Where Clinical Training Meets Canine Partnership

Canine Therapists bridges the gap between professional dog training and clinical practice. Founder, Alex Orton, trains psychiatric service dogs, therapy and emotional-support dogs with a trauma-informed lens — and certifies canine teams for high-level clinical engagement through the Clinical Canine Institute.

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🐾 Founded by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker
🐾 Trauma-Informed Training Methodology
🐾 Clinical Canine Institute Certification Program

A Husky dog with blue eyes sitting on a blanket with a colorful pattern, indoors near a window with blue curtains.

Why Canine Therapists?

Most dog trainers don't understand clinical settings. Most clinicians don't understand dog behavior. Canine Therapists was built to close that gap.

I work with mental health clinicians, therapeutic facilities, and the individuals they serve to prepare canine partners for the demands of real clinical work — not just public access basics, but the attunement, regulation, and behavioral precision required for meaningful therapeutic engagement.

Whether you're a clinician exploring animal-assisted interventions, an individual pursuing a psychiatric service dog, or an organization seeking to certify your canine therapists for clinical-level work, you've found the right place!

What’s Offered?

A woman smiling on a brown leather couch, with a Siberian Husky dog and three dolls, inside a room with a window showing an exterior view of a house.

Trauma-Informed
Obedience Training

Foundation training designed for dogs who will live and work alongside people carrying trauma histories. Regulation-first, relationship-centered.

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Person sitting on a patterned rug with a large dog lying on their lap. The person's face is not visible, they are wearing shorts and a jacket. The dog appears to be a large breed, possibly a German Shepherd mix, with tan and black fur, resting its head on the person's leg.

Psychiatric Service Dog Training

Task-specific training for dogs supporting individuals with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disabilities — grounded in ADA compliance and clinical best practice.

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Multiple dogs resting near a person reading a book, in a cozy indoor setting with a countertop and bar stools in the background.

Therapy & Emotional-Support
Dog Training

Preparing dogs for facility-based therapy work and emotional support roles, with a level of clinical readiness that goes beyond standard certification requirements.

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Clinical Canine Institute

Our flagship credentialing program for handlers and their canine partners seeking to work in clinical settings.

Rigorous.
Evidence-informed.
Built by a licensed mental health professional & certified dog trainer.

Learn about CCI Certification

Ready to explore what's possible for you and your canine partner?

Schedule a Free Consultation!

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*** A Note on Pricing:

Access to well-trained canine partners shouldn't be limited by financial circumstances. Services start at $100, and pricing is always developed with your situation in mind. If cost is a barrier, say so — I'd rather find a way to make it work than have that be the reason we don't.

A woman lying on the grass with a black dog and another woman kneeling nearby, petting the dog, in a backyard with mulch and plants.

Let’s Get Social!

A woman with blonde curly hair smiling and holding three puppies, one black, one brown, and one dark brown, in an indoor setting with beige walls, wooden accents, and exposed electrical outlets.
A group of multiple dogs of various breeds and sizes inside a home, standing on hardwood floors in front of a wall with shelves, plants, and artwork.
Two dogs standing on railroad tracks underneath a green bridge, with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
A woman with blond hair is hugging and kissing a catahoula dog in a crowded indoor setting, with seats and other people visible in the background.

Have Questions?

Drop a note and let’s figure things out together.