the service dogs in training of Doggy Do Good,

which means it's been two weeks since I've seen Kaya,

which means we're going to look at her for a second.

Man, she's the best.

But today's not Kaya's big day.

It's Demian's.

Today is his final exam.

If he passes, Demian will go to his forever family tomorrow.

If he flunks the test, however,

it could mean months before Demian is ready

or the family may need to find a different service dog.

Good luck, buddy.

This is what you puppy prepped for.

(upbeat music)

For Demian's final exam, the trainers

at Doggy Do Good have chosen a local mall.

(playful music)

With slick floors, steep stairs

and distractions aplenty, only the truly ready pups

can get through all of their drills without issue.

Before going inside, it's time

for some warm up drills by the parking garage.

Places you and I wouldn't think twice about

are sometimes perfect places to test the pups.

For instance, this grate.

Unfamiliar surfaces like these can distract a dog,

seemingly without explanation.

Grates can also be the source

of confusing smells and sounds,

further throwing a dog off it's game.

First up, Luke.

The eight month old golden has been a model student so far.

A simple steel grate won't bother...

Oh.

How 'bout that?

His tail wags but Luke can't wait to get off the metal.

You can see his hesitation as he continues to cross.

The sound and moving surface confuses him.

We may think it's a silly fear

but it's a good reminder that Luke is still a puppy.

Karen makes the golden pause

on the grate and feeds him treats.

Hopefully, this will get him to fear

the grate a little less.

After a few more back and forths,

Luke gets more comfortable.

This is good.

At this stage, Luke just needs to show progress

towards overcoming his fears,

even for something as small as a grate.

With Luke scared of the grate,

it could mean his sister, Kaya,

inherited a similar fear.

Nope.

The eight month old crosses the metal

with grace and poise.

Well done, Kaya.

Way to show your brother what's what.

Next, it's time for Luke and Kaya's half sister,

Remmy, to cross the grate.

The trainers are curious to see if she'll be brave,

like her sister, or scared, like her brother.

With that stutter step, it looks like Remmy

is the exact average of her siblings,

not as frightened as Luke,

but definitely more cautious than Kaya.

Still, she's more curious than scared,

a good sign for the eight month old.

With the goldens done, it's Benelli's turn.

Only two weeks ago, the six month old

completely shut down at the bus station.

If she has a similar reaction to the grate,

it could spell disaster for the lab's chances

of staying in school.

But Benelli handles the grate like a champion.

She stands still and even keeps her tail wagging

when Paul tries to distract her.

The puppy's made huge strides in her courage

the last two weeks, exactly what

the trainers needed from her.

The other puppy with bravery issues

is our man about town, Mr. Pip.

Though he hesitates, the Yorkshire terrier

has little say in the matter.

When a trainer can pick you up and move you

wherever she sees fit, you're gonna have

to face your demons.

Mr. Pip is presented with a dilemma,

satisfy his unshakable craving for treats

or flee like a coward.

Again, Karen makes his decision for him.

Good enough, Mr. Pip, your strengths lie elsewhere

and that's just fine.

Finally, it's Demian's turn.

Even with a pack in his mouth,

this is more of a formality than a real test,

Like a senior taking an introductory class

that he forgot he needed.

The yellow lab doesn't disappoint.

Demian knows he has to deliver and he does just that.

His real test awaits him inside the mall.

Noises.

People.

Food.

Deals, deals, deals.

The dogs need to overcome all these distractions

and more inside the mall.

The pups go into down-stay at the food court

and while Luke naps, Benelli begins

the mall obstacle course.

The first challenge, the stairs.

This mall has very slippery, very steep stairs.

Already the floppiest puppy, Benelli immediately has issues

but with her tail wagging, she's a good sport.

Benelli has to resist her natural urge

to sprint up the stairs.

A heel is a heel even with uneven, slippery footing.

That's it, Benelli, almost there.

Oh, okay, good, good.

Good girl.

She's just so floppy.

Now upstairs, Benelli practices her get it command.

Even with the lights and sounds of the arcade,

Benelli keeps checking in with her trainer.

This shows great progress in Benelli's focus.

As Benelli returns to the food court,

it's Kaya's turn around the mall.

I challenge you to find me a more perfect dog anywhere.

It simply can't be done.

Even amongst the charms of the arcade,

our girl can't be fazed.

Kaya is even comfortable lying down inside a video game.

On her way back downstairs, Kaya is patient and attentive,

exactly what her trainers are looking for.

