How to become an instructor
To train dogs for people with physical disabilities is a demanding and highly specialized task. Unfortunately, we do not offer courses or educational programs in service dog training.
STH receives many inquiries from people who want to know more about opportunities for training, education, or employment within the organisation. We appreciate the interest, but at this time STH is not able to train others to work with, or assist in the training of, service dogs.
A significant responsibility
Taking on the task of training a dog for another person carries great responsibility - especially when that person has a physical disability. STH takes this responsibility very seriously, and there are several reasons why we advise against attempting to train service dogs for others, even if you have experience with training family pets.
Training a service dog is a long and demanding process. In fact, the specialised task-training - teaching the dog practical assistance skills - is only a small part of the overall project.
The role and competencies of the instructor
A service dog instructor must have extensive knowledge of different illnesses and physical disabilities: how they manifest, which abilities the person has, what they may need support with, and which assistive tools can be used.
Of course, the instructor must also have deep understanding of canine behaviour and needs, and be able to communicate knowledge about learning theory, training, and dog behaviour. They must possess the insight required to “match” a person with a disability to the right service dog, and they must be able to transfer the dog’s learned skills and adapt them to the user’s specific needs. Instructors also need substantial experience in troubleshooting at every level.
Not a simple task
As this hopefully makes clear, training service dogs is far from a simple task. By the time our service dogs are matched with a user, countless hours of training and preparation have taken place - all with the goal of creating the best possible team, benefiting both the user and the dog.
ANY QUESTIONS?
Become a puppy host for STH
As a volunteer puppy host at STH, you become an indispensable part of the journey from curious puppy to specially trained service dog. For one year, you get the joy of raising, training, and providing a puppy with a safe environment – while also making a life-changing difference for a person with a physical disability.