Helping Paws SDT Tasmania in Sulphur Creek, Tasmania | Dog trainer

Helping Paws SDT Tasmania

Locality: Sulphur Creek, Tasmania

Phone: +61 459 197 678

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Pet service
• Dog trainer

25.01.2022 We now have our new jacket, its taken awhile to source all the materials, we are still waiting on items from china for the happy mats, im sure they will arrive this year sometime

24.01.2022 Ralph has been working hard around the Launceston Airport. He has been familiarising himself with the pat down process, walking through the detecting machines, calmly waiting on his happy mat in the terminal and disregarding noises of the planes. Last week, with the assistance of the Virgin crew, Ralph was able to board a plane. His did an amazing job, very calm and relaxed, followed Jane's commands, adjusted well to the new smells and surrounds. Thankyou Virgin Australia, the support from your employees at the Launceston airport is invaluable.

23.01.2022 Whew..... today was a hot one in Launie, Bess had Elsa working with her today (nothing like a bit of dog distraction to make training tougher). Bess practised getting into and out of the lifts, navigating the busy car park, then more in and out of lifts, down narrow hallways and past all the people who wanted to pat her. It was a busy but very productive/successful 45 minutes. Bess then showed us her skills and confidence with getting in and out of the taxi on the electr...ic ramp, next to the wheel chair. I must say she did extremely well considering there is not much room on those ramps. Not only does Bess have to navigate the confined areas in buildings, lifts and walkways when walking beside the wheelchair. She also needs to be mindful of the wheels of the chair, she has really mastered this skill by following the commands that are given by her handler, staying instep with the wheelchair and positioning herself so that she never gets her paws ran over. Both girls were a bit tuckered out by the time we had finished.

23.01.2022 When we are out training, sometimes we are approached by people who do not know what the rules are around assistance dogs when out in the community or understand that the dog is working. Below, I have posted some simple dos (green) and donts (red) when you see an assistance dog out in the community, you can help our handler and dog teams by following these rules and please help us educate others.

23.01.2022 Hello everyone I would like to introduce you to another dog that we have in training with Helping Paws SDT. This very cute little man is Henry; Henry is a 7 month old English Staffordshire. He is a very clever and devoted pup who works very hard for his handler/owner and is just so affectionate. ... Henry is training to become an assistance dog for his handler/owner who suffers from PTSD and other conditions. Even though Henry may look small he provides his handler/owner with a great deal of support when out in the community by reducing/eliminating the high anxiety that his handler/owner experiences. Henry also provides assistance to his handler/owner through interrupting and stopping self-harming behaviours. When Henry has some spare time, he can be found playing with his best friend the kelpie pup or just chewing on a bone.

22.01.2022 Bess works hard every day picking up many items for Mark at home. Yesterday Bess was put through her paces and was required to pick up her leash that fell off Marks knee and the happy mat after laying down for a little rest several times in different locations with different distractions. It was great to watch her working for Mark.

22.01.2022 Everyone meet Bess. Bess is a just turned 4 year old Labrador who has been working very hard to become an assistance dog for her owner/handler Mark. Mark is a Veteran who suffers from PTSD, other medical issues and is confined to a wheelchair; Bess is very important to Mark as he relies on her so much to assist him with his every day to day needs.. Bess has had a bit of a rough start in her younger years, but I am glad to say that she is well and truly on her way to becomin...g an accredited assistance dog; she is scheduled in to do her Public Access Test in April this year. Bess provides assistance to Mark by giving him support and confidence when out in the community, picking up items that he needs, opening and closing doors as well as many other tasks. I have been working with this team since July 2019 and the growth in confidence, companionship and support has been beautiful to see develop over this time. Both Mark and Bess work really well together, they have achieved so much and I am so proud of them. Watch this space as I will keep you updated on their progress towards reaching their goal. Oh and when Bess isnt working, she can always be found playing around in her pool.just look at that smile

21.01.2022 , First day back to school, logging into their class room at school. It was so nice for these two to be able to see their teacher and friends, plus they were over the moon having their dogs sitting with them for school. We are adapting to a new normal for learning, and its so much fun

21.01.2022 Hi Everyone, in consultation and recommendations from my clients we will not be training in the community for the next two weeks. Our priority here at Helping Paws is to ensure the health and safety of our handler and dog teams and because we train in densely populated areas my clients need to limit the risk of contracting the Covid19. But rest assured the teams will still be training and working hard towards their goals, it will now just happen around their area only. I will update this page with photos and posts when we are back out training in the community,. On a brighter note who would have thought it would still be swimming weather....Luke and his assistance dog Kibo do, this was todays antics :)

20.01.2022 Needing to squeeze and the touch of the dogs fur brings the stress levels down.

19.01.2022 Introducing Disney. Disney is an 11 week old Golden shepherd (1/4 Golden retriever, 3/4 German shepherd). She is working hard on learning her basic commands and working towards obtaining her Assistance Dog training jacket so that she can help her owner Marzena out in the community. Marzena was training little Henry to become her Assistance Dog however due to health issues Henry is unable to continue on with his training. To retire Henry was a sad and tough decision that was made by Marzena in February this year. We will keep you up to date with Disneys progress.

