Program Dogs

Who is this program for?

This program is for handlers who would like a fully trained program dog or a Started Program Dog.

About the program

Our trainers and volunteer puppy raisers will teach puppy’s all the foundational skills it needs to be a successful service dog. This program is customizable to each handlers needs.

At this time our program dogs are Labradors Retrievers and Golden Retrievers.

Genetics play a very big part in a service dogs long term success. Our breeders prioritize genetic aptitude through confident temperament, drive, and healthy puppies through phenomenal genetics. We believe raising a training a service dog goes beyond the training and it starts with the genetics of the dog.

Our Program runs in a tier system where puppies go though assessments.

Assessment periods
8 months of age
12 months of age
15 months of age
20 months of age
25-32 months of age

Contact us

Service Dog Line Up

  • Available Service Dog Oakley

    Oakley is a 18 month old Intact male Labrador Retriever. With a solid foundation for service work. Oakley has passed all of his clearances!
    -Heart
    -Hips
    -Eyes
    -Elbows
    He also has 3 AKC titles (CGC, CGCA, and CGCU)

    Oakley weighs 50-55lbs and stands about 20-21” Oakley can go in a variety of directions Autism assistance, Psychiatric assistance, and Medical Alert. He has a fun and loving personality and loves adventures. He is on a mission to have a good time all the time! He is very much a water dog and enjoys my pool and the beach! He loves dock diving, agility and disc! He does great in exceptionally stimulating environments. He is great with a variety of animals such as horses, cows, cats, dogs and more. He is very easy to travel with and has great settling skills in and out of the home. Oakley knows a variety of task work and his enthusiasm to work is like no other! He has great persistency that would allow him to excel in behavior interruptions and medical alert.

    Task work he knows
    -Block/Cover
    -Orbit
    -Retrieval foundations
    -Foundations for medical alert
    —-Scent tube work
    -Nudge (alert)
    -Deep pressure therapy
    -Between
    -Open and Closing door foundations
    -Visit
    -LPT
    -Bouncing leg interruption
    -Hyperventilation interruption

    Environments he excels in: Zoos, Aquariums, Theme Parks, Disney World, Grocery stores, Doctors appointments, Malls, Festivals, live music events. ect

    Oakley is selling for $24,000 started (as of September 2nd, 2023, price will increase over time) or he can be reserved to continue in the program as a fully trained program dog or as a partially finished service dog. Please fill out the program dog application if you are interested.

    Please Note: Oakley does have mild allergies that are easily managed through a proper diet, and regular grooming. Veterinarians have been consulted about this and do think he is clear to work and is very healthy. :)

  • Up and Coming Program Dog Yoshi

    Yoshi is a 5 month old Golden Retreiver puppy. He is undergoing our puppy protocol, Yoshi is a fun, spunky and loving puppy. He is always willing to please and very great around Kids, Farm animal, and settles great in the house. Yoshi enjoys hikes, beach trips, traveling, and all kinds of adventures. He is currently living at the Headquarters in Pensacola FL

    Yoshi also excels in very stimulating environments. Yoshi has a bright future ahead of him and we are excited to see how he grows up.

    Yoshi is not available yet. However if you are interested please contact us for more information on out program dogs!

  • Coming soon

The process

All dogs are raised and trained through Hands and Paws Canine Training’s puppy protocol. From 8 weeks-12 months all puppies are exposed to a variety of environments, people, sounds, textures, animals and more to prepare them for difficult situations they may encounter in the future. All of our dogs are exposed to exceptionally stimulating environments such as Disney, Universal, aquariums, zoos, museums, fire departments and more.

At 12 months of age all program dogs undergo extensive health testing (Cardiac, Eyes, Preliminary OFA radiographs) to ensure they are sound to continue training. We believe it is extremely unethical to work dogs who are not physically sound, therefor we prioritize the health and well being of our dogs. Pending the dogs pass their health clarences the dogs will be available for reservation. Individuals who are on our Project Puppy wait list will be contacted and matched with a dog that will suit their needs.

After a dog has been reserved the dog will begin their finishing training, this includes customized task training, advanced public access training, and more. Each handler will undergo team trainings to work on skills and build a relationship with their new partner. dogs stay with Hands and Paws until a minimum of 24 months of age. At 24 months of age all dogs will receive their final health testing (Cardiac, Eyes, Final OFA radiographs) Pending the dog passes their clearances, completed their task work, and has met Hands and Paws Canine Trainings standards, the team will be able to undergo a trial period.

Trial periods typically last 1-3 months. During this time the dog will live with the client at their home. Clients are required to send in daily homework videos, and meet for weekly or bi-weekly lessons depending on what is recommended by the trainer. Prior to the dog going to the clients home, there is a mandatory 14 day team training. During the 14 day team training the client will come to the head quarters in Pensacola, Florida. (Clients are responsible for working out living arrangements, transportation and any additional expenses incurred.) This will allow the team to work directly with the trainer to make sure both the dog and the handler work well together and have a good understanding of all of the skills that have been learned. All dogs typically complete training between 24-32 months of age however it may very for each dog.

After the team training has been completed the team will come back to Hands and Paws Canine Training for graduation. The team will take the Public Access Test. The Public Access Test takes approximately 5-7 days. Upon completion the team will be provided with their official program gear and a graduation diploma.

If you would like to set up a time to schedule an initial consultation to learn more about our program, meet the trainers, customize a training plan and go over pricing details please fill out the program dog application. You can find the application by clicking the button below or on the contact us tab.

Program Dog Application

What does each tier consist of?

2-4 months of age

Crate training
Disney exposure outings
Potty Training
Luring techniques
Puppy foundational skills
House manners
Appropriate behaviors
Exposure
Scent imprinting (Medical Alert)
Socialization

5-7 months of age

Adding in commands
Basic obedience
Disney exposure outings
Medical alert foundations
Practicing basic obedience in public
Potential for retrieval’s
Exposure

8-11 months of age

Advanced obedience
Task work basics
Public Access
Commands with distance
Potential to start task work in this time period
Service dog obedience
-Double down
-Airplane conditioning
-Restaurant conditioning
-Under
-Tuck
Task foundations

12-14 months of age

Task work
Public access training
-Zoos
-Large cities
-Aquariums
-Disney
-Museums
-Grocery stores

14-32 Months of age

-Customized task work