half a million people rely on a service dog

in their everyday life.

These elite dogs are the product of

months of schooling.

And not all puppies that begin training

have what it takes to become a service dog.

If a pup doesn't live up to the strict

standards required they will fail out.

Which puppies have the brains and behavior

to make it through the rigors of training?

We find out

at Puppy Prep.

(light music)

On the California coastline,

about half way between Los Angeles

and San Francisco sits Arroyo Grande.

A small community of beaches,

mountains and wineries.

Just outside of town is Doggie Do Good.

A training and obedience school specializing

in the education of service dogs.

Depending on the dog,

the journey from carefree puppy to hero

can take anywhere from six months

to more than a year.

Not all dogs make it through the process.

If a dog flunks out,

it's put up for adoption.

At any given time,

there are dozens of service dogs in

training at Doggy Do Good.

The abilities they learn range from

retrieval, to stability, pressure therapy,

medical alerts, simply kisses,

and much more.

What they learn depends upon what each

individual dog is predisposed to.

For instance,

^yellow lab, Deacon, specializes in

^retrieval and stability.

- Good, steady.

At almost two years old,

he's older than many of the dogs that

have already graduated.

He was a stubborn pup.

And though he had come close to

flunking out,

he is now only weeks from

potential graduation.

Still, he can't coast.

Until the minute before graduating,

trainers are watching the dogs for any sign

that they won't be able to cut it.

Right now,

Deacon and his classmate are working

on basic come drills.

The pups run around the lawn and play.

And one by one the trainers call out to them.

- Kaya, come.

Good girl.

- Cooper, come.

Good boy.

The most important thing a

dog needs to learn is the difference

between playtime and work time.

While it's alright for the dogs

to act like puppies,

as soon as the trainers calls them

they need to snap into work mode.

These drills help solidify that skill.

- [Trainer] Deacon, come.

For a veteran like Deacon,

this is simple.

If Deacon is a senior in service dog high,

one of the incoming freshman

^is Kaya.

^An eight month old golden retriever.

Kaya is beautiful and I love her.

If she fails out of school during training,

I will be trying to adopt her.

And right off the bat she's having a problem.

See, Kaya enjoys the company of people

over other dogs.

While it's good to be comfortable around people,

she can't remain nervous around other dogs

if she's going to pass training.

^Kaya's half sister, Remmy,

^is also starting class.

Though they share a dad and are almost

the same age Remmy has a

completely different personality.

Remmy loves to play with other dogs.

And often tries to pull her half sister

out of her doggie shell.

^For the especially young pups,

^like six month old chocolate lab, Beneli,

learning the come command begins on a long leash.

A trainer call Beneli and gives a gentle tug.

This one little pull is all the puppy needs

to come the rest of the way.

Until she recognizes the command,

the leash helps Beneli understand

what the English speaking humans

are trying to communicate to her doggy ears.

So far she's doing an,

Cleo!

Stop getting everyone into trouble.

Keep it it up, Beneli,

and you'll be off that leash in no time.

After this morning exercise,

it's time to try something more subdued.

Most of the service dog's time isn't spent

running around or actively working.

Instead being calm and on call.

Ready at a moment's notice to help.

The puppies must lay down and not get

distracted for long stretches of time.

Trainers toss toys around to make sure the

dogs will choose their jobs over pure playtime.

- [Trainer] Good stay, guys.

Whenever a dog breaks from their

down stay it isn't enough for the dog to

simply lay back down.

The trainer needs to take the dog

back to the position where they were.

Otherwise a puppy won't understand the

gravity of getting up.

If a dog is always distracted,

and can't learn to focus,

that's the quickest way to fail Puppy Prep.

Kaya's brother, Luke, is late to class.

He spent the morning offsite with a trainer.

And without having the morning to run around,

like the rest of his classmates,

Luke may be too bored to sit still.

Beneli, all you have to do is

literally stay still.

If Beneli can't stay when the ball is

tossed over her head,

she may become too distracted when

taken out in public.

Remmy!

Come on,

you pups just need to relax.

These two have just started,

so their behavior isn't a huge problem yet.

Kaya, however is just as new and already

a pro at down stay.

That's why you're my favorite.

With most of the dogs being unfazed

by the toys,

it's time for some livelier distractions.

Oh my God,

^it's Mr. Pip!

^Mr. Pip is beyond

being absolutely undeniable,

also a service dog in training.

Smaller dogs can comfort people with anxiety,

as well as help alert people with diseases

like diabetes when they need to

take their medicine.

Now, however, his only job

is to distract his classmates.

Most of the dogs don't fall for the enchanting

dance of Mr. Pip.

^Except for Tank, the german shepherd.

^One thing that Tank

needs to work on is his play drive.

Small animals like cats and Mr. Pip

can distract larger dogs when they're with

their future owners.

Tank must fight his most basic instincts

in order to pass Puppy Prep.

And as for Mr. Pip,

he isn't scared.

He has a job to do but he performs it admirably.

God bless you, Mr. Pip.

By the end of the down stay lesson,

it looks like everyone's made progress.

But there's one more test.

^Mercy.

A malinois with almost unlimited energy.

Mercy belongs to Sandy,

the owner of Doggy Do Good.

Immaculately schooled.

Mercy acts as a four legged trainer.

Squeaking the toy just as the

people trainers would.

(barking)

Mercy's claimed a victim.

With only a month from his planned graduation,

Deacon should know better than to

break from down stay.

If he continues to lose focus,

he may have to stay in school for extra months.

Or worse, flunk out.

As for the other dogs

they've taken their lessons well.

For most it's still early in their

service dog training.

As long as they can keep making progress

the puppies show good promise of graduating.

Kaya in particular,

shows a lot of potential.

Especially for her young age and upbringing.

Unlike her brother, Luke,

who was raised since birth by trainers

at Doggy Do Good,

Kaya went off to a puppy raiser family.

Many of the dogs at Doggy Do Good

live with a foster family for the

first few months of their life.

There, they learn the most basic behaviors.

Like potty training.

When pups reach six to eight months

they return to Doggy Do Good to begin

service dog school.

Kaya's family dropped her off a few

weeks ago and she's seen them only once since.

Today, however, they're back for a visit.

When trainer, Paul, brings Kaya outside,

she thinks she's going for a walk.

What she doesn't know is that the family

that raised her is waiting around the corner.

- [Dad] Kaya.

- [Sis] Kaya!

Hi Kaya!

Hi, oh, hi!

- [Dad] Hey, baby, hey baby.

- [Mom] Come here.

- [Sis] I miss you.

During their training

it's easy to forget how young the dogs are.

When allowed to roll around with

her former family,

Kaya is all puppy.

Even if foster father, Ray, wants to make sure

she still behaves.

Puppy raisers are a crucial part of

the service dog process.

And often,

one of the bottlenecks to training service dogs.

Newborn puppies need your constant attention

to learn the basics of obedience.

- Good girl.

And while it's fun for the family

to raise a puppy,

knowing they have to say good bye

in a few short months can be difficult.

Kaya's family is proud of the job

she'll someday have,

and while they still miss Kaya,

the family thinks that soon,

they'll be ready to take another puppy

to help begin its journey to

becoming a service dog.

- Release, release, good girl.

At the end of the day,

the good boys and good girls at Doggy Do Good

have taken another step to becoming fully

trained service dogs.

But tomorrow is another day

filled with new challenges and distractions

that could ruin a dog's career.

Which puppies have what it takes?

Mr. Pip!

(laughing)

(light music)