The goal: a hearing dog who alerts to sounds and leads to them, then settles quietly in public, airports and planes included. That takes about 18 months, which means early 2028. Until then she travels as a pet.
Every task follows the same pattern: the sound happens, she nudges, and she leads to the sound when asked “show me”. Short sessions, food rewards, one new thing at a time.
Until she’s trained she has a pet’s access, not a service dog’s: Washington’s in-training access covers professional trainers only, so socialization trips stay at places that allow dogs.
Month by month
| Month | Age | Focus | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 4 mo | Name response, eye contact, a marker word, handling, carrier time | Puppy Kindergarten (enrolled) |
| Dec 2026 | 5 mo | Nose-touch cue; socialization trips: dog-friendly stores, buses, crowds, noise | Puppy Elementary |
| Jan 2027 | 6 mo | Touch turns into a nudge on your leg; first sound: a kitchen timer → nudge → “show me” | Book a private lesson to plan the task work |
| Feb 2027 | 7 mo | Doorbell and knock alerts; loose-leash walking | Puppy Jr. High |
| Mar 2027 | 8 mo | Name-call alert (someone calls you, she gets you). Expect setbacks in adolescence | — |
| Apr 2027 | 9 mo | Smoke alarm: nudge, then lie down (don’t lead to it) | Private lesson |
| May 2027 | 10 mo | Practice each alert in other rooms, other houses, with distractions | — |
| Jun 2027 | 11 mo | Settle on a mat or under a table for 30+ min; patios and cafés | Public Manners |
| Jul 2027 | 12 mo | Canine Good Citizen | CGC Prep → CGC test |
| Aug 2027 | 13 mo | Phone and alarm alerts; waking you at night | Private lesson |
| Sep 2027 | 14 mo | Alert when someone comes up from behind or your left | — |
| Oct 2027 | 15 mo | Travel rehearsal: light rail, ferries, a lobby; holding a down in a space the size of a seat’s footwell | — |
| Nov 2027 | 16 mo | Mock public access test with a trainer | Private lesson |
| Dec 2027 – Jan 2028 | 17–18 mo | Polish until alerts are reliable anywhere; then the DOT form and a short first flight | — |
Bar to clear
- She alerts to each trained sound in a place she’s never been, about 9 times out of 10.
- She passes a public access test: ignores food, people and other dogs, and stays calm through a dropped tray and a crowded line.
- She stays quiet and in place at your feet, in a seat’s footwell, for a 2-hour flight.
Training log
Every session goes in the training log : date, task, place, distractions, and hits out of tries. It shows when each alert reaches the bar, and it backs up the trained-dog attestation on the DOT form if her access is ever questioned.
Help
- Ahimsa private training : one-on-one with a trainer you pick. They build lessons around your goals, but no trainer lists service-dog task work, so call 206-364-4072 and ask who does alert training. Their classes cover the foundations above.
- Assistance Dogs International : standards for task training and public access, the basis for the test above.
- IAADP : membership and resources for owner-trainers.
- Anything Pawsable: hearing dogs : a guide to hearing dog tasks and owner training.
- DOT service animal rules : the form and what airlines can ask.