Therapy and Assistance Dogs

Assistance Dogs

Assistance dogs are trained to enhance the quality of life of physically or mentally challenged persons whilst still maintaining as much independence for the handler. This means that the dog will be a permanent working companion for the disabled handler and will assist with a myriad of task work but whilst still having the handler work and interact as much as physically or mentally possible.

Assistance dogs are trained to turn lights on and off, open and close doors, pick up and or retrieve dropped or wanted items, indicate when handler needs assistance either by alerting a carer or by pushing a medical alarm etc. We train each dog to the individual handler’s needs. There are basic tasks that are taught to each assistance dog but every handler will have different physical needs so there will be different individual tasks required for every handler.

Recently the Queensland Government introduced the new Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dog Act which will endeavour to work in with the Federal Disability Discrimination Act and it's new amendments.  This will now mean for Assistance Dog owners that regardless of if the dog was professionally trained or owner trained, all dogs and handlers will have to go through and pass a Public Access Test.  Under the Act, Trainers will have to be Certified and then they can carry out the Public Access Test on dogs and handlers.  A dog and handler whom have passed will be issued an identification card and special badge for the dog's jacket or harness.  Craig A Murray Dog Training now has three Certified Assistance Dog Trainers.  We were among the very first to pass and therefore we are able to certify dogs and handlers.

Some Factors that Affect Assistance Dog Applicants

1. We do not train other people's dogs to be either assistance dogs or facilitated dogs or even therapy dogs as we have not got the time to spare generally.  To train a dog that is not the perfect candidate is extremely time and resource consuming and often does not get the desired results.  Whilst we are putting effort into a dog that hasn't been professionally and specifically chosen for assistance dog work, recipients could be waiting longer periods of time to gain a reliable working partner.
2. We do not place assistance dogs in homes that already have other pet dogs as it is not fair on the assistance dog and is very counter productive.
3. We reserve the right to choose the dogs that we partner and won't be told that only a certain breed of dog is wanted and we will not train certain breeds which we do not believe are the best candidates for the job.

Assistance Dogs Questions

• Where do we access Assistance dog candidates?
  Our aim is to breed our own Assistance dog candidates. We currently breed Golden Retrievers and Labradors to be able to pick the best possible pups from the litter to run on and train. We also check dog pounds, giveaways, etc. and assess each particular dog to ensure that they would have the correct training drives that we would require them to have to be an Assistance dog candidate. We have a select group of breeders that are purposely breeding for sound temperament and great drives that suit our Assistance Dog program.

• What do we look for in an Assistance dog candidate?
  We look for a well socialised dog that has a great outlook on life. We require them to be extremely social with people and all other animals. They shouldn’t have any fears or phobias that would prevent them from doing their job. They also have to have an extreme play and food drive that we can naturally enhance to achieve the desired responses in their training regime.
   
• How long does it take to train an Assistance dog?
  How long is a piece of string? It also depends on each individual dog and their particular learning curves. For a well motivated dog, it could take as little as four months. The norm is around the six to eight month period. Occassionally we will come across a dog that excels in it’s training and if it seems to be a natural in it’s learning, it could be possible to get a dog out with a handler within three months of solid training.
   
• How much does it cost to produce an Assistance dog?
  This depends on each indivual handler’s needs. The basic cost for a reliable, sociable Assistance dog with several tasks and public access would be approximately $20,000.00. Every handler has individual tasks that they will require with their particular dog and this is training development that needs to be done once the dog has bonded with the new handler. The cost for an Assistance dog that is trained to an advanced level that has multi-tasks would be approximately $50,000.00. There is always maintenance training that is required as the dogs are not robots and definitely need ongoing development and basic maintenance training.  We usually gain corporate or business support to fund our program.  Pet Crazy, Variety Queensland and Aussie Pooch Mobile are very active in fundraising to assist families in need of assistance dogs.  Because this program is our community service, to date, no recipient has had to pay for a dog.  This may change in the future but we will endeavour to continue to provide this service with the wonderful support of our support partners.
   
• How do we fund our Assistance dog program?
  We currently use funds from our commercial dog training business to fund our Assistance Dog program. We also rely on donations from businesses and the public to assist us with our program. Every bit of help and assistance is greatly appreciated! Our aim is to enhance quality of life and independence whilst also providing companionship for the dog and handler. 

Key Sponsors

We would like to thank the following key supporters. Without these key supporters to help us with our endeavours in training and supplying these dogs to their disabled partners, it would be impossible or extremely difficult to achieve.