Service Dog Training in Colorado Springs, CO

A service dog is trained to perform specific tasks that help a person with a disability, and around Colorado Springs there is unusual depth in this kind of training. The region has trainers who specialize in psychiatric, mobility, medical alert and autism support dogs, programs that coach owners to train their own dogs, and companies that raise and place trained dogs.

This page explains what makes a dog a service dog, the main routes to getting one, the local options, and the questions to ask any program. It is written for handlers and families across the Pikes Peak region, from Colorado Springs and Fountain to Monument, Woodland Park and the rural east.

What makes a dog a service dog

A service dog is individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability, such as interrupting a panic response, retrieving dropped items, providing balance support or alerting to a medical change. It must also have excellent public manners, because it goes where its handler goes. That is different from a therapy dog, which visits other people, and from an emotional support animal, which provides comfort but is not task-trained. Several local programs explain these differences, and one behaviorist-led trainer is careful to point out that its public access training is not the same thing as service dog training.

Routes to a service dog

• Owner training with coaching. You train your own dog with a professional guiding each stage. A nonprofit training school runs a self-paced Service Dog Owner Trainer Academy that prepares owner-trained teams for public access work, and several trainers coach owners privately or over Zoom.
• Staged programs with a trainer. One Colorado Springs trainer runs service dog training in stages, starting with a ten-session foundations stage for dogs from 8 weeks to 6 months that must end with a Canine Good Citizen pass before the dog continues on a PTSD, mobility or autism support track.
• Board and train. A Woodland Park service dog practice, led by a trainer who is also a therapist, offers board and train alongside training at your location, at its facility or virtually.
• A trained or placed dog. A veteran-owned company in Woodland Park raises Siberian Huskies and Yakutian Laikas, matches each dog to a client and trains it in that person’s tasks, and the Woodland Park practice also places trained program dogs.

Local specialties

The range of task work offered here is broad. One Colorado Springs trainer lists psychiatric service dogs, scent detection dogs for conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, POTS or severe allergic reactions, mobility dogs and autism service dogs, and says it trains the handler as well as the dog. That Woodland Park practice lists autism support, guide work, hearing, medical alert and response, mobility and psychiatric support. Another Colorado Springs trainer specializes in service, emotional support and therapy dogs. A positive trainer and behavior consultant lists assistance and service dog training, a trainer and author teaches helper and service dog skills, and an academy in Elbert includes therapy and service dog work among its programs.

What programs ask of you

Expect requirements. Several local programs ask for documentation of the handler’s disability, such as a letter from a physician or psychiatrist, before starting service dog work. Programs also screen dogs: a service dog needs a stable temperament, good health and the ability to stay calm in public, and a good trainer will tell you honestly if your dog is not suited to the job. Owner-training routes also ask a lot of you, since the training runs for many months and continues after the formal program.

Budget time as well as money: most service dog routes take many months, with regular sessions and daily practice at home and in public.

Questions to ask any program

• What tasks will the dog be trained for, and how are they matched to my needs?
• How is public access behavior trained and tested?
• What happens if my dog turns out not to be suitable?
• How long does the program usually take, and what support continues afterward?
• Does the trainer have experience with my specific disability or task type?

Public manners and practice

A service dog in training needs a great deal of practice in public places: stores, waiting rooms, restaurants and busy sidewalks. Programs here build that in stages, starting with focus, neutrality to people and dogs and settling, then moving to real-world settings. Follow your trainer’s guidance on where a dog in training should practice, and keep obedience sharp; the same leash rules for city parks and trails apply to every dog.

Keep records as you go. Many owner-trainers log training sessions, public outings and task progress, which helps a trainer spot gaps and shows how far the team has come.

Reviewed Service Dog Training Trainers in Colorado Springs

These reviewed Colorado Springs-area trainers from our directory handle service dog training. Each links to a full profile with specialties, certified credentials, reviews, and contact info:

• Shaman’s Way Dog Training — 5.0★ (66 reviews)
• My Life Unleashed Dog Training & Animal Assisted Therapy — 5.0★ (32 reviews)
• Mutt Masters K9 Academy — 5.0★ (18 reviews)
• K9 Service Companions Dog Training — 4.7★ (12 reviews)
• K9To5 Dog Training — 4.6★ (44 reviews)
• All Breed Rescue & Training — 4.5★ (427 reviews)
• Colorado Springs Dog Training Company — 4.5★ (17 reviews)
• Above The Clouds Siberian Service Dogs — 4.5★ (8 reviews)
• Best Friends Dogs; Training & Behavior — 3.8★ (17 reviews)

See all Colorado Springs service dog training trainers →

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: read our complete service dog training guide or the full Colorado Springs dog training overview.