Victorian assistance dogs:
All you need to know
In Australia the dog training industry is very much a grey area. In fact, when it comes to assistance dogs in Victoria, there is no registered training organisation that has state or federal authorisation to accredit an assistance dog – as you will soon see.
This does not mean we can’t. It simply means, we are all using the same channels that you will need to use to accredit your assistance animal. Of course, there are many benefits to using assistance dog businesses – there’s a lot of work that you will need to do to have your dog ready to be an assistance animal and a lot of paperwork to fill out also. It is also a major advantage to have an external agency provide you with identification. BUT a major drawback for using such services are: The often astronomical costs associated with these organisations; and/or the lack of available assistance animals they have - often the wait lists and wait times are long.
As a result, if you find yourself in the position where an assistance dog would aid your condition, but you do not have the funds or the ability to find an already trained assistance animal, you should know: It is entirely legal for you to train your own animal yourself, if you wish. I’m not saying it will be easy, but it is allowed. Edited to add: Recently the Victorian government has moved to require assistance animals to pass a Certificate 3 Dog Trainer's obedience course. This does mean, the obedience element of an assistance dog in Victoria can no longer be completed by yourself. You will need to enlist the services of a Cert 3 Dog trainer to test and accredit their obedience.
Alternatively, if you have some funds available (starting from as low as $100) I have re-designed my current assistance dog business to make it more affordable and accessible for those needing an assistance dog.
Over the next few sections on this page, I am going to provide you with the legal definition of assistance dogs; what it means for us in Victoria specifically (if you are in another state, please contact me as these guidelines are specific to Victoria’s legislation only) and then I will provide you with all the information you need so you can make an informed decision about what best suits your needs, your budget and your time in training your dog to be an assistance animal for you.
I will also provide a flow chart at the end of this page which will help break all of the information down and enable you to see what it is you need to do, or where I can help you achieve your goal. This flow chart also includes my pricing.
It is important to read all of the information on this page to understand what exactly is an assistance dog, what they can do and what they can’t do. It’s also important to understand that no course is a guarantee that your dog will be successful in their registration as every course must hold participants to external standards. Prior to attending any course your dog already needs to have the right temperament (even if they don’t have the obedience or tasks yet). Temperament means they are non-reactive to the environment, people or other dogs, are confident and show no signs of anxiety or nervousness.
When it comes to explaining the legalities of assistance dogs, I am going to refer and quote from other sources to ensure you gain the most up to date information in the most accurately worded way possible. I will then provide commentary where commentary is needed for ease of understanding. Wherever words are not found within quotation marks these are my own words, and where words are quoted, I always give the source.
Many thanks for reading. I hope this page provides you with clarity, understanding and hope,
Annie
What is an assistance dog?
“Assistance Dog is a generic term for a guide, hearing, or service dog specifically trained to perform identifiable physical tasks and behaviours to assist a person with a disability in order to aid in quality of life and/or independence. Assistance dogs are covered under many legislative access laws for public access rights when working with their handler who lives with a disability. All dogs can intrinsically provide emotional support to a human being. Assistance dogs are different from emotional support dogs in that they are specifically trained to perform identifiable tasks to increase independence and/or quality of life.”
Taken from: www.assistancedogs.org.au;
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My commentary: Helping you understand what this means-
An assistance dogs needs to perform tasks that you require for a condition you live with. These tasks cannot include helping you feel loved or valued. Instead, the legal requirement is that your dog provides a function that you need for a diagnosed condition you live with (i.e. a medical alert dog that tells you when your blood sugar levels are low; or a physical mobility dog that helps you pick up objects that you can’t otherwise reach etc). Because assistance dogs are providing a need for their owner, they are allowed public access (i.e. they can go with you into the supermarket). Therapy dogs, emotional support dogs, companion dogs etc. do not have this same unbridled access.
Legal definition of assistance dog
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“The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) Section 9, sets out the legal definition of an assistance animal as a dog or other animal that is:
(a) Accredited under a State or Territory law to assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effects of disability; or
(b) Accredited by an animal training organisation prescribed in the regulations; or
(c) Trained to assist a person with a disability to alleviate the effect of the disability and meets standards of hygiene and behaviour that are appropriate for an animal in a public place.”
Taken from: https://humanrights.gov.au;
Regarding (b) above:
“There is no national register of Assistance Dogs in Australia at this time. Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT have programs for accreditation and registration of Assistance Dogs. However, at this time, New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, do not have a formal system of accreditation or registration offered by local or state government.”
Taken from: www.assistancedogs.org.au;
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My commentary: Helping you understand what this means-
First off, if you are living in Victoria, cross out point (b). Yes, there are organisations that train assistance animals, however they need to go through the same process as you do, and fill out the same forms. It is however, definitely handy to use these agencies as they are familiar with how to fill out these forms and train dogs to meet the standards required; BUT they are not a necessity. If their cost is too high, they have no animals available, or you would just prefer to do the process yourself, you are able to train your own assistance animal.
Next, if you are living in Victoria and have a small dog (one that fits in a bag) you can also cross out point (a) above as the only paperwork you can access from our state government, is a Public Transport Victoria Assistance Animal Pass - however these will only be issued if your dog does not fit in your bag. If your dog does fit in a carry bag, then you do not need a PTV Assistance Animal Pass as small dogs are already allowed to travel on public transport in Victoria.
