Trained Assistance Dogs

Pet Dog to Assistance Dog

Here at Adolescent Dogs, we provide intensive residential training packages to train your own dog to become your assistance dog

Our assistance dog residential training stays are tailored to your specific needs and cover all training from basic to advanced obedience, public access training and training mitigating tasks

If you want to train your dog yourself, head over to our Online Programme

What disabilities do we support?

We support a wide range of disabilities including:

Physical disabilities (wheelchair users, POTS, EDS, Fibromyalgia, Multiple Sclerosis, ME, Spina Bifida, Cerebal Palsy, Spinal Injuries, Brain injuries, Strokes, Amputees etc)
Medical support (Diabetes, Seizures, Addisons, Allergies, Blood Pressure, Migraines, POTS, Crohns)
Psychological & neurological support (Autism, Downs Syndrome, PTSD, Functional Neurological Disorder, Disassociative Identity Disorder, FASD, severe anxiety, Bipolar, major depression)

You can join us right away and start training.

You will need to provide the following documentation:

A letter from your doctor stating your medical diagnosis
A document confirming your dog has 3rd party liability insurance as an assistance dog

To train as an Assistance Dog, your dog must:

Have a sound temperament; not show any fear or reactivity issues
Receive yearly vet checks to confirm suitability and be in good health.
Have public liability insurance that covers your dog as an assistance dog
Be trained to an advanced level
Demonstrate 3 specially taught skills that provide assistance you need because of your disability

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.

The training syllabus

We can support all areas of training for your assistance dog including

Puppy socialisation
Basic obedience cues
Advanced training cues
Training in different environments
Training beside a wheelchair
Training with a walking aid
Heeling on & off lead
Off lead control
Impulse control
Manners in the home
Neutrality towards people & dogs
Training in dog friendly places
Teaching mitigating tasks
Public access training
Tranferring the skills to you

How it works

Your dog comes to live with one of our trainers in their family home to receive intensive training fully customised to their needs.

There are 5 stages of training that your dog needs to work through including:

Bronze Award: basic obedience cues (from 12 weeks old)

Silver Award: advancing training around distractions (from 9 months old)

Gold Award: Complete on and off lead control (from 12 months old)

Mitigating Tasks: teaching tasks that mitigate your disability

Access Test: the Public Access Test is your final test for your dog to become fully trained. (from 18 months old)

The waiting list to receive a trained dog from a charity can be up to 5 years and in many cases can cost over £15,000.

With our programme, there are no waiting lists and you can be involved in your dog's training journey from day 1, allowing you to grow a bond with your dog and have the training completely tailored to your needs

If you want to train your dog yourself, sign up to our Online Assistance Dog Programme

The programme

Your dog will come to live with one of our trainers in their family home to receive daily intensive training. You can either book a shorter stay of 2 to 4 weeks to work towards one Award level or to overcome a specific training struggle. Or you can book longer stays or our full 8 to 16 week programme to cover the entire training syllabus.

Each Award takes roughly 2 to 4 weeks to achieve, with the mitigating tasks being integrated into any stay with us. The most popular option is to send your dog for 2 to 4 week stay to help achieve one of the Awards or to help overcome specific struggles. We do offer a 'home at weekends' option if you live locally .

Some of our clients require full support and opt to book the full programme. This can take 8 to 16 weeks depending on your dog's age, breed, training history and your ability to keep the training in place between stays.

After each stay with us, you'll receive hands on training to transfer the training to you so that you can keep it in place and continue to advance your dog's training

If opting for the full package of 5 awards, we would recommend starting with a puppy and schedule 2 to 4 week stays as follows:

12 weeks: Puppy Award
6 months: Bronze Award (can be achieved earlier during a puppy stay)
9 months: Silver Award & tasks
12 months: Gold Award & tasks
18 months: Access Test Level

If you have an older dog who has already achieved their Bronze award or above, you can complete the programme in 8 to 12 weeks in one go, or as a split stay.

