If you're bringing home a puppy with the hope of training them as an assistance dog, you may have been told not to start too soon. A common piece of advice is to forget about assistance dog training for the first few months, concentrate on socialisation and "let your puppy be a puppy". There is some good advice hidden in there. A young puppy shouldn't be treated like a fully trained assistance dog. They don't need hours of formal training, they shouldn't be expected to cope with busy...

Get your free recall training guide. Learn how to stop your dog ignoring you and build reliable recall with simple, proven steps.

Eligibility, Routes to Funding, and How to Apply Assistance dogs can be genuinely life-changing, offering increased independence, safety, and wellbeing for disabled people. However, the cost of training an assistance dog—particularly when done properly and ethically—can be a barrier. The good news is that funding is available , and not just through large charities. Many people are unaware that assistance dog training can be funded through a variety of statutory and non-statutory routes,...