Events

Fall Basic & Intermediate Dog Manners Classes — New Location!

September 4, 2017 by sharon Leave a Comment

Sharon Wachsler of At Your Service Dog Training and Steve Drew of Mount Tully Kennels in their new training room

We are excited to announce that At Your Service has a new home in the North Quabbin for our group classes! After wrapping up our last Family Dog Manners & Obedience class at the end of July at Orange Innovation Center, we moved to Mount Tully Kennels.

The new training space has several advantages, including…

new rubber floor — easier on dog and human muscles and joints
convenience of Mt Tully’s store, easily pick up treats, food, or other dog gear before or after class
the store to train “leave it” or loose leash walking with distractions for intermediate and advanced classes

We are offering several classes this fall…

Family Dog Manners & Obedience

Thu., Sep. 14 at 5:30 PM
Thu., Oct. 26 at 5:30 PM

The basic manners every dog needs to fit in the family. Perfect for adolescents or newly adopted dogs. Leash manners, greeting, focus, down, stay, leave it, drop it, come, touch, and wait. Trained with positive methods for dogs — and humor and clear instruction for owners. Six-week class for only $138. Register your dog for class. (NEW! Choose Better Manners Bundle. Register for both Family Dog & Intermediate and save $27! Register your dog for Better Manners Bundle for only $249.)

Intermediate Manners & Obedience

Thu., Sept 21 at 6:45 PM

For graduates of Family Dog. Get reliability with behaviors that make life better for you and your dog: maintain leash manners and focus around distractions, longer and more reliable stays, coming when called from a distance or away from a distraction, and fun training games, too! (1 space left) Six-week class for only $138. Register your dog for class.

Learn more about our group classes.

We are also offering a specialty class on public access training for advanced service dog teams. This class will meet in a variety of different locations in the Pioneer Valley, including stores, restaurants, medical settings, malls, and more. Please get in touch for information about service dog training classes.

Enter the raffle to win the Good Dog Goody Basket

Open House!

Saturday, Sep. 16 from 12-3 PM

Meet the trainer
Get free pet training tips and handouts
Questions about service dog training? We can answer those, too
Training demos or bring your friendly dog
Enter our raffle to win the “Good Dog Goody Basket” — includes At Your Service towel for training “go to place,” At Your Service clicker, Kurgo car convenience harness and tether, Karen Pryor Clicker Training treat pouch, lump of “coal” feeder toy (for bad dogs that want to learn to be good), and lots of yummy treats and chews!

Stop by! We’d love to see you!

Upcoming Webinar: Service dog laws and terms in the US (especially geared to trainers)

August 9, 2017 by sharon Leave a Comment

Basset hound with chin on the ground, eyes rolled up — Feeling overwhelmed?

More and more trainers are being asked to train a service dog (SD), emotional support animal (ESA), or a personal “therapy dog” for an adult or child with disabilities. The terminology is confusing and everyone says something different:

One trainer tells you that a service dog must be trained in three tasks, another says the dog just needs excellent manners to be in public. Who is right?
Your client says his emotional support skunk is allowed in the grocery store, but that, well, doesn’t smell right to you…
A former client just emailed to say that since he moved to a new state, his chiropractor said his service-dog-in-training is not allowed in the office because that state is not covered by the ADA. Can this be true?

If this sounds familiar, this live webinar is for you!

This Pet Professional Guild webinar, “SD, SDIT, ESA, Alphabet Soup?! What you need to know about US Service Dog Laws & Terms” will guide you with humor and clarity through service dog laws and terminology. Attend the live webinar and have a chance to ask questions in real time: Monday, August 21 at 2 PM Eastern Time. Or register and watch it any time at your convenience!

You’ll learn what all these terms mean and better understand your legal responsibilities as a trainer of a service dog. You’ll get clarity on how the laws for service-dogs-in-training (SDiTs) are different from laws for trained service dogs and how to find the laws in your state.

It can be awkward for trainer and client alike to sort out these terms (“therapy” versus “service” versus “emotional support”) and the legal and training requirements behind each. This presentation will explain the legal meanings and differences between these terms in the United States, the requirements for training each, differences in US state laws for service-dogs-in-training, the standards of behavior and appearance for service dogs, and explain the reality behind the question of “certification.” You’ll also learn how to distinguish between legal requirements and ethical or community standards, and how to apply these concepts to working with clients.

