Train your own dog
U.S. law permits owner-trained service dogs. This course gives you the full path — no board-and-train required.
The Academy's flagship program
Psychiatric Service Dog Training Course.
A complete, self-paced program for training your own psychiatric service dog — reliable obedience, trained calm in public, and the specific psychiatric tasks your partnership needs. Under the ADA, what makes a service dog is individual training to perform tasks related to your disability — and that training is exactly what this course teaches, following the same structured sequence a professional trainer would use, with video demonstrations, written plans, and quizzes at every step.
▧ 8 modules · 34 lessons◷ 5+ hours of instruction◇ One-time payment · lifetime access
Why this course
Everything a working partnership needs.
Real psychiatric tasks
Deep Pressure Therapy, medication retrieval, interruptions, and light tasks — the trained work that legally defines a service dog.
Confidence in public
The settle series, distraction-proofing, and a graduated outing plan that takes the work into everyday settings.
Know your rights
The ADA, the two permitted questions, and calm scripts for access challenges — at work, at school, and everywhere else.
Learn at your pace
Short lessons designed around daily practice sessions. Pause, revisit, and progress on your own schedule.
Progress that keeps
Your personal portal tracks every completed lesson and quiz, and always points to a clear next step.
A practice-led method
Clear foundations make practice easier to repeat.
Every lesson pairs a short piece of instruction with a guided practice plan, so the day's work is always clear: what to notice, what to practise, and when to stop. Small, repeatable sessions build the habits the later modules depend on.
What's included
One enrollment. The whole program.
- ✓All 8 modules and 34 lessons (5+ hours of instruction)
- ✓Video demonstrations for every hands-on skill
- ✓Written training plans, checklists, and practice guides
- ✓Comprehension quizzes on the legal and theory lessons
- ✓Personal progress tracking in the Academy portal
- ✓Lifetime access, including all future course updates
One-time payment · lifetime access
$329
Secure checkout by Stripe. After payment you'll receive your account activation link by email and can begin immediately.
The curriculum
Eight modules.
Thirty-one lessons.
The exact sequence of the course, from readiness and handler rights through task training and public access work. Every module below is what you'll find inside the portal.
Module IIs a PSD Right for You?4 lessons
- videoWelcome & Course OverviewVideo
- videoHandler Readiness: Are You Ready for a Service Dog?Video + worksheet
- videoChoosing the Right Dog: Breeds & TemperamentVideo
- videoChoosing Your Disability Task(s)Video + guide
Module IILegal Rights for Psychiatric Service Dog Handlers (US)4 lessons
- videoADA Overview: What Makes a Service Dog Legal?Video
- videoThe Two Permitted Questions (& How to Answer Them)Video
- readingRole Play: Responding to Access ChallengesWorksheet exercise
- readingPSDs at Work & School: Rights Under ADA Title I & IDEAReading + 2 guides
Module IIIReading Your Dog: Body Language2 lessons
- videoBody Language 101: OverviewVideo
- videoUnderstanding Your Dog's Emotions: The 3C Series4 videos
Module IVTraining Philosophy & Foundations5 lessons
- videoThe 3C Method: Get Your Dog to Listen Anywhere, AnytimeVideo
- videoTraining 101: Operant vs Classical Conditioning3 videos
- videoHow to Use a Clicker / Verbal MarkerVideo
- videoCore Techniques: Luring, Targeting, Shaping & Capturing4 videos + guide
- videoHow to Teach Sit, Down & Stay Using Lure/Reward4 videos
Module VEssential Manners & Focus Skills5 lessons
- videoRecall & Heel2 videos
- videoLoose Leash Walking (Phases 1 & 2)2 videos
- videoImpulse Control: Leave ItVideo
- videoPlace & Mat Work5 videos
- videoFocus & Pattern Games5 videos
Module VICalm on Cue: The Settle Series4 lessons
- readingWhy the Settle Series Works (Simple Science)Reading
- readingThe Calm Marker: Teaching Your Dog That Calm PaysReading + guide
- videoRelaxation Protocol & Stepping OverVideo + workbook
- audioGuided Task Sets (Audio)15 audio sessions
Module VIIPsychiatric Service Dog Tasks6 lessons
- videoChoosing Your TaskVideo
- readingHigh-Level Overview: Chaining Behaviors & Cue TransfersReading
- videoMedical Alert Training2 videos + training plan
- readingDeep Pressure Therapy (DPT)Training plan
- videoRetrieval & Household Tasks4 videos
- videoTracking Your TrainingVideo
Module VIIIPublic Access Training4 lessons
- readingFoundation Readiness & Your Training Plan2 guides
- videoWarming Up, Checking In & Getting DressedVideo
- videoThreshold & Doorway Manners (Stay/Go)Video
- readingWrap-Up / ClosingReading
Practice in the real world
The calm you build at home travels with you.
The settle your dog practises on a mat in the living room is the same settle you'll bring to a bench, a quiet patio, and a café table. The course sequences these outings gradually, so each new place asks only a little more of your dog than the one before.
Your instructor
Lisa Gallegos, CPDT-KA.
Certified Professional Dog Trainer · Atlas Certified Trainer · CGC Evaluator
Lisa has been training dogs professionally since 2014. Her journey began with Ziggy, her first rescue dog, who introduced her to the world of positive reinforcement training — and in 2021 she left a corporate marketing career to found Collab Dog Training, a practice dedicated to service dog training, everyday manners, and leash skills.
She specializes in psychiatric and seizure-response service dog training, service dog selection, and airport training, working with handlers both in person and virtually. Living with a psychiatric disability herself, Lisa brings both empathy and practical, tested strategies to every lesson — the same patient, structured approach followed by the tens of thousands who learn from her training channel.
Psychiatric Service Dog Training Course