The Meat Section! Dogs have an incredible sense of smell… and let’s be honest, one of their favorite smells in the world is meat 🍖 🥩 So when a service dog walks past the meat section at a grocery store, it can be a very tempting situation. But a well-trained service dog learns something very important: Ignore the food and stay focused on the handler! No: • Sniffing • Licking • Jumping • Trying to investigate the shelves Instead, the dog should be calmly walking with their handler and checking in for guidance. In this video, you’ll see Saffy the black lab doing exactly that — walking past the meat section while staying focused and ignoring the food!🐕‍🦺 Great job, Saffy and handler @Julie Kelley Training moments like this help build reliability so service dogs can confidently accompany their handlers anywhere they’re needed. 💬 Question for you: If your dog could choose one aisle in the grocery store to live in, which one would it be? 😂🐾

When you’re out and about with your service dog — doctor’s appointments, travel days, long outings — it’s always a good idea to have a doggy go bag ready to roll. Think of it like a diaper bag… but for your very important working dog!! Here’s what Saffy’s go bag looks like as a great example: 🦴 Comfort + Entertainment • Chew bone • Non-squeaky toy • Mat for your dog to settle on • Dog Booties 💧 Food + Water • Water jug • Drinking bowl • Extra treats • Food training pouch 🧻 Cleanup + “Just In Case” Supplies • Poop bags 💩 • Pee pad • Paper towels • Gloves • Towels • Wet wipes • Hand sanitizer • Extra Leash 🔌 Extras • Chargers Julie and Saffy even keep two versions of the bag: 👜 Small bag → quick outings like doctor appointments 🎒 Big bag → longer adventures when you want all the essentials Because when you’re prepared like this… you’re basically ready for anything. And trust me — if your dog is working somewhere boring for a while, having a chew or something to occupy them can make a huge difference. 💬 Now I’m curious… What do you keep in your dog’s go bag? Did we miss anything? Huge thank you to @Julie Kelley and Saffy for showing us Saffy’s diaper bag setup! 🐾✨

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. 👀💬