ONLINE SERVICE DOG TRAINING
Online service dog training courses — teach your dog real tasks
Step-by-step task training you do at home with your own dog. Short daily lessons, a practice log with video, and a signed training record with a certificate when you finish.
- Self-paced
- Owner-training friendly
- No auto-renewal
HOW IT WORKS
From first lesson to signed record
- 1
Pick a task
Choose a course for the task your dog needs — deep pressure, medication retrieval, anxiety interruption and more.
- 2
Learn & practice
Short lessons with clear practice goals. Log each session — add a video if you like.
- 3
Sign your record
When the lessons and practice are done, you sign a declaration of what your dog does.
- 4
Show it anywhere
Certificate, public record with QR code, and a Wallet card — refreshed each year.
COURSES
Task training courses
Each course teaches one task, step by step. Buy a single course, or get every course with the membership.
Level 1
Service Dog Foundations
Task: Foundation skills: focus on handler, settle on a mat, loose-leash walking and calm public manners
The core skills every working dog needs before task training: focus, a solid settle, loose-leash walking and calm public manners.
Level 2
Deep Pressure Therapy
Task: Deep pressure therapy on cue
Teach your dog to lie across your lap or chest on cue and apply calming pressure during anxiety or sensory overload.
Level 2
Medication Retrieval
Task: Retrieves medication pouch on cue
Teach your dog to find and bring a medication pouch to you on cue, from another room.
Level 2
Anxiety Interruption
Task: Interrupts anxiety behaviors with a nudge or paw
Teach your dog to interrupt anxious behaviors like leg bouncing, skin picking or hand wringing with a nudge or paw.
Level 2
Retrieve Dropped Items
Task: Retrieves dropped items to hand on cue
Teach your dog to pick up dropped keys, phones, pens and other everyday items and put them in your hand.
Level 2
Blocking & Creating Space
Task: Blocks in front or behind to create space on cue
Teach your dog to stand across your front or behind you to give you space in lines and crowds.
Level 2
Nightmare Interruption
Task: Wakes handler during nightmares by nudging and licking
Teach your dog to wake you gently when you are having a nightmare.
Level 2
Lights On
Task: Turns on lights on cue
Teach your dog to turn on a light switch on cue, so you don't walk into a dark room.
Level 2
Sound Alert
Task: Alerts handler to specific sounds by touching and leading
Teach your dog to alert you to the doorbell, a timer or an alarm by touching you and leading you to the sound.
Level 2
Open & Close Doors
Task: Opens doors and drawers with a tug strap and closes them on cue
Teach your dog to open doors, drawers and the fridge with a tug rope, and push them closed.
Level 2
Grounding: Chin Rest & Lean
Task: Grounding: chin rest and lean on cue
Teach your dog to rest their chin on your lap or lean into you to help you feel grounded.
Level 3
Public Access Readiness
Task: Calm, controlled behavior in public places (stores, restaurants, transport)
Level 3: proof your dog's manners in stores, restaurants, transport and busy places before working in public.
New lesson every month
Puppy to Partner
A month-by-month program that raises a puppy into a calm, confident future service dog.
NEW EVERY MONTH
Puppy to Partner
A month-by-month program that raises a puppy into a calm, confident future service dog.
A new month of lessons opens every 30 days — we email you when it does. Included with the membership.
See the program- Month 1Name, handling and a safe start
- Month 2Socialization done right
- Month 3Focus, sit and down
- Month 4Leash skills and the mat
- Month 5Calm in new places
- Month 6Ready for Foundations
TRAINING MEMBERSHIP
One membership. Every course.
Every course and level we offer — and every new one we release — for a full year, in one payment.
Membership — first year
- Every course and level, plus new releases
- Puppy to Partner — a new month of lessons every 30 days
- Training ID card for Apple & Google Wallet
- Yearly record refresh
- Doesn't renew on its own
Later — only if you want. Nothing renews unless you choose it. Courses you buy are yours for good, and your training records stay online either way.
- Keep the membership going$29.99/year after the first year
- Refresh a bought course's record$9.99 — updates its training date
- Wallet card for a bought course$2.99/month, cancel anytime
Printed certificate, mailed: $24.99 any time. Each extra dog: 25% off.