Some dogs might be slower learners, or you as the handler may not be in the best position for keeping up your dog's training. You can always book additional stays if you both need more than the standard package. We can't guarantee that your dog will reach the required standard during their stay since progress depends on your dogs age, breed, temperament, learning history, learning style and how able you are to keep up the training.

Not every dog has a suitable temperament to become an assistance dog and temperament can change as your pup grows, as well as be impacted by any negative experiences they may encounter. Unfortunately we have no control over your dogs temperament. We provide free temperament assessments during each stage of training.

See the Awards below

Puppy to Bronze

Award

In this stay, we will teach your puppy all of the basic obedience cues such as Sit, Down, Middle, Heel, Wait, Leave, Come, Door Manners & handling skills

Your puppy will also receive positive socialisation experiences with people, dogs, cats, livestock, children, traffic, bikes, shops, cafes, grooming, handling, sounds etc

This stay aims for your pup to pass their Puppy & Bronze Award

Silver

Award

In this stay, we’ll further advance your pups training, starting to build distance, duration and distractions. We'll begin proofing the training to different environments and busy places as well as getting ahead of any bad habits

This stay will aim for your pup to pass their Silver Award and to start building mitigating tasks

Deciding who to trust

As trainers and dog owners ourselves, we understand how important it is to find someone you trust to care for your assistance dog prospect

Throughout your dog's stay, you'll receive regular photo & video updates and have daily contact with your trainer so that you have peace of mind that your dog is being well cared for, having fun and receiving training tailored to their needs

Our team have a wealth of experience working with assistance dogs and catering to very specific needs

Gold

Award

In this stay, we’ll work on further proofing your dog's training in busy environments, improving their on and off lead control around other dogs and people, their settling skills and advanced obedience cues in public access spaces

This stay will aim for your pup to pass their Gold Award and Mitigating Task Award

Access Test

Award

In this stay, we’ll be training your dog in Public Access spaces, building your dog’s reliability in shops, restaurants, theatres and on transport.

We’ll also work on building a more reliable response to mitigating tasks in public areas.

This stay aims for your dog to pass their Public Access Test with you

What's included

Your dog will receive the highest level of care and training during their stay. Our residential stays include full support & contact during and after your dog's stay to ensure long term success

Chat with or meet your trainer before booking
Your dog lives with their trainer in their home as part of the family
Guaranteed positive training methods
Training customised to your dog's unique needs
Training in a home environment and out in the real world
A certificate for each Award completed
A digital assistance dog membership card
An 'Assistance Dog in Training' vest customised to your needs (full package only)
An 'Assistance Dog' vest once your Access Test is passed (full package only)
WhatsApp chat for daily trainer contact
Receive regular photos, videos and updates throughout the stay
Weekly progress reports
2 x owner training lessons at the end of each milestone to transfer the training to you
Lifetime access to the Online Assistance Dog Programme for video tutorials and Live trainer chat
A YouTube video featuring your dog's training progress
Call your trainer anytime for questions or support

*Dog & Owner packages can either be booked as an 'extra' addon to your package, or the final week of an Award can be swapped out. These are 5 days of training with your trainer in their location for 1.5 hours per day.

Nationwide collection services available (please ask us for a quote)

Training guarantee

Every dog is different based on their age, breed, personality, previous learning history and environment.

When training an assistance dog, your individual dog's temperament and willingness to learn plays a huge role in their success rate to making it as an assistance dog, as well as having a dog well matched to your individual needs

We can't guarantee that your dog will achieve each milestone in the allotted time (they may need additional stays to reach more advanced milestones), or you may need to work with your dog for longer between stays. We also can't guarantee that your dog will be a suitable candidate to become a fully trained assistance dog for you as your dog's temperament can change as they mature or from negative experiences.

We offer free assessments prior to commencing the programme if you have any doubts about your dog's suitability.

Watch videos of Assistance Dogs who have trained with us