Starting the Celiac Service Dog Journey: A Q&A with Maddy and Puppy Pippa

I wanted to share this interview with Kari Bastyr of Celiac Service Dogs and Maddy, one of Kari's current students, to talk about what it really looks like to start training a gluten detection dog from puppyhood. I recently got to meet Maddy in person for lunch and we talked about my training journey with Suki. I think sharing stories about the reality of training a celiac service dog is really important. I especially think the early stages of the process are so critical. At the time of this interview, Maddy had been training her Moyen Poodle puppy, Pippa for three months. They have been training twice weekly with Kari ever since. If you are thinking about getting a celiac service dog, Maddy's perspective as someone who just started this journey is really helpful.

Here are the questions we covered, along with Maddy's answers, or watch the full video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAP-aP_PULI

Q: Can you tell us a little about your celiac story and what led you to consider a gluten detection dog?

A: I was diagnosed with celiac disease 15 years ago. I was an atypical presentation, but my endoscopy showed I had a pretty severe case. For the first 10 or so years, I did okay on the gluten free diet. When I did get glutened, though, it was weeks of symptoms, not days. About five years ago, I developed another connective tissue autoimmune disease, which complicated things. A gluten exposure started to domino into my other conditions, stretching symptoms out for months. I cut out non 100 percent gluten free restaurants altogether because the recovery was not worth it. I was living in New York City at the time, which has a great gluten free restaurant scene, so I managed. When I moved to Richmond, Virginia a little over a year ago, the gluten free restaurant options were much more limited. That pushed me to start researching gluten detection dogs.

Q: What did you find most surprising or helpful when you were researching and going through the courses?

A: A couple of things stuck out. First, the way the training process builds on itself. You start with a chunk of gluten in a tin and eventually work up to your dog detecting trace gluten on a plate with 20 or 30 ingredients. Seeing that progression mapped out was eye opening.

Second, learning how to pick a breed and a breeder. I thought I had good knowledge about dogs, but there is so much more to it. The courses helped me narrow my search to a poodle, which I was not originally considering. They also walked me through what to look for in a breeder. I am so glad I went through that process. I think I would have gone down the wrong path otherwise.

Q: How did you find your breeder?

A: Kari helped me find Jen, who is in Michigan. We first got in touch with Jen last fall, and she worked with us all the way up until the puppies were born in April. Pippa came home in June. Jen did everything to set the puppies up for success. She even flew Pippa and a littermate, who went to a friend of mine as a pet, out to the East Coast. We picked them up at the airport together. That kind of breeder, someone who is a lifetime advocate and knows her lines, made a huge difference.

Q: What has been the biggest surprise once training started?

A: The formal training has been the best part, not the hardest. I train with Kari on Mondays and Thursdays. Pippa lights up in our training room. She goes from crazy puppy mode to totally dialed in the moment we start. That gave me a lot of confidence to keep going on the harder puppy days.

The other surprise is how quickly things build. You look at this little puppy who is not even potty trained and think you are 18 to 24 months away from anything useful. But the pieces layer on top of each other, and before I knew it, Pippa was on control jars at five months old, signaling on her gluten and starting to tie in her all clear.

Q: What alerts is Pippa using?

A: She is doing a paw raise for gluten, which is quick and subtle. We are working to refine it. Her all clear is a leg boop.

Q: What did the formal training sessions look like that you did not expect?

A: The sessions are split up. In the beginning, about a third to a half is scent work with different games. The other part is public access prep and confidence building. We spend time on textures, walking on metal trays, different environments, all of that. I never thought I would spend so much time walking my dog across a metal tray with treats, but it has made a real difference. Pippa is confident on walks, and I credit a lot of that to the little confidence building activities we do.

Q: What has training looked like when you are not feeling well or need to modify?

A: Kari has been great about checking in and adjusting when I have physical limitations from my other health conditions. She also encouraged me to break training into smaller sessions during the day. Pippa is five months old, so her attention span can be three to five minutes at a stretch. Working in little pieces throughout the day has been more effective for both of us than trying to carve out a long solo session. Kari also made it clear that taking a day off is fine. I was nervous about that at first, but you only need a handful of training days a week to keep momentum.

Q: What have you learned about handler mechanics?

A: A lot. I thought I was reading Pippa well and my body language was coming naturally. Then we started control jars this week and I was holding them wrong, Pippa did not want to come near me, and I could not figure out why. We stopped and watched videos of Kari and Kendra handling jars to see the body positioning. You need to be very neutral so you are not cueing your dog one way or another. It was ten different things to think about at once just to get Pippa to sniff a jar. Handlers carry so much of this work.

Q: What are you most excited for once Pippa is fully trained?

A: Restaurants, for sure. That is the big one. I am also excited about having her check medication and supplement bottles. There is no labeling regulation around gluten in medications, and that gap is real. Personal care products are another one for me because I react topically. Having her quickly clear a product instead of spending hours on a manufacturer website sounds like a relief. And honestly, it is just fun having my little dog buddy in this with me. She gets so excited during training. I know it is going to be fun for her too.

Q: Have you traveled with Pippa yet?

A: We did one trip to Boston in early August. She flew in her carrier since she is still considered a pet at this stage and not fully trained. It was great practice, desensitizing her to the airport, people, security, all of that. She did well and had a lot of fun people watching. I used Kendra's airline travel guide and loved it.

Q: What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting this process?

A: Definitely go through the courses. They are not a huge time investment, and they cover what you need to know. Get help from people who specialize in this work, not just a regular scent trainer or any breeder. The reason Pippa is doing so well is the groundwork that was laid before she even came home. Plan ahead. Make sure you have space in your life for the early puppy days, because that piece is separate from the gluten detection training itself and it takes time.

About Maddy's Business

Maddy recently launched her own functional nutrition practice, Celiac Compass. She works with people who have celiac disease to fill the support gap that often exists after diagnosis. Her focus is safe gluten free living, balanced nutrition, gut healing, and immune support, which matters because autoimmune conditions tend to cluster. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @celiac.compass.

Starting a celiac service dog is a long commitment. It takes about two years to fully train a gluten detection dog, and that is after you have found the right breeder and the right puppy. It is supposed to be fun for you and the dog. It is hard work, but the skill building is like learning a sport or an instrument. You are getting trained right alongside your dog.