Welcome to your first online written lesson. Every successful handler journey begins with an honest look at where you and your dog are today — not where you hope to be, and not where social media says you should be.
What this lesson covers
- How readiness is built over time, not granted by a label.
- Why foundation skills matter more than titles or vests.
- How to observe your dog without judgment.
- How to use your workbook and journals alongside each lesson.
New Lewis & Clark Pathway: ESA-to-Psychiatric Service Dog Readiness Review
Lewis & Clark Therapy/Service Dogs is developing an internal readiness pathway for students who originally believed they needed an emotional support animal but may need to explore whether a task-trained psychiatric service dog or medical-alert readiness pathway is a more appropriate educational direction. This is not a medical, legal, diagnosis, eligibility, certification, or public-access determination.
Your action steps
- Download the Course Workbook PDF and open Lesson 1.
- Begin your Readiness Journal with today’s baseline observations.
- When ready, continue to Lesson 2.