What is an assistance dog

An assistance animal is trained to alleviate the effects of a disability, for its owner with whom they live.

We commonly see guide dogs for the blind, assistance dogs for mobility support tasks, or hearing dogs, out in the community. A growing area now is psychiatric or medical assistance dogs. We train and accredit dogs as assistance dogs under an owner-trainer model. This means we can work with you in sourcing a puppy or an adult rescue dog with the aim of them becoming your or your family members assistance dog

Why engage with Us

There is a lot of conflicting or mis-information around assistance dogs. Hilary from K9 Potential has a long history of helping clients with their dogs; is committed to force free training methods and personalised training support to help you achieve your goals. Some people who need and qualify for an assistance dog are further limited in choice of trainer/organisation due to the fact they require the dog to be dual purpose as in physical needs as well as psychological support. We can teach your dog skills to help you in your daily functioning and improve your quality of life.  Whether your journey is at the beginning or you need to change trainer we are here for you to take the next step

What is required of you

We have high expectations of our teams. This includes commitment. It’s a huge undertaking deciding to become an assistance dog handler. It’s a lot of time involved in training, it can be stressful starting to go out in public for the first time, people may look at you and this can be anxiety inducing or triggering for many. You will require a medical person to sign off on your eligibility.

Patience! It won’t happen straight away and there may be delays in the progress, but you can get there. You will then reap the benefits in the long term. 

What is a Public Access Test

Under the scheme, assistance animals must pass a Public Access Test. The Public Access Test is used to confirm that an animal is sufficiently trained to be safe around the community. Prior to the PAT your dog must  be desexed and up to date with vaccinations.

 You and your dog will have training sessions in order to reach the required standard to pass the PAT. The amount of sessions required is going to depend on the age of your dog, your experience in training and your dog.  

What dogs are suitable 

Just about any dog has the potential to make an assistance dog, with the exception of restricted breeds or a dog who has been declared dangerous, or menacing by the council. However we do discourage very short or flat nosed dogs.  If you require physical tasks from the dog then size has to be appropriate. If you are still choosing a breed or dog then book in for a pre-assessment as there are many factors to consider in matching a dog to a handler.  

COST

• Pre-suitability assessment: $135
• (Report for NDIS funding will be Extra)
• Application fee $250 concession $350 working 
• Training session $110 each (minimum of 3 required) 
• Public access test $ 250
• Assistance dog vest $ 85
• Travel may be extra if outside of North Brisbane