ORA Service Dog Home Training Programs
Open Range Academy Service Animal Home Training Programs
Open Range Academy offers comprehensive training support for Service Dogs, ESA's, Therapy Dogs, Family Dogs, Puppy Training, Behavior Correction and more.
Click Here To Learn About ORA's Trained Service Dog and ESA Options.
Service Dog Home Training Programs
ORA Home Training Programs For Service Dogs and ESA's
Open Range Academy (ORA) is the first and only company to create home training and certification programs specifically for Service Dogs and ESA's. ORA Home Training Program highlights:
Handler Competency Is The Most Valuable Service Team Asset
Improving Handler Skillset
Many individuals starting out in the service animal world may not comprehend the depth of training and knowledge required to become a competent handler.
Handlers should spend, on average, 1-2 hours per day (or more) training beginner support dogs and 30min-1hr per day maintaining their active service dog.
If you are a novice handler it may take a few hundred hours of practical training experience to really master handler techniques and canine confidence.
Open Range Academy's Home Training Program Helps Handlers:
- Improve handler awareness and understanding of laws and regulations governing all types of service animals and service animal protections.
- Improve handler understanding and application of everyday training techniques and behavior shaping methods that will assist the handler with improving canine skill and behavior.
- Improve handler confidence at home and in public.
- Provide community and group support from peers and professionals in the service animal industry. Our community works with service animals everyday and we have an extraordinary amount of collective experience.
Canine Confidence To Perform Work Under Stress Is Critical
Improving Canine Skillset
What is the purpose of having a service animal? Often times a service animal is there to support their handler and others in times of stress or critical need. Even dogs who perform everyday tasks require a level training that assists them in building confidence and succeed in their task for their handler.
Canine's are highly adaptable to the proper types of training. The sooner that you learn how to shape a dogs behavior the better.
Open Range Academy concentrates on three main components of canine training:
- Performance Obedience concentrates on the ability of your canine to perform basic everyday tasks on command, at will, under stress, and with complex distractions.
- Public Access Behavior concentrates on the ability of your canine to perform tasks, obey commands, and act appropriately in public places. Public Access Behavior not only improves canine responsiveness but is also meant to build up your dogs confidence in public places, especially in stressful situations.
- Handler Task Work concentrates on the specific needs of a handler. Generally this only applies to service animals but team building tasks can be performed for families as well that help improve canine-family bond and experience.
Performance Work For Service Dogs
Service Dog Home Training
We always recommend that handlers complete as much training as possible on their own (instead of "buying" a service dog). The more work you complete with your canine the more competent you will become as a handler and the stronger bond you will have with your service companion.
Open Range Academy offers complete Service Dog training programs for you to participate in at home or you can send your canine to one of our locations for module specific training.
The ORA Service Dog program offers 7 Levels of competency advancement with the purpose of helping the team have the confidence to perform complex task work, in public, and in stressful home situations.
- Levels 1 and 2 cover Service Dog Performance Obedience.
- Levels 3 and 4 cover Service Dog Public Access Behavior.
- Levels 5, 6 and 7 cover Service Dog Handler Task Work.
The ORA Service Dog program covers common task work for everyday life. Many of these common everyday tasks are enough (in addition to Obedience and Public Access) to qualify as an ADA compliant Service Dog.
- Retrieval Based Tasks such as: Pick up dropped items like coins, keys etc., in any location, fetch basket with medication and/or beverage from cupboard, pick up and return cane if falls off back of wheelchair, and hundreds of potential combinations of situation skills.
- Carrying Based Tasks such as: Carry item(s) from the partner to a care-giver or family member in another room, dog carries a prearranged object to care-giver as a signal help is needed, lug a basket of items around the house, and many other potential carry based tasks.
- Tug Based Tasks such as: Open cupboard doors with attached strap, answer doorbell and open front door with strap attached to lever handle, tug socks off without biting down on foot, and of course many other situational purposes.
- Nose Nudge Based Tasks such as: Call 911 on K-9 rescue phone – push the button, refrigerator & freezer door – close with nudge, help put paralyzed arm back onto the armrest of wheelchair, and many other possibilities.
- Pawing (or Nose Nudge) Based Tasks such as: Operate light switch on wall – jump up, paw the switch to operate push plate on electric commercial doors, close heavy front door or other doors – jump up using both forepaws, and other situational uses.
- Barking Based Tasks such as: Bark for help on command.
