C.H.A.M.P. Assistance Dogs, Inc.

C.H.A.M.P., Inc. service dog candidates come to us through many different avenues, including our in-house breeding program, local breeders, shelter/rescue groups, and pet-homes. Although we normally prefer to start the training process with young puppies, we will occasionally evaluate older puppies on a space-available basis.

A working service dog must be comfortable around the unique sights, sounds, and people they may encounter in public settings, therefore, all puppies entering our program must first pass a temperament evaluation. During the evaluation, our experienced trainers will observe how the puppy responds to different people and different gentle environmental stimuli. Our goal is to select those puppies that have the greatest chance of successfully completing the service dog training program.

Puppies must also pass a series of health screenings, including orthopedic and vision. We highly prefer puppies whose parents who have undergone hip, eye, and elbow clearances.

If you have a puppy you feel may enjoy a service dog career, please read the following:

Ideal candidates should be:

• between 7 weeks old and 1 year old
• of a 'typical' service dog breed, or cross (Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Standard Poodle, crosses)
• of excellent general health (health clearances for both parents strongly preferred)
• happy and eager to play and interact with humans
• non-aggressive towards people
• non-aggressive towards other dogs, cats, or other animals
• housebroken, if older
• quiet