Animal Consultants International is under contract with Vocational Rehabilitaion of the state of Nevada. Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program that helps individuals with physical or mental disabilities prepare for, secure, regain, or retain employment. It provides personalized services—such as career counseling, training, education, and assistive technology—to overcome employment barriers and foster independence

SMALL STEPS – Breaking each behavior into 6–8 manageable training steps, with strong emphasis on foundational skills. This approach can be especially effective for special-needs learners because it creates a clear, structured learning path. The Bond and Relationship – Emphasizing the human-dog relationship as the foundation of successful training. Students learn how to build trust and motivation so the dog wants to work with and please them. The Behaviors – Focusing on teaching six core obedience behaviors rather than addressing more complex behavioral problems such as aggression, excessive barking, or jumping. The idea is that many behavior issues can be reduced or prevented when dogs have a solid foundation in these essential skills.

THE BEHAVIORS - We understand that there are some limitations in teaching special needs dog training. One of the main things we will not be focusing on are behavioral issues like jumping, barking, and aggression. Instead, we will be only teaching the same six behaviors we teach in our regular JSDT1 Dog Trainer Certification Program. It is a fact that many behavioral issues can develop because dogs were never taught these behaviors:– Sit – Stay – Come – Place – Heel – Lie Down

UPON COMPLETION - Upon completion, all students recieve: – A signed JSDT1S (Joel Silverman JSDT1 Special Needs Certification) – Two signed books – (More What Color is Your Dog? and Rituals) For more information, please email us at joelsilvermanatc@yahoo.com or call us at (661)713-8832. We are fully insured with:

WE HAVE THREE PRIMARY COALS WITH THIS PROGRAM: Our first objective is to help students develop valuable skills by providing them with the knowledge and ability to help friends and family train their dogs. We believe this empowers students by giving them expertise in a specialized area and allowing them to make a meaningful contribution to those around them. Our second objective is to help students advance their skills to the point where they can become professional dog trainers and earn income for their work. Through hands-on experience and the opportunity to train multiple dogs, students build the confidence, knowledge, and practical abilities needed to train dogs successfully and potentially pursue dog training as a career. Our third objective is to help some students progress beyond training dogs and become instructors who can teach other individuals with special needs. We envision select students traveling with Joel Silverman to help teach programs in other cities and communities. By creating opportunities for these students to lead and mentor others, we hope to build a growing network of special-needs dog trainers across the country, demonstrating the remarkable skills and potential of individuals with special needs.