At Domino Service Dogs (DSD), we empower individuals with disabilities to train their own life-saving service dogs. Over the course of our comprehensive two-year owner-trained program, you will attend weekly hands-on classes at our dedicated facility in Lakewood, CO, working side-by-side with experienced, certified professional trainers to build a reliable, life-changing working partnership.

Our structured curriculum guides you through every milestone—from foundational obedience and specialized task training to public access navigation and real-world environmental exposure—ensuring you and your dog develop deep trust, precise focus, and dependable skills.

Service Dog Programs & Specialized Task Training

We specialize in guiding handler-dog teams through the multi-stage training required to address specific disability needs. Every service dog's training plan is customized to perform practical, daily tasks that increase independence, mitigate symptoms, and enhance overall safety

Hearing Assistance

Designed for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, this program trains dogs to serve as their handler's ears. Dogs learn to make direct physical contact—such as a gentle nose nudge, paw touch, or leg press—to alert their handler to specific sounds and lead them directly to the source.

Trained tasks include:

• Alerting to household sounds: doorbells, door knocks, kitchen timers, microwave/oven beeps, and running water or overflowing sinks.

• Safety and emergency alerts: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide alarms, intruder alarms, and siren sounds.

• Personal and environmental alerts: phone ringtones, alarm clocks, crying babies or dropped items, someone calling the handler’s name, or vehicles approaching from behind while walking outdoors.

Seizure Alert/Response

Focused on safety, independence, and rapid assistance before, during, and after a seizure event. Trained tasks include: 

• Emergency Response & Summoning Assistance: Activating dedicated medical alert buttons or foot-pedals to summon family or emergency services, bringing medication pouches, retrieving an emergency phone, or carrying a medical info card to bystanders.
•  Fall Cushioning & Episode Support: Positioning themselves under or beside the handler to break or cushion a fall, and staying continuously by the handler’s side during tonic-clonic episodes.
• Post-Ictal Recovery & Grounding: Performing Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) to assist in regaining consciousness and reducing post-ictal recovery time, licking the handler's hands/face to speed grounding, and guiding a disoriented handler away from danger or back to a home/safe zone.
• Seizure Alert/Response: Identifying and shaping subtle, innate behavioral cues or physiological shifts prior to an oncoming seizure event to give handlers crucial advance warning to sit or lie down safely.

Mobility Support

Tailored to assist individuals with physical disabilities, movement disorders, paralysis, chronic pain, or severe balance limitations. Trained tasks include:

• Item Retrieval: Picking up small, dropped, or hard-to-reach items from any floor surface or shelf (keys, credit cards, coins, dropped leashes, pens, medication bottles, TV remotes, or clothing).
• Accessibility & Environmental Controls: Opening and closing heavy doors, cabinets, refrigerators, and drawers using pull-straps; pressing automatic door push-buttons, handicap pads, and wall light switches.
• Everyday Physical Assistance: Handing items to cashiers, carrying mail/groceries, pulling off socks, jackets, or gloves, pulling laundry from machines, and assisting with wheelchair or walker proximity.
• Stability & Positioning: Providing steady counter-balancing or bracing during standing transitions, transfers from chairs/beds, sitting down, or navigating stairs and uneven terrain.

POTS & Dysautonomia

Tailored specifically for handlers managing Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Trained tasks include:

• Physiological Alerts: Detecting subtle heart rate spikes, blood pressure drops, or hormonal changes prior to syncope (fainting) or severe dizziness, giving the handler early warning to sit or lay down in a safe position.Trained tasks include: 
• Fainting & Medical Response: Performing targeted Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) on the handler's legs or torso to stimulate circulation, return blood flow to the brain, and accelerate recovery.
• Emergency Retrieval: Retrieving water bottles, electrolyte drinks, sodium packs, cooling towels, or emergency medication bags from designated areas or nearby tables upon request or automatically during an episode.
• Positional & Safety Support: Barking or pressing an emergency button for help if the handler is unconscious, bracing or cushioning the handler as they lower themselves to the ground, and retrieving a phone to call emergency contacts.

Psychiatric Support

Created for individuals navigating PTSD, severe anxiety disorders, panic disorders, traumatic brain injuries, or other psychiatric conditions.

