Join us on Skool

This Therapy Dog & Handler training course is designed to equip you and your dog with the skills required to work together in an animal-assisted activities (visiting) setting.  This is the course that is suitable for people who are wishing to engage in visitation therapy dog roles, and:

--- Volunteer with their dog at a hospital or school

--- Working in the health industry in an admin role

--- Support worker role, Disability work, Youth workers

--- Health worker or education worker who is trained up to a Certificate or Diploma level

--- Clinicians or Educators who finds these course dates more convenient

If you are unsure if you meet this criteria - please ask!

This course has very much the same content as the clinical dog course, with the learning activities adjusted to accommodate for a more diverse group of students. 

It is our primary goal that your dog and your client/s are both safe and enjoy their experiences together. Therefore, this 4-week (plus assessment) short course covers a wide range of topics from training skills, manners and canine body language to specific animal assisted services. 

This course is for people who have their own dog and are looking to become involved in the field of AAT. While we do not require your dog to have had prior training, it is important they are of suitable temperament (friendly, confident, interested in interacting with new people).

This course is designed to provide  you with a range of dog-training skills and techniques to assist you and your dog to meet the criteria for graduation as a human-canine therapy team. Throughout the 4-week course we do a range of assessments and if you and your dog meet the criteria, you will graduate as a Community Therapy Dog & Handler Team. 

All of our students also have the option to join us on Skool for additional dog training classes (live and recorded) and forum chat! Click the button at the top of the page to find us! 

Dogs and handlers are able to sit their final assessment at a time that they feel they are ready. Your Therapy Dog bandana will be provided upon graduation.  Graduates will also receive a certificate, all certificates have an expiry date upon which time you and your dog will need to be assessed as a team again (typically 12mths time). Graduation certificates may also contain information about the recommended work settings suitable for your team at the time of graduation. 

Please note that dogs who are already actively working as service/assistance animals are not suitable to also work as therapy dog. For more information about this, see our FAQs page. We also have a podcast on the topic or you can send us an email to discuss.
 

Cost 

*Payment plans are available ($500 deposit required)

*Pay per module option for self-paced courses
The 4 week course cost is $1450* incl. GST) plus the cost of team assessment.

Assessments:

- Obedience & Manners (video submission) $170 incl. GST

- Temperament assessment (face to face with approved assessor $170 incl. GST with TDA, or cost varies depending on which assessor you use (usually between $150-$250).

*$660 additional fee required for self-paced course option, to cover individual tuition costs.

Throughout this online course there are worksheet and training activities to do as homework (allow approx. 1-2hrs per week for this). This fee also includes a Therapy Dog bandana & certificate for course graduates. Additional bandanas and therapy dog coats can also be purchased at the time of graduation.

Location 

This course takes place virtually on ZOOM. 

Face to face assessments can be carried our by our team at our facility, which is in Redcliffe, approximately 25mins North of Brisbane, Queensland. Interstate participants can have their face to face assessments conducted by  one of our locum dog trainers. Please check these details with us prior to registering. 

Courses will be offered 1 day per week over 4 x consecutive Monday's, unless they are an INTENSIVE offering, which are on a different timetable (see dates below), or through the self-paced option. 

Assessments can be submit whenever the team is ready (usually within 3mths of completing the course classes).