Our Speakers
We are excited to bring together a diverse group of speakers to share their expertise at the Service Dog Summit 2026!
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Lynn Crossman
Evaluation of a Service Dog Prospect Puppy
Choosing a service dog puppy has unique challenges. In this talk, we’ll discuss what handlers need to know to choose the right puppy from a litter for their needs.
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Samantha Fogg
DIY Service Dogs - Joys, Challenges, and Realities of Owner Training
We'll talk through the realities, and the every day, benefits and challenges of training your own service dog. Explore what it takes, and what it can look like to embark on the DIY Service Dog Journey.
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Laura Harper
Meeting Their Needs: Life With a Service Dog
Laura will share the challenges of living with a service dog, and the unique needs these amazing partners have. She will discuss the welfare of working dogs and how we can help optimize their well-being while they are working and when they have time off. -
Martha Hoffman
Shelter Service Dog Selection
Selecting the right dog from a shelter requires the help of an experienced professional who understands temperament evaluation and Service Dog Temperament. Martha will discuss the pros and cons of adopting young puppies, adolescents and adult dogs, and the challenges that come with selecting a shelter dog. She will also stress the importance of having a backup plan early on, and when to wash the dog. -
Jill Kessler Miller
They got sued?!? Examples of lawsuits involving Service Dogs
Jill will be sharing her unique perspective of Service Dogs from her experience of both having a Service Dog and working as an expert witness in law suits. She will be sharing examples from her case load.
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Liz Pask
It's in the bones: the relationship between canine structure and function
Service dogs are working dogs who face a number of physical tasks. This talk focuses on the importance of good physical structure and condition as the foundation for helping your service dog having a successful working career.
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Danielle Robinson
Raising a Service Dog Puppy
Good service dog training starts in puppyhood. In this talk, we will discuss the key elements such as exposure to new environments and proper dog manners.
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Sugako Sasaki
Expanding Access to Disability Support: The At-Home Service Dog Model
At-home service dogs, also known as Skilled Companion Dogs, represent a potential model of animal-assisted support for people with disabilities. By training pet dogs to perform individualized disability-related tasks, these dogs can provide meaningful assistance to both the handler and their family within the home environment.
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Daniel Wray
The Perceived Value of Dog-Assisted Therapy Enhancing Outcomes for Trauma Clients
This research of comprehensive surveys across the United States gauges professional and public perception on the impact Service Dogs, Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT), and Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) may have in trauma recovery.
Lynn Crossman
Evaluation of a Service Dog Prospect Puppy
You can’t just pick any puppy to be a service dog. If it is too fearful, it might bite someone during public access. If puppy is too active, it might get into trouble. The puppy has to fit what the future handler needs. For medical alert, it needs to pay attention to the handler and not be distracted. In this talk, we’ll discuss what handlers need to know to choose the right puppy from a litter for their needs.
I have been breeding Shetland Sheepdogs for 26 years. I have worked with a hearing assistance dogs. One of my dogs started alerting to my siblings seizures. Then I started researching and learning how to train service dogs. Also how to evaluate from young puppies for different needs. I have dogs that are diabetic alert, autism service dogs, medical alert, and psychiatric service dogs. My oldest dog alerted to my mom’s heart attack. She saved my mom’s life. Learn more about Lynn: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069568775265
Samantha Fogg
DIY Service Dogs - Joys, Challenges, and Realities of Owner Training
It is important to approach owner training grounded in the reality of your needs, your dog's needs, and understanding public access. Too often people talk about "what could be" - the idealized best, or the worst case scenario, rather than what the every day is like. Much of the discussion around training your own Service Dog talks about possibilities and theory, without digging into the reality. Before you commit to training your own Service Dog, you'll want a realistic picture of what you may be taking on.
Samantha Fogg began working with Service dogs in the late 1990s, has spoken at multiple Service Dog training conferences, and worked with numerous disabled people who wanted to train their dogs. Samantha has trained and been partnered with 2 Service Dogs.
