Kelev Echad - כ(לב) אחד

Training

Service Dogs

With Love. With Purpose. With Expertise.

We believe deeply in the transformative power of the bond between humans and dogs. Our experienced, dedicated team works at the intersection of canine capability and human need – matching the right dog to the right person and supporting that partnership for life.

We work exclusively with positive, reward-based methods, treating every dog as a full partner in the process. From the very first match to years down the road, we walk alongside every human-dog team, every step of the way.

The bond between a person and a dog is a healing force.
At Kelev Echad, we train service dogs with love and expertise - building genuine, life-changing partnerships that help people reclaim their independence, their confidence and their lives. One step at a time. One day at a time.

What We Do

Our work begins with raising puppies, continues through the rigorous professional training of dogs and clients and extends into long-term personal support. Every program we offer contributes to our core mission:

To harness the bond between humans and dogs as a force that transforms lives!

Service Dog Placement

We train and place service dogs across a wide range of needs and populations:

Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSDs)
Trained to detect the early signs of anxiety and panic episodes, these dogs alert and intervene in real time for clients living with PTSD and related conditions – providing a sense of safety that helps clients step back into the world and reclaim daily life.

Mobility Assistance Dogs
These dogs support clients with physical disabilities by assisting with mobility and daily tasks – retrieving objects, opening doors, and providing hands-on assistance that enables a greater degree of independence.

Autism Assistance Dogs
Calm, steady, and deeply attuned, these dogs provide grounding support during challenging moments, ease transitions between environments and serve as a reliable anchor for clients on the autism spectrum.

Medical Alert Dogs
Trained to detect physiological changes – including shifts in blood sugar, the onset of seizures, and changes in blood pressure – these dogs alert their clients before a medical event occurs, providing a critical layer of safety.

Hearing Dogs
For clients with hearing loss, these dogs alert to important sounds in the environment, enabling safer, more confident, and more independent daily functioning.

Self-Trained Service Dogs

Does your dog have what it takes? In some cases, a dog you already own can be trained and certified as a service dog.
Eligibility depends on the dog's temperament and aptitude, as well as your own commitment to a sustained training process. Our program includes an initial assessment, a fully personalized training plan, and thorough preparation for official certification — with our team alongside you and your dog every step of the way.

Emotional Support Dogs

We offer emotional support dog training – whether with one of our own dogs or with yours.
The focus is on strengthening your bond, building foundational life skills, and preparing your dog to be a calm, steady presence in your daily life.

Please note: Emotional support dogs are not legally classified as service dogs under Israeli law and therefore do not carry the same public access rights, identifying vest, or official certification.

Puppy Raiser Program

Every great service dog starts somewhere. Our Puppy Raiser Program places puppies – future service dogs – with carefully selected host families during the first critical months of their development.
Puppy raisers provide a stable home, consistent boundaries, and unconditional love: the foundation every service dog needs before professional training begins.

Our team provides full guidance and support throughout, and puppy raisers play an irreplaceable role in shaping each dog's future.

This is a rare and meaningful opportunity – to open your home, to be part of something larger than yourself, and to know that you were there for the very first chapter of a service dog's life.

Workshops

We offer tailored workshops designed to deepen the human-dog bond and introduce foundational skills for emotional support work.

Our workshops are developed in partnership with nonprofits, therapeutic organizations, and community support centers, and are built specifically for the communities they serve – including survivors of sexual trauma and veterans coping with combat-related PTSD.

Each workshop is custom designed for its participants, and combines practical hands-on training, skill development, peer support, and a genuinely enriching learning experience.

Trainer Certification Course

Become a Certified Assistance Dog Instructor

Our certification course gives aspiring instructors everything they need to enter this field with confidence:

rigorous theory, meaningful hands-on experience, and a deep understanding of what it truly takes to build a working partnership between a person and a dog.

Total Hours

~400 academic hours

Schedule

Twice weekly

Location

Neve Hadassah

The curriculum includes:

Comprehensive Theoretical Foundation
Canine behavior and learning science, positive training methodology, understanding the needs of diverse client populations – including those living with PTSD, autism, and physical disabilities – and service dog regulation and professional standards.

Field-Based Practical Training
Direct hands-on work with dogs, guided practice of training techniques, active participation in real placement processes, and supervised experience in client-dog matching.

Learning from Those Who Have Done It
The course is led by a seasoned team with years of real-world service dog training and placement experience – not just theory.

Professional Certification
Upon completion, graduates receive an official certification qualifying them to work in dog training, puppy education, emotional support, and the broader assistance dog field.

Who is this course for?

Interested in joining our next course?

Our Team

Behind every service dog stands a dedicated team of people who believe in what they do. Our staff brings together expertise in canine training, extensive experience working with diverse populations, and a shared commitment to building partnerships grounded in trust, care, and professionalism.

