Glad Wags Tulsa
Ranked #2 in Tulsa and #8 in Oklahoma
Service area: Glad Wags Service Dogs is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They have clients from Oklahoma City and Bartlesville, Oklahoma, as well as Colby, Kansas, indicating they serve a broader regional area.
Service Overview
Types of Dog Training
- Service Dog
- Therapy Dog
Specialty Focus Areas
- Basic Obedience
Training Formats Offered
- Private Lessons
- Group Classes
- In-Home
- Video Calls
Program Formats
- One-Time Consultation
- Ongoing Weekly
- Intensive Program
Types of Dogs
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- Herding
- Sporting
- Doodles
Age of Dogs Trained
- Puppy (<1 year)
- Adolescent (1-2 years)
- Adult (2-8 years)
Dog Training Methodology
Methods:
- ✓ Positive Reinforcement Only
Equipment:
- ✓ Food Rewards
- ✓ Martingale Collars
Glad Wags Service Dogs offers comprehensive service dog training, including a Directed Self Training program. The process for obtaining a service dog involves selecting candidates from shelters based on applicant needs and temperament testing. Selected dogs are then placed with volunteer fosters who teach house manners, public access, and basic obedience.
Following this, dogs are fostered with one of Glad Wags’ trainers (Marj, Onyx, or Beth) for specific task training, with duration varying by task difficulty. Service dog applicants attend weekly classes to learn obedience, task training, and public access alongside their dogs, with in-home visits arranged to ensure team integration. Training is considered a lifelong process, with continuous phone and training support provided, and teams are expected to continue attending classes.
The Directed Self Training program is designed to make handlers highly competent dog trainers, requiring a commitment of 1000 hours of training. This program also assists individuals who are attempting to self-train a dog but are encountering problems.
Pricing & Policies
Pricing Summary
Glad Wags Service Dogs states they do not have predatory pricing and aim for an honest price for a service dog, noting that service dogs do not need to cost $20-50K. The process includes a non-refundable $200.00 application fee. If approved, a deposit of half the cost of the dog is required to hold a space in the program. Clients are generally required to fundraise for the cost of their dog, though donated money to the general fund is divided among dogs in the program.
Policies
Glad Wags Service Dogs, Inc. has a strict NO REFUND POLICY with no exceptions. Refunds will not be issued for reasons such as changing one’s mind or dissatisfaction with performance. Clients are responsible for their own legal costs and those of Glad Wags Service Dog Inc. should legal action become involved. The training process takes a minimum of one year from the date a client is matched with a dog or brings their own dog to the first class, and longer if starting with a puppy.
Testimonials
“Our five-year-old son, Leyton, is autistic and also struggles with sensory processing disorder, low muscle tone and a speech delay. Since early intervention has proven to be so successful in other special needs children, we wanted to try every possible therapy—including a service dog. Glad Wags has been a godsend in so many ways! Although Leyton is still too young to be her only handler, Blush is already worth her weight in gold. She provides comfort and deep pressure therapy whenever he is experiencing a meltdown. Episodes that once lasted for 10-30 minutes now last 2-3 minutes before Leyton happily rushes back to his activities after giving her a hug and saying her release command, “Thank you, Blush!” Instead of having to constantly fight to keep his hands occupied so that he doesn’t touch everything he is near, Blush is now his anchor as they walk together or when he needs to sit quietly during church or in a classroom. Sequencing and doing multiple tasks in a row is very difficult for him, so it is quite impressive that he quickly learned all the steps to properly feed her in her crate by himself. Grooming Blush every day is increasing his coordination and fine motor skills, and he can even clearly say all her commands! The friendly smiles they receive in public (instead of awkward stares and open avoidance by strangers) are priceless. His self-esteem is now boosted with each outing! There is no doubt that Blush has been a wonderful addition to our family and that she will provide Leyton with unbounded love and much needed attention in the years ahead. Many, many times each day, we say, “Thank you, Blush!” for more reasons than she will ever know.”
– Jodie
“Teddy surprised me the other night by waking me up in the middle of the night. He pawed at my arm and I immediately knew I needed to wake up Carter and check his blood sugar. Sure enough it was dropping fast and he needed to drink some juice and have a quick snack before going back to sleep to keep his levels up. The worst thing that was ever said to me when Carter was diagnosed was “someday when he is a teenager, he just might not wake up”. Now I know that Teddy Graham Zusi is part of our guardian angel system alerting all of us that Carter needs help. Since having Teddy for a year now, Carter’s A1C has gone from 7/9 to 5.9. We have never had such a low A1C! and it is all due to Carter’s diligence and Teddy’s hard work.”
– Teddy’s Parent
“I am diabetic and my sugars seem to like to drop low during the night while I am asleep. Sometimes I wake up in time to catch it before it goes too low. But there have been times that I have woke up for other reasons and my sugars were so low I couldn’t hardly function due to being weak and shaking so bad. With Penelope by my side she will be able to catch it before it gets too low. Tonight I don’t know if she was pawing at me to pet her or to feed her. I did not feel like I was low but decided to test. It was not dangerous but if I didn’t eat something soon I would go low. I have not had her for very long so we are still working on figuring things out. She is going to be a big help to me. No more waking up shaking and weak!!”
– Louis
About the Trainer
Glad Wags Service Dogs, Inc. is a dedicated and passionate dog training business based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, specializing in the training and placement of service dogs. As experienced dog professionals, they are celebrating 50 years of professionally training dogs as of 2024.
The organization operates as a grassroots entity with low overhead and complete transparency regarding the use of donated funds. They emphasize honest pricing for service dogs, assuring honesty and integrity in their program. Glad Wags condemns the use of shock collars, advocating for humane and kind training methods using only voice commands, treats, and simple martingale collars.
They obtain service dogs by working closely with shelters, assessing potential candidates using Volhard temperament testing in a neutral environment for innate ability, steadiness, intelligence, non-reactiveness, and work ethic. They do not limit their scope to just one breed and will place service dogs in homes with other well-trained dogs. They also offer a Directed Self Training program where clients are taught to train their own service dogs.
Accomplishments
Glad Wags Service Dogs has been professionally training dogs for 50 years as of 2024. They are described as experienced dog professionals who operate with very high standards and expectations for both their dogs and clients. Their dogs consistently demonstrate faultless public behavior and 100% accurate working ability.
How to Get Started!
To begin the process of applying for a service dog, potential clients should initiate contact with Glad Wags Service Dogs via a phone call. Following this conversation, an application packet will be sent via email. The completed application packet must be returned along with a non-refundable $200.00 application fee.
The Board of Directors reviews applications, typically making a decision within one day. If approved, a deposit of half the cost of the dog is required to secure a spot in the program. Once the down payment is received, Glad Wags will begin searching for a suitable dog, a selection process that may take 30-60 days. Placement in the program is not guaranteed until the down payment is made.
Contact Information
Languages
- English
Misc Features
- wheelchair accessible entrance
- wheelchair accessible parking