Training a gluten detection dog takes 2 years, but the process doesn’t start with gluten, it starts with selecting the right dog for the job and for you, your lifestyle and your training abilities.
Choosing the Right Dog Breed for Gluten Detection
Suki is an amazing dog, but I would not recommend a Portugese Water Dog for someone as a service dog unless you had one in the past. They are intense dogs and require a different mindset and level of training. I recommend working with a gluten detection trainer to determine what your needs are, how that dog fits with your life, and your training abilities.  This will save you heartache in the future if you are matched with the wrong dog.  I recently heard of someone who had paid $15,000 for a dog that could not travel with her and whose size and temperament did not match her lifestyle. With the consultation with the proper trainer, this could have been avoided.
Finding a Responsible Breeder
Once you determine the right dog breed, you need to find the right breeder. There are many breeders whose entire interest is to sell dogs. An ethical breeder will be interested in breeding for the dog's health and will only place the dog in the right home. They will also have information on their genetics and health, helping to avoid issues with bad hips or knees or other health concerns. An unethical breeder will be pushing you to take a puppy without any lineage information or health and genetic testing.
A good breeder will also provide early neurological stimulation that is critical in a puppy’s development, especially in the development of a service dog prospect. If they don’t do this, puppies can have a harder time with new environments, a daily requirement in a service dog’s life.
Selecting the right puppy
I recommend working with your trainer to select the breeder and puppy that will be best for you. We can’t pick based on color or size; we pick based on their ability to do the work. Investing time in the selection process will increase your likelihood of success in the future.
I hear stories of people who select puppies that were not tested and did not come from an ethical breeder who practices ENS, and those stories are often heartbreaking stories of failure as a service dog prospect.
Training Your Gluten Detection Dog: What You Need to Know
Training is an intense process requiring total commitment to your dog. This means daily training at home and in outdoor environments, as well as weekly sessions with a gluten detection trainer who specializes in gluten detection. You cannot do this without a skilled trainer specializing in gluten and allergen detection. The top gluten-detection trainers in the country hire their colleagues to help them train their own dogs. This is because the handler is a critical part of the process, and unfortunately, you cannot see how you signal your dog or what your body language is telling your dog. Without outside oversight of a skilled, specialized trainer, this will lead to inaccurate results and often failed dogs.
The gluten-detection trainers I recommend are Willow Allergen Service Dogs and Wag and Train Dog Behavior & Nutrition.
To learn more about the gluten detection dog training process and to start your journey, check out these courses I created.
A Warning
Please beware. There are trainers out there who are not properly trained. It is very important to interview a trainer carefully. You can use my guide, How to Find a Gluten Detection Service Dog Trainer. There are also people who try to sell untrained service dogs. Read more in my article, Beware Gluten Detection Dog Scams.
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