Assistance and Therapy Dog Training – Newcastle

1. You will need a suitable dog. Some people already have their own pet dog that is suitable to be trained to be an assistance/service dog. Others will need to acquire a suitable dog to be an assistance/service dog. It is best if your dog is desexed.
2. If you would like to ‘owner’ train your assistance/service dog, meaning you train your dog to be an assistance/service dog, you will need to be capable of doing this. This means you will need to be physically and mentally able to do this training with the dog and also take on the responsibility of owning a dog.

   Training an assistance/service dog can take up to 2 years so you will need to be able to work consistently throughout that time period to achieve a certified status.

3. You will need to dedicate the time to undertake the training and meet with us on a regular basis for your private lessons. You will also need to be able to work with your dog in between our lessons in order to practice what you have learnt with us.
4. You will need to be able to have the funds to care for a dog (veterinary treatment, food, bedding, collar, lead, grooming etc.) and afford the training necessary to reach assistance dog level. Whilst most of the training will be conducted by yourself, you will still need to be able to afford our services in order to train you to train your dog.
5. A dog is usually a 12 to 15 year commitment. It is a big responsibility to have a dog, so you need to be able to commit longer term to having a dog. Please think seriously about all of the requirements listed above. Adopting a dog and then having to re-home the dog because you cannot fulfil those requirements can cause a lot of distress for that dog.

1. You will need to train your dog in basic obedience type behaviours such as sit, down, come, stay, stand, walking nicely on a lead, settling etc. These behaviours will need to be taught on and off lead.
2. Your dog will also learn physical tasks if you are training your dog for task training. This can include picking up things for you and bringing them to you, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, cupboards, fridge etc.

If you have a psychiatric assistance/service dog, depending on your condition, your dog can learn to:

• alert to panic and anxiety
• keep people at a distance from you
• prevent people from approaching you from behind
• interrupt night terrors
• give deep pressure therapy
3. The third thing your dog will need to learn is public access skills.

This includes:

• car and public transport travel if applicable
• getting in and out of lifts
• going up and down stairs
• going through manual and automatic doors
• working under distraction
• going into shopping centres/supermarkets and grocery stores
• walking past other dogs without reacting and so on

The dog needs to be able to access public areas and be well behaved.

Any size and breed of dog can be an assistance/service dog.

What is more important is that the dog has the right temperament to be an assistance/service dog. Please note that dogs with anxiety / fear or extreme arousal issue ARE NOT suitable to be assistance dogs.

We also encourage owners to look at rescue dogs. Rescue dogs from reputable rescue groups, pounds and shelters can make fantastic assistance/service dogs.

PLEASE NOTE: We do not help people find a suitable dog to be their assistance dog however, we can conduct an assessment of the dog to determine if there is potential for the dog to be suitable for assistance/service dog work.

In regards to the age of the dog, we have found that sometimes puppies can be too much for an owner to deal with. There are lots of puppy behaviours that you will need to deal with first before starting ‘official’ assistance or service dog work. Adult dogs can be assessed and if suitable, can start assistance dog training once they have settled in.

If you are going to get a puppy, we recommend you seek our services immediately so that we can set the foundation for your puppy to be an assistance/service dog.

We usually recommend dogs over 2-3 years of age. Older dogs can also make great assistance/service dogs.

If you have already adopted a puppy and would like to know when to start training, we advise you contact us for some puppy training that is focused towards assistance dog work.

Whilst we will not be doing any assistance dog work as such, we can guide you on how to successfully raise a confident and happy puppy so that he/she is ready for assistance dog work.

The most important thing we want you to do with your puppy is to get to know each other and have some fun together. This period of time is so important for you and your puppy to build a bond and enjoy a trusting relationship.

We don’t advise dogs start assistance dog work until they are at least 2 years of age. This is for a number of reasons but most importantly, your dog should be allowed to mature so that they can actually do the work required of them as assistance dogs.

1. Dogs who display aggressive or reactive behaviours.
2. Dogs who have fear / anxiety disorders or mental health conditions themselves.
3. Dogs who have arousal and/or excitement responses that are extreme.
4. Dogs who cannot calm when there are distractions.
5. Some medical conditions will exclude a dog from becoming an assistance/service dog.

We cannot give exact quotes because every dog and every person is different. There are so many factors that will determine how many lessons you need and how long it will take to achieve your PAT test.

We advise people to budget for a maximum of at least one lesson every two weeks for approximately one year.

Please contact us for a quote and let us know if you have any NDIS or insurance funding

As we have limited spots to take Assistance Dog Clients, if you cancel or re-schedule your training lesson with us within 7 business days of your scheduled appointment time, the full fee will be charged.

As you can appreciate, when we take on an Assistance Dog Team for the full year, we are providing you with a position in our training program. Please understand that we cannot operate our business with regular cancellations and rescheduling. We do this to protect our small business and pay our bills.

We are happy to re-schedule or cancel your appointment time if more than 7 business days notice is given. This must be done in writing to us via e-mail.

Located in Kotara, NSW, our home office is the default location for ‘Private Lessons and Behaviour’ Consultations. The address will be provided on booking. Should you require an in-home consultation, please contact us directly for a quote as an extra travel fee applies.

However, our group classes are held at Adamstown Public School.

Dogaholics Dog Training and Behaviour services in and around Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area. We also have clients from Central Coast, Port Stephens, Maitland and the Hunter Valley areas.

Services include:

• Puppy Pre-School
• Private Puppy Training
• Private, one-on-one dog training
• Behavioural Consultations
• Dog Training classes
• School Support Dogs Training and Assessment
• Greenhound Assessment for Greyhounds
• Behaviour Assessment / Temperament Test for Menacing or Dangerous Dogs
• Assistance / Service dog training
• Cat Training and Behaviour Services

1. On the day of your appointment, make sure you are prepared by bringing plenty of food to be used for training such as cut up cooked chicken breast, cooked kangaroo sausages or any other meat that is healthy for your puppy. You can also bring cheese. Remember to cut the food up into small pieces.
2. Your puppy/dog will need to have a flat collar (normal) collar/harness and you will need a lead. No choker chains are allowed in training. Please also bring a mat for your puppy/dog to sit on.
3. Please ARRIVE ON TIME. We have clients before and after you and if you are late, we cannot run into the next client’s appointment time. This means if you run late, your consultation will end at the allocated time and you will not receive your full allocated time.
4. CANCELLATIONS OR RESCHEDULING – We require 3 business days notice for any changes or cancellation otherwise the full consultation fee will be charged. This is to protect our small business so we can continue to pay our bills and continue to operate.
5. NO SHOWS – If you do not attend your consultation and do not give any notice, the full consultation fee will be charged and there will be NO REFUNDS. Please be respectful as we have set aside time for your consultation that others could have taken.