In our 10-month Owner Assisted Service Dog Training Course in Wilmington, North Carolina, qualified clients will be offered to train their own service dogs under the direction of Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC staff and experienced volunteer trainers.
Requirements
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Individuals must have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disability Act.
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The disability must be documented by a medical doctor or psychiatrist.
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Individuals must be willing and able to commit to attending 60-minute classes 1 day a week for up to 36 weeks.
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Must continue training for at least 20 minutes a day when not in class.
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Must be willing to participate in scheduled outings in the community.
What is Owner Assisted Training?
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Owner Assisted Training (OAT) is a service offered to assist people who have their own dogs to train the dogs as their service dog.
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The owner of the dog does the training under the guidance and direction of Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC staff and volunteers following a curriculum of training.
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No training experience is needed.
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This service is fee-based.
Provider Trained versus Owner Assisted Trained
Owner Assisted Trained
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Individual uses their own dog
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The individual does the training under our direction
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Individual and dog have an established bond
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Individual is engaged in the process
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Skills essential for the individual are taught
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Training is accomplished within 10 months
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Standards are maintained for a quality trained dog
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Costs are generally less than $5,000
How Does it Work?
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OAT is a fee-based training curriculum that considers the needs of the person and their disability, the dog they have, and the skills that are needed.
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The individual submits an application to enroll in the OAT program.
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Our team reviews the application and conducts a consultation with the person.
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Following the consultation, a time is arranged for our team to assess the persons' dog in the public location.
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After the assessment of the dog, our team will determine if the dog is suitable to begin service dog work, customize a training plan, and set a date to begin training classes.
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Classes are in a small group format.
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Our full training package includes a minimum of 40 hours of guided training, detailed training plans, and training logs, accompanied public outings, and coaching.
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After a final assessment, you will receive a letter attesting to the training achieved, a service dog identification card, and a vest for the service dog.
Why train with Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC?
We have over 30 years’ experience training service dogs
What makes our classes different than a regular obedience class?
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Training a service dog is very different from training a pet dog.
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Most dog trainers do not have the experience and understanding of this type of training, as there are many small but important differences when training a service dog.
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Each level builds upon the previous one, the commands are taught in specific ways to start off with a solid foundation, and most trainers do not understand the needs of a person living with a disability.
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We consider the person and the dog throughout the training and adjust the plan as needed without relaxing standards.
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Our training includes real-life practice out in the community where the dog will be used when it completes training.
Owner Assisted Service Dog Training Program
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Demand for trained service dogs high; inventory low
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Limited to what dogs are trained for
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The provider does all the training of the dog
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Training time is 12 months or greater per dog
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Replacement dogs for prior clients take priority
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Waitlists greater than 5 years
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No cost to the client
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The provider selects the dog the individual receives
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The provider may own the dog for 3 years