Assistance dogs support their owners for many years. For this reason, we put a lot of time, care, and heart into setting them on the right path at the beginning.
The puppies that grow up to become our assistance dogs come from our own breeding programme and spend the first 18 or so months of their life in carefully selected foster families. There, they have a very normal upbringing, getting to know a variety of everyday situations and receiving love and targeted support.
In this way, they develop important skills, such as how to stay calm, take pleasure in learning, and form tight bonds with people from an early age – things they will need to succeed in their later roles.
Taking pleasure in learning
After this first phase of development, the actual training starts in our school for assistance dogs. Over a period of six to nine months, our dogs receive step-by-step training from experienced assistance dog instructors to prepare them for their future roles.
During this time, the dogs learn real assistance techniques as well as how to stay calm and composed in different everyday situations. In the process, particular care is taken to ensure that the dogs stay alert, in control, and reliable.
We work exclusively with positive training methods. Our dogs learn through praise, play, and reward, without pressure or coercion. They are encouraged when they behave appropriately and are free to learn at their own pace. This engenders trust alongside joy in the collaboration, resulting in a stable relationship with humans.
With these positive training methods, the dogs stay motivated, inspired to learn, and well-adjusted. This way, they are reliable, focused and happy throughout their working lives, making them reliable partners at their owners’ sides.
We use the internationally recognised “Public Access Test” and an assistance review test to make sure that your dog is well prepared and ready to be relied on.
When dogs and humans form a team
Handing over an assistance dog to the familiar surroundings of your own home is a multi-day process spread across several weeks.
During this period, you can get to know your assistance dog in your own time as you gradually grow into a tight-knit team. In the process, we focus completely on your own individual needs, taking into account any therapies, resting times, and other specific requirements in your day-to-day schedule.
For longer walks, such as through wooded areas or along paths in the countryside, suitable electronic support (e.g., an electric wheelchair, Swisstrac or similar aids) is important for these key experiences to be shared safely.
Our goal is to create a form of teamwork that brings joy. While this needs training and practical everyday support, it also involves play, free running time, and more relaxed moments spent together.
By your side now and later
For as long as your assistance dog is by your side, we will continue offering you support, because we care just as much about the long-term success of a strong and trusting human-dog team as we do about the dog’s initial training.