The Future of Service Dogs: Innovations in Training and Support

As we continue to see the amazing capabilities and potential of service dogs, it is important to look towards the future and determine how we can further improve their training and support. At Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, we strive to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to advancing service dog training and laws to ensure that our recipients receive the life-changing assistance they need to thrive.

2023 Congressional Initiative to Advance the Medical Service Dog Industry

In December 2023, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs was selected to participate with two dozen other medical service dog organizations nationwide in a special initiative mandated by Congress. The main objective of this program will be to determine if the in-depth details outlined in the initiative for training and pairing service dogs meet the needs of permanently disabled service members and veterans.

This initiative, directed by Danny Benbassat, Ph.D., Commander of the U.S. Public Health Service, along with Jeremy Ramirez, DrPH, MPH, a distinguished Veteran and Assistant Professor of Health Informatics at California State University Long Beach, has been set into motion.

This initiative aims to uphold stringent safety protocols for service dogs and the general public while employing data-informed methodologies for the enhanced betterment of one of the most vulnerable communities they serve. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs brings nearly 15 years of experience and state-of-the-art service dog programs to this initiative.

We have collaborated with other service dog organizations, pooling our wealth of knowledge and best practices. This information is being used to polish and elevate prototype guidelines for future service dog organizations. These guidelines will be the gold standard for training and matching service dogs with service members and veterans.

After a meeting in Washington, D.C., the information the organizations gathered was provided to Congress. They have determined that this initiative is going well and plan to extend it for another year or possibly another four years.

Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs was selected to continue with some of the other organizations in this initiative. The main goal of this initiative is to improve all the protocols across the board for the service dog industry, from the dog’s health to their training, and to qualify them for pairing with recipients, as well as the selection and training of the recipient.

We are also focused on what happens once the pairing is done, including all the follow-up elements that are critically important to improving the industry. This initiative includes 113 elements, and while it is a massive undertaking, Guardian Angels is committed to the process to ensure we can contribute to making the industry the best it can be, protecting the communities we serve, and ensuring they receive only the best.

With this initiative, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs is on the cutting edge of raising the bar at a federal level for excellence in service dog training and pairing. We hope that a federal designation will eventually serve as the highest designation for a service dog organization, demonstrating that they are practicing all of these critical protocols that the initiative is currently developing.

If this federal designation becomes a reality, Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs would be one of the first organizations to receive this type of designation. We are truly honored to participate in this initiative and continue to work towards improving the lives of those in need through the use of highly trained service dogs. We hope that with continued research and collaboration, we can pave the way for even more innovative techniques and strategies in service dog training and support.

6-Stage Proprietary Training Method at Guardian Angels Medical Service

Dogs Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs remains at the forefront of innovation in service dog training. We use our own six-stage Proprietary Training Method, which was developed by Founder and CEO Carol Borden. Additionally, this college-accredited program teaches apprentices how to become service dog trainers since many pet dog trainers, police dog trainers, etc., have never trained service dogs or studied disabilities. This program has also been approved by the VA under the GI Bill.

Our service dog training contains multiple components that are far above and beyond the training for other types of disciplines, such as:

How to train a dog to alert on a certain high or low for diabetes
Alert in advance for a seizure
How to know when to hit an emergency help button if you are incapacitated
How to wake someone from a night terror

Our service dogs are also exercised and practiced on confidence-building courses as part of their specialized training. These courses teach them how to navigate stairs and deal with a variety of moving objects, helping them adapt to real-life scenarios they may encounter at home or in public.

Our service dog training covers everything a well-trained service dog needs to know. From basic commands, house training, and learning what to play with and what not to to specialized tasks like diabetic alert, retrieving dropped items, etc., as well as public desensitization to help them remain focused on their recipient in public. Our service dog training has remained steady simply because our methods are effective and have an extremely high success rate.

All of our trainers and service dog staff, regardless of department, are required to take on certain elements of the service dog training and care. This ensures that everyone is practicing the same things and the same way with the dogs to prevent confusion during training.

Our training curriculum continues to be effective, allowing us to successfully pair highly trained service dogs with veterans, first responders, and civilians living with disabilities.

Looking to the Future with Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs

As we look ahead to the future of service dogs, it is evident that ongoing innovation and excellence in training and support are critical. Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs stands at the forefront of these advancements, continually pushing the boundaries to ensure that veterans, first responders, and civilians living with disabilities receive the highest-quality assistance.

Through participation in the 2023 Congressional Initiative and the implementation of our six-stage Proprietary Training Method, we are committed to setting the gold standard in service dog training. The potential federal designation represents a significant milestone, offering a beacon of hope and a promise of unparalleled quality and safety in the service dog industry.

Collaboration and research will remain integral to our mission, fostering a community of shared knowledge and best practices that will drive future innovations.

With each success, we light the way for even more groundbreaking techniques and strategies, ensuring those in need can lead fuller, more independent lives. To learn more about how you can help support our mission, visit our Donate page today!