Most dogs naturally want to heel on the outside of a shopping cart. Why? ➡️ It’s more comfortable. ➡️ It doesn’t block their view. ➡️ They can see what’s happening around them. Walking behind a cart feels different. It partially obstructs their vision and changes the picture they’re used to in heel position — so it takes practice. Here’s how to help them succeed: ➡️ When first introducing the cart, don’t stand centered behind it. ➡️ Shift your body slightly to the right side while pushing. ➡️ This creates a small “pocket” of space behind the cart. ➡️ Your dog can heel comfortably in that pocket — without drifting to the outside. You’re not forcing the position — you’re shaping it. Over time: ➡️ Practice short distances. ➡️ Build duration. ➡️ Gradually move back to pushing more centered. Cart work is a skill. Teach it like one! 🐕‍🦺 For those of you who already have a service dog — Does your dog naturally prefer the outside of the cart? Or were they confident walking behind it right away? Curious to hear your experiences 👇

One of our recently graduated ASA Service Dog teams put this video together as part of a feature with WebMD!! 🐕‍🦺 Nurse Joy ✨ the precious poodle in pink showing off her service dog tasks, public access skills, and the incredible bond this team has developed through consistent communication and training 🐾 Thank you for sharing your adventures, Stepho and Joy Joy!!

In this video, I’m working Ollie and Sandy on sit and stay in public — with squeaky toys. Real-life distractions. Real confidence building. 🧠✨ Here’s the key most people miss: Confidence is built by balancing easy and slightly challenging reps. A lot of handlers will get a solid 3-second stay… and then immediately try for 30 seconds. 😅 That’s where dogs start to struggle. Instead, think of stay like a confidence ladder: 1️⃣ Make it easy. Short duration. No distractions. Quick success. Reward. 🎉 2️⃣ Make it slightly harder. Increase one variable — duration, distraction, or distance. 3️⃣ If they succeed — praise and reinforce. 🥳🐾 4️⃣ If they struggle — make it easier again. Then bounce back and forth. Easy → Slightly harder → Easy → Slightly harder. That back-and-forth pattern is what builds stability and trust. 💛 When you’re progressing, remember the three D’s: • Duration ⏳ (how long) • Distance 🚶‍♀️ (how far away you move) • Distraction 🎾 (what’s happening around them) Increase them gradually — not all at once. If your dog breaks the stay? That’s feedback, not failure. Lower the criteria. Help them win again. 💪 Keep sessions short. Keep the game fun. Pair success with positive reinforcement every time. 🎉✨ When dogs feel successful, they grow confident. When they grow confident, they become reliable. And that’s how you turn a few seconds of “stay” into a rock-solid behavior — even with major squeaks happening in the background. 🐶🔊 Training isn’t about pushing. It’s about setting them up to win. 🐾 👇 Now I want to know… What’s your dog’s kryptonite? What’s the hardest thing for them when it comes to holding a stay — distance, distractions, excitement, something else? Let’s talk about it. 👀💬

There’s a pretty common misconception floating around that service dogs are supposed to be these elite, fearless, never-flinch, never-blink machines. But… yeah. No. That’s not real life. 😂 Just like humans — even the most confident, badass humans you can think of — every dog has fears. Fear is instinctual. So the goal with service dogs is not to create a dog that never gets scared. The goal is to create a dog that knows what to do when something does scare them… and that comes from training + communication + trust. 🧠 So what actually matters for a service dog? Not “fearlessness.” But how they handle fear when it pops up. A well-trained service dog, when startled, should have this instinct: 👉 “Check in with my human. What do you want me to do?” THAT is the magic. THAT is the safety. THAT is why training matters so much. Because the opposite reaction — the instinctual bolt/run/flee moment — is dangerous for the dog, the handler, AND the public. And that’s exactly what we want to prevent. 💪 Training creates the communication that replaces instinct. Training opens up a line of communication: - The dog learns: “When I’m unsure, I check in.” - The handler learns: “When my dog is unsure, I guide them.” That’s the whole game. It doesn’t mean your dog won’t ever spook at something dropping behind them. Humans jump too! It just means they recover quickly and look to you instead of relying on instinct. 🎯 Your job as a handler Your job is to: - Notice when they’re unsure - Take a moment to work them through it - Help them build confidence - Prevent small startles from turning into big fears That’s how you create a dog who is: 🐶 well-desensitized 🐶 safe in public 🐶 thinking instead of reacting 🐶 checking in instead of bolting 🐶 trusting their human instead of their instincts 💛 Bottom line Service dogs aren’t fearless superheroes. They’re dogs — with instincts, emotions, and the occasional “shaky boots” moment. The real strength is this: When fear shows up, they use their brain instead of their instincts, and they trust their handler enough to ask, “What now?”

Atlas puts up with so much 🤪🤣 We have twinning Christmas spirit jerseys so we took some quick pics last night!