- Medical Assistance Tasks such as: Find the care-giver on command than lead back to location of disabled handler, wake up handler if smoke alarm goes off and assist to nearest exit, fetch insulin kit, respiratory assist device or medication from customary place during a medical crisis, and many other situational performance tasks.
The ORA Service Dog program also covers modulized learning for specific Service Dog Types and training needs.
Mobility Support
- Bracing Based Tasks such as: Prevent fall by bracing on command if the handler needs help recovering balance; transfer assistance from wheelchair to bed, toilet, bathtub or van seat – hold stand stay position, then brace on command, enabling partner to keep their balance during transfer; brace on command to prevent ambulatory handler from stumbling [rigid handle]; and many other bracing tasks.
- Assist moving wheelchair on flat [partner holds onto harness pull strap] avoiding obstacles
- Help ambulatory handler to walk short distance, brace between each step [rigid handle]
- And many other mobility support tasks.
Guide Dog
- Obstacle Avoidance such as: Navigate around stationary obstacles like a lamp post, parking meters, pillars; avoid moving objects such as bicycles, people, strollers, shopping carts, wheelchairs; leash guiding around obstacles indoors or outdoors for a short distance, and other obstacle avoidance tasks.
- Intelligent Disobedience such as: refusing a command to go forward into the road if there is oncoming traffic or intersecting traffic in the team’s path. The dog is also trained to halt, abruptly, rather than collide with a vehicle that intersects the team’s path when it enters the intersection during the team’s crossing.
- Signal Changes In Elevation such as: Halt or Sit to indicate every curb; halt to indicate steps up into a building or patio area; halt when confronted by a barrier such as at construction site; and other tasks.
- Locate Objects On Command such as: Find the elevator bank; find an empty seat, bench, or unoccupied area; follow a designated person such as a waiter to restaurant table, clerk to elevator, etc.
- Combination of Any Common Service Dog Tasks
Hearing Dog
- Alert To Specific Sounds At Home such as: Doorbell ringing; family member or other calling the name of the dog’s partner; baby crying; and many many other sound alerting tasks.
- Alert To Specific Sounds Away From Home such as: Siren of police car, fire truck or ambulance and indicate direction; distinguish phone ringing on partner’s desk at work from all other phones in workplace; fire drill at school or work; and many others.
- Many Additional Possible Tasks such as: Retrieve unheard dropped objects like keys , coins, or other objects; carry a note from the handler to another household member, searching the house to find that individual; carry messages between spouses, utilizing objects which signify dinner is ready or that the person needs help right away, and so forth.
Autism Support Dog
- Self Soothing
- Visual Processing Support
- Tactical Anchoring
- Support Poor Balance or Motor Control
- Combination of Any Common Service Dog Tasks
Seizure Support Dog
- Displaying alert behaviors before a seizure occurs such as: Preventing injury by protecting its owner if he or she wanders/falls — at home or in public; alerting a caretaker, family member or emergency response system; fetching a telephone, alert device or medication; and others.
- Assistance Behaviors such as: Provide comfort; Provide a distraction during uncomfortable medical procedures; Constant Companion; pawing; and more.
Service Dog Home Training Program Summary
After reviewing this short list of potential tasks, not to mention basic obedience and public access skills, you can clearly see there is much that can be accomplished with your service companion.
Open Range Academy’s goal is to equip handlers and their support team with the appropriate training to prepare for the real world.
The goals of your Service Dog program start with the handler and their specific needs. ORA offers many professional services to help you assess your needs, goals, and put a Service Dog Support Plan into action.
ORA Service Dog Home Training Services
- Service Dog Registration: Provides quick access to useful information about your service teams qualifying information, medical support, and training credentials. Click here to learn more about Service Dog Registration.
- ORA Paw Coaching: Paw Coaches are professional administrative support staff that can support your service animal team in many useful and stressful situations. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Paw Coaching Services.
- Premier Paw Home Training Courses: Premier Paw is ORA's straight forward membership course access program. With your Premier Paw membership you get immediate access to all of Open Range Academy's training courses. Additionally, your Premier Paw Membership grants you access to a Certified Instructor group so that you can get critical questions answered quickly. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Membership options.
- Premier Paw Live Home Training Courses: Premier Paw Live allows you to work with live groups with a Certified Instructor. Get live help in a group setting and see how an instructor might handle behaviors of all kinds in many different situations. All training levels and types are included, additionally you will have access to all archived Live Training Sessions. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Live Membership options.
