Skyline
K9
Skyline Service Dogs
what?
Skyline K9 provides the resources needed for a disabled individual to obtain a highly trained and skilled service animal. Service animals are dogs or miniature horses that have been specifically task trained to mitigate their handler's disability. Here at Skyline K9, we specialize in service dogs. If you are interested in a miniature horse as a service animal, please contact us and we may be able to refer you to someone who can help.
There are many different types of service dogs, including psychiatric service dogs, mobility assistance dogs, medical alert dogs, allergen detection dogs, guide dogs, and hearing alert dogs. We train psychiatric service dogs for veterans and non-veterans, mobility assistance dogs, medical alert/response dogs, allergen detection dogs, hearing alert dogs, and autism assistance dogs. We do not train guide dogs, seizure alert dogs, or heart rate alert dogs, but may be able to refer you to organizations that do.
We offer both fully trained dogs and owner training assistance.
Why?
I started training service dogs when I was in middle school and dealing with several physical and mental health issues. My treatment team and family decided that a service animal would be the best option for me. We didn't have the ability to get a dog for a program, and there are very few programs who will place a multipurpose service dog with a child. I ended up training my own service dog, and she attended high school with me for 3 years. I personally know the impact that a properly trained service animal had for me, and want to help other people achieve the freedom and independence I had thanks to my dog. I've trained 15 service dogs since starting training professionally, and I'm excited to continue training more. I've recently had the opportunity to expand my program to place fully trained service dogs with disabled individuals who don't have the ability to train their own dog.
How?
The process of training a service dog takes about 18-24 months, but may take longer for certain dogs. There are three phases to training: obedience, task training, and public access. After these three phases are complete, the handler visits us for a 3 week Team Training course, where the handler and dog learn to become a team and work together. They must pass a Public Access Test before completing Team Training.
We also offer owner-training assistance, which may include helping you find a dog or puppy, private lessons, group classes, or board and training to help you learn how to train your service dog.
We select responsibly bred Labrador retrievers, German shepherds, golden retrievers and standard poodles to train as service dogs, as they typically have the highest success rate. We may look at other breeds for service dog training depending on the handler's needs. We are always looking for breeders to donate puppies. If this is something you're interested in, please contact us.
The process for applying for a fully trained service dog starts with calling or emailing us through our contact page. We will typically send you an application form to determine if we are able to help you, or if there's another program that may be a better fit. There is an application fee of $50, and will be refunded if we determine that we aren't the best program for you. Before we can approve or deny your application, we need a letter from a doctor or other licensed medical professional stating that you are disabled and a service dog is recommended as part of your treatment plan. We work with you to determine what breed would be best, and the specific tasks you need your dog to help you with. The training process can start as soon as a month from your application being approved depending on our availability and puppy availability. We currently have NO waitlist!
Cost?
The average cost of raising and training a service dog is over $45,000. Many programs charge anywhere between $15,000 and $30,000. We charge $15,000 for any of our fully trained service dogs, including multipurpose service dogs. The price for a partially trained service dog depends on the age of the dog, the level of training, and several other factors. We have payment plans available, and can assist with fundraising. Most of our previous clients have been able to cover 75% or more of the cost by fundraising alone. We are occasionally able to offer grants to our clients as well. 100% of service dog related donations go to lowering the cost of a service dog for one of our clients. 10% of profit from private lessons, group classes, and board and training goes towards a grant for a service dog.
The cost for owner training assistance can be found on our pet training pages.