Requirements For All Programs

• Dogs must show stable temperament and may be removed from program for severe anxiety or aggression.

• Dogs and humans must stay home if they are coughing, sneezing, or otherwise unwell.

• Dogs must be up to date on vaccinations. Titer tests accepted for dogs over 4 months of age.

• Humans may be removed from the program if severe anxiety leads to verbal or physical aggression.

Puppy Classes

Open to the general public.

• Puppies must be between 10 weeks and 5 months old.
• Puppies must have medical record of two vaccinations for distemper/parvovirus.

Tricks ‘N Skills Classes

Open to the general public.

• Dogs must be up to date on vaccinations. Titer tests accepted for dogs over 4 months of age.
• Dogs and humans must stay home if they are coughing, sneezing, or otherwise unwell.

Remedial Training Group Classes

Participants must be training a potential service or therapy dog.

• Assistance Dog Program: Human partner must have a legally recognized disability – either Person With Disability status, a Disability Tax Credit, or a medical document from a Canadian practitioner regarding the disability, with the exception of a parent training a dog to assist a child.
• Facility Dog Program: Handler must be a professional who intends to use the dog in their place of work for therapeutic or other medically-related purposes. 
• Dog must NOT be frequently vocal and disruptive to public locations
• Dog must be comfortable in pet friendly public locations.
• Dog must be comfortable around well behaved friendly dogs (happy and excited is ok).
• Dog must be comfortable with greeting children and men.

Service Dog Accreditation Program

• Assistant Dog Program: Human partner must have a legally recognized disability – either Person With Disability status, a Disability Tax Credit, or a medical document from a Canadian practitioner regarding the disability.
• Facility Dog Program: Human partner must be a professional who provides medical or paramedical services.
• Applicant must be a Canadian citizen or resident.
• Dog must have the ability stay close to the handler in store environments when given two feet or more of loose leash.
• Dog must show the ability to ignore moderate to low distractions and to understand basic requests such as ‘heel’, ‘stay’, ‘leave it’, ‘under/go in’ and so on.
• Dog must pass a formal temperament assessment.
• Dog must perform several trained tasks. 
• Dog must be comfortable in public locations.
• Dog must be comfortable around well behaved friendly dogs.
• Dog must demonstrate ability to relax and settle within ten minutes in a moderate distraction public environment.
• Dog must enjoy being handled by children.
• Dog must demonstrate a secure attachment to handler.
• Dog must meet health clearances.
• Human partner must demonstrate good leash handling skills.
• Human partner must prioritize the dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing, and reward the dog when it does well.
• Human partner must show understanding that provincial certification is part of our accreditation process for assistance dogs, and that our accreditation test is more challenging and in-depth.
• If human partner lives outside of Greater Vancouver Area, they must be willing to travel there for in-person assessment at beginning of program and before graduating.
• Human partner must be willing to work with us for 6 months or more.
• Team is already approaching readiness or has passed the BC Public Safety Test and/or the Canine Good Neighbour Test.