Training your own service dog for self-reliance and freedom

Service Dog Training was founded in 2008 in response to the increasing need for people with disabilities to access assistance / service dogs. Service dogs are specifically trained to improve their specific owner’s independence and confidence by assisting them with a range of daily living tasks.

After extensive research, Service Dog Training partnered with TOP DOG, an organisation which, for over 20 years, has been training disabled people to train their own dogs.  The TOP DOG programs with which we work are dedicated to teaching people with physical disabilities how to train their own dogs to become service dogs. Each TOP DOG client does all the "hands-on" training him/herself, under the guidance and coaching of a highly experienced TOP DOG instructor. Many of the TOP DOG instructions are disabled themselves and have trained their own service dogs.

Service Dog Training was started by Hans van Heesbeen, a certified dog trainer and a trainer of people who wish to become a dog trainer. Hans has been working with a variety of people for whom the dog plays a very important role in their development and well-being, particularly people with physical, mental or learning disabilities. The joy of seeing a partnership blossom was the catalyst for Hans to expand into this specialist field.

Service Dog Training is the not-for-profit (cost recovery only) arm of Hans’ dog training interests, and is generously supported by other like- minded organisations, keen to combine and together assist as many people as possible in being self-reliant – and join our program.

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