Most of the time, IST prefers to start with very young puppies.

Although using "rescue dogs" seems like a win-win situation, the Allergen Alert Service Dogs are often working with children and put into situations which require an extremely stable, confident dog.  Without knowing a dog's full history, there have been situations when significant problems arise which can cause the dog's work to be affected or put the handler in danger.  Therefore, IST typically uses puppies (or dogs which have a known history) to be AASD and these puppies typically "shadow" an adult fully trained AASD. The only downside to using very young dogs is that the process is more time-consuming because the puppy must learn the job and then have the maturity to perform the job in a variety of situations without distraction.  By the way, IST is happy and proud to use "rescue dogs" for other types of service dogs.  

Although it is the responsibility of  the handler to initiate a search, if something in the environment  changes, an IST AASD will most often alert in spite of other commands  having been given.

Even though the vast majority of AASD are trained for  peanut allergens, the have been AASD successfully trained to detect treenuts, eggs, paprika, and more. One dog can detect up to a dozen allergens.

On some occasions, a puppy in training will go to the new home in mid-training for the chance to get to know the family and to be socialized in the family's daily activities.  If a puppy is a candidae for this type of interruption to training, the family is given Strict instructions and rules to follow. The family must be 100% committed following the rules!