Service Dog Training
K9 Unlimited offers professional training for service dogs in Ochelata, Bartlesville, and across Northeast Oklahoma. Our trainers graduated from the Tom Rose School and conduct rigorous and fully certified service dog training using proven, balanced, and humane methods. Our service dog training covers:
- Ignoring food/people, other foundations of public access
- Task training, from medical alerts to mobility support and more
- Obedience under distraction and environmental stability
- Task reliability and proofing
- Handler skills
- Assessments, milestones, and maintenance plans
We offer suitability evaluations, owner-trainer coaching, and board-and-train options for service dogs. Contact us today to learn more or book your class!
Our Service Dog Training
Our process begins with a candid evaluation of your dog’s health, temperament, and work drive; unfortunately, not every good pet is a good service dog. Founder Scott Tarpley (Tom Rose School graduate) and fellow instructor Andrew Northup build individualized plans with clear milestones (e.g., foundation skills, public access readiness, and task reliability benchmarks). Many teams train over 12–24 months; we’ll map a realistic training schedule that fits your life.
Our service dog evaluations are breed-neutral and focus on suitability: confidence without reactivity, quick recovery from startle, desire to work with the handler, and comfortable neutrality in public spaces are several traits we look for. If your current dog isn’t an ideal fit and you still need a service animal, we can help select a dog that will be more suitable.
Foundations & Public Access
This phase creates the calm, invisible presence the public expects: heel without pulling, automatic sits at stops, extended down-stays (45–60 minutes), “under” tables in restaurants, quiet elevator and restroom etiquette, grocery aisle navigation, and ignoring food and petting attempts. We cover travel routines, settling in waiting rooms, and handler scripts for common public interactions.
Task Training & Reliability
We train specific tasks that mitigate disability—such as alerting to physiological changes, retrieving medication, performing deep pressure therapy, interrupting panic behaviors, hearing alerts, or light mobility assistance (only for medically suitable dogs). Tasks are proofed to high reliability under distraction with defined criteria for latency and accuracy, plus a plan to maintain performance long-term.
Candidate Evaluation & Team Support
You’ll receive a clear roadmap: veterinary and orthopedic screening recommendations, practice quotas, and milestone checks (e.g., CGC-style manners and a public-access readiness assessment). We provide handler coaching, field sessions, and re-checks, and we’re upfront if a different dog or pathway is the better choice. Expect homework, progress logs, and periodic refreshers to keep standards high.
