In Florida, service dogs in training have the same legal access rights as fully trained service dogs. That said, while a dog is still learning, we often prefer to train in dog-friendly locations. These environments feel more relaxed and give us the freedom to: - Take breaks when needed - Give “free dog” time between exercises - Work on confidence-building skills (like approaching balloons, displays, or unusual objects) - Practice obedience with real distractions but without the pressure of a "formal" setting 🛒 Dog-Friendly Stores to Practice In Here are a few stores that are generally dog-friendly and great for training sessions: - Bass Pro Shops - Home Depot - Tractor Supply Co. - Michaels (Craft Store) ✅ Tip: Even though these stores are dog-friendly, always check with your local store before visiting, as policies can vary by location.

We had a fantastic training session at Lowe’s with our little potato, Sandy! 🌟 She was an absolute rock star during her food training and desensitization session with her new best friend Colton! At this stage, the focus is all about positive exposure to new scenarios and experiences. Obedience will come as the dogs grow and mature, but the most important thing you can do with your puppy at this young age is socialize them appropriately. This helps them grow into confident, happy dogs who are excited to be part of our big exciting world! 🌎🐶 We’re also thrilled to introduce Sandy’s new puppy raiser family: Colton and his brother and sister Kyden and Kenzie and super mom @Holly Westcott . Colton is already showing he’s a rock star too, and tomorrow Sandy will be officially placed with her new foster fam!!🎉 We can’t wait to watch their journey together and share all of their progress inside Cool Dog School.🐾💙

@Kenzie Carlson put together a super helpful video showing the difference between a basic service dog vest and a few different service dog custom made capes. She walks through the different wording and patches you can add, along with some tips and tricks she’s picked up along the way! One big recommendation from Kenzie: make sure your cape has pockets — they come in handy! To clarify: in this video, the cape is shown attached to a counterbalance mobility support harness, but capes and custom made service vests can also be ordered for non-mobility purposes. If you’re looking for a custom-made vest or cape, Etsy is one of the best places to find options. A huge thank you to @Kenzie Carlson for creating this video and to @Stepho Wilson for editing it — you are the best! 🐾🙌

🎉 Everyone, please welcome our newest addition, Sandy the Goldendoodle! 🐾 She’s a little champion rock star and jumping into her very first Spot lesson! Learning SPOT is going to help her in so many ways — it builds balance, boosts confidence, gets her comfortable with new surfaces, teaches her a front-feet target, and helps her develop rear-end awareness. These foundations are not just fun, they’re hugely beneficial for her future as a service dog! Spot training carries over into a variety of advanced tasks and behaviors she’ll be learning down the road!

Over in Cool Dog Skool @Anissa Stark and @Danielle Lavine were discussing Target not being dog friendly and Ranger not wearing a vest. I know legally they can go in non dog friendly places, even without vests. My hair dresser said by her FL license requirements dogs are not allowed in the salon period. We were just discussing and I don’t plan to take Saffy so I didn’t push, but that seems illegal based on ADA. So this all has me wondering if there are places that a SD could be legally denied access? I have heard some national parks do not allow dogs for wild life reasons. Can a private establishment (like a hair or nail salon or independent restaurant ) deny access? How do you learn about these possibilities before hand?