Laura Harper
Meeting Their Needs: Life With a Service Dog
Laura will approach the challenges and joys of living with a service dog from an animal welfare perspective. She will share her own experiences living with a service dog, as well as some of the myths and challenges she has seen in the service dog community. Laura will discuss the needs of a service dog including nutrition, exercise, social time, rest, enrichment, and sleep.
Laura is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, has a Masters in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, and is partnered with a 4.5 year old Australian Shepherd Service Dog, Zero. Laura has been training dogs professionally for over eight years, and also offers behaviour consulting for cats. She has a keen interest in promoting welfare for the animals under our care, particularly working dogs who have unique roles in our lives. Laura is also the owner of Adlaya’s Art, a pet and wildlife portrait business. You can view her work here: https://adlayasart.ca/
Martha Hoffman
Shelter Service Dog Selection
Falling in love with a dog is natural, but we need to be objective also. Screening out fearful and aggressive dogs is the most important factor in success. Selecting for gentle friendly confident dogs is essential.
Martha Hoffman spent her 25 year career as Training Director for the Hearing Dog Program. Her many interests over the years have covered Agility, bitesports IGP international competition, Service Dogs, scent detection, tracking, and bedbug detection dog training and handling.
Martha was born hard of hearing, and trained her Yorkie to be her first Hearing Dog as soon as she heard about this exciting concept in the 1980s. She has trained several hundred Hearing Dogs and tested over 20,000 shelter dogs over the course of 25 years. She teaches online Hearing Dog and Service Dog alerting in her Soundwork courses, and is the author of the highly respected text on Hearing Dog training, Lend Me an Ear.
Martha retired to Bali in 2018, and now spends her days following Bali Dogs around, photographing and studying their behavior as they live natural lives while living free in her village. Her current Hearing Dog is Jeep, a Pug x Miniature Pinscher mix who has the best of both breeds! You can learn more about Martha here: http://patreon.com/faunabotanica
Jill Kessler Miller
They got sued?!? Examples of lawsuits involving Service Dogs
Most trainers and handlers are educated about their dogs but are unaware of how they could be sued over a bevy of issues. Nobody wants a lawsuit, and being mindful of your business and dog can go a long way in keeping your sanity and record clean.
Jill is a CPDT K-A, a CNWI, Chief Tester for ATTS, an AKC Scent Work judge and has a MS in Justice Studies from San Jose State University. She has been in Rottweilers for 40 years, training, competing, handler-titling and judging. She also has a Yorkie who rules her life. She has titled dogs in Barn Hunt, Nose Work, Scent Work, Obedience, Rally, Schutzhund and Agility. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA, with her husband among the redwoods. Visit Jill’s website here: http://www.Jillkessler.com
Liz Pask
It's in the bones: the relationship between canine structure and function
Canine physical structure is important as it sets the future working dog up for success. Dogs that have good structure are able to move freely through their tasks which in turn allows the dog to focus on learning and completing the tasks at hand. The talk will also highlight some basic conditioning exercises to help keep your dog physically fit.
Elizabeth Pask, PhD, DVM, CCRP, holds a PhD in nutrition and toxicology and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Ontario Veterinary College, graduating in 2014. Her passion for animal medicine, particularly dog sports and rehabilitation, was inspired by her experience rehabilitating her Labrador, Mr. Ripley, who suffered from arthritis and muscle atrophy. This journey ignited her commitment to rehabilitation medicine, leading her to establish Gilmour Road Veterinary Services in 2016. In 2017, she became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner through the University of Tennessee. Dr. Pask is dedicated to excellence in rehabilitation medicine, consistently pursuing continuing education to stay current in her field. She shares her life with three dogs—two Labradors and a Newfoundland—and actively competes in a variety of dog sports with her Labradors while her Newfoundland enjoys a life of leisure. You learn more about Dr. Pask here: http://guelphcompanionanimalrehab.ca/
Danielle Robinson
Raising a Service Dog Puppy
To set up a service dog in-training for success and encourage desired behavior, it's most helpful to start the training during puppyhood. Impulse control, socialization and confidence building are at the heart of this training. This presentation will share key elements how to raise and train service dog puppies to put their best paw forward!
