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Welcome to the Adolescent Dogs Online Academy for Owner Trained Assistance Dogs in the UK
Who are we?
We are a team of qualified, force free dog trainers who have been training family dogs for over 16 years, helping Owner Trained Assistance Dog teams to reach their goals
Our Assistance Dog Programme is open to anyone who wishes to train their own pet dog to become their assistance dog, covering a wide variety of disabilities including physical, medical, psychiatric and neurological.
We support handlers of all ages, including children.
Sadly, the waiting list for owners to seek help from charities is often long (up to 5 years), or their lists are full due to increasing demand, or you need to spend crazy amounts of money to buy one of their trained dogs, making it difficult for many owners to access the help they need and taking them further away from their dream of training their dog to assist them in everyday life
Our mission is to help as many owners as possible to turn this dream into a reality, providing top quality training they can follow from home, along with our personal support and coaching, so that they can train their own dog to become an assistance dog for them.
What disabilities do we support?
We support a wide range of disabilities including:
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Physical disabilities (wheelchair users, POTS, EDS, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Scleroris, ME, Spina Bifida, Cerebal Palsy, Spinal Injuries, Brain injuries, Strokes, Amputees etc)
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Medical support (Diabetes, Seizures, Addisons, Allergies, Blood Pressure, POTS)
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Psychological support (Autism, PTSD, Disassociative Identity Disorder))
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Hearing support
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Guiding - we don't currently have videos specific to guide work, but our trainers are happy to support your training journey in any way we can
Online Programme
We provide training through all stages of development, from puppy training and early socialisation, temperament testing, basic to advanced obedience and teaching tasks. We offer our Assistance Dog Awards to members so that they can build clear training plans, and mirror the same high standards being used for assistance dogs around the world. We are constantly adding new content and you can request specific video tutorials to suit your needs.
You can find a list of our current members and their achievements here
FAQ
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How does the programme work? Once signed up, you'll gain instant access to over 400 video tutorials covering obedience exercises and tasks. You can work through our Award levels from Puppy to Gold by submitting videos of the training exercises. We also offer an 'access test' level which is done with our trainer in Guildford (and within 50 miles)
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Is there a waiting list? We have NO waiting list to join our programme. Simply complete the registration form below, send us your diagnosis and get signed up!
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How long does it take to train a dog? To train your dog from puppy to fully trained (ready to pass an access test), takes a minimum of 18 months. You should expect the entire process to take roughly 2 years (depending on how much time you put into training and how suitable your dog is)
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Will my dog become a registered assistance dog? There is no official registration or certification for assistance dogs in the UK. As long as your dog is well trained and mitigates your disability, you are covered by the Equality Act 2010. Some organisations such as airlines & universities may require your dog to be registered with ADUK or specific charities ; but please note, this is not legal and they are breaking the law by requesting for your dog to be registered. Our programme does not offer any official 'registration' or 'certification'. However, airlines such as British Airways are sometimes open to receiving proof of training which we can provide. If you don't live in the UK, you will need to check your local laws - but you may still find our training support useful for your own individual training journey
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Will I be able to access training vests? Yes, once your dog has passed their first award, you can purchase an 'assistance dog in training' vest and settle mat with our logo on it. This will help you with access whilst your dog is still training. An 'Assistance Dog' jacket can be purchased once your dog passes the Access test & temperament test level.
Puppy raising & training
We also provide a puppy raising & training programme. We are looking for breeders who would like to donate well bred puppies for us to raise, train and match to a person in need of an assistance dog. It costs us over £30,000 to train each puppy for their first 6 months. Please get in touch if you have a puppy to donate.
Discounted residential stays
We offer a limited number of gifted and discounted residential stays and one to one lessons each year to members of our Assistance Dog Programme. Sadly we don't currently have enough members to offer as many stays as we would like. We have provided over £60,000 worth of gifted stays between 2021 to 2022. In order to help as many teams as possible, we offer a standard 10% discount on residential stays, with increased discounts when we are able to offer them. We highly recommend residential stays to fast track your dog's training journey. We can help at different stages of your journey:
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Early puppy socialisation and training
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Overcoming new behaviours (barking/lunging/distraction training)
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Teaching specific tasks
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Practising public access training
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Preparing your dog for taking their Awards with you
Mission statement
Helping dog owners with disabilities to train their own assistance dogs. We will do this by:
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Giving them access to qualified, force free trainers
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We will provide a high standard of training throughout each dog's life
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We will educate the public about disabled peoples rights under the Equality Act 2010.
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We will commit to animal welfare and train and work only fit healthy dogs.
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We will educate all our members about their legal responsibilities as a dog owner and an assistance dog handler.
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We will offer regular assessments every dog that is registered with the Adolescent Dogs Assistance Programme
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We will create a friendly community for members to support each other every step of the way.
Our Application Process
Our programme is open to anyone wishing to train their own dog to aid in their disability. We accept puppies as young as 8 weeks of age to begin their learning journey
Not every dog is suitable to become an assistance dog, and not every dog / owner team will reach the standard of training required to pass all the assessments
You can join us right away and start training. You will need to provide the following documentation:
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A letter from your doctor stating your medical diagnosis (or if waiting for an autism diagnosis; a paper trail confirming the process and needs of the child)
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A letter from a health professional confirming that your condition has been diagnosed for at least 12 months, is classed as a disability and has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities (for psychological disabilities)
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Emotional support dogs: sadly emotional support dogs are not recognised in the UK; this means we cannot accept applications to train your dog to become an assistance dog to support anxiety/depression alone unless your Doctor considers it to be a disability
To train as an Assistance Dog, your dog must:
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Have a sound temperament; not show any fear or reactivity issues
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Receive yearly vet checks to confirm suitability and be in good health.