Objectives

This webinar is geared to professional dog trainers in the United States that are new to the complicated world of service dog laws and standards. People who are training a service dog for themselves or a family member, or who are considering training a service dog, are also encouraged to attend and will get a lot of useful information. No previous service dog training experience or knowledge is necessary.

By the end of this webinar, attendees will understand and be able to answer client questions on the following topics:

The difference between the terms “service dog,” “service dog in training,” “emotional support animal,” and “therapy dog” and when handlers of each have access to public accommodations
Understand the definition of a service animal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and where a trainer or handler of a service animal is permitted or excluded
Understand how laws for service-dogs-in-training (and who is a trainer under the law) vary from state-to-state and how to find out their own state’s laws
Understand the community standards for appearance and behavior in service dogs and how these differ from legal requirements
Steps trainers and clients can take to protect themselves if access challenges occur

About the Presenter

Sharon Wachsler CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner with more than 25 years of experience in the disability community. Before she began her second career as a dog trainer, Sharon was a disability information and referral specialist and service dog owner-trainer, as well as the founder of the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival, a writer for the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners newsletter, and the blogger for the popular service-dog trainer’s blog, After Gadget. Sharon opened At Your Service Dog Training in Wendell, MA, in 2014, offering private training, consulting, and group classes to service dog owner-trainers. Sharon is an experienced presenter and writer on service dog topics and enjoys consulting with and speaking to trainers, owners, and community groups about service dogs and their training.

Have a question? Get in touch!

Workshop: Service Dog Owner-Training (is it right for you?)

April 4, 2017 by sharon Leave a Comment

This inexpensive workshop on April 18 is for you if you’re considering a service dog for yourself, a family member, or a client or patient. It is also for you if…

You’re wondering whether it would be better to train your own or apply to a program
You would like more information about which laws apply and what the service dog training process is
You have other questions about service dog training

Jot this down! I need training! (Photo courtesy of Barbara Handelman, used with permission)

Service Dog Owner Training: Is this the path for me?

Date: April 13

Time: 6-8 PM

Location: Animal Alliances, 137-E Damon Rd., Northampton, MA 01060

Cost: $10

What You Will Learn

Topics we’ll cover include…

Service dog laws, definitions, terminology, and standards
Owner training versus programs — pros and cons of each
The path of owner training: The steps in training a service dog
Finding the right trainers and programs
Question and answer

The Presenter

Sharon Wachsler is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP), and owner of At Your Service Dog Training in Wendell, MA. A former disability information specialist and service dog owner-trainer, Sharon offers private and group classes, pre-adoption consulting and assessment to service dog owner-trainers. She consults and speaks on service dog training to trainers, owners, and community groups.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is open to the public — all are welcome! The material is geared to be especially helpful to…

People with disabilities (of any type) that are considering obtaining or training a service dog for themselves
Friends and family members of disabled people who are considering obtaining or training a service dog for their loved one
Those already training a service dog who have questions about the process
Therapists, physicians, and other healthcare providers who prescribe service or emotional support animals to clients or patients
Pet professionals (e.g., veterinary staff, dog trainers, kennel or dog daycare staff) who would like to know more about service dogs
Members of the disability community who would like to know more about service dog handler rights and responsibilities and the lifestyle and work involved with handling or training a service dog

Mastiff puppy curled on floor on a woman's feet under a table, wearing a red and black service dog vest. — Photo courtesy of Tamar Paltin, used with permission

Note: This workshop is for humans. Please leave your pet dog at home. If your service dog or service-dog-in-training accompanies you, it will need to be able to settle quietly for two hours around many people.

Gentle Leader Workshop

February 9, 2017 by sharon Leave a Comment

Head and shoulders of a Golden Retriever wearing a sky blue Gentle Leader -- thin nylon webbing over muzzle and under chin -- with a tennis ball in its mouth

Are you afraid to walk your dog on leash — especially on snow or ice?
Do you have a big, strong dog?
Are you petite, elderly, or disabled?
Have you trained your dog to walk nicely on leash, but they still sometimes pull or lunge unpredictably?
Are you training your dog as a service dog who must be under control at all times?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, this workshop is for you.

