Choosing a guide, hearing or assistance dog
- What type of dog do you need?
- Protection under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009
- Approved trainers and training institutions
- Working with your dog
You may need a guide, hearing or assistance dog if you have a disability and need support to live more independently and access public places, public passenger vehicles, or rental or holiday accommodation in Queensland.
Most people are familiar with the guide dogs used by a person with vision impairment. However, there are many other ways that dogs can be specifically trained to assist people in their everyday lives, including:
- alerting people with a hearing impairment to specific sounds
- pulling wheelchairs or carrying and picking up items, or helping with balance for people with mobility impairments
- alerting an oncoming medical episode, for example, diabetic attack or epileptic seizure
- alerting a person with psychiatric illness to move away from a situation that increases symptoms.
What type of dog do you need?
Guide dogs
Guide dogs can be trained to take directional instructions and find a suitable travel path. They also alert you to changes in ground levels. Guide dogs help you to avoid obstacles at head height, avoid oncoming traffic, and go around obstacles. They will even find objects.
Hearing dogs
Hearing dogs are trained to alert you to specific sounds in the home, such as a phone ringing, an alarm sounding, or a baby crying. Some hearing dogs also work outside the home, alerting you to specific sounds in public settings and vehicles. Instead of barking, hearing dogs get your attention by touch (such as a nose-nudge or pawing) and then they lead you to the source of the sound.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs are trained to perform a range of tasks and behaviours for people with a disability. Assistance dogs can also be trained to help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, to access and participate in the community. Some assistance dogs know more than 50 assistive tasks.
Guide, hearing or assistance dogs are not to be confused with a therapy/emotional support/companion dogs. Such dogs are not considered an assistance or service dog, as the owner may not have a disability and/or the dog has not been trained to undertake specific, identifiable tasks and behaviours to reduce the person’s need for support. The dog is therefore is not recognised under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009.
Protection under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009
In Queensland, the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 protects the public access rights of dogs and their handlers that have been through a certification process.
To gain certification, you must work with one of the following approved trainers or training institutions to train your dog and complete the public access test and certification process. You may then request the trainer to obtain a handler identity card for you, and a blue and white cloth badge for your guide, hearing or assistance dog to display on its coat or harness.
Approved trainers and training institutions
The following dog training services are approved under the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009.
Queensland
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compass Assistance Dogs | Assistance dogs | assistancedogs@compassinc.org.au | Hunchy |
| Association of Australian Assistance Dogs | Assistance dogs | mail@asdogsnq.com.au | Mareeba |
| Australian Companion and Assistance Dogs | Assistance dogs | assist@acad.org.au | Peregian Springs |
| Canine Helpers for the Disabled | Assistance dogs | info@caninehelpers.org.au | Caboolture |
| Empower Assistance Dogs | Guide, hearing and assistance dogs | admin@empowerassistancedogs.org.au | Loganlea |
| Guide Dogs Queensland | Guide dogs | admin@guidedogsqld.com.au | Bald Hills |
| In the Paws of Angels | Assistance dogs | inthepawsofangelsinc@icloud.com | Beachmere |
| K9 Tales | Assistance dogs | info@k9tales.com.au | Diamond Valley |
| Kylie Smith | Assistance dogs | kylie@elitecanines.com.au | Palmwoods |
| Positive Response Dog Training | Assistance dogs | info@positiveresponse.net.au | Thornlands |
| Smart Pups Assistance Dogs | Guide, hearing and assistance dogs | enquiries@smartpups.org.au | Pomona |
| Stapell Working Dog | Guide dogs | hello@stapell.com.au | Bracken Ridge |
Victoria
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centre for Service and Therapy Dogs of Australia | Assistance dogs | info@cstda.com.au |
Caulfield South |
| Emelia Wilmot | Assistance dogs | paws4assistance@gmail.com | Glenroy |
| Guide Dogs Victoria | Guide dogs | info@guidedogsvictoria.com.au | Kew |
| Helen Read | Assistance dogs | clevercanines03@gmail.com | Geelong area |
| Vision Australia Seeing Eye Dogs | Guide dogs | info@seda.org.au | Kensington |
New South Wales
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Integra Service Dogs Australia | Assistance dogs | enquiries@isda.com.au 0412 547 889 | Michelago |
| Miracle Assistance Dogs | Hearing and assistance dogs | info@miracleassistancedogs.org.au 0409 343 051 | East Maitland |
| Assistance Dogs Australia | Assistance dogs | info@assistancedogs.org.au 1800 668 364 | Engadine |
South Australia
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lions Hearing Dogs | Hearing dogs | info@lionshearingdogs.com.au (08) 8388 7836 | Verdun |
Western Australia
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide Dogs Western Australia (operated by Visibility) | Guide and assistance dogs | info@guidedogswa.com.au 1800 847 466 | Victoria Park |
Tasmania
| Name | Approved dog category | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide Dogs Tasmania (operated by Visibility) | Guide and assistance dogs | info@guidedogstas.com.au 1800 484 333 | Hobart |
Working with your dog
Working with a dog trained to do specific tasks and behaviours will assist your independence, prevent injuries and relapses, ensure support in a crisis, and generally increase your participation in the community. There are more than 100 tasks and behaviours that guide, hearing and assistance dogs can learn to assist people with everyday activities and keep them safe.