Choose and raise the right service dog —from the very start.
The most consequential decision in your whole service dog journey is the dog you choose. ACE Puppy Pathways™ is our step-by-step program for choosing a strong prospect and guiding its earliest weeks of development — then setting you up to move into the right ACE service dog program. Whether you're starting with a breeder puppy, a rescue, or a young dog already in your life.
Most failed service dog teams started with the wrong dog.
We've watched handlers train for eighteen months, spend thousands of dollars, and arrive at the painful truth that the dog they love just doesn't have the temperament for service work. We can't train a dog into traits they don't have. No one can.
The good news: the right dog is still ahead of you — and Puppy Pathways™ is how we help you choose them well, the first time.
This program comes from a book Trina wrote.
PDF Included Free in Every TierPuppy Pathways™ wasn't pieced together from training trends. It comes straight out of Lead or Be Led 2.0™ — the book Trina wrote after thirty years of training, evaluating, and watching exactly what separates teams that work from teams that don't. The book is the philosophy. The program is the application.
You don't need to buy it to start Puppy Pathways™ — the full PDF is included in every tier. If you want to read it before you decide, the paperback is on Amazon.
Read it on Amazon →Four things every owner-trainer needs before they pick.
Puppy Pathways™ replaces a thousand contradictory YouTube videos and Reddit threads with a structured framework, so you can stop guessing and start choosing well.
What a service dog candidate actually looks like
The traits that matter — temperament, soundness, recoverable startle, environmental confidence — and which ones matter most for your specific tasks. Medical alert is different from psychiatric work is different from mobility support.
How to vet sources without falling for red flags
Identifying ethical breeders and assessing rescue dogs honestly. The questions to ask. The signs to walk away from. The hard moments when "I just want this dog" needs to meet "is this dog actually right for service work."
How to read your own emotional pull
The single biggest source of bad selection decisions is falling in love with the wrong dog. Puppy Pathways™ gives you the structured assessments and the honest second opinion to balance heart against head — so you don't repeat past mistakes.
How to start the early-development window right
The first weeks of your puppy's life are about foundation — socialization, exposure, confidence, and gentle leadership — not formal task training yet. We give you the early-development resources to start strong, then help you move into the right ACE service dog program when your dog is ready.
Puppy Pathways™ was built for two kinds of handlers.
If you don't have a dog yet
Puppy Pathways™ is the program we wish every owner-trainer started with. Most people get here by way of YouTube videos and Reddit threads, having absorbed a lot of conflicting advice about what makes a service dog candidate. Puppy Pathways™ replaces that noise with structured, professional guidance from trainers who've evaluated thousands of dogs.
If your current dog isn't a service dog candidate
Puppy Pathways™ helps you let go of that hope honestly, with grace, and shift your energy toward choosing your next dog with everything you've already learned. Your current dog isn't going anywhere — they're still your companion. But the dog who'll do service work for you is a different dog, and Puppy Pathways™ helps you find them without making the same selection mistakes again.
Inclusive of Every Kind of Dog You Might Consider
- Breeder puppies (and how to vet a breeder so you don't get talked into the wrong dog)
- Rescues and shelter dogs (and how to assess them honestly before you fall in love)
- Adolescents and adults (and how to read a dog who's already past the puppy window)
- Mixed breeds and non-traditional service dog breeds (these can absolutely do this work)
- Specific dogs you're already considering — we'll help you decide
Five phases to a well-chosen prospect.
Move through the phases at your own pace. Lifetime access means you can pause when life happens and pick back up when you're ready.
1 Breed & Trait Selection
Before you start looking, you need to understand what you're looking for. Temperament, structure, drive, social reactivity, recoverable startle, environmental confidence — and which of those matter most for your specific tasks (medical alert is different from psychiatric work is different from mobility support).
2 Breeder & Rescue Research
How to identify ethical breeders, what questions to ask them, and how to walk away when something feels off. How to assess rescue organizations and individual rescue dogs. How to know when "I just want to save a dog" is a fit for service work and when it isn't. The common red flags handlers miss because they don't know what to look for.
3 Health & Developmental Considerations
What health screening matters at this stage and what doesn't. What to expect from puppy development between 8 and 16 weeks, and what early indicators predict adult temperament. How to evaluate a dog's structure for the physical demands of service work — especially mobility tasks.
4 Puppy Temperament Testing & Suitability Assessments
How to honestly assess a specific puppy or rescue dog before you commit. A baseline temperament test is just one input — anyone can find one online — so we teach you our complete assessment process: reading temperament, drive, sensitivity, recovery from stress, sociability, structure, and fit for your specific tasks, plus how to read your own emotional pull (the single biggest source of bad selection decisions). At the Done With You tier, we run a live Zoom assessment on your selected litter (up to 6 puppies) with verbal debrief and written summary. Available à la carte at any tier as well.
