Service Dog Success - with Victoria Warfel

PODCAST · education

Service Dog Success - with Victoria Warfel

Victoria is one of the top names in the service dog industry. She is Executive Director of Hope Service Dogs, Inc, a 501(c)(3) non profit that breeds, raises and trains the best golden retriever service dogs, along with the head trainer for Heart & Soul Dog Training.Due to her unique experience as a service dog owner, as well as a professional dog trainer and professional service dog trainer for close to 20 years, Victoria understands what all is involved in training a service dog from puppy to working partner. https://linktr.ee/hopesd

  1. 234

    Sephoria & travel with your service dog

    Flying from Central Florida to Los Angeles for Sephoria - and what attending the event was like.

  2. 233

    Health Testing

    Bragging on Panini & Pirate getting "Excellent" hips. What health testing means, and what to look for.

  3. 232

    Is a Service Dog right for you?

    Holly & Victoria address questions you need to think about before deciding if a service dodging is right for you.

  4. 231

    Why Beauty? How does it tie in to service dogs?

    Why Beauty? How does it tie in to service dogs? Let me tell you how...

  5. 230

    Goals & planning for 2026

    Goals and planning for an amazing 2026 - personal and service dog related

  6. 229

    response to an email

    I received an email from a listener with a bunch of questions. Here are the answers.

  7. 228

    Service Dog OR Service Dog In Training?

    Service PuppyService ProspectService Dog In TrainingService Dog

  8. 227

    Service Dog Breeds (and why Goldens are the best)

    There are "unicorns" - but to set yourself up for success, we recommend going with one of our Goldens. And here is why.

  9. 226

    Travel to North Carolina with 4 Service Dogs

    We went to Charlotte, North Carolina for a go home. Here is our recap on the drive home.

  10. 225

    Prep your Service Dog for Theme Parks

    How to prep your dog for theme parks!

  11. 224

    What you NEED to know about puppies!

    Tera, Willy, Bridget and I were on our way to the Mall at Millenia in Orlando. During our hour car ride, we discussed PUPPIES - and what you NEED to know about them and their training.

  12. 223

    Halloween Safety with your Service Dog

    Holly joined me on a Facebook live to discuss Halloween safety.

  13. 222

    Dream Dogz to Heart & Soul to Hope Service Dogs

    Here is the history of where we are now.

  14. 221

    Summer 2025 update

    Its been a couple months - here is what has been going on with Hope Service Dogs & with me.

  15. 220

    Mistakes owners make with their service dog

    Mistakes and how to course correct

  16. 219

    Tasks we do NOT like for service dogs

    So many tasks, so little time...

  17. 218

    Friendships (& Service Dogs)

    Kind of a tangent-y episode.

  18. 217

    How to be a Psychiatric Service Dog Trainer

    One of our audience questions, that we answer.

  19. 216

    Gear Fear?

    What to do if your service dog does NOT like their gear?

  20. 215

    How long does it take to train a service dog?

    And what is the difference between SD, ESA, Therapy dog?

  21. 214

    Service Dog FRAUD - LIARS!

    Regarding people who try to "beat the system"

  22. 213

    Puppy Training & End Goals

    What you do with your puppy depends on what you want when your puppy is grown.

  23. 212

    Socialization Mistakes

    The main socialization mistakes we see.

  24. 211

    Can Service Dogs Still Be Dogs?

    Can Service Dogs Still Be Dogs?  explores the balance between a service dog's working role and their ability to enjoy a fulfilling, happy life. While service dogs have important jobs, they should still be allowed to experience play, relaxation, and bonding with their handlers.Blog on this episode - https://hopeservicedogs.org/blog/can-service-dogs-still-be-dogs

  25. 210

    Let’s Talk About Sex (and Spay/Neuter): Demystifying Dog Reproduction

    In this refreshingly honest episode, Victoria from Service Dog Success dives nose-first into the not-so-talked-about world of dog reproduction. From heat cycles and hormone development to when (and why) you shouldn’t rush into spaying and neutering, she breaks down what every responsible dog owner should know. Expect humor, science, personal anecdotes, and just enough “hoo-ha” talk to keep it real.To read the blog post related to this, https://hopeservicedogs.org/blog/understanding-dog-reproduction-what-you-need-to-know-about-spaying-and-neutering

  26. 209

    Positivity & Thick Blood

    Positivity in life AND dog training. Along with doctor update and thoughts on it.

