Apply for Privately Owned Service Dog Certification
What You Need to Know About Our Privately Owned Dog Certification Program
Please understand we receive many more applications than we have Assistance Dogs. We specialize in certifying privately owned Service Dogs that mitigate the interfering effects of traumatic experiences. Our proprietary approach to client training teaches recipients how to Control, Regulate, and Mitigate® their symptoms. With the help of an Assistance Dog, handlers intentionally re-engage with the world around them, despite their traumatic pasts. Because this is our specialty, we screen applications for their appropriateness and readiness for our approach.
A majority of the clients accepted into our program have experienced trauma; therefore, please do not skip over any parts of your story and needs in your initial applications in order for it to be considered comprehensively. We take your disclosure seriously, and whether you are accepted or denied, we appreciate your trust in sharing your story with us.
paws4people®️ reserves the right to decline any application at any time for any reason that is deemed in the best interest of the organization, without disclosing the reason for the organization’s decision to decline.
Our mission is to educate and empower people to utilize Assistance Dogs to transform their lives. We sincerely wish we had unlimited funds so we could help every applicant.
Start the Journey
Complete an inquiry form to begin the application process.
At this time we are only able to accept applications in English. If you need further assistance please contact us.
Don’t know where to begin? Click HERE to sign up for a Discovery Call to see if a Service Dog is right for you
About paws4people®️
What type of service dogs do you specialize in?
We will certify service dogs for: Mobility, Psychiatric, Sensory Development/Tactile Pressure, and Medical Alerts (with individual consideration).
How do you assess whether my dog has the temperament and ability to be certified as a service dog?
A great deal of this filtration is accomplished through your prerequisites. To qualify to enter a paws4people training cohort, your dog must have earned a Canine Good Citizen and passed the CGC Urban test with a credentialed evaluator. To prevent any conflicts of interest, we do not work directly with nor refer directly to any of these trainers/evaluators.
If your dog has earned these credentials, then your dog might be a candidate to be accepted to a paws4people training co-hort. Your dog will be evaluated by a paws4people trainer during a day-long in-person assessment in your home and community as a final step in earning an invitation to a training co-hort.
What’s your training process like, and how long does it typically take?
Once you are invited to a training cohort, you will receive your training dates. New cohorts begin each quarter. An example* of a typical training model might be:
- December – In-person assessment at your home/community.
- January – A-Block, one week in Wilmington at our campus.
- February – B-Block, three weeks in Wilmington at our campus.
- March – C-Block, custom task training for your dog, they board-and-train with us in Wilmington for 2 weeks in March.
- March – May – Black vest, conditional certification trial period, your dog is home with you wearing our provisional vest and completing your weekly homework and check-ins for 60 days.
- May – D-Block, return to our campus in Wilmington for 3 days of final assessments to earn your red vest.
- August – E-Block, return to our campus in Wilmington for 3 days of post-certification assessment.
- Ongoing – aftercare and follow-up check-ins and requirements for the entirety of the dog’s career.
- Recertification – The team must re-certify annually in-person. Testing dates are available for scheduling on many different dates and locations throughout the country during the fourth quarter of each year.
*All training plans are subject to change based on the needs of the team as well as the decisions of paws4people. All teams will be required to have a minimum of a 6-month relationship with paws4people to be eligible for certification.
Can you explain the training methods you use? Are they positive reinforcement-based?
We have a positive reinforcement-based training style and follow LIMA principles in all areas of training and care.
Do you offer customized training based on my specific needs and the tasks I need the dog to perform?
Yes. Any sessions of our training cohorts are customized based on each client’s needs, interests, and goals. Other sessions are general sessions done as a whole group.
Additionally, if we determine that you and your dog need assistance in training your 3+ disability task cues, we will offer a module to provide that for you.
What happens if my dog doesn’t complete training or doesn’t pass the certification?
It is very important to understand that not all dogs are appropriate for this work. If at any point, either the client or paws4people determine that certification is not feasible, the conditional client & dog will be dismissed from the program.
Is there a guarantee that my dog will be able to complete training?
There is absolutely no guarantee of receiving certification. Doing so would be unrealistic and disingenuous.
What is the total cost for training a service dog, and does it include follow-up support?
All tuition and fees for our training program are discussed in detail on the initial Discovery Call, in addition to being provided in writing during the application process.
Will you provide documentation or training certifications that I can use for access purposes (e.g., at airports, restaurants)?
If a team becomes certified by paws4people, you will receive a Service Dog uniform, a physical ID card, as well as an Assistance Dogs International Digital ID. You will also have the option to opt-in to paws4people’s group health insurance policy for your dog as an additional benefit.