- Premier Paw Instructor Home Training: Premier Paw Instructor grants you direct access to a Certified Instructor of your choice. Your instructor can help with critical suggestions, critiques, performance standards, skill improvements, Certificate Evaluation Preparation and much more. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Instructor Membership options.
- ORA Service Dog Certifications: The Open Range Academy offers Certifications for each level of our Service Dog program. Each Certificate is achieved following an evaluation from one of our ORA Certified Instructors. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Certifications.
- AKC Certifications: The Open Range Academy instructors can perform tests for AKC evaluations as well. Although ORA developed our Service Dog Programs due to the lack of service animal specific training and certificates, AKC certificates may be useful to you or just help you have greater overall confidence.
- Certification Preparation Training: Work with an ORA Certified Instructor to prepare for each Certificate Evaluation test. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Certificate Preparation options.
- Paw Pass Bundles: ORA's Paw Pass bundles combine all of the critical service elements into simple packages that come with amazing discount and payment plan options. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Paw Pass bundle options.
Performance Work For Emotional Support Dogs
ESA and ESD Home Training
Open Range Academy's ESA Training options are not much different than our Service Dog programs.
Important Note: ESA’s are not recognized at this time by the federal government. However, a proposed law is on the table to change this rule. Ultimately, ORA believes in ESA’s as long as the canine and handler comply with the strict standards set out by ORA Testing Standards, federal ADA task work and obedience requirements, in addition to other non-profit minimum training standards.
Important Note: ORA classifies a dog that can become ADA compliant as an ESD. The main difference between an ESD and an ESA is that ESA’s do not have certain public access training, however, they are often still required to perform a task.
The ADA does acknowledge mental disabilities and needs. The regulation really splits a hairs when it comes to ESA's and we at ORA believe the regulation will soon be changed. If the rule is changed, than according to the proposed legal language, all ESA's will have to be trained to the same standards as other Service Dogs (granting ESA's equal protections under the law). ORA agrees with this language and believes in greater public and handler-team safety minimums.
ESA's are a critical part of many peoples lives. One objection we have to the current language the ADA uses is this; "the use of canine presence as a task does not qualify as a service task", ORA knows this "task" is actually a very useful skill to the service animals handler. However, just because the ADA does not recognize this one function as a service task, this does not mean your emotional support dog cannot complete other handler-specific tasks that will meet the ADA standards. An outline of some tasks is provided below.
It needs to be understood that the Open Range Academy policy only believes in service animals that have been trained to strict standards that have the handler-team and public safety in mind at all times.
ORA ESD Home Training programs require all of the same minimum training and task work standards as our Service Dog Training programs. Any ESA (with the exception of FHA or ACAA only ESA's) will be required to pass all ORA certificates leading to public access and ADA compliance.
ESA's that do not meet minimum ADA task or public access standards can still complete ORA certification courses. ESA's are provided some rights under FHA and applicable ACAA laws. However, there are still minimum training standards and tasks required even to comply with these laws.
Here is an outline of our Premier Paw Home Training Courses for ESD's and ESA's:
- Levels 1 and 2 cover Emotional Support Dog Performance Obedience.
- Levels 3 and 4 cover Emotional Support Dog Public Access Behavior.
- Levels 5, 6 and 7 cover Emotional Support Dog Handler Task Work.
The ORA Emotional Support Dog program covers common task work for everyday life. Most of these common tasks are enough (in addition to Obedience and Public Access) to qualify as an ADA compliant Service Dog.
- Retrieval Based Tasks such as: Pick up dropped items like coins, keys etc., in any location, fetch basket with medication and/or beverage from cupboard, pick up and return cane if falls off back of wheelchair, and hundreds of potential combinations of situation skills.
- Carrying Based Tasks such as: Carry item(s) from the partner to a care-giver or family member in another room, dog carries a prearranged object to care-giver as a signal help is needed, lug a basket of items around the house, and many other potential carry based tasks.
- Tug Based Tasks such as: Open cupboard doors with attached strap, answer doorbell and open front door with strap attached to lever handle, tug socks off without biting down on foot, and of course many other situational purposes.
- Nose Nudge Based Tasks such as: Call 911 on K-9 rescue phone – push the button, refrigerator & freezer door – close with nudge, help put paralyzed arm back onto the armrest of wheelchair, and many other possibilities.