Finally, point (c) is a series of valid requirements in Victoria and will be necessary for your dog to meet. Let's go through these one at a time:
1) All assistance dogs in Victoria require their owner to have a diagnosed condition/disability. This means, you can't be self-diagnosed, or just want your dog to be with you because they make you feel better. A specialist/general practitioner is required to have diagnosed you with a disability in order for you to qualify for an assistance animal in Victoria.
2) All assistance dogs in Victoria must perform several identifiable tasks that alleviate the effect of your disability. In Victoria "emotional support" is not considered a task that would satisfy the standard of an assistance dog. Examples instead include:
- Making the bed for someone with a physical disability;
- Creating space for someone who has PTSD;
- Providing grounding for someone on the ASD spectrum;
and the list goes on.
3) All assistance dogs in Victoria must be well kept, which includes their hygiene, grooming requirements and toilet training. They also must be behaviourally and temperamentally sound. They cannot bark, growl or be otherwise reactive if someone was to approach them. While they can be taught to ignore people, they cannot be otherwise aggressive/reactive. This also exists for their environment also - they cannot be reactive toward bikes, cars, other dogs, loud noises and the list goes on. They also need to be obedient, being controllable by you at all times i.e. your assistance dog should not run away from you, jump on others, or otherwise make a nuisance of themselves when in public.
4) All assistance dogs in Victoria now require an obedience assessment and attainment through a Cert 3 Dog trainer.
What about a Public Access Test (PAT)?
“The Public Access Test (PAT) establishes a minimum standard for an assistance dog’s behaviour in a public area under state and federal law.”
Taken from: www.assistancedogs.org.au;
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My commentary: Helping you understand what this means-
The above is true, however, only certain states have an official public access test; Victoria is not one of them. Which means, your assistance animal does not need to complete the PAT to be registered as an assistance animal in Victoria. Oh, they definitely should be able to do everything on the PAT prior to your application, however there is no state-endorsed-PAT test for you to complete in Victoria. As a result, while it is very helpful to check the other state's Public Access Tests as you train your own dog to ensure you are covering all your bases (a link can be found here: https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0032/88655/pat-certification-handler-card-form.pdf) however you do not have to sign up with an agency to complete this. Instead, use it as a guide to help you prepare.
What do I need to do to meet (a) or (c) in the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 Section 9?
I have told you what you don’t need to do – in Victoria you don’t need to go to a training organisation (but they are very helpful), and you don’t need to formally complete a public access test (though your dog should be able to meet the same standards). So what do you need to do? Please read the following 3 points taken from Victoria's only government accreditation on the matter:
1
Mobility Support; Medical Alert; or
Psychiatric Service
“In Victoria assistance animals need to serve in at least one of the following capacities:
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Mobility support animals that help people with physical disabilities who use wheelchairs or have difficulty moving around;
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Medical alert animals that help people before and during a medical emergency; or
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Psychiatric service animals that help people with mental illness.
To receive a pass, you’ll need to provide evidence that your assistance animal is trained to help you manage your disability, and meets high standards of hygiene and obedience.”
Taken from: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au
2
Not all animals are assistance animals even if they assist you in some way
“Companion, therapy and facility animals are not considered assistance animals. House training and general obedience aren’t enough to qualify your animal as an assistance animal”.
Taken from: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au
3
Temperament, Obedience, Manners, Hygiene and Behaviour
Your assistance animal also needs to be:
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“non-aggressive
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obedient to their handler's commands
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quiet (no barking)
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experienced in real life situations
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calm in confined and crowded spaces
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calm in noisy and stressful situations.”
List taken from: https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au
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"The obedience training will need to be provided by a person who either:
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holds a qualification in Certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training or
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a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services or
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is a qualified dog obedience trainer with one of the following Ministerially approved dog obedience training organisations:
Taken from: https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/
What now?
In summary, I have shown you –
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Legally you are able to train your own assistance animal. It may be difficult, but it is possible.
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Organisations that train assistance animals are very useful and can make the process much easier; but they are often costly and don’t always have animals available.
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Your assistance animal needs to meet a verified need of yours (i.e. they cannot be an assistance animal if they just make you feel good or you want to be able to take your dog with you to public places just because).
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Your assistance animal needs to be highly obedient as evidenced by an accredited dog trainer, receptive to your voice, non-barking, non-aggressive and non-reactive, calm, and publicly well-mannered in all environments.
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I will now outline a checklist of the items you will need to be able to demonstrate when you apply for your assistance animal pass in Victoria. I will do so by providing the do it yourself model first (i.e. how to achieve the standards by yourself). Following this, I will provide the same table, though I will outline services you can access through me which can help you achieve the standard.
I have found providing assistance dog training this way keeps the cost affordable and allows owners to choose what services they require vs what they can do themselves. Please understand that no course in Victoria is a guarantee that your dog will pass the assistance dog standards, and my course is no exception. Training assistance dogs requires a lot of time, effort, consistency and commitment on your part. It will not be an easy or a quick process, however, it is entirely possible.
DO IT YOURSELF
The following outlines briefly what has been discussed above, and breaks down what you need to do for your dog to become an assistance dog into 4 key areas: Obedience; Temperament and Public Experience; their Role; and the Paperwork.
Services I offer that can help you achieve the assistance dog standards
While it is entirely possible for you to train your own assistance dog in Victoria, there is a reason many don't. Namely, because it's incredibly difficult. If you need help achieving a certain standard, these are the services I provide which can help you achieve your goal. You can choose any from the list and I will help you with that area.
Contact
If you would like to chat further about an assistance dog pathway that works for you, please call me on: 0473 739 067. All assistance dogs that I train need to first enrol through phone call rather than email or message, as this enables me to ensure we are both on the same page.
