The Information Hub

Service Dogs Explained

Everything behind the Service Dog Services program — suitability, candidate evaluation, our training approach, the full journey, and the questions we're asked most.

Is a Service Dog Right for Me? Can My Dog Qualify? Selecting a Candidate Our Approach The Full Journey Public Access Task Training FAQ

Section 1

Is a Service Dog Right for Me?

A service dog changes daily life in ways both freeing and demanding. Before training begins, it is worth understanding honestly what the partnership asks of you.

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▪ Overview of what a service dog does and does not do — copy to be supplied.

▪ Lifestyle, time, and financial considerations of handling a working dog.

▪ Alternatives worth considering when service work is not the right fit.

▪ How Harmony walks a prospective handler through this decision.

Section 2

Can My Current Dog Become a Service Dog?

Not every dog is suited to service work, and that is a matter of welfare as much as ability. Evaluation looks at the whole dog.

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▪ Temperament criteria we evaluate — copy to be supplied.

▪ Age windows and developmental considerations.

▪ Behavioral history, including reactivity and bite history.

▪ Environmental stability and recovery from stress.

▪ Health, structure, and veterinary clearance requirements.

▪ What the suitability evaluation involves, step by step.

Section 3

Finding & Selecting a Service Dog Candidate

For handlers starting without a dog, candidate selection is the single most consequential decision in the whole process.

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▪ How Harmony supports breeder and litter selection — copy to be supplied.

▪ Puppy temperament testing and what we look for.

▪ Considering adult dogs and rescue candidates.

▪ Realistic timelines and expectations from selection to placement.

Section 4

Harmony's Service Dog Training Approach

Our philosophy is the same one that runs through the whole Academy: understand the dog, educate the human, and build skills where life actually happens.

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▪ Brooke's training philosophy — to be written and reviewed.

▪ Individualized planning rather than a fixed curriculum.

▪ Real-home and real-community development.

▪ Dog welfare and the ongoing suitability conversation.

▪ Handler education and the coaching relationship.

▪ Environmental conditioning and real-world preparation.

Section 5

The Full Service Dog Training Journey

Three modules, each building on the last — from foundation obedience through to full service dog mastery.

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▪ Module 1 — Foundation: detailed skill list to be supplied.

▪ Module 2 — Advanced Skills: detailed skill list to be supplied.

▪ Module 3 — Service Dog Mastery: detailed skill list to be supplied.

▪ Assessment points, report cards, and graduation criteria.

Section 6

Public Access Training

Public access work is less about obedience commands than about a dog who is genuinely neutral, settled, and attentive in the middle of ordinary human chaos.

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▪ Environmental neutrality and what it looks like in practice.

▪ Settling under tables, in waiting rooms, and during long stays.

▪ Handler focus among heavy distraction.

▪ Restaurants, stores, medical settings, and travel.

▪ How readiness is assessed before public work expands.

Section 7

Individualized Task Training

Task work is developed individually around what a handler actually needs. It is built gradually, tested in real conditions, and adjusted over time.

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▪ How tasks are identified with the handler — copy to be supplied.

▪ The process of shaping and generalizing a task.

▪ Maintaining reliability after training ends.

▪ Note: no medical claims or guaranteed outcomes to be stated here.

Section 8