Dog News

Watch Pups as Young as 4 Weeks Train to Become Service Dogs!

by Amy Drew

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The journey from puppyhood to service dog-dom begins early. By the time they are 12 weeks old, those with the “right stuff” already know most of their service dog tasks according to Puppy Prodigies, a non-profit organization that trains puppies to become service dogs for people with disabilities. Their Neo-natal an Early Learning program pups begin learning immediately!

“Puppies as young as 13 days have been trained to do behaviors that become stepping stones to their ongoing training,” says Judy Fridono founder and executive director of Puppy Prodigies. The program is designed to provide puppies with a long-term advantage at an early age in an effort to effect adult behavior tendencies.

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“Our initiatives can be used for puppies born at a shelter, or rescued from a dire situation to help counter-balance their negative experiences, adds Fridono. “This program can also help reduce the number of pet dogs that are relinquished to animal shelters for behavior related problems. Our program works for any puppy, whether in training to be a service dog, rescued puppies, or litter births at shelters.”

Puppy Prodigies' newest pupil is Cori. She was born on September 16 and is training to become a service dog.
Puppy Prodigies’ newest pupil is Cori. She was born on September 16 and is training to become a service dog.

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Working with puppies at this early age instills a deep rooted bond to humans, she says. “It gives them a solid foundation for all future endeavors, builds confidence, fosters enthusiasm for training, instills a willingness to be of service (in the case of a working dog future), reduces the possibility of a mature dog ending up in a shelter because of behavioral issues and so much more.”

Ricochet empowers kids with special needs among other people. She is Puppy Prodigies' most famous grad.
Ricochet empowers kids with special needs among other people. She is Puppy Prodigies’ most famous grad.

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Puppy Prodigies most famous graduate is the world-famous Surf Dog Ricochet, the SURFice dog. Ricochet is best known for empowering kids with special needs, people with disabilities, wounded warriors and veterans with PTSD. She has also raised almost $500,000 for human/animal causes and says Fridono, who is Ricochet’s guardian, “proof positive of how well this program works!”