Welcome to the Adolescent Dogs Online Academy for Owner Trained Assistance Dogs in the UK

Mission statement

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Helping disabled people to train their own assistance dogs.  We will do this by:

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• Giving them access to qualified, force free trainers

• We will provide a high standard of training throughout each dog's life

• We will educate the public about disabled peoples rights under the Equality Act 2010.   

• We will commit to animal welfare and train and work only fit healthy dogs.  

• We will educate all our members about their legal responsibilities as a dog owner and an assistance dog handler.

• We will regularly assess every dog that is registered with the Adolescent Dogs Assistance Programme

• We will create a friendly community for members to support each other every step of the way.

Our Application Process

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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, which are held in Ewhurst, Surrey

You will need to provide:

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• A letter from your doctor stating your disability and the fact that they consider that a dog would support you with your condition

• A letter from your vet to state that your dog is fit and healthy and suitable to be an assistance dog.  

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To become an Assistance Dog, your dog must:

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• Have a sound temperament; not show any fear or reactivity issues

• Be trained to an advanced level (we can help with this)

• Demonstrate 3 specific skills that provide assistance you need because of your disability (we can also help with this training)

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Dogs with behavioural issues are rarely suitable to train as assistance dogs, so please contact us for a free assessment.

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Assessments can be done throughout the year and are completed in-person in Ewhurst, Surrey. Virtual assessments are not available for this programme.

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There are 5 assessments your dog must pass before you can become a fully training Assistance Dog / Handler Team:

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• Temperament Test

• Bronze

• Silver

• Gold

• Access Test

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Each assessment costs £50 and is undertaken by a fully qualified and experienced instructor.

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Informal assessments can be done prior to a formal assessment by sending in videos of each requirement for analysis and feedback. This informal assessment is provided as part of theprogramme and does not have any additional cost.

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You must complete a minimum of 120 hours of training over a minimum period of 18 months before you can take your Public Access Assessment.

Membership

There is a membership fee which can be paid weekly, monthly or annually. 

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Members will be able to:

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• Access VIP CLUB training videos (If you're already a VIP member, we can simply add on the assistance course for free)

• Access Assistance Dog videos

• Receive online support

• Receive ongoing support & evaluation

• Undergo assessments (Temperament Test, Bronze, Silver, Gold & Public Access Tests)

• Receive continual assessment required to train under the Adolescent Dogs Banner

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Membership will only be granted to those who meet the eligibility criteria. All documents must be sent to  

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The Assistance Dog Academy benefits from a more than 50% 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.

Your Instructors