CGC, Therapy & Service Dog Training in Nashville

Choose a training path that matches the role you want your dog to play. Ben Lay helps Nashville-area owners build everyday manners, prepare for Canine Good Citizen testing, and work toward appropriate therapy or service dog goals.

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Canine Good Citizen: manners and teamwork

The CGC package prepares you and your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen program’s ten skills. Training covers accepting a friendly stranger, polite petting, grooming, loose-leash walking, walking through a crowd, sit and down, staying in place, coming when called, reactions to another dog and distractions, and supervised separation.

The package includes unlimited private sessions, CGC preparation and testing, training support, and group classes. Ben’s AKC Trainer/Evaluator ID is 109227. Request details to learn how the process fits your dog’s starting point.

Shadow: choose the appropriate role

Therapy dog training

Therapy dogs prepare to visit and support people in volunteer settings. Shadow focuses on manners, confidence, and behavior for those visits, with training completion documentation. Graduates can connect with volunteer opportunities at partnered community locations, subject to each location’s requirements.

Emotional support animal manners

Training can help an emotional support animal become easier to live with and manage. ESA training is different from training a service dog to perform specific disability-related tasks.

Service and psychiatric service dog training

Service dog training focuses on specific tasks related to the handler’s disability, alongside public behavior skills. Suitability and readiness are assessed individually. Tell Ben your training goals so he can explain the proposed path, methods, inclusions, and documentation.

Understand what documentation means

AKC recognition applies to the CGC program. The Canine Academy documents training completion, and Shadow offers optional USSAR registration and ID cards. Private registry records and ID cards do not grant public-access or airline rights. Therapy dogs and ESAs do not have ADA service-dog public-access rights. Air travel is subject to current airline and DOT requirements.

Private training with support

Shadow includes unlimited private sessions at home and in public, CGC preparation and testing, role-specific training, 24/7 on-call training support, and public group classes. Guaranteed results are subject to the client participation requirements in our package terms; ask Ben how those terms apply to your goals.

Start with a no-commitment inquiry

Send your first name, dog’s name, email, and ZIP code. Ben will personally reply with pricing, what’s included, current availability, methods, and booking options. You can ask about package fit and references before deciding.

Serving Nashville, Belle Meade, Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville, and surrounding areas. Include your ZIP code so Ben can confirm availability.

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