FAQs
How are puppies raised and trained?
The Program has five main elements: breeding/puppy acquisition, foster puppy raising, intensive dog training, "team" training and annual team accreditation. The Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies are placed with volunteer foster puppy raisers for an 18 month period and then go to the Assistance Dogs training centre for a further 6 months intensive training.
What does an Assistance Dog do?
Assistance Dogs are trained over this 2 year period to perform specific tasks that will help their recipients. These tasks include opening and closing doors, pressing pedestrian crossing buttons, retrieving and picking items off the floor to name just a few - tasks that are difficult or near impossible for people confined in a wheelchair. They can also bark for assistance, if required.
Do Assistance Dogs have public access rights?
Yes - Assistance Dogs Australia train service dogs which have full public access rights just like a guide dog. Our dogs are distinguishable by their blue coat which has our logo and name on it. Our recipients also carry a license showing that the dog is currently allowed public access.
Do you train and license other people's dogs?
No. Assistance Dogs Australia only train and raise our own dogs and then in turn give those, free of charge, to recipients on our waiting list with physical disabilities. We are unable to train or certify other people's dogs.
How much government funding does Assistance Dogs Australia get?
None. All of our funding comes from private donations, corporate sponsorship, fundraising events and philanthropic donations. All our funds go to training the dogs to help people physical disabilities which are given free of charge.
How long is the application process to apply for a service or companion dog?
The process has a number of steps. First step is to fill in an application form which you can download from the 'Apply For a Dog' section of our website. Once this is submitted it is assessed by our staff. The second step is for a physical interview and a final interview once a dog may be available.
How long is the waiting list for one of the service or companion dogs?
It is difficult to put a time frame on how long it will take to get one of our dogs. We take great pride in matching the dog's personalities and strengths to the needs of each recipient. For this reason the first person on our list may not be suitable for the next dog to graduate.
What is Puppy Raising?
Puppy Raising is a volunteer opportunity where individuals and families take our dogs in training into their own home for the first 18 months of its life whilst undertaking basic training and socialization. See our Puppy Raising page for more information.
What is Puppy Sitting?
Puppy Sitting is a volunteer opportunity where individuals and families take our dogs when their puppy raisers are unable to look after them due to personal commitments. It may last as short as a weekend or may go for a few weeks. See our Puppy Sitting page for more information.
Do Assistance Dogs Australia train Seizure Alert Dogs, Anxiety Dogs or other various types of dogs?
No. We only train dogs for people with physical disabilities, mainly confined to wheelchairs. You may find other organizations that may be able to help by visiting www.humananimalinteraction.org.au.
How can I volunteer at the Kennels
The dogs in training are undergoing skilled work and as much as we love our volunteers this is not the ideal place to begin a career with dogs if you have no experience. As our dogs are being trained for specialised work we do require dog handling experience and suggest if you have not got any experience you may wish to begin volunteering at a local shelter initially. We have some great volunteers who have dog handling experience who assist in walking, grooming, bathing and playing with the dogs, as well as assisting at events. To volunteer at the kennels we ask you to advise on the volunteer form how much dog handling experience you have.
If you have a genuine interest in the work of Assistance Dogs Australia we are occasionally able to accommodate interested parties with little experience but this is subject to availability of our experienced volunteers to assist with this.
How do I become a Casual Kennel Hand
We have a team of casuals that assist at weekends and during busy periods, and there may occasionally be positions available. If you have a mature disposition, have dog handling/kennel experience and are local to our National Training Centre (Heathcote, NSW) please send in your resume and availability through our email info@assistancedogs.org.au putting in the subject line “For the Attention of the K9 Programs Manager: Casual Kennel Hand”. Please note although you will be shown how to appropriately handle the dogs in training these are not training positions but are for the cleaning of the kennels, grooming, exercising and general well being of the dogs.
How do I Become a Dog Trainer?
We receive a lot of correspondence requesting advice on how to become a Dog Trainer. Hopefully, the following information will help those of you wishing to follow this type of career. It is advisable that people gain as much practical experience as possible. This can be in the form of attending a local dog training school and observing the Trainer, working as a kennel assistant at a boarding kennels or voluntary work at a dog rescue centre. The more practical experience you can demonstrate you have to a prospective employer, the better.
Dog training centers near to you can be found either via your local veterinary practice, by looking in the yellow pages or searching the internet. Although it is not a requirement that we insist upon when advertising for Dog Trainers, a course in Animal Management can also be a useful tool. These courses tend to be run at Agricultural or Community Colleges, so contact your nearest one to enquire whether they run these. A dog grooming course could also prove to be beneficial. There are a variety of dog training courses available within Australia and although we do not recommend any particular course it is advisable to choose a course using the latest training skills focusing on operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. In addition linking in with organizations such as the APDT will assist you in networking and gaining knowledge to be flexible in your approach to training which is critical when working with Service Dogs.
It is not just about the dogs, our trainers interact with Volunteer Puppy Raisers, Recipients and the General Public on a regular basis. Therefore, due to the high demand for these roles the K9 Programs Manager will also be looking for strong people skills when recruiting. Training in Counselling, Psychology or as an Occupational Therapist will be highly regarded.
There is a lot of competition for the very few jobs that become available in this type of field. Therefore, it is recommend that you are determined that being a Dog Trainer is the career for you and that you are the right type of person for the job; remember that being a Dog Trainer often means working in all weathers, working unsociable hours, traveling interstate, sometimes at short notice so you must be extremely committed.
We have very few Dog Trainer vacancies that arise, but when they do they are advertised on our website, which is updated regularly.