  27. 208

    Safety at your VET office

    How to keep your dog safe at the veterinarian office.

  28. 207

    Cooperative Care aka how to make handling your dog easier

    Nail trims, medications, grooming - it can be so much easier once you and your dog have a relationship based on trust and cooperation. Here is how to get it.

  29. 206

    Clickers & Puppy Training

    Our puppies are heading home - clickers charged and ready to learn! Here is some key info on starting your puppies training right.

  30. 205

    Client Calls & Advice

    Client calls and our advice

  31. 204

    Listener Q & My A

    A listener asked about washing/retiring their service dog who has been in training for a year, due to lack of enthusiasm for the job. Here is my response.

  32. 203

    NePoPo and other training techniques

    While NePoPo has its benefits, it is not THE technique (protocol?) that is best for service dogs. Here is some information what we have discovered along the way.

  33. 202

    Goal Setting 2025

    Goal setting for 2025 and tangents (of course) with Holly and Angus

  34. 201

    APDT Conference 2024 recap

    Jamie, Bert & I attended the annual APDT conference in Riverside, California.

  35. 200

    Holidays & Family Visits

    Do you bring your service dog along?

  36. 199

    Service Dog at Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure

    We spent two days at Downtown Disney, along with a day at Disneyland and at Disney's California Adventure.

  37. 198

    Service Dog in LA, Marina del Ray and Venice Beach

    We were in LA for just a couple days. After Universal Studios, we went to Marina del Ray for breakfast, then walked (rolled) to Venice Beach.

  38. 197

    Service Dog at Universal Studios Hollywood

    Jamie and I (and Bert) did the VIP experience at Universal Studios in Hollywood.

  39. 196

    FL to CA, traveling with your service dog

    James, Owlbert and I flew from Orlando, Florida to Los Angeles, California for our 10-day trip covering LA, Universal Hollywood, Venice Beach, Disneyland, and Riverside for the APDT (Association of Pro Dog Trainers) Conference. I broke his down into parts, this first includes traveling with your service dog via Southwest Airlines and lyft/uber.

  40. 195

    Hurricane Milton

    Hurricane Milton came through and caused some serious devastation to Florida. Luckily we were spared. Here is how we prepped for it.

  41. 194

    Sephoria 2024

    We attended SEPHORiA 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia - me and Owlbert & Tera and Pirate. Here is how it went.

  42. 193

    Service Dogs at Georgia Aquarium

    Owlbert & his daughter Pirate came with us to Georgia Aquarium - here is how it went.

  43. 192

    Road Tripping with your Service Dog

    Owlbert & his daughter Pirate came with Tera & I on our road trip to Atlanta. Tips and advice on traveling with your service dog.

  44. 191

    Q&A time!

    we have had people ask us questions, here are our answers.

  45. 190

    Sephoria 2023

    since we are on our way to Atlanta for Sephoria 2024, here is a recap of last years, in New York City. We also discuss the challenges of service dogs in big cities.

  46. 189

    Conformation showing - breeding prospects and service dogs

    all of our breeding dogs have earned their IABCA international championships. Tera joins me in discussing the experience and why we aim to earn this.

  47. 188

    My Dysautonomia Journey

    I was diagnosed at 19 yr old, but have been passing out since I was in the single digits. Here about my dysautonomia journey.

  48. 187

    Strong Tasks for your Service Dog

    This episode is in response to a comment on one of our earlier episodes, asking about having your service dog carry medications for you.

  49. 186

    Tools, Toys & Gear

    What we love and what we don't.

  50. 185

    Luring vs Collar

    A question came up in one of my Service Dog Facebook groups, asking if luring or leash/collar was the best for training a service dog. Here is my response.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Victoria is one of the top names in the service dog industry. She is Executive Director of Hope Service Dogs, Inc, a 501(c)(3) non profit that breeds, raises and trains the best golden retriever service dogs, along with the head trainer for Heart & Soul Dog Training.Due to her unique experience as a service dog owner, as well as a professional dog trainer and professional service dog trainer for close to 20 years, Victoria understands what all is involved in training a service dog from puppy to working partner. https://linktr.ee/hopesd

HOSTED BY

Victoria Warfel

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