16.01.2022 It was training day in Launceston yesterday and Kibo join Bess for work. The last time these two worked together was back in March. Both dogs were fantastic and relaxed when working in K-mart and Coles. You will notice that they are both sitting on a blue mat, we call this the "happy Mat". These mats are a safe, secure and happy place for the dogs to relax and stay when we are out in public. The dogs are trained to stay on their mats until released and we always position the mats out of the walk way of people, either against a solid object like a wall or shelving or even under the table if we stop for coffee.

15.01.2022 Happy Easter, I hope you all have a lovely break...please remember that chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats, so that means more for you. enjoy

15.01.2022 Not only do we have the Assistance Dog Jacket for dogs who have passed their PAT and the Assistance Dog Training Jacket, we now have our Emotional Support Dog bandana. Recently I have been working with a young man in high school, assisting him with training his dog. It was decided at the start that due to his dogs age it was best to train his dog to be his Emotional Support Dog and not as an Assistance Dog. So we set about teaching his dog acceptable inside manners, walking... on a leash in a calm manner and discussing the legalities of Emotional Support Dogs in Australia. I have really enjoyed working with these two, they have an amazing bond. As of early 2021 we will be commencing training Animal Assisted Therapy teams as well as Therapy Dogs teams. Please visit our web site for more information. https://helpingpawsservicedogtraining.com.au/

15.01.2022 Congratulations Ralph on earning your training jacket. Little Ralph and his owner Jane have worked so hard for this as Ralph had a few behaviours that needed to be corrected and they have successfully achieved this. We did our first visit to Best and Less yesterday and Ralph was amazing, calm and listened to Janes commands well. Well done Jane and Ralph.

15.01.2022 Working in supermarkets is full of challenges, all those yummy smells, lots of people, trolly noises, slippery floors and did i mention yummy smells... It takes a lot of practice to be able to sit there, have food passed over your head, whilst keeping your concentration and focus, ohh and dont forget that there is another dog sitting behind you... watching. Well done Bess, nearly perfect (i did notice a little sniff) next time im sure you will get 10/10. Great job picking your leash up from the floor again

14.01.2022 On Sunday March the 14th, Helping Paws SDT will be at the Animal Expo in Launceston. I am hoping to have three of our handler teams there (I have two locked in so far) with their assistance dogs all at various stages of their training program. I will be giving a brief talk about assistance dogs and how they can help people, the different types of assistance dogs, the federal legislation that we come under and the do’s and don’ts when you see an assistance dog in public, als...o I can answer any questions that you may have. The handler teams will be telling their story about their journey with their assistance dog and if you have any questions, they will be free to answer them after the presentation. There are going to be many stalls at the expo to browse so please come along and we hope to see you there. https://www.facebook.com/rescueexpolaunceston

14.01.2022 An example of the support and deep pressure that an assistance dog can provide for their handlers. Another common way is using the PAWS UP command so that deep pressure is provided across the handlers lap...just like a weighted blanket or toy, this way you also get the benefit of the tactile soothing and calming effect.

13.01.2022 Introducing little Ralph, Ralph is a gorgeous 12-18 months old wire hair Jack Russell/Cavalier. He has had a bit of a tough start to life, but has now found his forever home with his new owner Jane. Jane and Ralph have been working on developing a strong bond and strengthening his basic commands so that he can earn a training jacket. When he is not training Ralph enjoys playing in the snow (wearing a beret is a must) and helping Jane in the garden by relocating the newly planted plants to a much better position.