Registered with USAR? You get 20% off the membership — just use the email on your registration at checkout.
PACKAGES
Course bundles
Pick the courses you want in one payment — they're yours for good. The kit adds the gear your dog wears on the job; gear ships as soon as you order, and your printed certificate ships when you finish your courses.
Training Membership — first year (every course)
- 1-year Training Membership — every course
Service Dog Training — Any 5 Courses
- Any 5 courses you choose — yours for good
- One printed certificate listing all of them, mailed when you finish
Service Dog Training Kit
- Any 5 courses you choose — yours for good
- Harness — pick your size
- Metal Harness Tag
- One printed certificate listing all of them, mailed when you finish
WHAT YOU GET
Proof of your work, wherever you go
Certificate of completion
With your dog's photo, your signature, the task trained and a QR code. Print it yourself or have us mail a printed copy.
Public training record
A page anyone can scan: the course, the task, your practice history and your signed declaration.
Wallet card
Your Training Record in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet — it updates itself when you refresh.
On your verification page
Registered with USAR? Your dog's verification page shows that you completed USAR training.
What you finish with
- A dog trained on a real task, step by step
- A practice log with optional video — the story of your work
- A signed training record with its own page and QR code
- A certificate of completion and a Wallet card
Where it helps
- Answering "what task does your dog do?" with confidence
- Showing a landlord or business your training history
- Keeping skills sharp with a yearly refresh
- Working alongside a local trainer if you use one
Handler-led training completed through a USAR online course and confirmed by the handler's signed declaration. Not observed in person by USAR.
COMPARE
Ways to get a task-trained service dog
| Program-trained dog | Private trainer | USAR online course | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who trains | The program | Trainer, with you | You, with step-by-step lessons |
| Your own dog | Usually not | Yes | Yes |
| Typical cost | Often $15,000–$30,000+ | Varies by trainer, often hourly | From $29 one time |
| Wait time | Often 1–2 years | Depends on availability | Start today |
| Schedule | Program's | Appointments | Yours — any time |
| Record of the training | Program paperwork | Varies | Signed record, certificate, QR, Wallet card |
Many handlers combine a course with a few sessions from a local trainer. That's a great approach.
FAQ
Questions handlers ask
What kind of certificate do I get?
A certificate of course completion for the task training you did with your dog — with your dog's photo, your signature and a QR code to your training record. The ADA doesn't require any certification for a service dog; what matters is that your dog is trained to do tasks for you, and that's exactly what the courses teach.
Can I train my own service dog?
Yes. Under the ADA, handlers may train their own service dog. What matters is that the dog is individually trained to perform tasks related to your disability and behaves appropriately in public. Our courses give you a structured plan for the task training part.
How long does a course take?
Most courses take a few weeks of short daily practice. Each course shows its lessons and the typical number of weeks. You go at your own pace — lessons stay open, and your practice log keeps track of your progress.
What do I get when I finish?
A signed training record with its own public page and QR code, and a certificate of course completion with your dog's photo and your signature. Members also get a Training ID card for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet; with a single course it's an optional add-on.
How does the membership work?
One payment ($79) gives you every course and level for a year, new courses as they come out, the Wallet card and the yearly refresh. It does not renew on its own. Before the year ends we email you: keep it going for $29.99/year if you want, or let it end.
What happens to my record later?
It stays online. A record reads "Current" for a year after you sign or refresh it, and "Completed" with its date after that — with all its details either way. Refreshing is optional and updates the date.
Who sees my practice videos?
Only you, unless you choose to share. Videos are private by default. For each practice session you can choose to show it on your public training record — useful if you want a landlord or business to see your dog work.
Do I need to register my dog with USAR first?
No. Anyone can take a course. When you finish, you can register your dog at a graduate discount, and a registered dog with a live training record shows a "completed USAR training" note on its verification page.
KEEP LEARNING
More for handlers
You do the training. Make the paperwork match.
Self-paced task training, a signed training record and a certificate of completion you can show anywhere.