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Raising Brave Dogs: Navigating Puppy Fear Periods
Published Thursday, April 16, 2026 | by Matthias Lenz
Many people who have recently had a puppy or work with dogs have heard of fear periods. While good breeding can reduce the frequency and intensity of fear periods, it won’t prevent them from occurring entirely. Rather than training through fear during these periods, handlers should focus on temporarily avoiding triggers and allowing the dog’s brain to mature as premature and poorly executed desensitization attempts can unintentionally worsen fear.
How My Assistance Dog Helped Me Reconnect with Life — and Why Lived Experience Matters
Published Thursday, March 12, 2026 | by Kris, Veteran and OPK9 Handler, See Differently and Sally Rapheal, Marketing and Fundraising See Dif
At See Differently, they’ve learned that the most powerful insights often come from the people living the experience. Veterans and their families have been the driving force behind their OPK9 Psychiatric Assistance Dog (PAD) program—helping shape how their services are designed, delivered, and improved.
World Epilepsy Day - A look at Epilepsy Assistance Dogs
Published Monday, February 9, 2026 | by Sandra Demeester
“I was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2010; medication turned out not to help. I could no longer go anywhere safely, and I didn’t dare to anymore. Medically retired, no driving, no more swimming, not bathing alone, … that weighs heavily. Thanks to Era, I was able to flip the switch in my head. She reacts immediately during a seizure: fetching the phone and a bottle of water, helping me get back up with a tug. I can’t imagine life without Era anymore. She is not just a dog.”
Deep Pressure Therapy: What it is and Who it Helps
Published Thursday, January 15, 2026 | by Kendle Frank
Deep pressure therapy (DPT), is an important skill assistance dogs can learn to help individuals with disabilities. Let’s take a deeper dive into what DPT is, who it can help, and how organizations like Freedom Service Dogs train this life-changing task.
Erasmus+ Collaboration
Published Monday, December 15, 2025 | by Ágota Juharos and Vanessa Wey
Two ADI members - With Dogs for a Smile Foundation (WDSF) from Hungary and Os’Mose from Belgium - just completed a successful two-year collaboration through the Erasmus+ programme. The collaboration focused on professional development, educational outreach, and raising awareness about the many ways assistance dogs support people with disabilities.
Dogs Inc Genetics & Reproduction: Building Better Futures
Published Thursday, November 20, 2025 | by Katherine Arp and Zuhey Medina-Gonzalez
Purpose-breeding plays an important part in producing dogs with the right mix of temperament, health, and ability to succeed in their future roles as assistance dogs for people with disabilities.. By carefully choosing which dogs become parents and thoughtfully pairing them, Dogs Inc increases the chances of producing puppies who are calm, confident, and ready to learn ─ qualities that make great assistance dog candidates.
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) assistance dogs
Published Saturday, October 25, 2025 | by Scott Mobley
Today, in honor of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) Awareness Day, we’re highlighting the vital role assistance dogs play in supporting individuals with POTS thanks to accredited ADI member, Ability Dogs of Arizona.
Junior Trainers: Involving Youth in Assistance Dog Training Programs
Published Tuesday, July 29, 2025 | by Kendle Frank
To create more meaningful human-dog partnerships, many organizations rely on volunteer puppy raisers, handlers in prison, and staff and volunteer trainers to raise and train their assistance dogs. Some organizations have expanded their programs further by launching youth and student trainer programs, which offer a mutually beneficial way to help more assistance dog prospects succeed and young people to develop important personal and professional skills.