12.01.2022 I hope everyone is doing well. It has been a little while since my last post and that is because I’ve been busy working with amazing teams who are in training such as these two lovely ladies. Claire is the owner of the very cute Miss Chanel, who is a 2-year-old King Charles Cavalier; she is a very sociable young lady who loves meeting new people and receiving attention in the way of conversions and pats. I would call her the social butterfly around the office. Chanel is tr...aining to become and animal assisted activity dog (Therapy Dog) and as you can see from this photo, she really looks the part, proudly displaying her Therapy Dog bandana she received this morning. Today is Chanel’s first day of going to work with Claire to visit clients and offer them comfort, support and affection when required. Good luck Miss Chanel I know you will be amazing. See more

12.01.2022 Whewww coffee break!

12.01.2022 Going bush is a lot of fun. Lots to explore and very different to working in town. Even though i dont promote off leash, but for this small section of track it happened and it was great to see that kibo walked with and waited for luke when he got ahead (always working) They have a beautiful bond.

11.01.2022 Today I got to catch up with Marzena and meet Disney. Disney is a Golden Shepherd and is 6 months old, she is such a sweetheart. Marzena has been working with Disney in basic training, I must say she is amazing. So calm, relaxed, confident and very responsive to commands. Disney earnt her training Jacket today so she will now get to experience all the new, wonderful smells and noises that the shopping centres/community offers. Kibo will be joining her on some of the training sessions. So watch out for a lot more photos of this cute little puppy in training.

09.01.2022 Hopefully it wont be long and we will be back out training in public areas with our clients and their dogs. Very exciting! All working dogs need time out to play.

09.01.2022 Bess was out and about again today on a training session. This time she was joined by Kibo, just to change things up a bit with a new dog (distraction). Both dogs work really well at the busy Meadow Mews complex. When we are out working we carry what we call a happy mat, its a non slip mat for the dogs to lay on whenever we are going to have them drop and stay for a bit. The dogs have been taught that this is a safe, happy place to relax, out of the way of people and ju...st watch the world go by. Because Mark is in a wheelchair Bess has been taught to pick up her mat when they are ready to move on. Bess has also been taught to pick up many other different items for Mark including her leash. Bess is amazing in the supermarket, she does not show any interested in the food (hard work for a lab) and there is no sniffing those yummy smells.... she is a really focused young lady. Im not really sure if i will take kibo again...there was just a bit too much smooching going on between Bess and Kibo when they said goodbye.

08.01.2022 Introducing the handsome Bo. Bo is an English Staffy, he is 11 months old and is working to become an assistance dog for his handler Aryanna. Bo has been working with us since November 2020 and in early February Bo was assessed and earned his training Jacket, this is extremely exciting and a great achievement for Bo and his family, they have done an amazing job. So, watch this space and keep up-to-date with how Bo’s training journey is progressing. I promise you will get to see many more photos of this cute little man.

07.01.2022 Bess is such a clever girl, she always works very hard for her owner Mark, from opening and closing doors and draws to retrieving different objects. Bess was scheduled to do the Public Access Test in April to become an accredited Assistance Dog through GHAD Queensland, However due to the travel restrictions and Covid19 this has been put on hold until later this year. We are hoping to commence with our community training in June.

07.01.2022 Ralph loves going out for lunch dates. He is so calm and relaxed on his happy mat. Good boy Ralph

07.01.2022 Ahhh such a clever girl... Bess has been taught to look around the kitchen and to close any draws and cupboards that are open when asked to push.... great work Mark.

07.01.2022 Well what a crazy time we are living in at the moment, so many changes that we all have to adapt to. I hope everyone is staying safe and following the new restrictions. Due to these restrictions Helping Paws SDT clients have been training at home and by the sounds of it they will be doing this for a few more weeks yet. Before locking down Henry had a small training session at his local IGA, check out his fancy new shoes. We hope to be back into training in the community as soon as it is safe to do so. Take care everyone.

05.01.2022 Last week Henry had a big training session with Elsa. He learnt how to enter, ride and exit a lift (etiquette). How to hop on and off a travellator and where he should be positioned when riding on the travellator so he is not in the way of people walking past. We finished up with working in a supermarket behind a trolley. A travellator is a very difficult task to master for a lot of dogs and I must say for a young dog Henry is very brave, by the time we had done 3 ups and downs he was so relaxed that he was sitting on the downs. Great work Henry and of course also to his handler/owner.

04.01.2022 Adventure time for kibo with his best buddy Luke.

04.01.2022 Just because we can not train/practise in the shopping centres, doesnt mean we cant put a program into our at home school schedule. Through the week Sophie and Luke are taking breaks from their school work to work with their dogs. It is important to keep the dogs active and play games with them to keep their skills up. Soph and Elsa are now taking to snap chatting me in the morning. We hope everyone is doing okay and staying safe. Take care.

03.01.2022 Bess is such a hard worker, she loves helping Mark out around the house.

01.01.2022 Always make sure you have a good look outside before you close the door ... good work Bess