Latest articles and insights
CSDT #6202 holder Ryan J. Gaughan breaks down what the IACP's rarest service dog trainer credential actually requires and how it compares to CPDT-KSA, KPA-CTP and ABCDT.
Read Article →Online-only service dog certifications cannot test environmental neutrality or correct handler mechanics. Here is why remote-only programs structurally fail handler teams.
Read Article →The ADA two-question rule is federal law. Yet businesses violate it daily. Here is what DOJ guidance actually permits and what I keep seeing go wrong.
Read Article →ADI accreditation is a real quality benchmark for member programs. It is not the ceiling of assistance dog excellence, and treating it as one harms handlers from non-accredited programs.
Read Article →Why the standard Public Access Test falls short and what I actually evaluate: environmental neutrality, recovery time, handler focus under duress, and task reliability under load.
Read Article →How I design disability-specific task lists for psychiatric service dog candidates, from ADA-compliant definitions to matching trained work with handler impairment.
Read Article →Fixed reinforcement schedules degrade alert reliability over time. Here is why variable ratio scheduling is the only defensible long-term approach for alert task maintenance.
Read Article →Ryan Gaughan shares first-person lessons from running eleven 501(c)(3) entities under TheraPetic: separate boards, shared operations, compliance per entity and the rule of three.
Read Article →Ryan J. Gaughan, CSDT, breaks down how to evaluate service dog efficacy studies, covering sample size, self-report bias and control group flaws in 2026 research.
Read Article →Ryan Gaughan, CSDT #6202, argues for federal licensing of service dog trainers based on consumer protection needs, interstate commerce issues, and failures of industry self-regulation.
Read Article →How I rehabilitate reactive service dog candidates using DRI, DRO, and DRA protocols combined with counter-conditioning and precise threshold management.
Read Article →Experienced handler-dog teams communicate through subtle microexpressions and positioning cues that novice handlers miss, creating sophisticated partnerships.
Read Article →My systematic protocol for identifying service dog candidates in shelter populations, covering temperament testing, age factors, breed limitations, and realistic success rates.
Read Article →After fifteen years of service dog training experience, I examine why most board-and-train programs cannot produce reliable service dogs due to handler transfer problems and unrealistic program designs.
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