Service dog training centre reopens its doors in Cambridge

A training space for service dogs has officially reopened its doggy doors.

Plenty of dogs in training were on hand to demonstrate their skills at the grand reopening of the National Service Dog Training Centre in Cambridge Wednesday.

“We breed our own dogs,” said Danielle Forbes, executive director at the centre. “We start right from the very start and it’s a two year process to get our dogs not only trained, but socialized. We do a ton of assessments to make sure they’re going to be good ambassadors for the service dog community.”

The building on Cedar Creek Road recently saw its kennel transformed into a barrier-free training space.

It will host puppy classes, a dog assessment program, and an advanced training program.

The dogs trained at the centre will go on to assist a number of groups, including those with autism as well as veterans and first responders who have post traumatic stress disorder.

About 60 dogs are currently in development within the Waterloo region community. Each client will be custom matched with a dog based on their needs.