• Symptom & Distress Interruption: Nudging, pawing, or leaning to interrupt dissociation, hypervigilance, flashbacks, night terrors, panic attacks, or self-harming behaviors (like skin-picking or head-banging).
• Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT) & Grounding: Applying targeted body weight across the handler's lap, chest, or legs to regulate the nervous system, lower heart rate, and anchor the handler in the present moment.
• Spatial Buffering & Crowd Control: Position commands such as "Block" (standing perpendicular in front of the handler) or "Cover" (standing behind the handler) to create a comfortable, protective physical boundary in public spaces.
• Navigation & Environmental Sweeps: Turning on room lights prior to the handler entering dark spaces, conducting room checks, and guiding a disoriented or panic-stricken handler through crowds to the nearest building exit or quiet safe space.

Autism 

Fostering independence, safety, and sensory regulation through custom task training. Designed for neurodivergent individuals and owner-trainer handlers, an autism service dog serves as a steady, reliable working partner trained to mitigate the unique challenges of autism spectrum conditions in both everyday home environments and public spaces.

• Sensory Regulation & Grounding: Applying Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT)—leaning, lying across the lap, or resting their head—to calm the central nervous system during sensory overload, anxiety, or oncoming meltdowns.
• Behavior Interruption: Providing gentle tactile cues (nudging, pawing, or leaning) to interrupt self-harming behaviors, severe stimming, or repetitive distress responses, helping the handler reconnect with their environment.
• Increased Autonomy: Empowers autistics to navigate community spaces, attend school or work, and participate in social activities with greater confidence and reduced environmental stress.
• Force-Free, Bonding-Centric Training: Trained strictly using science-based positive reinforcement and LIMA principles, ensuring the dog actively enjoys its work while building a mutual bond of trust and mutual respect.
• Overstimulation Alert & Navigation: Detecting early physiological markers of distress or shutdown and guiding the handler away from crowded, noisy, or bright spaces to a calm area.
• Spatial Buffering & Personal Space: Creating a physical barrier ("block" or "cover") around the handler in public settings to maintain personal space, reduce social pressure, and prevent crowd encroachment.
• Safety & Wandering Alerts: Alerting family members or caregivers to elopement (wandering) or environmental hazards, providing vital safety support for children and adults alike.

What Your 2-Year Journey Includes

Our owner-trainer model is built on step-by-step progression, ongoing professional evaluation, and comprehensive community support to ensure long-term success:

• Weekly In-Person Facility Classes

  Held at our Lakewood center, these mandatory weekly group sessions provide structured learning, progressive skill development, and real-time feedback from professional trainers. You will master effective handler mechanics, leash handling, marking behaviors, and troubleshooting challenges in a controlled environment.

• Public Access Coaching & Field Outings

  Service dogs must maintain flawless focus and behavior in non-dog-friendly public settings. We conduct guided group training field trips to local stores, malls, public transit hubs, restaurants, and outdoor events throughout the Denver metro area to ensure your dog operates calmly, quietly, and confidently under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines.

• Positive, Evidence-Based Training Methods

  We utilize force-free, reward-based training techniques grounded in modern canine behavior science. This humane approach fosters high enthusiasm for work, clear communication between handler and dog, and a resilient, stress-free working relationship.

• Legal Rights, Self-Advocacy & Legal Education

  Navigating life with a service dog requires a clear understanding of federal and state accessibility laws. We provide detailed education on your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Housing Act (FHA), Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), and Colorado state laws, empowering you with the knowledge to advocate for yourself and your dog confidently.

• Peer Support & Community Alumni Network

  Owner-training a service dog requires dedication, time, and patience. Our program connects you with a compassionate network of fellow owner-trainers who understand the daily realities of living with a disability. From shared class experiences to alumni support after graduation, you will never have to navigate the journey alone.

Ready to Begin Your Journey?

Whether you need assistance evaluating a prospective puppy candidate or are ready to launch foundational training with an eligible dog, Domino Service Dogs is here to support you. Our certified trainers provide compassionate, force-free guidance tailored to your unique goals and accessibility needs.

Don't wait to take the first step toward greater confidence, mobility, and independence. Contact our team today to discuss dog eligibility, schedule an initial evaluation, or learn more about our upcoming class cohorts!