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Service Dog Breeds
Service dogs are crucial in assisting individuals with various disabilities and conditions, providing them with support, independence, and companionship. These highly trained dogs can perform specific tasks tailored to the needs of their handlers. We've created this brief guide to review breeds that make great service dogs, who can benefit from a service dog and the training that will help these pups meet their handler's needs. Take the first step towards a better future with a trained service dog by contacting Dog Training Elite Greater Cincinnati today!
Popular Breeds for Service Dogs
While most dogs can be trained to become service dogs, regardless of breed, a few breeds lead the pack in popularity due to their personalities and inherent traits. Here are a few of the most popular service dog breeds.
Labrador Retrievers
Labrador retrievers are among the most sought-after breeds to be service dogs for PTSD in Cincinnati due to their intelligence, versatility, and friendly nature. They excel in various roles, including guide dogs for individuals with visual impairments, service dogs for individuals with mobility issues, and service dogs for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Labradors are highly trainable and possess a strong desire to please, making them ideal candidates for service work.
Golden Retrievers
Golden retrievers are known for their gentle and patient nature, making them excellent service dog candidates. Their calm temperament, intelligence, and willingness to learn contribute to their success in roles such as mobility assistance, therapy dogs, and service dogs for veterans. Their ability to provide emotional support and comfort makes them particularly well-suited for individuals with PTSD or other mental health conditions.
German Shepherds
German shepherds possess a remarkable combination of strength, intelligence, and loyalty, making them an excellent choice as a service dog for veterans. Their versatility allows them to excel in various roles, including mobility assistance, search and rescue, and service dogs for individuals with psychiatric or neurological conditions. With their keen sense of observation and natural protective instincts, German Shepherds can provide physical and emotional support to their handlers.
Poodles
Poodles are renowned for their intelligence, trainability, and hypoallergenic coats, making them popular for service dog training, especially for individuals with allergies. They excel in roles such as mobility assistance, diabetic alert dogs, and medical alert dogs.
Our Balanced Theory
We base our training around the "Classical Conditioning" model (a.k.a. "Pavlovian" or "respondent conditioning"). This includes developing conditioned or automatic reflexes to commands. In its simplest form (after proper conditioning), when the owner says "sit," the dog automatically sits without thinking about it. Our unique techniques ensure our program is a success no matter what behavior we encounter.
Empowering Owners
We empower owners to train so their dog knows who to obey at all times.
Personalized
We deal with problem behaviors on a personal basis.
Environment Specific
We train wherever issues tend to arise (i.e. jogging, park, home).
Supportive
We support owners in the off-hours (when training is "not in session").
Involved
We work with all members of the household.
Simplified & Customized
We plan training around the owner's schedule and require only 20 min/day follow-up practice.
Continued Training
Additional programs / group sessions offered after in-home training.
Lifetime Investment
We follow up & are invested in the owner's success long-term.
Satisfaction Ratings
Our high client satisfaction rating sets us apart from competitors.
clas·si·cal con·di·tion·ing PSYCHOLOGY noun A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus and is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
Who Are Service Dogs For?
Service dogs offer invaluable support and assistance to individuals facing various challenges. Service dogs are sought after by individuals with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mobility limitations, visual or hearing impairments, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety disorders, and more. Service dogs can help provide security, independence, and emotional well-being regardless of the specific condition. If you seek a loyal and capable partner to enhance your daily life, a service dog for PTSD in Cincinnati can make a remarkable difference.
Service Dog Training
Service dogs undergo extensive and specialized training to perform their essential tasks and assist individuals with disabilities. The training process involves a combination of obedience training, task training, and public access training.
- Obedience Training
This training focuses on teaching a dog basic commands, such as sit, stay, heel, and come, as well as proper leash manners and socialization skills.
- Task Training
Task training tailors to the specific needs of the individual. It involves teaching the dog to perform tasks that mitigate the person's disability, such as retrieving items, opening doors, or providing deep pressure therapy.
- Public Access Training
This type of training is crucial to ensure the dog remains calm, well-behaved, and non-disruptive in various public settings. This training includes exposure to different environments, distractions, and social interactions to provide a dog that can confidently navigate public spaces.
We help your dog become a valued companion and beloved member of the family. Read what our customers have to say and then give us a call!
