Service & Therapy Dog Training
A well-trained service dog can transform the life of a person with a disability, providing independence, safety, and confidence that no other intervention can match. A therapy dog can bring comfort and healing to people in hospitals, schools, and care facilities. Both roles demand exceptional training, reliable temperament, and a deep partnership between dog and handler.
Our service and therapy dog training program is the most comprehensive we offer, taking dogs from candidate evaluation through task-specific training, public access preparation, and certification readiness. Whether you are training your own dog for personal service work or preparing a dog for therapy visits in community settings, our program provides the structured, incremental training that produces dogs who are not just obedient but genuinely dependable in the situations that matter most.
Understanding Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals
These terms are often confused, but they represent very different roles with distinct legal protections and training requirements. Knowing the differences is essential before beginning any training program.
Service Dogs
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is individually trained to perform specific tasks directly related to a person's disability. Service dogs have the legal right to accompany their handlers in all public places, including restaurants, stores, hospitals, and airplanes. Tasks may include mobility assistance, medical alert, psychiatric support tasks, hearing alerts, and guide work. No specific breed is required, and there is no mandatory certification or registration — the dog simply must be trained for specific, disability-related tasks.
Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort, affection, and emotional support to people in institutional settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and disaster relief areas. Unlike service dogs, therapy dogs do not have public access rights under the ADA — they visit facilities with their handler's permission. Therapy dogs must be friendly, calm, and comfortable being touched by strangers. Most therapy dog programs require the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification as a prerequisite, followed by a therapy dog-specific evaluation.
Emotional Support Animals
Emotional support animals (ESAs) provide comfort through their presence and companionship. ESAs do not require any specific training and do not have public access rights under the ADA. They may have housing accommodations under the Fair Housing Act with a letter from a licensed mental health professional. We do not offer ESA "certification" because ESAs do not legally require training or certification. If you are interested in ESA accommodations, we recommend speaking with your mental health provider.
Our Service Dog Training Program
Candidate Evaluation: Not every dog is suited for service work, and beginning training with an unsuitable candidate wastes time, money, and emotional investment. Our evaluation assesses temperament (calmness, confidence, social neutrality), health (joint soundness, vision, hearing), trainability (motivation, focus, problem-solving ability), and stress resilience (response to novel environments, sudden sounds, crowds). We provide an honest, detailed report with a clear recommendation.
Task-Specific Training: The core of service dog training is teaching the specific tasks your dog will perform for your disability. We work closely with handlers to identify the tasks that will provide the greatest benefit and then train each task systematically. Psychiatric service dog tasks we commonly train include deep pressure therapy (DPT) for panic attacks, tactile grounding for dissociation, interrupting repetitive behaviors, creating physical buffer space in crowds, nightmare interruption, and medication reminders. Mobility tasks include retrieving dropped items, opening and closing doors, carrying bags, and bracing for stability.
Public Access Training: A service dog must behave impeccably in all public environments. Our public access training covers walking calmly through crowds, riding elevators and escalators, lying quietly under tables at restaurants, ignoring food on the floor, remaining calm around other dogs, settling during long waits in medical offices, and navigating tight spaces in stores. We practice in real public environments progressively, building your dog's confidence and reliability.
Canine Good Citizen Certification Prep: The AKC Canine Good Citizen test is a widely recognized baseline for well-mannered dogs and is required by most therapy dog organizations. We prepare dogs for all ten CGC test items: accepting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, appearance and grooming, walking on a loose lead, walking through a crowd, sit and down on command, coming when called, reaction to another dog, reaction to distractions, and supervised separation.
Service & Therapy Dog Training Pricing
Service dog training is a significant investment that is substantially more affordable than purchasing a pre-trained service dog ($15,000-$50,000). All sessions are 90 minutes for service dog work.
Single Session
$175
per session
- 90-minute session
- Task-specific training
- Detailed homework plan
- Email and video support
20-Session Package
$3,200
save $300
- Candidate evaluation included
- Foundation + task training
- Public access preparation
- CGC test preparation
- 6-month follow-up support
40-Session Complete
$6,000
save $1,000
- Full service dog training
- Complex task training
- Advanced public access
- CGC + therapy dog prep
- 12-month follow-up support
Payment plans available. We can help connect you with grants and funding resources for service dog training. Therapy dog preparation is typically 10-15 sessions.
