Fresh from the ECAD Blog
Service Dogs transform lives, providing independence, support, and an enhanced quality of life to individuals with disabilities of all kinds. However, behind every well-trained Service Dog is a community of dedicated Service Dog trainers who play an integral role in their development. For nonprofits in the industry, volunteers are the heart of the mission, and their work is indispensable. This article explores why volunteers in Service Dog training are so crucial, what they do, and how you can join ECAD to make a meaningful difference.
Why Are Service Dog Training Volunteers So Crucial?
The process of training Service Dogs can be prohibitively expensive, lasting up to three years or longer and involving intensive training at all stages. The investment this requires can severely limit the number of dogs that can be placed with individuals in need.
Nonprofit organizations like Educated Canines Assisting with Disabilities (ECAD) are able to train these dogs and offer their services because volunteers provide free Service Dog training, significantly reducing operational expenses and making more Service Dogs available to those who can most benefit from them.
Why More Volunteers Are Needed Now
The demand for Service Dogs continues to grow, with individuals seeking support for conditions such as PTSD, autism, diabetes, and mobility impairments. However, there is currently a global shortage of trained Service Dogs, and waiting lists for Service Dogs can extend for years.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the shortage of volunteers. Many individuals who previously participated in volunteer Service Dog training programs were unable to continue due to health concerns or other disruptions. Now, as organizations rebuild their programs, recruiting new volunteers is more critical than ever.
At ECAD, the call for volunteers is especially urgent. Every new volunteer helps bring a Service Dog closer to someone whose life will be transformed by their partnership. Whether you’re ready to volunteer to train a Service Dog or want to help in other ways, there is a role for everyone.
What Do Volunteers Do in Service Dog Training?
Training a Service Dog is an intensive, multi-step process that can take years to complete. Volunteers contribute at every stage of this journey, performing tasks that range from nursery duties to foundational training, socialization, and administrative support.
Nursery Homes: Building a Strong Foundation
The first step in training Service Dogs is placing them in nursery homes once they are old enough — about eight weeks after birth. This allows puppies to immediately start socializing and getting comfortable in home settings.
Puppy raisers like those on our nursery team are essential for providing young dogs with the foundation they need to become service animals. These volunteers teach basic commands, establish good behaviors, and expose puppies to a wide variety of environments, such as busy streets, grocery stores, and public transportation. Early socialization ensures dogs are adaptable and confident in any setting.
ECAD’s nursery volunteers are well-trained and supported. We offer monthly training classes, arrange vaccinations and veterinary care, and check in weekly. These volunteers spend six to seven months with young puppies, giving them the start they need to serve handlers in the future. Given the puppies’ young age, consistent supervision is necessary, with volunteers committing not to leave them home alone for more than three hours at a time. However, volunteers who cannot make this commitment during the workweek or for a whole six months still have invaluable roles to play!
HOME for the Weekend Volunteers
For folks who love dogs and want to help, but may be too busy to work with a puppy full-time, our HOME for the Weekend program allows volunteers to give young Service Dogs a place to stay, train, and socialize on the weekends. This not only contributes to puppies’ comfort and socialization in varied settings, but also offers respite for Nursery Home volunteers who work intensively with Service Dogs during the week. If you are interested in working with puppies and aren’t sure if you can commit to full-time training, reach out today about weekend volunteering!
Advanced Training Assistance
After basic training, dogs move on to advanced tasks, such as retrieving objects, opening doors, and responding to medical emergencies. Expert trainers can only spend so much time with each puppy, so volunteers are essential to reinforcing lessons and helping Service Dogs master advanced commands in between training sessions.
Volunteers work closely with trainers to reinforce these skills and maintain a consistent training schedule, which is critical for a dog’s progress.
Socialization and Exposure
Service Dogs must be calm and collected in diverse environments. Volunteers help socialize the dogs by introducing them to new sights, sounds, and situations. This includes attending community events or simply taking the dogs to a coffee shop to practice good behavior in public.
Administrative and Support Roles
Beyond direct training, volunteers assist with administrative tasks, fundraising, and event organization, all of which are vital for nonprofits like ECAD to continue their mission. Volunteers with specific skills and experience offer services from bus driving to website management and more.
The Rewards of Volunteering
Working with Service Dogs allows people to make a tangible difference in someone’s life while forming a deep bond with a Service Dog in training. Volunteers often describe their work as life-changing, not only for the individuals who receive Service Dogs, but also for themselves.
Become an ECAD Volunteer
Volunteering your skills, time, and resources is a fantastic way to make a difference, help others, and enhance your life!
Want to experience the joy of puppy care without the lifelong commitment? Join our Nursery Team and take home an eight-week-old bundle of fluff. You’ll teach the puppy basic commands, household manners, and give them the chance to explore new and different things. All of this helps to start our puppies off on the right paw to becoming excellent Service Dogs.
Love dogs, but too busy to work with a puppy during the week? Then the HOME for the Weekend program is right for you! And for those who can’t take a puppy home, we offer plenty of other volunteer opportunities that are equally important to our mission. Apply to volunteer with us in any capacity today!
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