Elite Cincinnati East was amazing! We had Alex as our trainer and he was wonderful! We bought our puppy for our daughter to eventually become a service dog for her. Alex was able to teach us the skills and work with us to train our puppy to perform the basic commands and have a strong foundation for further service dog training. Alex did more than show us how to work with our puppy; he taught us about how to read our puppy’s actions/body language and the best ways to communicate with our puppy what behavior we expect from her. Thanks to Alex we were able to figure out what was the best approach for training our puppy to get the best results. I would highly recommend Elite Cincinnati East and Alex!— Holly Gooch
Posted September 23rd 2024
My partner and I recently moved in together. My dog and her dog did not get along very well with my dog being the main aggressor. We did 5 training sessions with Alex and couldn’t be happier. We can live in peace knowing that we have the tools in hand to keep our dogs living together happy and in peace. Great program to fit a lot of different needs that your dog might have.— Shelby Looper
Posted September 11th 2024
Scott & Jen was amazing!!! We learned as much as Murphy did. We did a board & train with another dog, but liked the fact that they come to us & train in his territory. Murphy loved these guys & looked forward to Friday!! Would highly recommend these guys!!— Melissa Rees
Posted September 3rd 2024
Our trainer Alex VanWeiden was fantastic. Our lab Nellie both loved and respected him. His knowlege of dog psychology is impressive and he was able to deliver great results improving Nellie's behavior. He did this by focusing not just on our dog's actions, but also on how we interacted with her. At the beginning of our training journey, we couldn't have imagined a better outcome. Thanks Alex, for exceeding our expectations.— Peter Craig
Posted August 26th 2024
Game changer! That’s the best way I can describe our experience with Alex at Dog Training Elite. In 5 short weeks, he has made such a positive impact on our mini-bernedoodle’s behavior and how we interact with him. From the basics, to behavioral challenges, Alex has equipped us with the tools we need to have a long, healthy and happy relationship with our crazy boy, Rocky! Would highly recommend them!— Lora Brand
Posted August 22nd 2024
Our 2 year old Pitbull Waylon struggled with behavioral issues and basic commands we reach out to Scott and Jen and it was one of the best decisions we ever made, we just finished up our one on one home sessions and the difference is night and day Thank you, Scott and Jen !— Mike Donahue
Posted August 6th 2024
The trainer was very knowledgable and did a great job helping us integrate our puppy into our existing dog pack. He also did a fantastic job addressing and stoping our older dog's resource guarding and excessive barking. We highly recommend Dog Training Elite!— Caitlyn Henehan
Posted August 2nd 2024
We have had the best experience with Dog Training Elite so far! We did the Gold package, and have completed all of our in home sessions, and the difference in my dog is amazing. Alex was an absolutely wonderful trainer, and he customized each lesson to help with our specific concerns about our dog. Dog Training Elite was great with scheduling and keeping me informed about what was going on, as well as provided everything we needed to be successful. I was originally worried this would not be worth the money, but I am happy to say I feel that it was completely worth what we paid and we haven't even started our group classes yet! I look forward to continuing to work with Dog Training Elite and seeing our dog improve in her training even more.— Abby Walz
Posted July 31st 2024
Alex at Dog Training Elite Cincinnati East did an amazing job training our Colorado mountain dog. Alex was knowledgeable in training different breeds and worked with our family to train the behaviors we struggled to do on our own. I am go glad we worked with the Elite dog trainers. I also highly recommend the group classes as this helped our pup learn to follow directions not only at home but also out in the community. This was a great experience I would highly recommend them. Thank you for training us and our pup and stop the behaviors we didn’t want to see. Yay, we still have a couch!!!— Danielle Seymore
Posted July 27th 2024
We are so thankful for Scott & Jen! We were at a loss about where to even begin with training our 3 mini aussies, but they broke it down into very simple tasks each week. Having them come to our house was so helpful and also served as accountability for us (the humans) to work on the training before the next session. They have given us a strong foundation with our dogs and have helped improve our daily lives more than I can even explain. The group sessions are also so helpful for our dogs and for us. We are forever grateful! Thank you!— Alison Liddic
Posted July 17th 2024