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Be trained to an advanced level (we can help with this). Dogs can take the Awards at any age, but Access Tests are only available once your dog reaches 18 months of age.
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Demonstrate 3 specially taught skills that provide assistance you need because of your disability (we can also help with this training)
Dogs with behavioural issues are rarely suitable to train as assistance dogs, so please contact us for a free assessment if you are unsure if your dog is a suitable candidate.
Assessments
Assessments are not required by law. If your dog mitigates your disability in any way then you are covered under the Equality Act 2010. Your dog is an auxiliary aid just like a walking stick or wheelchair and as such cannot be denied access.
However, Owner Trained Teams often struggle with Access issues, so having the assessments to prove training level, along with our training vests can help with access (please note, our programme does not guarantee you won't have problems with Access, especially with air travel)
Organisations / companies requesting that your dog is trained by a specific organisation or to have an ID book is breaking the law! There is no 'registration' or 'certification' for assistance dogs in the UK, nor is it a legal requirement.
We recommend that your assistance dog is trained to a high standard, so that your dog does not cause disruption and can cope with supporting you with your disability in public. We offer online Awards that you can submit videos for you to achieve certificates.
A certificate is provided for each level of training, from Puppy to Gold and Access Tests. Dogs can take their Puppy and Bronze test at any age, the Silver from 6 months, Gold from 12 months and Access Tests at 18 months.
Your dog must have achieved their Bronze Award before being allowed to purchase our Assistance Dog in Training Vests, which can become a great aid for not only gaining public access, but also to ensure that the general public know to ignore your dog.
Task videos currently available:
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Retrieve items (keys, medicine)
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Pickup small items (pencils, credit cards, paper etc)
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Find and retrieve scented item#
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Brace for standing
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Take item to designated area
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Open doors & electric doors
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Close doors (with nose or paws)
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Interrupt anxiety attacks using paws
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Interrupt anxiety attacks using nose
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Tactile stimulation for anxiety
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Interrupt self-harm or repetitive behaviours
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Make space in crowds
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Deep pressure therapy
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Chin rest
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Provide comfort
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Carry an item
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Turn on a light
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Ring a bell
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Take off socks/clothes
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Walk beside a wheelchair
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Wheelchair training and troubleshooting
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Backup out of doorways
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Target training
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Navigate around a wheelchair in tight spaces
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Nudge arm/foot back onto arm/footrest of wheelchair
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Settle under legs / table
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Remove blanket
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Jump up alert
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Empty washing machine
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Medical alert for Diabetes, Seizures, Epilepsy, POTS, Narcolepsy, Addisons, Migraines and more.
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New videos added monthly
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Over 350 videos
Instantly access 16 courses with over 350 video tutorials, including tasks and wheelchair videos
Weekly Live Q&A
Ask Jenny & Mike questions LIVE
Exclusive Task Group
Exclusive access to video tutorials for teaching Tasks, and an Assistance Dog community group
Community
A fun & supportive Facebook community group
Webinars
Monthly Live Webinars covering hot topics
New content is FREE
Anytime we add new content or courses, you'll get it FREE
Weekly Live Training
Live training demos with novice dogs for real world troubleshooting
Personal support
24/7 access to us, with our personal support & guidance
Training Plans
We'll help you keep your training on track by building a personal plan every week!
Membership
There is a membership fee which can be paid monthly or annually.
Members will be able to:
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Access VIP CLUB training videos
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Access Assistance Dog videos: includes tasks, anxiety support and wheelchair videos
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Access daily online trainer support
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Weekly Live Q&A with the Head Trainer
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Receive ongoing support & evaluation
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Purchase our Assistance Dog in Training vests, settle mats, backpacks & lead slips (after passing Bronze)
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Purchase a membership card to help with access issues
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Take our Assistance Dog Awards to build a clear training goal
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Receive 10% off one to one lessons and residential stays
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Free assessment of video entries for Puppy to Gold Awards
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50% off session cost for an Access Test Assessment in Guildford Surrey (£60 instead of £120) The trainer can travel up to 50 miles from GU6 postcode.
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Monthly membership fee drops to £4.99 per month once you pass the Access Test
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100% of members fees goes towards us gifting residential stays to assistance dogs in need as well as providing discounts. Due to limited funds, we are limited on the number of gifted and discounted stays on offer
Membership will only be granted to those who meet the eligibility criteria. All documents must be sent to info@adolescentdogs.com
The Assistance Dog Academy benefits from a more than 40% discount off the current Academy subscription so that we can help as many people as possible. This is an introductory price and subject to change.
Once you've completed your application form, please email your documents to info@adolescentdogs.com and then sign up for your membership option below
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Paying it Forward
All of the profits from our Online Academy Memberships are put towards our own Assistance Dog Programme, where we carefully select puppies from reputable breeders, put the necessary training and tasks in place for their first year of life, and then match each puppy to a family. We also offer the occasional gifted or heavily discounted residential stay to members of our Assistance Dog Programme
We are not a charity, and our practical trainer support is funded 100% from our own income generated from our Online Academy, so the availability of gifted stays and discounted stays is limited. Please contact us direct to find out more.
We also work closely with charities such as PTSDUK, DefineFine and Spectrum, donating 20% of their membership signups back to their charities for fundraising. If you know of any Charities wanting to get involved with our affiliate scheme, please get in touch.
Breeders
We are looking for puppies to raise to become assistance dogs. Are you a breeder, or do you know a breeder who may be willing to donate a puppy to be trained for our programme?