Assistance Dogs

Owner-Trained Assistance Dog Program

Professional guidance to help you certify your own dog.

What is an Assistance Dog?

An Assistance Dog is a working dog which helps ease one or more symptoms of its owner's disability. An assistance dog can be a guide dog, a hearing dog, a mobility assistance dog, a psychiatric assistance dog or an autism assistance dog. A certified assistance dog has more access rights than a pet dog, allowing them to travel with their owner in public places, on public transport, and in the cabin of aircraft (by arrangement with the airline).    

A certified assistance dog has more access rights than a pet dog.

What makes a dog an Assistance Dog?

Any breed of dog can qualify as an assistance dog, although certain breeds are considered more suitable. Selection of a prospective assistance dog is also important so wherever possible consult with us before purchasing a puppy.

To be recognized as an Assistance Dog under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 an Assistance Dog must:

• Be Trained. You can achieve this yourself, through an Assistance Dog Provider, or private training companies - like Adelaide K9 Services. 

• Pass the Public Access Test (PAT). The PAT is a test the dog must pass every three years. It is coordinated by the State government and is administered by approved assessors. The primary function of the PAT is to assess the appropriateness of assistance dog teams (dog and owner). To pass the test the dog must meet the standards of hygiene, be well behaved and under control of the owner at all times.    

• Alleviate the Disability. To be certified an Assistance Dog must be trained to ease the owner's impairment. This requirement is more than just providing comfort - the dog must be trained to perform three (3) particular behaviours, sometimes without a cue from the owner. The types of things an assistance dog might do include: navigating busy public spaces, alerting their owner to certain noises, opening and closing doors and providing pressure with their body when their owner feels anxious. 

How hard is the Public Access Test?

The average pet dog is very unlikely to pass the PAT, because they lack the required level of training and behaviour. Some of the things that make the PAT difficult are:    

• Obedience. During the PAT the dog must remain in control of the handler at all times, and be able to follow direction in busy public spaces like stores and restaurants. The average pet dog lacks consistent and structured obedience training making them unlikely to comply in these distracting environments.     

• Inadequate Socialisation. The PAT assesses the ability of the dog to remain calm amid novel sights, sounds and distractions - including crowds, busy shopping centres, public transport, elevators and lifts. Without exposure to these things the pet dog may react inappropriately. 

• Environmentals. The average pet dog has little to no exposure to the places where a PAT may be conducted - busy shopping precincts, malls, shops, restaurants, cafes, buses, trains, trams. Without controlled exposure this can be overwhelming for the pet dog.  

• Impulse Control. An assistance dog must have good impulse control so they stay focused on their job. They are not allowed to take food from the floor, solicit attention from people, or sniff merchandise in shops. They must toilet on command and not void themselves inside.  

• Dog Distraction. An assistance dog must be neutral around other dogs and should not show excitement or aggression.