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Paws for Responders: Comfort K9 Training Program

Comfort K9s are therapy dogs and must go through a specialized training program to prepare them for their jobs. Paws for Responders partners with emergency responder facilities, to cater the Comfort K9 training program to each facility's individual needs. All puppies, Facility Handlers, and Puppy Raisers, learn through a positive, science-based training program that is regularly updated and modified to use modern, humane handling practices, as well as LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) techniques for behavior modification.


Here is an overview of the different stages of training that a Comfort K9 goes through while preparing for their career.

Puppy Training (0-5 months old)

Definition

Teaching the puppy how to navigate the world successfully 

Focus

Building confidence, teaching manners, addressing “puppy” behaviors 

Examples

Socializing, potty training, appropriate play, puppy nipping, appropriate greetings, introducing the leash, crate training, etc. 

Basic Obedience (3-8 months old)

Definition

Teaching cues to increase responsiveness and handler control

Focus

Teaching the puppy how to make good choices, providing replacement behaviors for common problem behaviors, teaching impulse control

Examples

Sit, down, stay, wait at the door, loose leash walking, off, leave it, drop it, come, etc.

Advanced Obedience (8-18 months old)

Definition

Refining cues and increasing reliability around distractions

Focus

Adding duration, distance, and distraction to basic obedience, fine tuning gestures and verbal cues

Examples

Stay for extended duration, heel past distractions, ignoring dogs in public, responding to cues the first time, making cues more subtle, etc.

Public Access (3-24 months old)

Definition

Positively exposing the dog to stimuli found in public settings (different from home environment)

Focus

Creating positive associations with new environments, teaching the dog how to relax in public places, practicing obedience in public

Examples

Riding in elevators, settling at a park, riding in the car, walking through crowds, passing bikes/strollers/shopping carts/ etc.

Tests and Certifications (24 months old)

Definition

Working dogs often need to pass tests to be certified to do their particular job

Focus

Testing the dog’s skill set and making sure they behave appropriately for their job

Examples

 Canine Good Citizen, Therapy Certification, Service Certification, Etc.

To learn more about the training program and Certified Dog Trainer, Kelsey Weber, please click the button below.

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