Fully Trained Service Dog Program
Our Fully Trained Program pairs carefully selected, health-tested dogs with training tailored to each person’s individual needs.
Our Dogs
Every dog we place begins with exceptional breeding. Our program includes only dogs from parents tested for hip, elbow, eye and heart health, as well as comprehensive genetic panels that screen for common hereditary conditions.
Aspen has spent considerable time building partnerships with established Canadian and International breeders with long-established lines of working dogs. These partners share Aspen’s philosophy of ethical breeding, sound temperament, and early socialization practices that set each puppy up for success. These are not pet-quality dogs. They are carefully selected, highly capable partners, and well worth the wait.
Our Program
Every Aspen Service Dog begins life with purpose. Guided by extensive experience and best practices, our program builds confident, capable, and reliable partners.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Our journey begins long before a leash is ever clipped on. Puppies are nurtured in calm and structured environments that promote curiosity and confidence. During these first eight weeks there is a focus on gentle exposure to the sights, sounds, textures, and daily experiences of the world.
Puppies learn that people, noises, and novel environments are safe and rewarding. From the very beginning, we emphasize health, temperament, and social development to prepare each puppy to be an incredible partner.
PUPPY FOUNDATIONS (8 WEEKS TO 1 YEAR)
At eight weeks, each puppy joins one of our exceptional volunteer raiser families. These homes are carefully selected for their dedication, compassion, and ability to provide a loving, structured environment.
During this stage, our trainers and raisers work hand-in-hand to develop foundational skills: house manners, early obedience, and public access behavior. Puppies regularly visit community spaces such as shopping areas, parks, transit stations, restaurants, and workplaces to learn calm, confident behavior in a variety of environments.
Regular check-ins and training sessions with our professional team ensure that every pup is learning at the right pace. Each experience builds confidence and social maturity, helping the dog understand how to focus and behave politely both at home and in public.
ADVANCED LEARNING (1 YEAR UNTIL GRADUATION)
When the dogs are developmentally ready (typically around one year), they move into our Advanced Learning program, much like children heading off to school. They continue living in a new loving raiser home during this time, ensuring they maintain well-rounded social lives, family interaction, and balance between learning and rest.
Each weekday, the dogs attend “school” at our dedicated training facility to work with professional trainers for intensive, structured learning. Here they refine obedience, practice complex tasks, and strengthen their public access reliability. They learn to navigate busy spaces, work around distractions, and remain focused on their future handlers’ needs.
This immersion in training ensures exceptional task consistency and confidence. Every dog is carefully evaluated on progress, adaptability, and temperament with only those meeting Aspen’s rigorous standards moving forward to placement.
TEAM TRAINING
When a dog graduates from Advanced Learning, the final and most rewarding step begins. During this stage, you will work side-by-side with our trainers to build the skills, trust, and communication that define a successful partnership.
Clients learn how to handle their new service dog in home settings, public access situations, and specialized tasks tailored to their individual needs. The process is supportive, empowering, and deeply collaborative.
By the time each team graduates, both human and canine are confident, capable, and connected. Working and living with your new service dog is a true partnership built on mutual respect and understanding.
Why It Works
At Aspen, we believe that something truly extraordinary takes time. Our team has refined a process built on patience, precision, and purpose. Creating the perfect service partnership isn’t something that can be rushed.
Every client who comes to Aspen has unique needs, requirements, and a lifestyle all their own. Every dog, too, has their own personality, pace of learning, and natural strengths. Our role is to bring those two paths together — carefully, intentionally, and at exactly the right time.
Throughout the journey, we stay in touch with clients at key milestones to learn about them as individuals. Those insights help us shape each dog’s training so that their skills, personality, and temperament align perfectly with the person they’ll one day partner with. By the time a team meets, the bond feels almost inevitable, a perfect match years in the making.
Reliability, empathy and task excellence are built through experience, not speed. Our process takes time, and that time is what creates a dependable, well-matched partnership.
For our clients, the wait isn’t just worth it — it’s what makes the partnership work.
How to Apply
Your first step is a conversation with our team. From there, you’ll complete an application package, including a medical form from your physician or registered psychologist, and join our waitlist. Most placements happen about two years after acceptance, once your dog is mature and ready. See the full application process →
Contact Our Team
