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Assistance Dog Program

Welcome to our Assistance Dog Program — a comprehensive, mostly virtual training experience & community designed to support you every step of the way to train your own dog as a assistance dog. Our program is led by Heather Pyne, an experienced trainer who not only brings professional expertise, but also lived experience as a disabled person and parent to disabled children. We’re also lucky to have the most incredible volunteer mentors, an assistant trainer, and a dedicated behind-the-scenes team who all contribute their time, care, and experience to support you. 

With clear and transparent monthly membership pricing, everything you need is included — no hidden costs, no surprises. We believe in giving you all the information you need to make the right decision for you and your dog... so yes, there is a lot to read below (sorry about that!) — but don’t worry! If you choose to join us, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know during our introduction course.

Eligibility



1. Age & household eligibility

Our Assistance Dog Program is open to the following groups:

a. Young People with Disabilities or Serious Illness

Aged 0 months to 26 years at the time of application with or without parent/carer support.

 

b. Disabled Parents and Children in the Same Household

Households where both a disabled parent and a disabled young person (under 26 years old) are training the dog to support both individuals OR in a household with multiple disabled young people e.g. disabled siblings.


C. Successor Dog Applicants

  • Any individual who has previously trained an assistance dog through our program where the dog has retired due to old age or ill health.
  • This includes parents whose disabled child (original applicant) is now an adult and no longer resides in their home.
  • Applicants may be over the usual age threshold, provided they continue to meet the disability criteria.

D. Adults Aged 26–30

  • Who are not eligible for other assistance dog programs.
  • Or whose only eligible programs currently have no capacity or availability.


2. Disability Criteria

Applicants must have a disability as defined under the Equality Act 2010:

“A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.”

This is a legal requirement for anyone to have an assistance dog, regardless of the organisation or whether the dog is owner-trained.


3. Task-Based Need

Applicants must demonstrate a need for the dog to perform at least three (3) assistive tasks in public spaces to significantly reduce the impact of their disability on daily living.


4. Dog Ownership and Suitability

Applicants must already own a friendly, non-aggressive dog that is:

    • Not excessively anxious.
    • Vaccinated, flea-treated, and wormed.
    • Not raw fed.
    • In overall good health.
Own a dog that is NOT:
    • brachycephalic (short-nosed breeds that could be compromised by working conditions).
    • A breed bred specifically for guarding or protection.
    • Likely to exceed 40 kg at a healthy adult weight.

5. Commitment and Care Responsibilities

  • Applicants must be willing and able to travel to Nottingham for:
    • Three assessment stages during training.
    • Annual reassessments.
    • Occasional workshops.
  • Be able to meet all health, welfare, and financial needs of their dog independently.



Assistive tasks

To be eligible for our program 3 of the tasks must support your medical, care, emotional and support needs. We've split these into categories to make it easier to navigate but you can choose any of the tasks below as long as they support your specific needs relating to being disabled. 

Tasks which support physical or mobility related needs

  • Pick up dropped items
  • Take rubbish to bin
  • Turn on & off lights
  • Find and fetch named items (eg key)
  • Pull emergency chord
  • Press life & entrance access buttons
  • Fetch items off shelf/ out of cupboards
  • Open doors, cupboards, curtains etc
  • Take item from you to another person
  • Fetch phone when it rings
  • Assist with dressing and undressing
  • Load & unload washing machine

Sensory, emotional and mental health support tasks

  • Deep pressure, light pressure and head rest
  • Alert to emergency sounds e.g. fire alarm
  • Fetch supportive items e.g. bottles, ear defenders
  • Cover - stand behind or circle around handler to create space
  • Find and lead to exit
  • Alert to early signs of anxiety/ distress/ overload etc.
  • Interrupt episodes of self harm, destructive behaviours or dissociation
  • Road safety tasks including dual handling, refusing to cross in front of vehicles,  indicating to curbs, stopping automatically at curbs to prompt checking for traffic.
  • Find and indicate to or lead to parent/carer
  • Find young person if lost, eloped or hiding

Medical and Hearing alert & response tasks

  • Alert to upcoming medical events such as seizures, hypo, fainting etc
  • Lie beside person when they've fallen, fainted, are unconscious, having a seizure etc.
  • Provide tactile stimulation during/after medical event to promote recovery
  • Pull emergency cord
  • Fetch drink/ glucose/ rescue meds etc
  • Fetch carer during medical event
  • Fetch and give health care plan to carer/ emergency services
  • Pull pillow under head
  • Alert to vital sounds for safety such as fire alarm, car alarm
  • Notify handler of person calling their name 
  • Notify handler of any other general life specific sounds like microwave ping, baby crying etc.