What Our Service Dog Clients Say
Marcus helped train my lab to be a psychiatric service dog for my PTSD. The process took about ten months and 28 sessions, and every single one was worth it. My dog now performs deep pressure therapy when I have a panic attack, wakes me from nightmares, and creates physical space between me and other people in crowded environments. Marcus was incredibly respectful of my disability throughout the process and adapted the training schedule to accommodate my difficult days. Having my service dog has allowed me to go back to work and participate in my community again. I cannot overstate how much this has changed my life.
Our therapy dog program at the children's hospital started with Global Good Dog's training. Marcus evaluated three of our volunteer dogs and provided honest feedback — one was an excellent candidate, one needed additional work, and one was not suitable for hospital environments due to noise sensitivity. He was right about all three. The dog he trained completed the therapy dog certification process smoothly and has been visiting patients for over a year now. The children adore him, and the nursing staff has told us that his visits measurably reduce anxiety in pediatric patients before procedures. Marcus also provided ongoing support as we encountered new situations in the hospital setting.
My golden retriever needed to pass the Canine Good Citizen test for our apartment complex's pet policy. Marcus prepared us in just eight sessions. My golden went from being a friendly but chaotic greeter who jumped on everyone to a calm, controlled dog who sits politely when strangers approach. We passed the CGC test on our first attempt, and the skills we learned have made our daily life together so much better. Marcus also suggested we consider therapy dog work since our golden has such a naturally gentle temperament, and we are now working toward that certification. The whole experience has been incredibly rewarding for both of us.
Marcus Chen
CPDT-KA, Senior Trainer
About Your Service Dog Trainer
Marcus Chen leads Global Good Dog's service and therapy dog training program. A Certified Professional Dog Trainer - Knowledge Assessed with specialized experience in public access training, task-specific skill development, and ADA compliance, Marcus has helped over 40 handler-dog teams prepare for service work and more than 25 teams achieve therapy dog certification.
Marcus's background in animal science, combined with his natural patience and methodical training approach, makes him exceptionally well-suited for the long-term commitment that service dog training requires. He understands that behind every service dog is a handler whose quality of life depends on that dog's reliability, and he brings that awareness to every session. Marcus is also an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, which allows him to conduct CGC testing on-site for clients who complete the preparation program.
Service & Therapy Dog Training FAQ
Important questions about service dog rights, training requirements, and what to expect from the process.
These three categories have distinct legal definitions and training requirements. A service dog is individually trained to perform specific tasks for a person with a disability and is protected under the ADA for public access. A therapy dog is trained to provide comfort to people in institutional settings but does not have public access rights and is not trained for a specific handler's disability. An emotional support animal provides comfort through companionship but requires no specific training and has no public access rights under the ADA. We offer training programs for service dogs and therapy dogs but not ESA certification, as ESAs do not require specialized training.
No. While the ADA does not restrict service dogs to specific breeds, not every dog has the temperament, health, and aptitude required for service work. Ideal candidates are calm, confident, socially neutral, physically sound, and highly motivated to work with their handler. We conduct a thorough candidate evaluation and approximately 30 to 40 percent of dogs we evaluate are not suitable candidates. We provide honest feedback and alternative recommendations in those cases.
Full service dog training typically requires 20 to 40 sessions spread over 6 to 18 months, depending on the dog's starting skill level, the complexity of the tasks required, and the handler's schedule. Dogs with a solid obedience foundation may complete training on the shorter end, while dogs starting from scratch or learning complex tasks will need more time. We break the process into clear phases so you can see progress at every stage.
There is no legally required certification or registration for service dogs in the United States. The ADA does not require service dogs to be certified, registered, or carry identification. Websites that sell service dog certifications or ID cards are not recognized by the federal government. What we provide is comprehensive training that ensures your dog can perform their tasks reliably and behave appropriately in all public environments, plus documentation of the training completed.
Service dogs can be trained for a wide range of tasks depending on the handler's disability. We specialize in psychiatric service dog tasks (deep pressure therapy, nightmare interruption, grounding, crowd navigation) and mobility assistance (retrieving items, opening doors, bracing). Medical alert and guide dog training require additional specialization, and we can connect you with appropriate professionals for those needs.
Our service dog training sessions are $175 each, and a full program typically requires 20 to 40 sessions, resulting in a total investment of $3,500 to $7,000 over 6 to 18 months. We offer package discounts and payment plans. While this is a significant investment, it is substantially less than purchasing a pre-trained service dog, which typically costs $15,000 to $50,000. We can also help connect handlers with funding resources and grants for service dog training.
Start Your Service or Therapy Dog Journey
Whether you are preparing your dog for life-changing service work or community therapy visits, it starts with an honest evaluation. Schedule your free consultation and let us help you determine the best path forward for you and your dog.
Schedule Your Free Consultation