Frequent Asked Questions

A: No, Down2Earth Dog Training does not provide fully trained service dogs. Instead, we offer personalized 1-on-1 training lessons that use positive reinforcement and science-based techniques to help you train your dog for obedience, puppy socialization, public access work and service dog tasks. Our approach empowers dog owners with the skills and knowledge needed to develop their dogs’ abilities effectively and compassionately.

No. A prospective service dog candidate needs to have a stable temperament, calm personality, no prey drive, no aggression, no resource guarding and needs to be in excellent health.

At Down2Earth Dog Training we help owners train service dogs for Psychiatric Assistance (PTSD, CPTSD, anxiety, depression and autism), Medical Alert (POTS, cardiac, blood sugar, seizures and epilepsy), Allergen Detection (Gluten), Mobility Assistance (pulling a wheelchair, catching falls, elderly/senior support, helping to stand up, bracing, opening doors, retrieving objects/medications and tethering for children/adults with disabilities), as well as Search and Rescue (nanny dog, dementia, alzheimers, down syndrome).***NOTE: We do not train guide dogs for the blind or personal protection dogs.***

Expect a timeline of 12 to 24 months of consistent work. Public readiness and complex task training require time, maturity and daily practice.

Private training relies heavily on your dedication. You will need to practice our customized homework exercises for 15-30 minutes daily to build reliable behaviors.

Neither the federal ADA or Idaho State Law requires or recognizes official registration or certification. In fact, under Idaho Code 56-704A, buisnesses are explicitly forbidden from requiring documentation to prove a dog is trained to be a service dog. Success means your dog reliably performs specific tasks to mitigate your disability and behaves flawlessly in public.

Sessions begin at Julius Kleiner Park in Meridian, Idaho -OR- online through Zoom. As your dog advances, we move to pet-friendly stores and highly distracting public spaces to practice real-world scenarios.

The first step is to book an initial consultation and then a temperament and behavior assessment. Contact us through our website portal to schedule an evaluation.

Yes, with specific conditions. Under Idaho Code 56-704B, individuals specifically training or socializing an assistance dog have the right to enter public places. However, you are fully liable for any damages caused by the dog-in-training, and access can be denied if the animal is poorly groomed or out of control.

Per Idaho Statutes (Title 55), ESA's do not have public access rights and are treated as pets in public accommodations. They only have protected rights in housing.

We use 100% positive reinforcement and science-based techniques. This means we focus on rewarding desired behaviors using food, toys and praise, while using environmental management to prevent unwanted behaviors and encourage the behaviors we are training to be generalized to all situations and environments.

No. Science shows that force-free methods build stronger bond reliability and protect a service dog's psychological wellbeing. We do not use aversive tools like prong collars, choke chains or e-collars.

Service dogs must operate in highly stressful public environments. Force-free, reward-based training ensures your dog performs tasks because they want to, not out of fear or avoidance, preventing public burnout.

Yes, we offer online 1-on-1 sessions through Zoom.

Down2Earth Dog Training offers four different payment options. Clients can pay per session, purchase a 4 or 10 discounted session package or clients can pay for the entire program upfront.