Training & timetables


At Pawsitive Squad CIC, we are committed to providing consistent, accessible, and inclusive support to all our members through a well-rounded and flexible program.

We guarantee the following each month (excluding August and December):

·       A minimum of 9 Zoom group classes per training level

·       A minimum of 9 assistive task Zoom classes.

·       A maintained Virtual Learning Zone for self-guided dog training.

·       A maintained Virtual Learning Theory Program tailored to each training level.

·       A minimum of 4 one-to-one (1:1) sessions, available on a first come, first served basis.

These are the very minimum we guarantee to offer. In practice, our monthly offering is usually significantly greater, with more classes, learning resources, and one-to-one opportunities regularly provided to further enrich your training experience.

If, for any reason, we are unable to meet these guarantees in a given month (excluding August and December), you may request a full refund of your membership fee for that month.

We usually offer two blocks of daytime classes and two blocks of evening classes per week. Classes are currently held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, though this schedule is subject to change based on demand and instructor availability.

In addition to virtual classes, we typically offer monthly in-person workshops on Saturdays and monthly assessments on Sundays. These sessions are held in line with our temperature and weather policy, and may be rescheduled or cancelled if conditions are unsuitable for safe and effective training. 



Cost

Our membership fee for assistance dog in training is  £70 per calendar month. Our membership fee for fully trained partnerships is £6 per calendar month.

Membership fees are reviewed each April and may be adjusted annually to reflect changes in:

·       Running costs

·       Inflation

·       Service expansion and improvement

We guarantee to provide at least 30 days’ notice of any fee changes.

As a not-for-profit organisation, we remain committed to keeping our services affordable, while ensuring we can continue to offer a high standard of support for you and your dog


Funding Support

There maybe support available for fund the assistance dog program for you/ your child. Below is a list of some options which may be available to you. 

1) Funding through your local authority including through short breaks. Some adult clients have been granted funding for 12 months of the assistance dog program as part of their social care provision. This is usually capped at 12 months however so it's important to have a plan for how you pay for the program moving forward. You would need to discuss this possibility with your social worker. 

We have several families who have been granted permission to use their short breaks funding for the assistance dog program where the young person would not realistically be able to access other provisions where the primary care giver goes off site/ where they would go out with other carers. Most disabled young people who recieve mid or high DLA are eligible for short breaks funding. Search your local authority website for more information or speak with your social worker/ family support worker for more information.  We have a proposal letter which can be downloaded here to submit to your local authority short breaks team to request permission to use the short breaks funding for us: Short breaks proposal for pawsitive squad assistance dog program .pdf

2) Funding through a personal budget as part of the EHCP - If the young person wanting to train their dog as an assistance dog is not able to access a full time education, the local authority may consider funding the assistance dog program as part of their educational provision. You can download a proposal letter for the assistance dog program as an educational provision here: Educational proposal for asistance dog program commissioning.pdf 

please note, this is for the assistance dog program outlined here. For a more bespoke 1:1 animal centred educational provision, we have an alternative provision service. Please go to alternative provision to find out more. 

3) Grants from disability-specific charities - There are lots of charities that provide grants to disabled children and young people, each coming with its own specific eligibility criteria. When looking to obtain a grant towards assistance dog training from charities, we recommend you apply to charities that offer support for your specific disability. Even if these charities are unable to support you, they may be able to signpost you towards other potential funders. 

4) Grants from accessing work & building better opportunities (BBO) projects and programs in your local area -This may be an option for prospective clients aged 16 - 25 if you would need an assistance dog to be able to access employment. Simply search for your local access to work/ building better opportunity project provider  If they're not able to provide funding support they may be able to signpost you to potential funding sources. 

5) Crowdfunding - There are several crowdfunding platforms where sharing your assistance dog aim may enable you to get donations from the general public towards your journey. Tree of Hope offers a crowdfunding platform through their charity which has lots of benefits including being able to add gift aid to donations and being more likely to obtain matched funding and corporate funding. Other crowdfunding platforms which may be suitable include Go Fund Me and Just Giving.

6) Personal Health Budgets from the NHS - If your receives continuing care from the NHS or you receive NHS Continuing Healthcare you're eligible for a personal health budget. In some circumstances, you may be able to use this personal health budget to fund your assistance dogs training. You can read about an assistance dog (not with Pawsitive Squad) who was trained using their personal budget by clicking here.

