The Puppy Pathway to service dog success

Milestone 5: Custom Training & Partner Matching

In this ongoing series, we’re exploring each milestone along the Puppy Pathway, a journey of growth, learning, and rewards for puppies in FSD’s assistance dog training program. This month, we’ll look at Milestone 5: Custom Training and Partner Matching. 

At around 14 months of age, FSD pups—now adult dogs—are ready to begin the custom training process. Volunteer puppy raisers bring the dog they’ve raised into our facility for “dog college,” where the completion of their time together is celebrated with a party complete with awards, a memory lookback, pup cups, a photobooth, and more.

For the next four to six months, these dogs are “in for training” (also known as IFT), meaning they move on to advanced skills training. They are partnered with one of our FSD staff trainers, who then teaches the dog advanced service dog skills and custom tasks to assist someone on our waitlist. During their time “in for training,” the dogs’ skills and personality are evaluated to determine what assistance dog career they may be best suited for before being matched with one of our clients in need.

On “in for training day,” a small group of our amazing puppy raisers comes to FSD to bring the pup they have poured their time, energy, and love into for “doggy college.” Raisers, staff members, and other volunteers gather to celebrate each puppy and their raiser’s hard work with a paw-ty before the dogs head to their “dorm” (kennels), where treats, toys, and comfy beds await these fluffy freshmen.

For their first few weeks at FSD, the dogs spend their time settling in and bonding with their fellow service dog trainees. They also get to know the FSD trainer who has been assigned to them, while the trainer discovers what skills the dog knows, what the dog most enjoys doing, and what tasks need the most work—all with the goal of setting each dog up for success.

After two weeks, the dogs undergo a behavior evaluation to determine each dog’s temperament. The evaluation includes walking on elevated surfaces, meeting people in various styles of clothing, meeting other dogs, and being introduced to new stimuli, all with the hope that the dog will remain calm and attentive to their trainer’s cues. At this point, our training staff is compiling data and observations so they can make important decisions about each dog: whether they are an outstanding service dog candidate or facility dog candidate, a potential candidate for our breeding program, a great skilled companion for a family, or whether they might be best suited for a career change to a different type of working dog or as a family pet. It’s all about placing dogs where they will thrive and make the most impact.

The dogs continue to go through a variety of health exams and behavioral assessments as our trainers watch their learning progress as they encounter increasingly difficult skills and cues in progressively more distracting environments. Throughout this time, our trainers are compiling information on whether the dog truly wants to be a working dog and what type of person they would be best at serving.