Become a Trainer
Being a volunteer organization we are always in demand for puppy raisers and trainers.
If you are an active dog trainer in Florida and interested in assisting the disabled
by training service dogs we now have a paid referrel option to assist owner trainers.
Contact us by email with your location and business/training background.
Our goal is to expand our list of the many dog trainers in the state, so that when a
Service Dog Handler (Owner-Trainer/ non-school dogs) calls up and says I need help teaching
my dog to retrieve my keys, we have a trainer local to them that can assist.
This enables us to help as many disabled as we can, it increases businesses for the local trainer
and lets their business give back to the community through our charity.
We have a number of levels for trainers so that almost anyone can assist in some way.
- Groomers & Walkers ensure our dogs are clean and well exercised, while reinforcing their skills.
- Stage 1 - Puppy Raisers. House break the dog and train the dog many obedience commands like:
sit, down, stay, up, heal, come, dress.
- Stage 1 - Testers & Evaluators.
AKC CGC evaluators or higher trainers test the dogs skills at the end of stage 1 training.
- Stage 2 - Public Access Training. A host family walks the dog in public places training it to behave properly in public. As it progresses it eventually starts going in to businesses for further training.
- Stage 2 - Testers & Evaluators. Seasoned trainers administer the public access test to ensure the dog is safe in pubic.
- Stage 3 - Advanced ADA Task Training. Career or professional dog trainers teach the many tasks the dog need to learn to assist their disabled handler.
- Stage 3 - Testers & Evaluators. Peer trainers administer the Stage 3 Task Training test to ensure the dog will function to assist it's handler.
From children to expert dog trainers, SDFL can use your assistance.
Novice dog trainers usually start in Stage 1 and work their way up as they improve their skills, they are called
SDFL Associate Trainers and apprentice under a stage 2 or 3 trainer.
Expert or professional dog trainers usually start in Stage 2 or 3 depending on their background and comfort level.
All trainers work as a team to train each dog. Most Stage 3 trainers have either: CPDT-KA, IAABC or APDT certification.
If you are interested in training a service dog or assisting please contact Info @
ServiceDogsFL.org
Q. Do I need any certification to train?
A.
No, but it helps. You will be evaluated as you assist in the
program and may be advanced on your demonstrated skill level.
SDFL does offer assistance in gaining certification as some of our best trainers
originally had no formal training, just their natural abilities.
(Dog Agility & Tricks background) If you have a CPDT you may be asked to assist in training other trainers.
We strongly recommend all our trainers attain an
AKC-CGC Evaluator status, so that they can perform testing for us.
Q. Do I get paid?
A. No one in SDFL gets paid. If you have any training expenses, such as toys,
treats or leaches, you can be reimbursed. (needs prior approval)
Pet-2-SD Program
Their is a dire shortage of trained dogs as training programs have
limited funding, wait times can be months to years for a school dog.
Some disabled call and ask if their young dog can be trained for them to
be a service dog. SDFL is creating this program using local
independent/private trainers to assist those that are interested in this
route. It should be noted only 20% of pet dogs complete this program,
and it's strongly discourraged as service dogs have the highest
standards of conduct. However if your dog is one of the 20%, it will
follow the same SDFL training guidelines and tests and at the end be
certified the same as a school dog. This training method will attempt to
wash-out non-conforming dogs as quickly as possible to reduce handler
costs.
Costs: About $10-20/hour with an independant professional dog trainer
(CPDT/IAABC/CGC). [These trainers are not employees of SDFL,
they are local dog trainers, in your area,
that have the skills to do the training,
we simply provide the requirements.]
The trainer will be provided the requirements of the certification tests.
Q. How much time does it take?
A. Depends on the dog and your training method. Some trainers take the
dogs home for a few months, train them and bring them back. Others visit a puppy raiser on a regular schedule to
train.
Q. Do I train the same dog from start to finish?
A. Depends on your abilities. Most trainers train certain
tasks over and over to different dogs passing it on to another trainer for the next step. Much like an assembly line.
Links: (This is what we train and how we test.)
Puppy Raisers - Raise a Puppy for training.
Our Min. Standards
STAGE 1 - Obedience
STAGE 2 - ADA Public Access
STAGE 3 - Disability Task Training
Service Dog Tasks
Certify - Completes the program
These are our standardized training tests.
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