7) Other grant providers, community organisations etc - It maybe worth approaching your local rotary club or similar organisation to ask if they're able to provide funding support. 

8) US - Families and individual may apply for a scholarship to reduce your monthly membership to £45 per month if the full membership fee is just not achievable for you. To apply for this please email us at enquiries@pawsitivesquad.co.uk. Please note, to apply for a scholarship you will be required to provide evidence of 3 months of income and expenditure as well as savings. Scholarships are considered by the board of directors on a case by case basis. 

Equipment


You will need:

- A dog! (vaccinated, not raw fed, flea & wormed etc) and who doesn't have any major behavioural or emotional issues (if they are reactive, severely anxious or aggressive, please don't apply, you need to work through this with a behaviourist first!) 

- Appropriate non aversive collar & lead (we recommend a KUMFI harness as these fit well under our working vests and allow multiple contact points plus a lead, we recommend a HALTI training lead (NOT HEAD COLLAR THESE ARE NOT PERMITTED).

- Dog treat pouch & a variety of training rewards 

- A variety of dog toys (you need at least 2 identical toys your dog likes, so if you find something they really enjoy get a few of them in the same colour please!) 

- Dog muzzle with pant room (your dog needs to be able to open their mouth in the muzzle you can find out more HERE

- First aid kit including at minimum non adhesive dressing, cotton bandages and vet wrap

- Target stick (optional)

- Long line (no extendable leads permitted!)

- A portable fabric mat 

- A boundary for home - we recommend a raised bed but a standard dog bed or crate is fine as well. 

- Some sort of platform your dog, a good option is an exercise step or a couple of yoga blocks 

- At least 6 hard, non breakable cups 

- Food centred enrichment puzzle/ mat e.g. lick mat, slow feeder bowl, snuffle mat etc.



Commitment required

  • For assistance dog in training clients, a minimum attendance of 4 different classes per month (1 hour total) is required.
  • The exception is August where attendance is not mandatory due to holidays and reduced timetable, and December has a minimum attendance of 2 different classes within the month.
  • There is no class requirement for fully trained assistance dog classes, though fully trained partnerships may attend classes if they wish.
  • If clients cannot meet the required attendance and commitment, then we are not a suitable program for them. We cannot change our expectations for individual clients.
  • Clients who miss the minimum requirement of attendance for 2 months (consecutively or non-consecutively) will be removed from the program. If clients feel this should be waived due to exceptional circumstances, then a written, video or audio recorded request to remain on the program explaining & evidences the circumstances and how the client will be able to re-meet the attendance requirements moving forward must be provided to the board of directors for consideration within 30 days of notification to remove from the program.
  • Outside of Pawsitive Squad sessions, handlers should ensure their dog has community-based training on top of their usual exercise walks at least once per week.
  • On top of the practical commitments, handlers must be commited to being open and honest about their disabilities and health needs and happy to provide evidence of these upon request. 

Assessments and levels

Bronze Award

The first stage of our assistance dog program is the bronze award. This is 'pre assistance dog in training' status with us and covers important handling skills, obedience and canine theory - everything you and your dog need to know and do to be ready to begin public access and task training once they've passed the bronze award. 


Silver Award & Gold Award

Once you've passed the bronze award your dog will become a Pawsitive Squad assistance dog in training and start working towards the silver award which mostly focuses on assessing your dogs public access skills and behaviours (such as can they tuck under a chair & can they walk through a shop without sniffing) and then on to the gold award which assesses that your dog is now reliably meeting the expectations of a fully train assistance dog AND that they can reliably perform three assistive tasks in public spaces. 


Fully trained partnerships

Training doesn't just stop once you've passed the gold award! All clients will fully trained assistance dogs keep access to all of our training resources and are encouraged to continue attending classes occasionally to keep topped up on skills and develop new tasks as the needs of the young person change and develop. Fully trained partnerships continue to have some paperwork requirements including submitting annual reports, vet & vaccine records and health & care records and also have an annual reassessment each year to ensure the dog remains at the standard required of a fully trained assistance dog. Good news! While you keep access to all the provisions of the assistance dog program your fees reduce to just £6pcm once your dog is fully trained. This can be paid annually or monthly. 

©copyright 2018-2026 Pawsitive Squad CIC.

All rights Reserved.

Pawsitive Squad is a registered community interest company (non profit organisation) number 1145 1119 (England and Wales)

enquiries@pawsitivesquad.co.uk




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