Jen and Scott are phenomenal to work with! Jen has a great calm and firm demeanor for training and Scott is playful but also firm as well! They are a great team to help for great obedience training! We are now working onto more task training for Service Dog work and they are incredibly knowledgeable and trustworthy to help individual needs for specific service work! Additionally, Michelle is very responsive with calls, texts and emails for communication and scheduling! Highly recommend working with DTE!— Liz Burley
Posted July 16th 2024
Loved working with Alex. Feel like this company and trainer excelled at working with our dogs and helping teach us to be better trainers as well.— Dante Zompetti
Posted July 6th 2024
Alex was a great trainer! He really took the time to show me the steps to train my dog at home. My dog (11 months) is so much calmer now and I love to go on walks with him now.— Cora Merrow
Posted July 3rd 2024
Alex exceeded our expectations with training our two golden doodles. He was very knowledgeable, and patient throughout the process. We would highly recommend him to anyone given the progress we’ve seen with Sammy and Roxy.— Rebekah Manis
Posted June 30th 2024
Wonderful experience with Alex and Diane! Our dog is very well behaved thanks to Alex training us. Bunny learned a lot too! 😊— Betty Coutant
Posted June 30th 2024
Thank you to our trainer, Alex for changing our lives for the better! We moved to Cincinnati back in December, and it was quite an adjustment for our two dogs (3yr & 1yr) to live in a busy apartment community. The dogs were reactive when they saw other dogs, jumped each time we had guests over, and high-stress on walks (lots of leash pulling and inattention issues). From day 1, Alex taught us unique skills to combat these issues. Alex always went above & beyond for training classes, ensuring we never felt rushed and throughly understood the materials from class. There is no one we trust more with our dogs than Alex! I cannot say enough good things about our experience. We can now enjoy walks without being pulled & have guests over with minimal jumping. Thank you Alex & Dog Training Elite.— Emma
Posted June 30th 2024
It’s been a pleasure working with Alex! He is very intuitive and my dog warmed up to him rather quickly considering his temperament. I have a 4 year old Shiba Inu named Dai Dai and he trusted Alex enough to follow commands promptly, and he responded very well to any corrections that Alex gave him on the first day they met. Dai Dai does not like anyone or anything near his neck area, and he has the tendency to scream, but he didn’t do that with Alex! Dai Dai was excited and ready to work everyday thereafter that Alex came over. Having Alex come over and help train me and Dai Dai has been a blessing. Alex was also incredibly flexible and worked with our schedule. He is passionate about his career, and gives 200%. We couldn’t be happier with the level of care, expertise, consideration, and training we received. Thank you Alex. Breanna and Dai Dai— Breanna Bohan
Posted June 25th 2024
I have a very large beautiful Chesapeake Bay retriever who is powerful and playful – only two years old. Within a few short weeks I feel confident that have command of the dog which enables us to have a wonderful time together. Lucky is calm and attentive on the leash and very patient with our 14-year-old senior citizen dog Lily. Alex our trainer is knowledgeable explains things clearly and best of all Lucky gets very excited when it’s time for training— Molly J. Hall, MD
Posted June 16th 2024
Dog training elite sent Alex to our house to help us train our dog. He was very knowledgeable and helped us understand our dog's behavior and what we could do to train her. Very impressed with him and how well his training worked! Our dog is now trained and certified as a service dog, and she is doing great! I fully recommend Dog Training Elite, just be ready to do your part in training your dog too!— Alex Washburn
Posted June 14th 2024
Wonderful process, Alex was so great with Bree. They were very flexible with training sessions and the training worked so well!— Jill Flood
Posted May 31st 2024
Service Dogs for Veterans & PTSDTraining with Dog Training Elite in Cincinnati
Dog Training Elite offers comprehensive service dog training programs designed to meet your unique needs. With our expertise and personalized approach, we can help your service dog develop the skills and behaviors necessary to fulfill their vital role in enhancing your daily life.
Service dogs are an invaluable resource for individuals with disabilities, providing support, independence, and companionship. Service dogs can benefit individuals with various conditions, including PTSD, mobility limitations, autism, anxiety disorders, and more. At Dog Training Elite Greater Cincinnati, we offer comprehensive service dog training programs to ensure your dog has the necessary skills to meet your needs. Our expertise and personalized approach will help you forge a strong bond with your service dog and confidently navigate daily life. Take the first step towards a brighter future by contacting Dog Training Elite today and discovering how a service dog can make a remarkable difference in your life.
