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Behavioural Assessments and Temperament Testing

Menacing and Dangerous Dogs

It’s every dog owner’s nightmare. Your dog is involved in an “incident”, or you receive a “dangerous or menacing” dog declaration from the council.

If this has happened to you, don’t wait! Contact us now for a comprehensive behaviour assessment, and we’ll help you navigate the path towards safety and security for you and your dog. It’s scary to do this alone, but rest assured; we’re here to help!

We understand the rollercoaster of emotions during these challenging times–from embarrassment to fear, anger, sadness, and upset. The toll on you and your family, including your furry friend, can be overwhelming. We understand!

We can help!

If you’ve received a Notice of Intention to Declare a Menacing or Dangerous Dog, or your dog has already been declared Menacing or Dangerous, our expert team is here to support you.

We are qualified and experienced to perform quality behavioural assessments.

How We Help

Book Your Assessment:
Contact us immediately or book online to schedule a behavioural assessment (temperament test) for your dog. All assessments are conveniently conducted at our home office in Adamstown Heights (Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area of NSW). While we observe your dog in your presence, most of the assessment is done in your absence.
Secure Your Spot:
Payment is due prior to the assessment day. Please note that full payment is non-negotiable and must be received before the assessment takes place. Note: If you’ve enlisted legal help and we need to liaise with them, additional charges may apply based on the extra time involved.
The assessment :
This is done in your absence, but you remain in the local vicinity. After the assessment, you can return to be reunited with your furry friend, and we’ll share the feedback with you.
Receive Your Comprehensive Report:
Post-assessment, expect a detailed report within 7 days, suitable for court submissions if required. If you’ve engaged a solicitor, inform them of your intention to obtain a behavioural assessment / temperament test.

Important Information

An application to revoke a declaration can only be made after a 12-month period from the date your dog was declared dangerous or menacing. For further details, please consult your local council.

Don’t wait or hesitate; time is of the essence. Book Your Behavioural Assessment Now!

Dog Behavioural Assessments

Behaviour Assessment

For Menacing or Dangerous Dogs
1 hr
$550

BOOK NOW

Greenhound Assessments (Greyhounds)

For Off-Lead Muzzle Exemption
45 mins
$220

BOOK NOW

Behaviour Assessment FAQs

What is a Menacing or Dangerous Dog?admin2024-10-29T13:14:55+11:00

What is a Menacing or Dangerous Dog?

A menacing or dangerous dog is a dog that has been declared or will be declared by council as being menacing or dangerous under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998.

If you have received an ‘Intent to Declare’ your dog to be dangerous, please contact us immediately or book a Behaviour Assessment / Temperament test.

If your dog has already been declared menacing or dangerous and it has been 12 months since the declaration, you can make a submission to council to have the declaration revoked. For this, you will need a behavioural assessment completed on your dog.

If your dog is lunging, barking, whining, growling at other dogs and/or people or you have a dog that is showing any aggressive behaviour, please book a behaviour consultation so we can help your dog.

If you feel your dog is dangerous to the public or other dogs, please seek a behaviour consultation immediately.

What are the required steps for a Greenhound Assessment for Greyhounds?admin2024-10-29T13:22:09+11:00

What are the required steps for a Greenhound Assessment for Greyhounds?

If you have a pet or retired racing Greyhound and would like to undertake the assessment for muzzle exemption, here are the steps you will need to follow:

STEP 1 Contact GREENHOUNDS NSW to enrol your greyhound in the in-home re-training program.

Contact Greenhounds NSW to enrol in your Greyhound in an in-home re-training program. This is a self-guided 6-week course designed to help owners prepare their greyhound for the Greenhound assessment.

In order to participate, an existing pet Greyhound must be:

Microchipped
Lifetime registered with a council
De-sexed (unless the greyhound is registered with Dogs NSW for the purposes of showing)

NOTE: There is no charge for participating in the in-home 6-week re-training program.

STEP 2: Undertake the in-home 6-week re-training program.

The aim of this program is to assist owners to prepare for their Greyhound’s green collar assessment. It covers many different situations that a Greyhound may come across in its daily life as a pet. If your Greyhound has been a pet for some time, parts of this guide may seem very basic. However, it has been written to also take into account the Greyhounds who are new to pet life, some of whom may have come straight from the race track or an impound facility.

You will be sent a workbook by Greenhounds which will enable you to record and self-assess your Greyhound’s progress through the 6-week in-home re-training program.

STEP 3: Book your Greenhound Assessment with us

At the end of the 6-week in-home program and completion of the workbook, please book in for your Greyhound’s Greenhound assessment with us. We are fully certified with Greenhounds as an approved assessor.

The assessment is undertaken to determine if your Greyhound is suitable for a muzzle exemption.

The focus of this assessment is safety and socialisation in public. For this reason, Greenhounds stipulates that the assessment not be carried out at the owner’s home. We conduct the assessment at our premises in Adamstown, NSW.

As pets may act differently in the presence of an owner, owners are expected to be absent during the test. It is expected that an owner will present their Greyhound for assessment in good health and a clean condition.

The Greenhound assessment is designed to identify that a Greyhound is:

Friendly, approachable and manageable;
Shows no aggression towards other dogs (particularly small ones); and
Shows no aggression towards humans (particularly in the presence of food and toys etc.)
Immediately following the assessment, we will advise owners of the outcome.

If a Greyhound is found to be suitable, it is eligible for an exemption from muzzling when in a public place. If a Greyhound is found not to be suitable, it will not be eligible for the muzzling exemption, however, the Greyhound will able to re-take the assessment at a future time.

We will provide feedback to owners as to the reasons why a Greyhound was unsuccessful, advice on how to overcome the issues and when it might be appropriate to re-book an assessment.

STEP 4: If your dog passes, Greenhounds NSW will issue you a Green Collar

If your Greyhound passes the assessment, we will advise Greenhounds of the outcome and your greyhound will be recorded on the Companion Animals Register as “muzzle exempt”.

Once Greenhounds receives the completed workbook from you and assessment documentation from us, the Greenhound collar with ID tag and certificate will be issued. The fee for the green collar and associated administration costs is $49.50 paid directly to Greenhounds NSW.