Joining Phase
This involves having a trainer complete a form confirming your dog has a suitable nature for Assistance work. Then you complete our application form and attach the completed Dog Assessment Form
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If accepted we will then send you details of how to pay the joining fee and monthly membership fee.
Please note that you arrange and pay for a trainer/classes yourself if you require one. We aim to have partner trainers in all parts of Scotland that you can work with and have a list of Trainers to be added soon.
You can work with other trainers not on our list but please note that all training must be carried out without aversives so balanced methods are not acceptable. We do not allow choke collars, pinch collars, electric collars or any other piece of equipment that works by causing pain or fear. Our preferred equipment is a Y front harness but we do allow martingale collars that do not restrict breathing when full closed and carefully conditioned and fitted headcollars where necessary due to their handlers dexterity or mobility.
Fees are currently Joining Fee £100
Monthly Membership while training £10
Fast track 6 month programme tbc
Monthly Membership Qualified £5
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Membership Benefits
What do I get for my joining fee and monthly membership?
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MEMBERSHIP CARD
On joining you receive a membership card. It gives basic details of your team.
The card also has a QR code link to your private personal membership page that gives details of your progress in the scheme and, once you pass Apprentice phase, your access rights.
BANDANA AND LEAD SLIP
Once you pass the Prospect phase you get a branded bandana and lead slip.
We do not advise any public access work until this stage.
Up until then you can concentrate on basic obedience and dog friendly shops and venues so do not require a jacket or bandana
ASSESSMENTS
If you are part of a training organisation offering Kennel club good citizen awards then assessments for these are done as part of your course. We will supply assessors for the assessments out with this or for members not part of a Good Citizen Organisations. You many need to travel to these or if unable to then pay travel expenses to an Assessor to travel to you if outside their usual areas. Our aim is to have Assessors in easy reach in all areas but this is more difficult the more remotely you stay.
JACKET
Once you pass the Apprentice Phase you get your Assistance Dog Jacket.
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While not fully qualified yet you have proved that your dog is well behaved by passing Silver Canine Good Citizen and have passed an assessment showing you are prepared for Public Access work. You have also demonstrated one trained task to mitigate your disability.
This gives you public access rights and your personal page will be updated to show this.
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ADVICE AND SUPPORT ALL THE WAY
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As well as always being here for advice and support both as an Association and also peer support on our members facebook page we are aiming to have regular meetups in the different regions in Scotland. There will be as social events usually with a teaching workshop and will also be used informally to reassess our Qualified dogs to ensure our standards are being maintained.
Prospect Training Phase
This involves you working for and passing the Kennel Club Bronze Good Citizen Award (or equivalent). This is the foundation for all the advanced training that you will continue on to do.
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At the same time you should be working towards and passing the SADA Task Foundation Award. This gives you the basic exercises that can be tweaked to teach your dog the tasks you require.
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You can do this independently, with a Trainers help or at a club or classes. If they do not offer the assessments we will organise these for you. If you are in a remote area this may require a fee to cover travelling if you are unable to travel to an assessor.
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Once you pass both assessments you will get your Scottish ADA Prospect Bandana and in Training Lead Slip
Apprentice Training Phase
This involves you working for and passing the Kennel Club Silver Good Citizen Award (or equivalent). This builds on the training from Bronze and once complete shows that your dog has a good standard of training.
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At the same time you should be working towards and passing the SADA Public Access Preparation Award. This gives you the skills you need to deal with distractions out and about on public access.
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You can do this independently, with a Trainers help or at a club or classes. If they do not offer the assessments we will organise these for you. If you are in a remote area this may require a fee to cover travelling if you are unable to travel to an assessor.
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Once you pass both assessments you will get your Scottish ADA Assistance Dog Jacket and Lead Slip. While not fully qualified with us at this stage you do have full public access rights.
Qualified Training Phase
This involves you working for and passing the Kennel Club Gold Good Citizen Award (or equivalent). This advance training assessed (as always by an independent Assessor) gives proof that your dog has trained to a high level. If you are not attending a trainer offering assessment for this contact us to have us arrange one.
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At the same time you should be working towards and passing the SADA Public Access Award. This is assessed in a busy Superstore on a Saturday afternoon. It involves being around meat displays, food in a cafe and manners entering, around and leaving the store.
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You can do this independently, with a Trainers help or at a club or classes. If they do not offer the assessments we will organise these for you. If you are in a remote area this may require a fee to cover travelling if you are unable to travel to an assessor.
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You also need to demonstrate and video three of your tasks to be kept on record. (You can have them added to your sharable page or kept on your private page)
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Once you have passed the two assessments and had your tasks verified Congratulations! you are fully qualified.
Qualified Teams Membership
Our aim to have yearly workshops in as many areas as possible. At these workshops qualified teams will be observed and assessed for their conduct around dogs, strangers and food. Members will have the chance to discuss any issues they have faced or get any advice they need (not that they have to wait til the meets to do this but some may prefer a face to face chat)
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​​Teams must be assessed at least once in each year. They may travel to meets out with their own area if they want and are very welcome to attend more than one meet.
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​​Teams who are unable or unwilling to attend a meet may arrange a private reassessment but this will have a charge for the Assessors fee and travel expenses.
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Qualified teams monthly membership fee drops to £5 per month.
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Teams who stop paying membership and/or having their yearly assessment will have membership suspended and will no longer have the right to use our jacket and lead slip.
