Your Trusted Partner in Obedience, Facility, & Service Dog Training

Research-based, force-free, positive training designed around your schedule.

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Your Trusted Partner in Obedience, Facility, & Service Dog Training

Force-free, positive training designed around your schedule.

View Classes
Contact Us

About Althea Canines

Changing Lives Through Canine Support

At Althea Canines, we believe dogs have the power to make hard days easier.

Our facility dogs work in places where stress is part of everyday life—schools, senior care homes, and first responder departments—bringing calm, connection, and support when it’s needed most. We don’t just train dogs; we stand by every placement with lifelong support, ongoing education, and a plan that carries each dog through to retirement.

We are excited to have been named a Nonprofit organization of the year by Josh Hoover, Assemblyman and recognized by the California Association of Nonprofits in 2025, during their 10th Anniversary!

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Programs & Services

Building Confident Dogs and Strong Partnerships

At Althea Canines, our programs are designed to create confident dogs, capable handlers, and lasting impact within the communities we serve. From highly skilled service and facility dogs to therapy, stress mitigation, and educational training programs, each offering is built around compassion, professionalism, and real-world support.

Facility Dog Programs

Service Dog Programs

Behavior & Obedience Classes

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Why Althea Canines

More Than K9 Training — A Lifelong Partnership

At Althea Canines, we believe successful canine partnerships are built on trust, consistency, and ongoing support. Our approach goes beyond basic training by focusing on each dog’s temperament, each client’s unique needs, and the long-term success of every placement.

  • Expert Training
    Highly skilled, researched-based positive reinforcement canine training programs.
  • Lifelong Support
    Ongoing guidance, education, and retirement planning for every placement.
  • Trusted Partnerships
    Supporting schools, healthcare facilities, and first responder teams.
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100% funding available for Military Veterans and First Responders.

Do you want to help support your local military and first responders? Contact us to learn more!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Common Questions

  • Service animals are dogs of any breed or size that are trained to perform tasks directly related to a person’s disability, helping them live more independently and safely. They also provide comfort and confidence, making everyday life easier to navigate.

Service dogs are trained to perform a wide range of tasks based on an individual’s needs. Guide dogs support those with vision impairments, mobility service dogs assist individuals with physical challenges, psychiatric service dogs help those with conditions such as bipolar disorder, PTSD, or severe depression, and medical alert dogs can detect seizures or changes in blood sugar for individuals with diabetes.

Note: Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not service dogs and do not have the same specialized training or public access rights.

  • Alert to an oncoming panic attack (e.g., nudging or licking the hand)
  • Wake their handler from night terrors
  • Create space in crowded environments
  • Remind their handler to take medications
  • Guide their handler to a door or exit
  • Provide deep pressure during moments of distress
  • Interrupt or alert to harmful or unsafe behaviors

In the United States, service animals are primarily overseen by the U.S. Department of Justice under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA defines what qualifies as a service animal and protects the rights of individuals who use them in public spaces.

Other agencies may play a role in specific situations—for example, the U.S. Department of Transportation regulates service animals in air travel, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees rules related to housing and assistance animals.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are allowed to go almost anywhere the public is permitted.

There are a few limited exceptions—such as sterile hospital environments or areas where the dog would pose a direct safety risk—but in general, service dogs have broad public access rights to support their handler in daily life.

A business owner or member of the public is allowed to ask only two questions about a service dog:

  1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

They cannot ask about your specific disability, request medical documentation, require proof of certification, or ask the dog to demonstrate its task. Because service animals are not required to wear vests, the presence of a vest does not guarantee that a dog is a service animal.

A facility dog is a specially trained dog that works alongside a professional in a nonprofit or government setting. These dogs are trained to perform specific, skilled tasks in a variety of situations within the facility environment and with multiple clients—they provide more than just comfort or presence.

Facility dogs do not have the same public access rights as service dogs, and it is unlawful to represent a facility dog as a service dog. Instead, they serve the clients, staff, or broader community connected to the facility and are permitted only in places where they are invited or authorized to work

Facility dogs are permitted where they are invited or authorized to work, as well as in any location that allows pet dogs.

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