- Pawing (or Nose Nudge) Based Tasks such as: Operate light switch on wall – jump up, paw the switch to operate push plate on electric commercial doors, close heavy front door or other doors – jump up using both forepaws, and other situational uses.
- Barking Based Tasks such as: Bark for help on command.
- Medical Assistance Tasks such as: Find the care-giver on command than lead back to location of disabled handler, wake up handler if smoke alarm goes off and assist to nearest exit, fetch insulin kit, respiratory assist device or medication from customary place during a medical crisis, and many other situational performance tasks.
The ORA Emotional Support Dog program also covers specific emotional support learning for specific Emotional Support Dog handler needs. Many emotional support needs can utilize very similar training tasks.
Assistance In A Medical Crisis
- Bring Medication to Alleviate Symptoms such as: Dog is trained to retrieve a small canvas bag with medication from a specific location that he is schooled to go to on command, such as a closet floor, bathroom vanity or shelf.
- Bring a Beverage So Human Partner Can Swallow Medication such as: Dog can be trained to fetch a beverage to enable the human partner to swallow the medication.
- Bring The Emergency Phone During a Crisis such as: Dog is trained to bring the handler a portable phone. If the room where the emergency phone is permanently located has two entrances, the dog should also be specifically taught to find the second entrance in case the first is blocked. The end goal is to train a service dog to bring the phone to any room in the house when needed on command.
- Call 911 or Suicide Hotline on K-9 Rescue Phone such as: Dog is trained to call 911 / any pre-programmed number by depressing the huge white button on a K-9 Rescue speaker-phone with his paw.
- Hundreds of Additional Support Tasks
Treatment Related Assistance
- Medication Reminder at Certain Time of Day: Dog trained to interrupt the partner at a certain time of day or night. Dog encouraged by training to “nag” a person till he receives the anticipated food or cookie or walk. This increases the probability the partner will get up to take the pill when it is due. Can be a task in the home and perhaps in the workplace or at school if circumstances permit.
- Speech Impairment Task Away from Home: Dog is trained to deliver a laminated card to someone his partner points to.
Coping With Emotional Overload
- Provide Tactile Stimulation to Disrupt the Overload such as: Dog is trained to vigorously lick someone’s face on command to bring his partner to full awareness, just as seizure response dogs can be trained to do when their partner is extremely groggy after a grand mal, which shortens the recovery time. This unpleasant tactile stimulation also can divert the partner’s attention from something that triggers tears or other inappropriate emotional reactions in school or a workplace.
- Break the Spell and/or Combat Sedative Side Effects such as: Dog is trained to bring the TV Remote on command, which enables the partner to switch on the set, utilizing the startle effect of this sudden audio and visual stimuli plus this additional teamwork to vanquish extremely distressing thoughts, feelings and images. It can prevent a relapse of sleep disturbances.
- Prevent or Combat Emotional Overload in Workplace such as: During a business meeting, a dog can assist his partner by unobtrusively maintaining a Sit Stay without sliding into the Down position, out of reach. A toy breed could be told to perform a Down Stay in the partner’s lap. The human partner utilizes a relaxation technique such as giving the dog a massage or simply strokes the dog’s fur to calm self, so he or she can to continue to take part in the meeting. DISCLAIMER: Please understand that obedience to a Stay command to allow petting or the voluntary presence of a dog for petting is NOT a service dog task that will legally count as a trained task in a court of law.
- Providing an Excuse to Leave Upsetting Situation such as: Dog trained to “bother” his partner with pawing or a nose nudge, or by jumping up or crawling up into lap on cue, providing a plausible excuse to leave.
- Crowd Control, Panic Prevention In Public such as: Dog is first trained on how to brace himself on a Stand Stay so that he cannot be jostled out of position. Technique was developed by service dog trainers to protect patients with Reflex Sympathy Dystrophy from accidental bumps that can trigger an excruciatingly painful RSD flare-up. Same task can prevent or reduce panic by creating enough distance for a situation to become tolerable. A large sturdy dog is schooled to move into Position (front, behind, left or right side) and to brace for possible impact with an innocuous command, such as “Stay Close.” Dog holds his ground, preventing people from making body contact with his partner while in line or on a bus, elevator or in the same room etc. Enhance the effectiveness of this strategy by asking a person to step back, using dog’s alleged fear of having his paws stepped on as a plausible reason for making such a request.
