About Dinah & The Dogs

Dinah & The Dogs is primarily a service dog program, run in Memphis by a trainer who publishes herself as Dinah, the owner and lead trainer, and who founded it "to help disabled individuals build reliable, confident service dog partnerships that create greater independence in everyday life".

Three ways to get a service dog

The program is structured around how involved the handler wants to be. A Started Dog is "a carefully selected, professionally raised young dog who has completed critical early development and foundational training", for clients who want to be hands-on. A Fully Trained Dog is "developed to an advanced level prior to placement", for clients who need a more hands-off route with structured support through the transition. The Hybrid Program rotates the dog between training and time at home, "ensuring real-life integration and long-term success".

What they train for beyond tasks

Their stated position is that task work is the smaller half: "A service dog is more than obedience and disability-related tasks. We develop confident, reliable dogs prepared to navigate real life alongside the people who depend on them." Training is individualized to the future handler's needs and lifestyle, and focuses on "confidence, neutrality, public access, and reliability in the environments that matter most". The program dogs published on the site are being trained for medical alert, mobility, psychiatric tasks such as deep pressure therapy and behavior interruption, and allergen detection.

Dog-first, with a worked example

They put a limit on their own program and then show it: "Not every dog is meant for service work. We prioritize each dog's health, temperament, confidence, and well-being throughout training." One dog on their program page, enrolled for task training, was retired when "both her handler and our trainers recognized that she wasn't enjoying service work" – published alongside the successes rather than quietly dropped.

Pet training too

Separately from the service work, they run day train, board and train, private lessons and virtual lessons for pet dogs, and a sponsorship route that helps fund future service dogs for handlers who need them.