Sometimes you just need to talk to a real person about your situation before deciding anything. No charge, no pressure, no obligation.
Book a Free Call →Don't have the right dog yet?
Our Puppy Pathways™ program walks you through choosing and starting the right dog — breeder puppies, rescues, mixed breeds. From $147.
Explore Puppy Pathways™ →Real documentation. From real trainers. That actually means something.
The ADA does not require federal registration for a service dog — and anyone selling you a "registry" is selling you nothing. What ACE Certification gives you is a professional, evaluated record of your dog's training: public access proficiency, trained tasks, and handler competency, signed by our certified evaluators.
When you and your dog pass both the Public Access Test and the Tasking Skills Exam, you receive both a printed certificate and a matching ID card — each carrying your dog's and handler's information, ACE's organizational details and your evaluating trainer's signature, and a reference to the ADA service-dog laws that protect your team's public access rights.
It's the kind of documentation that gives you confidence — and that businesses, housing providers, and airlines take seriously because it's issued by a credentialed training organization that's been doing this since 1995. (U.S./ADA-based; international rules and recognition vary by country.)
This is a team. You'll be working with all four of us.
We built this program together — each of us leading the part we've spent years perfecting, and all of us showing up for live coaching. When you enroll, you don't get assigned one trainer. You get all of us.
Honest answers.
Is my dog actually suitable for service dog training?
It matters more than almost anything else. We look for a dog who is confident but not reactive, people-oriented, recoverable from startle, and steady in new environments — and yes, that includes mixed breeds and rescues. If you're unsure, start with the 2-minute quiz or book a $75 Zoom Evaluation (code EVAL50) and we'll tell you honestly where your dog stands.
Can I really do this with my medical condition — what if I have bad days?
Yes. This program was built for adults managing real medical and mental health conditions, which means it's designed around flexibility, not perfection. Lessons are paced for the work — not dumped all at once — and live sessions are recorded, so you can step back when you need to and pick back up without losing your place.
Is one year really enough time to train a service dog?
One year is the minimum. For a mature dog with a strong foundation, twelve months of structured work is often enough to reach certification. For a puppy still maturing or a dog with bigger foundation gaps, two years is more realistic. Our Ongoing Training Support Membership ($59/month) keeps you in community and coaching after your core year ends — no one graduates into silence.
Is online training really enough for something this serious?
"Online only" isn't what we do — we run a hybrid model. Structured video curriculum combined with live virtual coaching, personalized video review, and real accountability. Service dog training is about consistency and handler skill, and daily practice in your own home, your own grocery store, and your own doctor's office is exactly where your dog needs to learn.
What if I fall behind in the program?
You're not going to be kicked out, shamed, or left behind — that's not how we operate. Life happens, flares happen, surgeries happen, and the program is paced so you can pause and return. We'll help you pick up exactly where you left off when you're ready.
How much does it cost, and why is it priced this way?
A professionally placed service dog costs $25,000–$40,000 with 1–4 year waitlists. Our program starts at $1,497 for a full year because you're doing the training alongside us with a dog you already love — which is what makes it accessible. Payment plans are available on every option.
Do I need to buy all three tracks?
No — most handlers don't. Start with the track that matches your most pressing need; you can add a track later. The Any-Two bundle is our most popular because alerts, tasks, and public access are connected problems — but "start where you are" is a perfectly good answer.
What breeds do you accept? Do rescues really work?
Every breed, every mix, every rescue — and we mean it. Service work is about temperament, not pedigree. Some of the best working service dogs we've ever certified came from shelters. What matters is the individual dog.
Ready to start?
A placed service dog is $25,000 and a four-year wait. A year with us — real trainers, live coaching, and a certification that actually means something — starts at $1,497. Let's get your team working.