- Arouse From Fear Paralysis or Disassociation Spell such as: Dog is trained to respond with nudging and/or pawing whenever he hears the beeping from a wristwatch with an alarm clock function, which his partner can set to go off as frequently as desired, so the dog can arouse the seated or ambulating partner from a disassociative episode at home or in public. If fully alert, the partner can just reset the alarm before the alarm due to go off, unless he chooses to give the dog a practice session. Could be useful for someone with appointments or classes to get to or other responsibilities, if he or she is responsive to a service dog nudging or pawing when disassociating.
- Many Others
Fear Management In Public
- Reducing Hyper-vigilance Through Teamwork such as: Like guide dog and hearing dog handlers who rely on their dogs’ body language to enhance their ability to safely navigate their environment, individuals with PTSD report impressive gains in their ability to function outside the home, relying on their dog’s training and body language to compensate for the mental impairment they must contend with. Dog may also be taught to do a “Who’s There?” reality check on command before entering a parking lot or other feared locations.
- Keep Suspicious Strangers Away such as: May also train a dog to turn his head from side to side, while facing people behind you. Taught by using click & treat or verbal “Yes” & treat, rewarding him whenever he turns head to the left. Use the bluff command: “Watch My Back”. Psychologically, with a large dog, it’s a crime deterrent, while partner operates an ATM machine or while quickly unlocking a car or an office door. Dog does not actually do anything more than hold a Stand-stay position, while giving the impression that he is visually scanning the area for possible trouble. After the dog turns his head from side to side, four to six times in a row, reward him, then ask him to repeat it.
- Increase Safety in Public, at ATM with Equipment & Teamwork such as: Dog trained to work cooperatively with the handler at an ATM machine, by obediently doing a “Paws up” and “Stay,” to allow the card and checks to be removed from backpack or to permit the cash dispensed by an ATM to be discretely returned to the backpack. It enables a handler to remain in an upright position, blocking ATM’s screen from view, rather than making self much more vulnerable to a mugging by bending down to fumble with the backpack zipper or velcro tabs. DISCLAIMER: Please understand this is NOT a task that will legally “count” as a trained task acceptable in a court of law as proof the dog meets the legal definition of a service animal.
- Many Others
ORA Emotional Support Dog Home Training Services
- Emotional Support Dog Registration: Provides quick access to useful information about your service teams qualifying information, medical support, and training credentials. Click here to learn more about Service Dog Registration.
- ORA Paw Coaching: Paw Coaches are professional administrative support staff that can support your service animal team in many useful and stressful situations. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Paw Coaching Services.
- Premier Paw Home Training Courses: Premier Paw is ORA's straight forward membership course access program. With your Premier Paw membership you get immediate access to all of Open Range Academy's training courses. Additionally, your Premier Paw Membership grants you access to a Certified Instructor group so that you can get critical questions answered quickly. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Membership options.
- Premier Paw Live Training Courses: Premier Paw Live allows you to work with live groups with a Certified Instructor. Get live help in a group setting and see how an instructor might handle behaviors of all kinds in many different situations. All training levels and types are included, additionally you will have access to all archived Live Training Sessions. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Live Membership options.
- Premier Paw Instructor Training: Premier Paw Instructor grants you direct access to a Certified Instructor of your choice. Your instructor can help with critical suggestions, critiques, performance standards, skill improvements, Certificate Evaluation Preparation and much more. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy Premier Paw Instructor Membership options.
- ORA Emotional Support Dog Certifications: The Open Range Academy offers Certifications for each level of our Service Dog program. Each Certificate is achieved following an evaluation from one of our ORA Certified Instructors. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Certifications.
- AKC Certifications: The Open Range Academy instructors can perform tests for AKC evaluations as well. Although ORA developed our Service Dog Programs due to the lack of service animal specific training and certificates, AKC certificates may be useful to you or just help you have greater overall confidence.
- Certification Preparation Training: Work with an ORA Certified Instructor to prepare for each Certificate Evaluation test. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Certificate Preparation options.
- Paw Pass Bundles: ORA's Paw Pass bundles combine all of the critical service elements into simple packages that come with amazing discount and payment plan options. Click here to learn more about Open Range Academy's Service Dog Paw Pass bundle options.
SAVE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS WHEN YOU PURCHASE YOUR PREMIER PAW PASS WITH A PAW PASS BUNDLE