Danielle Robinson is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer--Knowledge Assessed. She began raising and training puppies for service dog work in 2012. She credits her rescued dog, an Australian Shepherd, for her passion for working with rescued dogs. First, she fostered and trained them in her home, worked directly with her municipal shelter and completed an internship with the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the United States--Best Friends Animal Society. In that role, she had the privilege to care for many dogs saved from a high profile dog fighting ring. She lives in Tennessee with her dogs Emma Grace and Miracle.
Sugako Sasaki
Expanding Access to Disability Support: The At-Home Service Dog Model
At-home service dogs, also known as Skilled Companion Dogs, represent a potential model of animal-assisted support for people with disabilities. By training pet dogs to perform individualized disability-related tasks, these dogs can provide meaningful assistance to both the handler and their family within the home environment.
This presentation explores the potential impact of at-home service dogs on individuals with disabilities who are not eligible for service dogs in Japan, as well as the benefits they may provide to their families. We will also discuss how principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be applied to teach targeted skills such as life skills, communication skills, and social skills for the handlers with disabilities, and how these principles can be integrated with individualized disability-related task training for dogs.
Finally, the presentation introduces a foundational framework for virtual disability task training, including assessment of both the guardian's and the dog's skill sets, principles of individualized disability task selection, categories of disability-related tasks, and the prerequisite skills required to successfully train and perform those tasks.
Sugako Sasaki is a professional dog trainer and certified service dog trainer in Seattle, WA. Originally from Japan, she is bilingual in Japanese and English and specializes in positive reinforcement and evidence-based training.
Combining her experience in dog training and experience as a Registered Behavior Technician, supporting autistic children, Sugako helps dogs and their families build practical skills through clear communication and compassionate, science-based training. In 2023, she was recognized as one of Washington's Top 10 Dog Trainers by Sniffspot.
Sugako is passionate about expanding awareness of and access to Skilled Companion Dogs (At-Home Service Dogs) for people with invisible disabilities. Through the Skilled Companion Dog / At-Home Service Dog Project, she hopes to create practical support options for individuals who may benefit from task-trained dogs but do not meet the eligibility requirements for service dog programs in Japan. Learn more about Sugako here: http://www.happystretchdogtraining.com
Credentials
Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA)
IAABC-ADT
Licensed AKC Evaluator
Certified Atlas service dog trainer
Service Dog Coach (Cooperative Paws)
AS. Canine Behavior Analysis & Counseling
BS. Animal Assisted Therapy
Daniel Wray
The Perceived Value of Dog-Assisted Therapy Enhancing Outcomes for Trauma Clients
For clinical treatments to be successful, they must be socially accepted as viable and humane methods. Careful consideration of consumer knowledge and acceptance of Dog-Assisted Therapy (DAT) to improve engagement indicates that DAT programs could bring a universal, positive change to the overall success of trauma therapy.
Dan Wray, founder of dogHEART Service Dogs, is bridging the gap between cutting-edge canine science and trauma-informed care. Dan brings a scientifically rigorous yet deeply compassionate approach to service dog training, utilizing his Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis and a Bachelor’s in Canine Studies (Service Dog Training).
Dan’s expertise is backed by years of foundational mentorship under the service dog pioneer/researcher Dr. Bonita Bergin, and by serving as General Manager and Instructor at Bergin University of Canine Studies. He holds advanced certifications including CPDT-KA, Constructional Aggression Treatment (CAT), Aggression in Dogs Master Course, and applied ethology (FDM). As a Registered Karuna Reiki Master-Teacher serving the San Francisco Bay Area, Dan offers a uniquely holistic perspective combined with advanced behavioral science that transforms both dogs and their handlers.