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?

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!!

Saffy is officially cleared from her spay recovery with the Dr’s order to go back to training/working!! Ya!!! James is away where he could not take Saffy and my Dad and I went to Home Depot so we took Saffy since it was later in the evening and the store would be quiet. Turns out they just got a truck so they were moving pallets everywhere. She got a little scared and hid but never tried to flee and did not get all shaky. I noticed the little bit of fear and made her sit and watch the noise and quickly rewarded her calmer behavior with praise and treats, then we checked out the pallet that was just placed! We walked around and she did awesome. I had to work on heel because she was excited and wanted to get a head. We stopped to look at cabinet handles and she actually kicked her hip out! So proud of how calm she was. She of course she got lots of praise and a jack pot level of treats!🤩🥳. I focused on her and not videos but did get a picture of the super calm down with me stepped away.

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. 👀💬

Be honest … what does Ollie’s new hairdo remind you of? 🤣