We specialize in training Diabetic Alert Dogs (D.A.D.) These special animals help those with Type 1 diabetes take back their lives! Our mission is for our D.A.D.s to allow their owners to reclaim their freedom and peace of mind while managing this disease. While a D.A.D is an investment, they provide an extra layer of support and safety that remains priceless.
A Diabetic Alert Dog isn't for everyone. Our service dogs are the most beneficial for those who are hypoglycemic unaware. Hypoglycemia unawareness does not affect all diabetics. There are some Type One diabetics who are still very capable of feeling their major blood glucose events, which reduces their need for a service dog. However, these dogs are an incredible addition to the treatment plan of a Type 1 Diabetic, especially those who are hypoglycemic unaware.
The cycle training program is much more inclusive than a normal program and requires the handler to be involved. Due to this, the amount of time it takes an individual dog to complete the training process varies. We also consider the individual dog's strengths and weaknesses which can effect the timeline as well.
Our average D.A.D. undergoes about 1600 hours of structured training between us and the training you will be doing at home. On average it takes 2 years for a dog to complete their training and graduate from the program. However, it is important to note that training is never truly done and your dog will require minor maintenance throughout their life
Our training program allows the future owner of the dog to be involved with the process from day 1, making long distance placements more difficult. Our program requires the handler to visit the trainer on a fairly regular basis, we may also need to visit you at home. We do not place dogs outside of a four hour radius of Colorado Springs, unless you have the financial means, the time, and the dedication to attend your training sessions when necessary. We will however offer zoom calls to give training advice to clients outside of our service radius.
This question can be difficult to answer. Here at Charmed Dogs we implement a unique training system developed by a top trainer in Texas, whom our trainers have studied under. Our use of this training system results in significant variations in cost to obtain a service dog from us. The cost will fluctuate depending on your investment of time, abilities, and commitment to training your dog. We refer to this training system as cycle training. Cycle training allows the owner to be more hands on throughout the process. We have seen multiple benefits from using this program, chief of which is the potential to save money.
Most programs offer only fully trained diabetic alert dogs and charge $25k-$30k. While there are cases that a fully trained dog is the best option, we have seen the cycle training work beautifully for the majority of cases. With this new program people are sometimes spending less than half of what they spend on a done for you dog, and they are able to spread the cost out over the course of the program as opposed to having to pay for it all up front.
Our price structure is as such: When your dog stays with us for training you will be charged $150 per day. When the dog is with us we will focus hard on obedience, public access training, and of course scent alert training. We customize the length of time and frequency your dog is with us to you and your training plan. Once your dog completes a stay with us we will bring you in for a thorough lesson on everything the dog learned, and cover what is expected of you when the dog goes home. We will send you home with detailed instructions and homework to set you up for success. When the dog is with you we will have frequent check ins, and possibly at home lessons to ensure you stay on track, until the dog returns to us.
This allows you to control the pace of progression for your training plan. There are a wealth of benefits to implementing the cycle training program but as we said earlier customizing the price is a huge one. You don’t have to come up with a huge amount of money up front. Every time you sign up for a training cycle you pay at that time, and you don’t have to prepay for future training cycles.
Our training cycle program also makes the fundraising process much easier as well. Most clients will fundraise a large portion of their training expenses. Cycle training allows them to raise that money as they go.
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