Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I apply for an assistance dog?
Download our information guide which contains full details of how to apply, and will answer many of your questions about what owning an assistance dog entails. Alternatively, you can call us on 01295 252600 to request a copy.
Download information guide
2. How long does it take to train an assistance dog?
We take our puppies at just eight weeks old and they spend the first year of their lives with a puppy socialiser. At around a year old, they come into our national training centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, where we spend six to eight months giving them all the skills they will require to help a person with disabilities.
3. How many assistance dogs do you have currently working?
Dogs for the Disabled have trained over 620 partnerships to date and currently have over 260 working in England and Wales.
4. What breeds of dogs to you train?
We train Labradors, Golden Retrievers and first crosses of the two. We select these breeds for their willingness to work for people, great temperament and natural ability to perform tasks such as retrieving dropped items.
5. What does an assistance dog do?
At Dogs for the Disabled we train assistance dogs to help three groups of people: adults with physical disabilities, children with physical disabilities and families with a child with autism.
For the adults with physical disabilities we help, each dog can offer practical support with tasks that many of us take for granted, for example, opening and closing doors, helping people undress, and even emptying the washing machine. For children with physical disabilities, our dogs perform many of the tasks they do for adults, but in addition they can assist with daily physiotherapy routines. For families with a child with autism, an assistance dog becomes a calming focus for the child, allowing the whole family to take part in a wider range of every day activities.
6. Can you train my pet to become an assistance dog?
Dogs for the Disabled currently only train assistance dogs that have completed our own puppy socialising scheme.
7. How much does it cost to train an assistance dog?
It costs approximately £10,000 to take an eight week old puppy through to a fully qualified assistance dog working for its disabled owner.
8. Do you accept puppies from the public to join your scheme?
From time to time, we do accept Labrador or Golden Retriever puppies. For more information call 01295 252600.
9. How do I become an assistance dog trainer? Our Director of Training recommends that people gain as much practical experience as possible. This can be in the form of attending a local dog training school and observing the trainer, working as a kennel assistant at a boarding kennels or voluntary work at a dog rescue centre. The more practical experience you can demonstrate you have to a prospective employer, the better.
Although it is not a requirement that we insist upon when advertising for Dog Trainers, a course in Animal Management can also be a useful tool. These courses tend to be run at Agricultural Colleges, so contact your nearest one to enquire whether they run these. A dog grooming course could also prove to be beneficial.
Our Dog Trainers advise that there is a lot of competition for the very few jobs that become available in this type of field. Remember that being a Dog Trainer often means working in all weathers, working unsociable hours, sometimes at short notice, so you must be extremely committed. We have very few Dog Trainer vacancies that arise, but when they do they are advertised on our website, which is updated regularly.
10. Can I volunteer to work with your dogs or help in the kennels?
Currently we are unable to offer any volunteering opportunities within our kennels or training centre specifically working with dogs. However, we do have opportunities to puppy socialise, temporary board or provide after care support for our working partnerships. For information visit Give your time area of our website or call 01295 252600.
11. Can I purchase an assistance dog jacket for my dog?
Dogs for the Disabled is a member of the umbrella organisation Assistance Dogs UK. All our partnerships are trained to the agreed standards between the member organisations and we are unable to provide jackets to dogs outside the scheme.
12. I would like to raise funds for Dogs for the Disabled, can you suggest some ideas for fundraising?
We are delighted that you have chosen to fundraise to support our work, please contact the Fundraising Department on 01295 252600 who will be able to provide you with ideas and suggestions.
13. What percentage of each pound goes to fund your work?
77p from every pound raised goes directly to support our work.
