An assistance dog is a specially trained canine that is trained to assist individuals with disabilities to perform daily tasks and live independently. They are carefully selected for their temperament, intelligence, and eagerness to please, and undergo rigorous training to learn a variety of tasks that help their handlers with mobility, sensory, or psychiatric disabilities.
Assistance dogs can detect changes in their handler’s behavior, help them navigate obstacles, retrieve items, alert them to important sounds and smells, and provide emotional support.
Types of assistance dogs include guide dogs for people with visual impairments, hearing dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, service dogs for people with mobility impairments, and emotional support animals for people with psychological disorders.
Assistance dogs provide their handlers with increased independence, safety, and a sense of companionship.
In Queensland, the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 protects the public access rights of dogs and their handlers that have been through a certification process.
To gain certification, you must work with one of the following approved GHAD trainers or training institutions to train your dog and complete the public access test and certification process. You may then request the trainer to obtain a handler identity card for you, and a blue and white cloth badge for your guide, hearing or assistance dog to display on its coat or harness.
Super Canine is one of only four registered GHAD trainers* in New South Wales.
Below you will find our four core articles covering all our “must know” items regarding assistance dogs, GHAD certification and budgeting tips.
For further reading on all things Assistance Dog, check out our full resource archive!
Training continues for the entire working life of the dog. It is up to you to stay in touch with your trainer and uphold the high standard of training your dog needs to display at all times.
Please budget for ongoing training costs over the dog’s lifetime.
Learn more about Super Canine Assistance Dog Training Methods. Every dog and handler team will vary with the amount of training they require.
Learn about the various Super Canine assistance dog training stages that help dogs learn and adopt desirable behaviors.
This article is dedicated to helping you understand when a dog is physically, emotionally and socially mature to take on assistance dog work.
An assistance dog attracts attention to both you and your dog whether you like it or not. Other people and children will want to talk to you and touch your dog. Even though your dog will wear a vest with ‘Do not touch’ badges, other people just don’t read or care. This can be very frustrating and annoying. You will need to practice an appropriate phrase you can verbally deliver to the public and the responses to the various questions the public will ask about you and your dog.
Learn more about Understanding Dogs and the Training Process here
The following businesses and organisations play a pivotal role in our business by providing financial support and expert guidance.
Find out all about Super Canine, New South Wales’ one-on-one GHAD trainer for certified assistance dogs.
Thinking of beginning your assistance dog training journey? Find the answers to all of your Super Canine FAQs. Get the right information about whether you and your dog are suitable for our courses, what a GHAD trained dog can do and not to and other GHAD Training FAQs.
Contact Super Canine for information on training hours, dog breeds, support throughout the training process and pricing packages.
Super Canine support and assist
clients to raise and train their
own dogs as assistance dogs.
