ABRT Service Dog Owner Trainer Academy

What is the academy?

The Service Dog Owner Trainer Academy (SDOTA) is a specialized self-paced curriculum meant to provide structure to service dog owner trainers, and prepare owner trained service dog teams for public access work under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The curriculum covers basic, intermediate, and advanced training, disability tasks/work, and public access training, with an optional course in public transportation.

Courses

  • Service Dog 101

    • Verbal quiz covering basics of dog care and basic through intermediate training


    • 17 basic-intermediate training items and cues


    • Can be substituted for ABRT courses

  • Service Dog 201

    • 14 item behavior assessment that scores the dog on 12 different behavior traits such as biddability, stability, social tolerance, and stress level


    • 17 advanced training items and cues

  • Tasks/Work 301

    • Introduction and training to specialized gear


    • Creation of an individualized task/work training plan specific to the handler’s disability and needs


    • Training in at least 2 task/work items


    • Service dog etiquette verbal quiz designed to prepare the handler for working in non pet friendly spaces

  • Public Access 401

    • In depth 18 item public access prep verbal quiz based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, designed to prepare the handler to confidently handle access challenges and interactions with the public


    • Expansive 51 item public access test that mimics a typical service dog team outing, including transportation, navigating parking lots, elevators, human distraction, dog distraction, restaurant manners, and more.


    • A separate ABRT course can be used to supplement 401 private lessons, which will reduce the overall cost.

  • Public Transportation 501 (optional)

    • Individualized coursework depending on the team’s needs in navigating public transportation from airlines, city busses, Greyhound busses, trains, and taxis/Uber/Lyft

Contact the Academy