A senior Assistance Dog Instructor certified to ADI (Assistance Dogs International) standards, Yuval brings a background that uniquely bridges military leadership and professional animal training. She served as an officer in the Israeli Border Defense Corps - holding roles as Deputy Company Commander and instructor in a combat officers' course - before dedicating herself fully to the assistance dog field. Her expertise spans equine and canine training, extensive experience working with PTSD clients, and a deep, lifelong commitment to value-driven, mission-oriented work. She leads the Assistance Dog Instructor Certification Course and drives the professional vision of the organization.

Yuval Yairi

Co-Founder & CEO

Operations A certified therapeutic dog handler, Efrat oversees all client-facing operations at Kelev Echad - managing the full client lifecycle from initial application through long-term support. She brings extensive experience navigating complex government interfaces, including Israel's Ministry of Defense and National Insurance Institute, developing organizational procedures and training content, and leading donor relations. Her background working with special populations and PTSD clients, combined with her operational rigor and human sensitivity, makes her the connective tissue of everything we do.

Efrat Fogel Magal

Co-Founder & Deputy CEO

A reserve Lieutenant Colonel, Golan guides Kelev Echad's business and strategic development. He is responsible for the organization's business plan, financial modeling, and sustainable growth strategy - translating a powerful social mission into a sound and scalable operational reality.

Golan Yairi

Strategic Business Advisor

A senior combat officer with command experience in elite IDF units - Duvdevan and Givati - Yoni holds a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences and is a graduate of an international entrepreneurship program. He leads the organization's financial management and oversees the development of strategic partnerships and external relations.

Yoni Shochat

CFO & Head of Partnerships

A senior Assistance Dog Instructor and lead coordinator of the Assistance Dog Instructor Certification Course, Devora brings extensive hands-on experience training service dogs for diverse populations — including clients with PTSD, autism spectrum conditions, physical disabilities, and more. She trains and mentors students throughout the program, oversees the matching and placement process between dogs and clients, and leads team training workshops. Devora is also a licensed occupational therapist with deep clinical experience working with children with autism, learning disabilities, and behavioral and emotional challenges. Her dual expertise — therapeutic and canine — gives her a uniquely informed perspective on the needs of people with disabilities, which she channels directly into training the next generation of assistance dog instructors.

Devora Albertal

Professional Director

Q&A

What does assistance dog instructor actually do - and is it a viable career?

Assistance dog instruction is a real and deeply meaningful profession – and it goes far beyond traditional dog training. It sits at the intersection of working with dogs and working with people. Instructors oversee the entire process: from the dog's foundational training, through specialized task training tailored to each client's specific needs, to the long-term support of the human-dog team – sometimes spanning many years.

Do I need prior dog training experience to enroll in the course?

Not necessarily. Our course is designed to teach you everything you need – even if you have no training background. What matters most is your motivation to work with dogs, a genuine desire to help people, and a deep love for animals.

What does a typical workday look like?

A typical day combines direct hands-on work with dogs in training, developing individualized training plans, onboarding newly placed teams, and providing ongoing follow-up with established ones. It is work that demands physical energy, creative thinking, and a real capacity for human connection.

Is there actual demand in this field?

Absolutely. The field is growing rapidly, and the demand for trained service dogs continues to rise. Qualified assistance dog instructors are needed across training centers, in independent practice, and in owner-training support programs – working directly with clients who are training their own dogs.

What is the difference between a service dog and a regular dog?

A service dog undergoes approximately eighteen months of formal training at a center fully accredited by Israel's Ministry of Welfare. During that time, the dog develops advanced behavioral skills and learns specific assistance tasks – such as detecting anxiety episodes, providing physical support, or alerting medical changes. The dog is trained to work reliably in public settings, remain focused on its tasks, and disregard distractions.

Upon completing training, the dog must pass an official public access certification test. Only after passing does the dog receive its identifying vest and official service dog certification.

A regular dog – however well-behaved or obedient – has not undergone this professional training process, is not certified, and is not equipped to perform specific assistance tasks. Only a certified service dog holds the legal right to access public spaces under Israeli law.

What is the difference between a service dog and an emotional support dog?

A service dog has completed professional training and performs a minimum of three functional tasks directly related to its client's disability – such as interrupting a panic attack, assisting with balance, or disrupting nightmares. It holds full legal public access rights and is certified through a formal public access test administered by a Ministry of Welfare-accredited organization.

An emotional support dog provides a calming presence and emotional comfort and may be trained in specific supportive behaviors for use at home and in private settings. However, it does not hold the same legal status as a service dog and is not granted public access rights.

How long does it take to fully train a service dog?

It varies, depending on the dog and the specific needs of the client it is being matched with. In most cases, the full process takes approximately eighteen months from the start of training to placement and certification.

What Our Clients Say

"Since receiving my service dog, I no longer feel alone. He doesn't just help me physically - he reminds me every single day that I have a reason to leave the house, and to smile"

"Beyond all day-to-day help, my dog is a true companion. In my darkest moments, knowing he is there for me gives me hope"

"He senses my episodes before I even realize they are starting. Because of him, I feel safe enough to sleep at night - something I had not experienced in years"