Assistance or Therapy Dog

An assistance dog is specially trained to help a person with a medical condition or disability. This includes:

• Guide Dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired.
• Hearing Dogs for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Medical Alert Dogs that detect conditions like diabetes or seizures.

These dogs go through rigorous training and receive public access accreditation. By law, they cannot be refused entry to public places like hospitals, taxis, restaurants, or shops and should not be separated from their handler. When working, they should never be distracted.

In the UK, recognised assistance dog organisations operate under Assistance Dogs UK

A therapy dog is a friendly, well-behaved pet that visits care homes, hospitals, and schools to bring comfort and joy to people. Unlike assistance dogs, they do not have special access rights and must be invited to visit.

At Therapy Dogs Nationwide (TDN), we do not provide formal therapy dog training.  As a good starting point our assessment is loosely based around the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme

Many online businesses offer “therapy dog training” for high fees, but there is no official governing body for therapy dog certification in the UK. Always research before paying for such courses.

If you have any questions about therapy dogs, we’d be happy to help!