MEDICAL ALERT DOG TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
& RESEARCH
CMAC helps experienced trainers and service dog organizations develop their medical alert training skills and practices. We also collaborate with research teams investigating canine scent detection and its applications.
Explore live trainer education, tailored coaching for your organization, and research collaboration grounded in science and hands-on experience.
Three ways to work with CMAC
Professional Trainer Education
Coaching for Service Dog Organizations
Research Collaboration
Build your medical alert and service dog training skills through live online instruction, practical assignments, and individual feedback. For experienced reward-based trainers.
Strengthen your program with tailored guidance on dog selection, medical alert training, assessments, and client support. Get practical help with your team’s specific challenges.
Bring canine scent-detection expertise to your research project. Partner with CMAC for dog selection, training, and handling support in medical detection studies.
NOW ENROLLING:
Train Medical Alert Dogs
and Expand Your Assistance Dog Expertise
CMAC’s year-long online program is designed for experienced dog trainers who want to expand into assistance dog work. Medical alert is our specialty, and the curriculum also covers psychiatric service work, including PTSD; autism-related support; and selected mobility, hearing, balance, and other assistance tasks.
Learn to assess and select suitable dogs, teach service dog behaviors, prepare dogs for public access, evaluate progress, and coach clients through matching, team training, and follow-up. You’ll apply what you learn with at least one dog, using detailed training plans, assessment tools, and client forms. Submit training videos for individual feedback as you refine your technique.
Starts January 26th 2027 at 1:00PM EST (NY time zone) · Live online
Early enrollment savings and monthly payment options available.
Strengthen Your Service Dog Program
Coaching tailored to your organization
Whether you’re establishing a program, adding medical alert training, or addressing challenges in an existing organization, get practical guidance tailored to your dogs, staff, and clients.
Work with CMAC to:
-
Improve candidate selection and evaluation.
-
Develop medical alert scent-training methods and troubleshoot difficulties.
-
Create consistent training plans, records, and assessments.
-
Strengthen client screening, matching, team training, and follow-up.
-
Support your trainers through case discussions and feedback on training videos.
Bring us a specific challenge or work with us on broader program development. Together, we’ll identify priorities and develop practical steps your team can put into action.
Science, Practice, and the Human–Dog Partnership
CMAC brings together canine behavior, medical alert training, and experience supporting people who depend on assistance dogs.
Founded by Jennifer Cattet, Ph.D., founder of Medical Mutts Service Dogs, CMAC draws on more than 15 years of hands-on experience and collaboration in canine scent-detection research.
Our approach emphasizes reward-based training, dog welfare, measurable progress, and thoughtful support for clients. Through education, organizational coaching, and research collaboration, we help professionals translate knowledge into practical training decisions.
Ethical, Reward-Based Training
Evidence-Based Practice
Dog Welfare
Build skills through positive reinforcement, with respect for dogs and the people they support.
Prioritize physical health, emotional well-being, and suitability for the work.
Use research, documented progress, and careful evaluation to guide training decisions.
ADVANCING MEDICAL ALERT DOG RESEARCH
Understanding what dogs detect, and how to evaluate their performance, is essential to advancing medical alert training.
Jennifer Cattet and Medical Mutts have contributed to published research on seizure-associated odor, hypoglycemia-associated odor, and COVID-19 detection. Ongoing collaborations include seizure and autism-related scent research in the United States and France.
These projects inform our work while helping us distinguish established findings from questions that still require investigation.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY
CMAC - Indianapolis INDIANA - USA - info@assistance.center