As Luke drifts in and out of sleep,

he wonders if it's his turn.

Nope.

Mr. Pip's up.

Back to sleep.

The stairs that Benelli struggled with

are a piece of cake for the undeniable Mr. Pip.

He scales them like a mountain climber summits a peak.

In the arcade, Mr. Pip practices his comfort drills.

He'll be going to a family with children

and if they call upon him amongst the lights and sounds

of an amusement hall, he'll have to perform.

Before leaving the arcade,

Mr. Pip obliges a quick photo request

in the comforts of the motor coach ride.

Like any brave mountaineer who conquers a pinnacle,

what goes pup must come down.

Imagine if stairs were as big as you are.

Our brave Mr. Pip doesn't have to.

He's step-sized and he handles the challenge with a plum.

In the arcade, Luke works on some drills

but it appears some of the distractions

might be a bit too much for the eight month old golden.

When trainer Karen puts the pup in a down-stay

to familiarize him with the stimuli, Luke rebels.

Luke's future owners need him

to be all right in a down-stay anywhere

so if he can't become comfortable in this arcade,

it could mean a big problem for his training progress.

Luke breaks another down-stay.

Eventually, with Karen in constant eyesight,

Luke is all right.

After the confinement of the down-stay,

the golden retriever's more than happy

to practice his pressure therapy.

Luke returns to the food court.

It's been an uncharacteristically shaky day for the golden.

Like people, service dogs have good days and bad.

At the end of their training,

the hope will be to have as few days like this as possible.

One dog who's had some bad days lately is Remmy.

It appears, however, she's made great improvement

the last few weeks.

She's checking in with trainer Paul

and doing well in her heel.

Even in the arcade, the eight month old

is attentive and focused, not at all like she was

at the beach a few weeks ago.

And like her half sister, Kaya,

Remmy is prepared to work inside of the video game console,

giving Paul hugs amongst the frightening zombies.

On the stairs, Remmy shows patience

that was totally absent a week ago.

She's maturing, a wonderful sign for her schooling.

Demian's been training years for this.

If he passes, tomorrow morning,

he and trainer Paul will set off to his forever family.

If he fails, it doesn't look good

for Demian's continued enrollment.

- All right, Demian, let's go.

- [Narrator] Demian's classmates wish him luck

as he sets off.

First challenge, the stairs.

While the younger puppies could slip around,

Demian's future owners will depend

on him being steady whenever called upon.

Tolerance for sliding is almost nill.

Making it even more difficult,

Paul applies periodic pressure to Demian's harness,

ensuring the lab is ready to accept his owner's weight.

Still, Demian is able to match Paul's pace perfectly,

even when it gets awkward for the pup's footing.

Step by step, Demian proves his patience

and dependability on the stairs.

The first part of his test is over

and so far, so good.

What's this?

A pop quiz?

In the middle of an exam?

Paul's dropped his wallet

but Demian retrieves it with no problem.

Now Demian will have to carry the trainer's pack.

Though he did well with this earlier in the day,

consistency is the key to graduation

and our guy is steady.

Back at down-stay, the puppies wait nervously,

rooting for their friend's success.

It's all right, Mr. Pip, so far, Demian's doing great.

A quick trip through the arcade was no problem for Demian

so it's on to the next challenge, stability.

Paul gives Demian the command, steady,

then uses the dog to help him sit down.

With his tail wagging, it's clear

to see Demian's happy to work, another great signal.

Paul uses Demian to help stand, just as a child runs past.

Demian maintains his focus, the exact reaction he needs

were the same to happen with his forever family.

Paul makes a minor adjustment to Demian's position

but appears happy with the dog's performance.

A second stability test is meant to see Demian's transition

from a down-stay and he handles it flawlessly.

Now, a new challenge just for Demian,

women's clothing.

With pack in mouth, Demian has to show patience

and focus amongst the new smells and sights

and it's no problem for the yellow lab.

In a simple heel, Demian moves confidently

and checks in with his handler, the model

of a great service dog.

He's in the home stretch but there's one challenge left,

going down the stairs.

Providing stability, while facing downstairs,

is the toughest thing Demian will be called upon to do.

He has to show patience, poise, focus and strength,

all while resisting his natural urge

to bolt down to even footing.

The slow pace is grueling but when trainer Paul

sees Demian wait patiently on even the last step,

it appears he's nailed it.

Not even Paul can contain his excitement for the pup.

While Demian turned in a virtuoso performance