Tuesday, March 21

7:15 – 8:30 PM

Orange Innovation Center (131 West Main St., Orange, MA 01364)

This one-time workshop is an introduction to the Gentle Leader, a head halter that allows you to have greater control on leash — without inflicting pain or being punitive. You might have heard of or tried the Gentle Leader or a similar head halter, but if you didn’t introduce it properly — very slowly and positively — your dog may have hated it and refused to walk with it on! Unlike many other pieces of training equipment that you can just put on your dog and go, the Gentle Leader requires careful introduction and proper fitting. However, for many people, it is very well worth doing since it may mean the difference between being able to safely walk their dog or not!

This one-hour workshop will cover

Benefits of the Gentle Leader
How to teach your dog to wear it happily
Fitting tips
How to train loose leash walking using the Gentle Leader
Written training tips to take home on conditioning your dog to a Gentle Leader

There are two ways to sign up…

You may attend without your dog. You do not have to register, but I’d love to know you’re coming. Drop me a line with the form below, and I’ll send you a reminder a couple of days before the workshop. If you can’t get in touch, that’s OK — just show up!

If you’d like to attend with your dog. We have two working slots available for people who want to practice conditioning their dog to the Gentle Leader with professional assistance. Dogs should be comfortable and friendly with people and other dogs and have been in a group training situation before. You must register in advance for the working slots.

Cost: $10 without a dog; $15 for working spots

Questions? Get in touch!

Yes, I’d like to learn how to use the Gentle Leader with my dog. Please send me a reminder notice.

Training Your Own Service Dog – Workshop June 18

May 31, 2016 by sharon Leave a Comment

Are you thinking about training a service dog for yourself or a family member?
Do you have a dog that you’re already training to be a future service dog but you’re not sure whether you’re going about it the best way?
Are you wondering what are the differences between a service dog and an emotional support animal?
Would you like more information about how to find the right dog to train?
Are you wondering what’s involved with training your own service dog?

For the answers to these and many more questions, come to Dakin Humane Society in Springfield, MA, on Saturday, June 18. This low-cost, two-hour workshop, Service-Dog Training: What You Need to Know, starts at 1 PM. Register now.

This informative presentation by professional service dog trainer Sharon Wachsler will tell you what you need to succeed with service dogs for diverse types of disabilities. Topics include …

Access rights and laws for dogs in-training and working dogs
Programs versus owner-training – which is right for you?
How to find the right candidate dog
The Service Dog Training Pyramid – the steps in training
When to consult with a trainer
Demonstrations of service dog tasks
Answers to your questions

Registration is $25 and covers two people. Dakin is wheelchair accessible.

If you have other access needs, please contact us in advance so that we can provide appropriate accommodations.

Note: THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR PEOPLE. Please leave your pet dog at home. Thank you!

About the Presenter

Sharon squatting on a suburban lawn, with Barnum, a black Bouvier. He has his mouth open and is turning to look at Sharon, who is turned to look at him. — Sharon and Barnum (former service dog)

Sharon Wachsler is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) who specializes in using positive methods to help people train their own service dogs. Sharon owns the dog training business, At Your Service Dog Training, LLC, in Wendell, MA. At Your Service helps people to train their dogs as canine assistants, including offering temperament tests and behavior assessments for candidate dogs, training for current pets, behavior modification and training when issues arise in working service dogs, and adaptive training techniques and gear for disabled handlers. At Your Service also offers puppy and pet dog training in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.

Sharon has over 18 years of experience in the service dog community and over 25 years of experience in the disability community, and continues to expand her expertise by attending dog behavior and training seminars, workshops, and conferences throughout the US. She is a graduate with distinction from the Dog Trainer Professional course of the prestigious Karen Pryor Academy of Animal Behavior & Training and received a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers. She is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), a long-time member of the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP), and a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner (KPA-CTP).

Sharon has written extensively on service dog issues. As founder of the Assistance Dog Blog Carnival, an award-winning writer for the IAADP newsletter Partners Forum, and owner of the popular service dog blog, After Gadget, Sharon has been a respected voice in the service dog community for over a decade. Contact Sharon to discuss how At Your Service Dog Training can help you take the next steps on your service dog journey.