Whether you have recently been accepted into the Northwest Battle Buddies family or are a fan or supporter, you may have wondered what our intensive training process is really like. If you didn’t already know: we professionally train our dogs for several months before they even meet their Veteran, and our service dogs receive over 360 hours of professional training prior to being certified. Not only that, Northwest Battle Buddies commits to supporting both Veterans and service dogs for their entire lifetimes. So what does the process entail? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at our training program for both dogs and Veterans.
Months 1-2
Before our Veterans have even met their Battle Buddies, the focus is on basic obedience. To be sure our training is solid, our dogs practice in several public locations, including (but not limited to) grocery stores, malls, movie theaters, airport security, churches, trains, and city buses. Dogs learn to perform sit, stay, heel, down, here, load (for getting into a vehicle), and other commands while on leash, off-leash, and under distraction. Our dogs are also taught to ignore all people’s food, even when it’s placed inches from the dog’s face. Last but not least, our dogs are taught to have a respectful and calm demeanor around humans at all times.
Months 3-5
Over the next three months, Northwest Battle Buddies dogs begin to learn to task for the many symptoms that are known to manifest with a person battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). To refresh your memory, a true service dog must be trained to perform at least one specific task related to a specific disability. By necessity, our dogs learn to perform several, including:
- How to wake their Veteran from nightmares,
- How to interrupt anxiety attacks,
- How to redirect flashbacks,
- How to alert on adrenaline,
- How to act as a social barrier in public,
- How to provide a constant feeling of safety, and
- How to perform pressure therapy.
These skills are the core of what makes our professionally-trained service dogs effective, and it’s the reason they are able to truly transform the life of a Veteran with PTSD.
Getting to know our Veterans
Even though our Veterans don’t meet their Battle Buddies right away, they have plenty of work to do throughout the entire process. After they have been accepted into our program, it all starts with the Veteran interview. We consider the Veteran’s age, health, mobility, living conditions, profession, family dynamics (e.g., if there are children or elder relatives in the home), general personality, and future goals. As we train our dogs, we fully assess each dog’s temperament, energy level, and guidability. This allows us to match the best dog for the Veteran specifically. For example, we always take into consideration the activity level, work environment, physical health, and family life of the Veteran and pair them with a dog that is best suited to their lifestyle.
5 Week Veteran Training
Once our dogs have completed their 5-month training program, our Veterans are matched with their Battle Buddies for their part of the process. Veteran recipients are required to complete a five-week handler instruction program, during which they are educated in dog obedience, dog psychology, pack order and instinct, learning to “read” a dog’s behavior, and public access work. Each day we train a minimum of five -8 hours, Monday through Friday, totaling a minimum of 135 hours of personalized training.
To prepare our Veterans for various public scenarios, we train onsite at Northwest Battle Buddies for the first two weeks. During the final three weeks, our public access training is done in malls, grocery stores, and movie theaters; and around public transit such as on buses, trains, and in airports. Our Veterans-canine teams are then required to pass both the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen (“CGC”) test and the Assistance Dogs International Public Access Test (“PAT”) prior to graduation.
Here are a few highlights:
- Week 1: The Veteran is paired with their service dog and begins learning basic training and handling skills. Each day, the Veteran begins to learn how to execute the commands of heel, sit, and down. They also start to learn how to load and offload their dogs into and out of vehicles.
- Week 2: Battle Buddy teams do two days each of on- and off-leash obedience in the field and in the “grocery store” and “restaurant” scenarios at our training facilities. Day five is the Veterans’ first day of training in a public grocery store. After this first public outing, we debrief about the experience. We discuss the positives and negatives of having a service dog in public. We also continue education regarding the laws and guidelines required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).
- Week 3: This week is the start of the service dog overnights with their Veterans. For two nights a week during the final three weeks, Veterans take their dogs home for continued education. Having the Veteran take their dog home allows the dog to begin gradually integrating into the Veteran’s daily life while they are still receiving support and education from NWBB. Veterans are encouraged to take their dogs out in public, even if only to get a coffee. After the overnights, we debrief with our Veterans about their experiences, successes, and struggles, discuss unmet expectations and celebrate unexpected triumphs. (Often dogs wake our Veterans up from nightmares on the very first overnight!)
- Week 4: In week four, we conduct interviews with the Veterans’ significant others and families. Families are asked to write down all questions they might have regarding their roles and how they can support the Veteran-canine team. Written information is also given to the families outlining proper etiquette and best practices to help ensure the Battle Buddies’ success.
- Week 5: During the final week, Veteran-canine teams are integrating what they have learned and demonstrating their skills for the ADI Public Access Test. Two additional overnights also occur before the final test. Upon passing all testing, service dogs are officially gifted to the Veterans. Veterans are provided all physical tools and equipment required for their service dog, as well as items needed for the home, including grooming tools, beds, and crates.
Month 6 and Beyond: Aftercare Support
No matter what challenges may arise, Northwest Battle Buddies is committed to our dogs and Veterans for the long haul. After they return home, the Veteran is contacted by our Veteran liaison within the first two weeks to find out about and help with any unanticipated needs. Future follow-up is then determined on a case-by-case basis. Recertification is required at three months, nine months, and then annually. If the Veteran keeps their dog at a proper, healthy weight and maintains their dog’s training standards for five years, they can be released from yearly recertifications.
We provide ongoing education for any of our Veterans at any time. On the rare occasion that a match is not working out, a service dog may be exchanged with another dog. If a Veteran falls upon hard times financially, we offer support with whatever the dog may need.
Beyond the basics, Northwest Battle Buddies literally provides a lifetime of follow-up and team support to our Veterans and their service dogs. When a service dog passes away, we offer our Veterans another service dog when they are ready to start a new partnership. Should a Veteran pass away, we provide the Veteran’s family with the option to keep the service dog or surrender it to the organization for reassignment.
Well, now you know a little bit about what goes into Northwest Battle Buddies’ intensive and thorough training process. We do it this way because we’re committed to our Veterans, dogs, and to achieving a positive result. If you’re ready to apply, learn more, or contribute to what we do, check out our How to Support page here.
