Assistance and Therapy Dogs
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PUPPY RAISING PROGRAM PLEASE VISIT www.simba-tsd.com
What are Assistance Dogs
- Assistance dogs are working animals that are specially trained to help people who are
- living with physical disabilities to move around, do everyday activities and tasks, and be more independent.
- Who uses assistance dogs?Assistance or service dogs can help individuals who have:
- physical disabilities
- disabling illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis
- autism
- post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental conditions
- dementia
What are Therapy Dogs
Therapy dogs are dogs that are used for a group of people ie reading dogs in schools, comfort dog at a dentist, dogs that visit hospitals or aged care.
Therapy dogs are dogs that are used for a group of people ie reading dogs in schools, comfort dog at a dentist, dogs that visit hospitals or aged care.

Some of the tasks undertake by an Assistance Dog include, and there are many more;
Do Labradoodles make good Assistance Dogs?
The answer to this is YES! although not every puppy in the litter is chosen. Labradoodles are smart, intuitive and willing to please and given the right environment and training, they make wonderful Assistance Dogs. They are also low shedding which means they are perfect for people who have allergies. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have an extensive stimulation and training program for their puppies which starts at 3 days old. When the pups are 7 weeks old they are taken through a temperament test to determine which puppy may be suitable for assistance work.
How much training do assistance or service dogs need?
Once a puppy has been selected from the litter as being suitable for assistance work, the puppy starts the training straight away. Basic obedience is taught to the puppy until it is around 6-12 months old which is the time when the training starts which is targeted specifically to the clients needs. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have a trainer who is able to take the handler and the puppy through the basic obedience required and get the puppy to a standard that is ready for it to learn the specific skills required for its recipient. Misty Mountain Labradoodles also have a Queensland Government approved trainer who can help to train the puppy and take it through its Public Access Test (PAT) the issue a working jacket and identification card which allows the dog into public places. Generally it takes up to two years for a dog to become fully certified. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have seen their dogs pass the PAT test in just over 12 months.
Do I need to do all of the training?
If the recipient is unable to raise the puppy through its puppy stage and work with the trainer to get the puppy to through its basic obedience training, then Misty Mountain Labradoodles can arrange for a puppy carer to take the puppy for the first 6-12 months and get it to the standard where it is ready to learn the specific skills required for the recipient. If you are interested in this program please visit this website www.simba-tsd.com
Please note, the training never stops throughout the dogs life. You will be required to continually shape and train your dog and the dog will also be required to be assessed every two years from the Government Approved Trainer.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO BECOME A PUPPY RAISER, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION Puppy Raiser Application form
What is the cost of an Assistance Dog?
The cost for an Assistance Dog includes the cost of the puppy, the basic obedience training costs, payment to the puppy raisers if you are using puppy raiser to raise the puppy, training costs to the approved Government trainer, certificate costs, vet fees, food, medications, pet insurance. If you would like more details on costs, please make contact with Misty Mountain Labradoodles
What is the first step in applying for an Assistance Dog through Misty Mountain Labradoodles?
The first step is to complete the application form here Assistance Dog Expression of Interest
Misty Mountain Labradoodles will then make contact with you to discuss your needs and talk through the various options of raising the puppy, training the puppy and certification.
If you are successful with your application then a $500 deposit is required to secure you a puppy from the next available litter. Please be aware that as not all puppies are suitable you may have to wait for the right pup to come along.
- pulling a wheelchair
- helping people to balance if they have walking difficulties
- turning on light switches
- moving the arms or legs of people who are paralysed
- opening and closing doors, drawers and fridges
- assisting with making beds
- retrieving or picking up items like mobile phones or keys
- pushing pedestrian crossing buttons
- picking up clothing and helping take washing from a machine
- paying cashiers
- barking to alert their owners to danger
- alerting people to seizures (sometimes before they occur) or other medical issues, such as low blood sugar in a diabetic child
- finding and leading another person to the owner or affected child
Do Labradoodles make good Assistance Dogs?
The answer to this is YES! although not every puppy in the litter is chosen. Labradoodles are smart, intuitive and willing to please and given the right environment and training, they make wonderful Assistance Dogs. They are also low shedding which means they are perfect for people who have allergies. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have an extensive stimulation and training program for their puppies which starts at 3 days old. When the pups are 7 weeks old they are taken through a temperament test to determine which puppy may be suitable for assistance work.
How much training do assistance or service dogs need?
Once a puppy has been selected from the litter as being suitable for assistance work, the puppy starts the training straight away. Basic obedience is taught to the puppy until it is around 6-12 months old which is the time when the training starts which is targeted specifically to the clients needs. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have a trainer who is able to take the handler and the puppy through the basic obedience required and get the puppy to a standard that is ready for it to learn the specific skills required for its recipient. Misty Mountain Labradoodles also have a Queensland Government approved trainer who can help to train the puppy and take it through its Public Access Test (PAT) the issue a working jacket and identification card which allows the dog into public places. Generally it takes up to two years for a dog to become fully certified. Misty Mountain Labradoodles have seen their dogs pass the PAT test in just over 12 months.
Do I need to do all of the training?
If the recipient is unable to raise the puppy through its puppy stage and work with the trainer to get the puppy to through its basic obedience training, then Misty Mountain Labradoodles can arrange for a puppy carer to take the puppy for the first 6-12 months and get it to the standard where it is ready to learn the specific skills required for the recipient. If you are interested in this program please visit this website www.simba-tsd.com
Please note, the training never stops throughout the dogs life. You will be required to continually shape and train your dog and the dog will also be required to be assessed every two years from the Government Approved Trainer.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN APPLYING TO BECOME A PUPPY RAISER, PLEASE COMPLETE THIS APPLICATION Puppy Raiser Application form
What is the cost of an Assistance Dog?
The cost for an Assistance Dog includes the cost of the puppy, the basic obedience training costs, payment to the puppy raisers if you are using puppy raiser to raise the puppy, training costs to the approved Government trainer, certificate costs, vet fees, food, medications, pet insurance. If you would like more details on costs, please make contact with Misty Mountain Labradoodles
What is the first step in applying for an Assistance Dog through Misty Mountain Labradoodles?
The first step is to complete the application form here Assistance Dog Expression of Interest
Misty Mountain Labradoodles will then make contact with you to discuss your needs and talk through the various options of raising the puppy, training the puppy and certification.
If you are successful with your application then a $500 deposit is required to secure you a puppy from the next available litter. Please be aware that as not all puppies are suitable you may have to wait for the right pup to come along.