5 The First Weeks of Life — Early Exposure & Socialization
Puppy Pathways™ is about selection and the earliest developmental window — roughly the first twelve weeks of life — not formal service dog training. Once you've chosen well, these early weeks are about foundation: socialization, environmental exposure, confidence-building, and gentle leadership during the window that shapes who your dog becomes. We give you the resources to start strong — then, when your puppy is home and ready, we move you into the appropriate ACE service dog program(s) to begin formal training.
Choose the level that fits your style.
Every tier includes the full Puppy Pathways™ curriculum across all five phases. The difference is how much one-on-one support you have along the way.
What Every Tier Includes
- Full 5-phase online Puppy Pathways™ program (lesson videos, scripts, and slides)
- 8 downloadable resources: Health and Genetic Testing Companion Guide™, Choosing the Right Puppy Lesson Companion™, ACE Puppy Temperament Booklet, ACE Puppy Temperament Score Sheets, ACE Puppy Pathways Booklet™, ACE Puppy Pathways Workbook™, Puppy Pathways Training Journal™, and ACE Breeder Questionnaire™
- Recorded Genetics & Behavior presentation by Trina Eddy
- PowerPoint: Choosing a Breeder & Selecting a Puppy by Trina Eddy
- PDF of Lead or Be Led 2.0™ by Trina R. Eddy
- One private Zoom consultation with Trina (30 minutes for Self-Guided; 45 minutes for Supported and Done With You) — valid 12 months from enrollment
- Lifetime access to all program content and materials
- Full 5-phase program + lifetime access
- All 8 downloadable resources
- 30-minute private Zoom with Trina
- Lead or Be Led 2.0™ + Trina's recorded presentations
- One full year of ACE Puppy Pathways™ community group access — joined by Trina, Andrea, Autumn, Jessica & Jenny
- Bi-weekly live group Zoom coaching calls — open Q&A with the ACE team
- Access to all recorded group Zoom sessions
- Upgraded private Zoom with Trina: 45 minutes (vs. 30)
- Up to 3 breeder reviews and/or rescue assessments, in any combination
- Up to 3 breeder co-interviews — a senior trainer joins your call as co-interviewer
- Live Zoom puppy assessment on a selected litter (up to 6 puppies) — verbal debrief plus written summary
- Phone & text access to Trina: 2 scheduled 20-minute calls per month plus business-hours texting (12 months)
All Done With You included services are valid for 12 months from enrollment. Soft expiration applies — services are intended for active use during your search, not banked indefinitely. We handle edge cases individually.
Extended Support After Year One
When your initial 12 months wraps up, ongoing support is available:
- $75/month for Self-Guided and Supported alumni — continued community group access plus live group coaching calls
- $150/month for Done With You alumni — community group + group coaching calls + two 20-minute private calls per month with Trina
À La Carte Add-Ons
Available to all enrolled clients.
| Service | Price | Available to |
|---|---|---|
| Additional 45-min private Zoom consultation | $75 | All tiers |
| Additional 1:1 call (15 min) | $25 / 15 min | All tiers |
| Breeder questionnaire review (our written analysis), per breeder | $75 | Self-Guided & Supported |
| Breeder co-interview (we join your call), per breeder | $100 | Self-Guided & Supported |
| Breeder review + co-interview bundle, per breeder | $165 | Self-Guided & Supported |
| Full breeder research + interview (we handle it all), per breeder | $300 / breeder | All tiers |
| Rescue / shelter dog assessment (Zoom, one dog) | $100 | All tiers |
| Zoom Puppy Temperament Test — litter of up to 6 puppies | $250 | All tiers |
| Additional puppy beyond 6 in same session | $50 / puppy | All tiers |
| Additional litter (separate session) | $250 | All tiers |
| Written Puppy Temperament evaluation (you submit video) | $225 | All tiers |
| Puppy check-in session (45-min Zoom at 8–12 weeks home) | $75 | All tiers |
Not sure which tier fits? Book a free 15-minute call with Trina and we'll talk through where you actually are in the process: Book a free call →
Three generations. 30 years.
Service dogs trained for real life.
A Canine Experience was founded by Nancy Baer in 1995 and is now led by her daughter Trina Eddy. Three generations of our family have worked with dogs and the people who love them — including Autumn Baer, our third-generation trainer who grew up in this work.
We're a women-owned, family-run team of eight, with four professional service dog trainers leading the work on this program. We specialize in medical alert, psychiatric, and mobility service dogs, and we've trained handlers across the country managing diabetes, POTS, PTSD, seizures, migraines, anxiety, autism, Crohn's, and more. We don't sell certifications, we don't push dogs through fast for profit, and we don't put dogs into work they aren't suited for. We do this slowly, honestly, and with the long view.
Honest answers.
The right dog is worth choosing well.
The dog you bring home next will live with you for ten or more years. The few weeks of careful research and structured guidance before you choose them is the cheapest investment you'll ever make in this whole journey.