Golden Heart Service Dogs

Deep pressure therapy with Oakley and Will

Did you know Oakley only has a few more months before she graduates and I have been working with her since she was eight weeks old. She is now over a year old and excelling.

She goes to school with Will almost every day when he is able to go. She goes with him to the doctor and out to eat. She is his very best friend and loves working.

She is the perfect pocket size golden for a young boy in need of regulation.

Today Will really did so well during his lesson and had a lot of fun learning hand signals and a fun trick for them to practice

This afternoon we spent the day in Ocleta working with our training partner, Scott at his facility, working with Max on his training!

He is getting so close to going home and we are just so excited for him. It was so fun working with him and getting to see his progress and how he’s done so well.

Also, his winter fluff has all come in and he is so fluffy now

JUST A FEW WEEKS FROM GRADUATION 🫣🖤🎉🐾

Theo goes on lots of adventures for public access training today 🖤🐾

Service Dog Education Presentation  Day!

We had the absolute honor of being invited to our client’s children’s school in Iowa to bring two of the service dogs in our program and give a presentation all about service dogs, their training, and the important work they do!

We talked with students, teachers, and staff about what service dogs are, the different types of service dogs we train, what goes into their training, and some of the important rules surrounding working service dogs — including why you shouldn’t pet, call to, or distract a service dog while they are working.

But of course, we couldn’t just talk about it… we had to show them!

The dogs got to demonstrate several of the skills and tasks they are learning, including:

✨ Deep pressure therapy
✨ Stability/bracing commands
✨ Task work for mobility support
✨ And one of our favorite demonstrations — showing how one of our service dogs helps his kiddo, who is an amputee, get back up from the floor if she falls.

We also answered TONS of questions from the kids and teachers, which made the entire experience even more fun. It’s always so rewarding to see how curious and excited people become once they get to see firsthand what these incredible dogs are capable of.

And after all the hard work was done, the dogs got some well-deserved off-duty time to relax, meet the students, and just be dogs.

We are so incredibly honored that this school invited us to come share what we do. One of the things we love most about Golden Heart Service Dogs LLC is being able to educate communities across the country about service dogs, disability, task work, and the incredible partnership between a service dog and their handler.

These dogs aren’t just pets, and they’re not simply well-trained dogs. They are highly trained working partners who can completely change someone’s independence and quality of life.

We’re so proud of the dogs in our program and so grateful for opportunities like this to showcase their hard work.

Thank you for having us, Iowa! We had an absolute blast! 🐾❤️

MAKE SURE YOU GO LIKE AND GIVE US A FOLLOW ON TIK TOK ⭐️🐕

TikTok · Golden Heart Service Dogs LLC

PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

If you apply too many sparkles , it could be super dangerous and she could turn into a DIVA

SERVICE DOG GRADUATE SPOTLIGHT: R***R 🐾

Two years ago, an 8-week-old R***r came into our program, and over the next year and a half, we had the absolute privilege of watching him grow, learn, and become the incredible service dog he is today.

But the real magic happened when R***r met his person, Jerry. ❤️

Jerry has poured so much time, effort, and dedication into their partnership. He has taken R***r everywhere for our training sessions, — from boats and airports to airplanes, stadiums, concerts, shooting ranges, and everything in between. R***r has been taught to confidently navigate the world alongside his handler, no matter where life takes them.

Some of R***r’s trained tasks include deep pressure therapy and lap work, as well as recognizing when Jerry is becoming anxious or overwhelmed and stepping in to help ground and support him. Sometimes that may look like he’s jumping up and being naughty, but really he’s helping Jerry and sensing when he’s anxious. 

R***r officially graduated in March, but recently he came back to spend some time with us for a little refresher training.

And you know what? That’s okay.

Even the best-trained dogs and the most dedicated handlers can benefit from a tune-up every now and then. Just like a car needs an occasional service appointment, service dog teams sometimes need to come back, brush up on their skills, and get everything running smoothly again.

As time passes and as people go through different stages in their life, a dog can become a little more interested in the world around them or for a handler to get comfortable and relax some of the structure that was established during training. That doesn’t erase their training — it simply means it’s time to reinforce it.

And R***r? He already knows the job. We’re just polishing those skills and helping him get even more dialed back in to his person.

Watching Jerry put in the work with him has been incredible. Their partnership is something I’m genuinely proud of, and I absolutely love having them back with us.

We don’t believe graduation means the relationship ends.

Our goal is to support our teams long after they leave our program — because service dog training doesn’t stop at graduation. It’s a lifelong partnership.

Obviously, we always love to see , R***r. We’re so proud of you. And Jerry, keep doing what you’re doing. The two of you are pretty special.

Graduate Spotlight: R***r & Jerry
Graduated March 2026 | Golden Heart Service Dogs