A selection of APAW dogs in-training/working, 2012.   Left; Atlas and I after competing in rally and weight-pull. My daughter reading to  pregnant Dawn. Welcome to my blog! Let me introduce myself; my name is Jillian (Gartner) Emerson, and I’m a service dog trainer, Standard Poodle breeder, and homeschooling mom of two young children. I raised my first assistance dog puppy when I was 11 years old, and have been involved in the industry ever since – volunteering, interning, and temporary employment through a large local organization, then moving across the country to ..read more

What’s in a Name? Young puppies being keenly observed for name determination. (Applies to dogs, humans, horses… any species that recognizes that a unique sound refers specifically to them alone). As you may have noticed, every APAW dog has a very special and unique name that is carefully selected for them; a name that wouldn’t even be _appropriate_ for the vast majority of other dogs in the program, never mind _perfect_ for another. “… because names can have an effect on self-concept, names can indirectly influence how we act. However, research into the ways names affect people has uncovered ..read more

Fake Service Dog Teams – The Solution Already Exists (Part 2) This is part 2, discussing the potential solutions. Read part 1 to learn more about the issues with ‘faking’ a service dog and what it means to be a real service dog, here. Service Dog carrying a shopping bag.The proposed ‘solutions’ are just new disasters There have been proposals of stricter laws with fines or other penalties for misrepresenting as an assistance dog team, as well as discussion of training/certifying standards. However, there are major flaws with these proposals – they won’t solve the current problems, they impos ..read more

Fake Service Dog Teams – The Solution Already Exists (Part 1) 20 years ago it was a rare treat to see an assistance dog out working with their partner. The dog and handler were a clear Team – they communicated quietly, the dog skillfully performed their trained tasks as needed, and the handler was keenly aware of maintaining proper social etiquettes. An assistance team demonstrated the Golden Standard of a well-behaved dog.  Now it’s a rare trip to a store to *not* encounter a dog in a vest, though it’s often all too clear the dog is not a highly trained working partner… we hear dogs bark ..read more

Why was APAW created? APAW began in 2007 as a one-person non-profit organization dedicated to training Standard Poodles (as well as occasional Minis/Toys and Poodle mixes of any size) as Service Dogs to aid partners with mobility impairment and Social/Therapy Dogs to visit and work with others through settings such as nursing homes, hospitals and schools. As an ultimate goal, APAW has always intended to branch out to providing Poodles for every type of working role, including Search and Rescue, various types of other scent detection, hunting, and assorted performance sports such as agility, o ..read more