Summit Service Dogs

📣 New Program Alert: The Maintenance Pass

Owner-training is incredibly rewarding, but it can also be challenging as it requires continuous commitment of time, energy, and patience. At times the process may feel overwhelming and you may need a little extra support to continue to make progress in between your classes.

We listened to your feedback, recognized the unique challenges owner-trainers face, and built this program to offer hands-on support available when you need it.

This is why we are so excited to launch our Maintenance Pass Program!

Drop your dog off for one hour of dedicated, one-on-one training with one of our trainers. Whether your dog needs extra help with learning a skill, working through a specific behaviour, or you’re struggling to find time for targeted public outings, you don’t have to do it alone. Your trainer will work directly with your dog on the exact skills, manners, or public outings you want to prioritize to help you reach your training goals.

Please note this training option is exclusively for our Owner Trained clients.

To learn more or to book your sessions please reach out to us at [email protected] or talk with your Summit trainer.

On National Dog Day, we’re shining a light on the incredible dogs who stand right by our side through all of life’s adventures.

From highly skilled service dogs offering daily support to cherished family pets filling our homes with joy and unconditional love, their presence changes everything for the better.

They are our ultimate partners in all things—always up for an adventure, perfectly content to curl up next to you, and ready with a soft nudge or slobbery kisses whenever we need grounding.

To the dedicated working dogs, the cuddle bugs, the enthusiastic pups, the olds souls and everything in between, thank you for bringing so much love into our everyday lives! 💙

Off-duty and loving life! 🐾✨

This is one of the most common questions we get is whether our service dogs in training get to just be dogs - and the answer is 100% yes!
When the vest comes off, it’s all about letting them relax, play, and enjoy being a pet. While we follow consistent guidelines to protect their training and ensure smooth transitions back to work, off-duty time is packed with fun.

Here’s what off-duty life looks like for our dogs:
🐾 Sniff-filled walks & play sessions
🧸 Picking out their very own toys
☀️ Fun summer adventures like boating and swimming
🩵 Endless cuddles, belly rubs, and affection

Why is off-duty balance so important?
1. Prevents Burnout: Service work takes immense focus and mental energy. Taking time to unwind keeps their minds fresh, happy, and eager to learn.
2. Strengthens Our Bond: True teamwork is built on mutual trust, love, and respect.
3. Meets Their Needs: A successful service dog team starts with a happy, healthy, and well-balanced dog.

When a dog’s physical, mental, and emotional needs are fully met, they are set up to thrive—both in vest and out! 💙

Meet Stella! 🐾

Outgoing, dedicated, and full of joy—that’s Stella!
She is our social butterfly, approaching every day with complete dedication and 100% effort.

Stella lives for going out and exploring, especially if there’s an escalator to ride—it’s officially her favourite perk of the job! Beneath all that focus is a world-class wiggle butt and a dog who spreads pure happiness wherever her paws take her.

A huge thank you to Lisa and Tyler, who puppy-raised Stella. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the exceptional work and commitment you’ve shown her. By giving her such a strong training foundation and exposing her to so many new environments, you’ve set Stella up for success in this next chapter. Your hard work has truly laid the groundwork for her future!

💙 Congratulations to Carol and Seve on becoming our newest certified team through our Owner Trained Program

🩵 Their dedication and hard work has led them to this amazing achievement.

🐾 Great work to Hailey who helped this team reach their goals!

Our advanced training dogs in Edmonton had the wonderful opportunity to explore the Edmonton International Airport! ✈️

Airport outings are one of the ultimate tests for a service dog in training. It brings every element of their training together—from working around crowds and rolling suitcases, to navigating security and waiting in line to board a plane. Outings like this gives us a fantastic picture of where each dog is at in their journey and highlight just how far they’ve come.

A massive thank you to Edmonton International Airport and their wonderful team for welcoming us and supporting the development of life-changing service dogs! ❤️🐾

We recently heard from a family who received Whitney through our Fully Trained Program.

Thank you to this incredible family for letting us be a part of your journey. We love hearing updates from our teams.

Swipe to read about their experiences! ➡️

🐾📣 We've launched something new!! 📣🐾

Our new Resources page is designed to give handlers, families, and anyone interested in service dogs easy access to helpful information and educational tools. It's a growing library of resources, and we'll be adding new content regularly.

Take a look and let us know what you'd like to see next!

Explore the new Resources page here👇
https://summitservicedogs.com/index.php/home-2/

With the hot weather here our top priority is keeping our dogs cool and comfortable.
These homemade pupsicles are one of our favourite ways to beat the heat on hot days—but they’re far more than just a refreshing treat!

Did you know frozen enrichment’s has many benefits for your dog? Here are some reasons we incorporate enrichment into our dogs daily life:

* Natural Stress Relief: The act of repetitive licking releases endorphins and actively helps lower a dog’s cortisol (stress) levels. It’s a natural, soothing way for our dogs to decompress.
* Brain Exercise & Enrichment: Navigating different textures and slowly working through frozen layers gets their brains working.
* Keeping Our Dogs Hydrated: On hot days, these frozen treats are one way to help keep our pups hydrated while they work for their food.

💡 Pro-Tips:
* Keep It Simple: You don't need fancy ingredients! Soaking your dog's standard kibble in water and freezing it works great!
* Count the Calories: To keep your dog at a healthy weight, always remember to deduct the ingredients (or soaked kibble) used in the frozen treat from their total daily food allowance.
* Feed this treat outside to prevent sticky frozen messes indoors!

Enrichment isn't just about fun—it's a crucial part of keeping our service dogs healthy, happy, and having a balanced life.

Below are the steps we used to make our frozen treats:

Ingredients & Supplies
* Base: Your dog’s regular kibble + water
* Layer 2 (Optional): Fresh or frozen dog-safe berries
* Topping: Pure canned pumpkin (or peanut butter/Greek yogurt)
* Tools: A freezer-safe container or small metal dog bowl

Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Build the Base: Add a scoop of kibble into your metal bowl or container, cover it with water, and pop it in the freezer until it sets slightly. Then add additional water if you want a thicker base.
2. Add the Next Layer: Pour in extra water over the set kibble layer. If you’d like, drop in a handful of dog-safe berries for a pop of flavour and colour. Freeze until solid.
3. Top with a Tasty Treat: Spoon a layer of pumpkin (or your dog's favourite spreadable treat) across the top. Add a final splash of water if needed, and freeze completely overnight.
4. Unmold & Serve!: When ready, run warm water around the outside of the container for a few seconds to loosen the pupsicle, then turn it out into your dog's bowl.

How do your pups like to stay cool in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Cruz and Henry loved getting out into the community and attending Monday Morning Magic! They enjoyed making new friends and we loved to see some familiar faces and some new faces! A huge thank you to all of our incredible volunteers who came out to make the event a success. We may have ended the day a little wet but even the rain couldn’t stop us from all the fun we were having and everyone left with a big smile.

Moments like this reminds us how powerful the connection is between our dogs and the community! ❤️