Annie's Dogs: Therapy Dog Training

Annie's Dogs: Therapy Dog Training This course certifies you as a Therapy Dog Handler, and your dog as a Therapy Dog.
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Therapy dog recertification and my course. Standards are important to be maintained in every profession, be that as a te...
03/09/2026

Therapy dog recertification and my course.

Standards are important to be maintained in every profession, be that as a teacher, a nurse, a (fill in the blank). Most professions require a certain number of professional development hours every year to remain current and ensure best practice is being met.

My therapy dog course is no different. It is my encouragement to graduates that they return once yearly for a recertification day. This day costs $100. I reassess your dog's obedience, temperament, and take you on a variety of public visits to ensure your dog is still meeting the standards required.

You then receive an updated certificate (useful for your employers who might need to complete yearly risk assessments, or for any insurance claims you might need to make). This updated certificate simply reflects the new date, showing that you have recently been assessed and deemed suitable for the role.

I understand however that many people doing my course live hours (if not days) away. Returning once yearly is therefore sometimes not manageable. This is why I make it a strong encouragement rather than a requirement that you do get back to do a recertification. It's also why I keep the costs minimal for you as while I know it's beneficial to get back to do the recertification, for many there are many hurdles to do so.

I hope this helps you being aware of the sometimes "hidden" future costs. For my course, this is the only thing I would expect of future grads to return to me for.

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My next availiable therapy dog courses for 2026 are:
September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000
2027 dates:
January 11-14, 9am-3pm, $2000

My next available obedience courses for 2026 are:
September 13, 20, 27, 9am-12pm, $660 (you would be able to do this course in preparation for your therapy dog course and choose whether to keep your third day or not).
Or
November 15, 22, 29, 9am-12pm $660

My next available assistance dog bootcamp is
April 5-8, $2500, 9am-3pm. Dogs must have completed a 3 day obedience course prior.

Please reach out for more information or to book a place in any of my courses.

Obedience. Let's be real: I know a lot of people are often worried about whether their dog is "obedient enough", and wha...
31/08/2026

Obedience.
Let's be real: I know a lot of people are often worried about whether their dog is "obedient enough", and what they'll need to be able to do before the course and by the course's end.

So let's start.

First off, I want to start you from a position of confidence, and to do that, I want to give you a snippet of my background.

I have been a dog trainer for the past 10 years. This means I know what I'm doing. Before starting my therapy dog business I trained dogs in obedience, reactivity, aggression, and more.

Today, I still train dogs in all of these areas. Regarding high level obedience, my course is different than the normal weekly attendance for months/years on end. Instead, I take dogs from being unruly, unlistening and unresponsive, and to helping them become well mannered, a good listener, and obedient to you in just 3 days. (You can see my work by visiting the 3 days and a new dog: Training page).

In fact, I structure my therapy dog course with the belief in mind that very few dogs will have "therapy dog" obedience before arriving. This is why I built my 3 day obedience course into the therapy dog course. So when you arrive, I'm not expecting your dog to listen to you all the time, or not jump, or have perfect recall.

No, when you first arrive all I want is that your dog loves people (even a little too much) and is non reactive to other dogs, people or the environment. Everything else, I teach.

As a result, let's start with confidence- if you think your dog is a therapy dog candidate (kind, calm temperament; and not dog or people aggressive) then it's very, VERY unlikely I won't be able to teach it obedience.

In saying this, it is ALWAYS beneficial to do my obedience course prior- not because you can't pass without it, but because it's much easier on you if you're already familiar with the processes, and aren't stressing about their obedience.

My next available obedience courses for 2026 are:
September 13, 20, 27, 9am-12pm, $660 (you would be able to do this course in preparation for your therapy dog course and choose whether to keep your third day or not).
Or
November 15, 22, 29, 9am-12pm $660

My next availiable therapy dog courses for 2026 are:
September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000
2027 dates:
January 11-14, 9am-3pm, $2000

My next available assistance dog bootcamp is
April 5-8, $2500, 9am-3pm. Dogs must have completed a 3 day obedience course prior.

Please reach out for more information or to book a place in any of my courses.

Jumping in again this week to answer some commonly frequntly asked questions. If you have a question you'd like answered...
30/08/2026

Jumping in again this week to answer some commonly frequntly asked questions. If you have a question you'd like answered, pop it in the comments.

Today I'm answering:

Q: What certificate can I get from you? Where is it recognised?

A: Upon successful completion of my therapy dog course you will receive a therapy dog certificate which will enable you to work or volunteer in any community setting you wish (I.e. schools, nursing homes, hospitals etc).

I have over 1000 past graduates of my course working in all states and territories of Australia. By far the most common place to find my grads are in schools, nursing homes, counselling and psychological services and hospitals. However, I also have several past grads working in courtrooms, hairdressing salons, funeral homes, ambulances, government offices, prisons, own businesses, rehab centres and more.

The list of where you can work post certificate is endless.

Bear in mind, all therapy dogs must be given permission to enter public settings by the site manager before working on site. This is because therapy dogs are not assistance dogs (they do not provide medical assistance to an individual who requires it). As a result, no therapy dog in Australia has automatic public access. All therapy dogs require prior approval from the site manager to be on site. Again, though, the certificate you receive from me is well received across all states and territories, government levels, and organisation settings. Most grads do not find it hard finding work, or having a work place accept their certificate.

My next availiable therapy dog courses for 2026 are:
September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000
2027 dates:
January 11-14, 9am-3pm, $2000

My next available obedience courses for 2026 are:
September 13, 20,.27, 9am-12pm, $660
Or
November 15, 22, 29, 9am-12pm $660

My next available assistance dog bootcamp is
April 5-8, $2500, 9am-3pm. Dogs must have completed a 3 day obedience course prior.

Please reach out for more information or to book a place in any of my courses.

And just like that- this is me 💛 Annie: A mumA teacherA dog trainer An animal loverA pastorA Jesus followerA life long l...
13/07/2026

And just like that- this is me 💛
Annie:
A mum
A teacher
A dog trainer
An animal lover
A pastor
A Jesus follower
A life long learner

And a woman who's whole purpose in life can be summed up in this one statement:

I want to live so that others feel on top of the world and are equipped to achieve their goals.

For as long as I can remember I've grown up wanting to make a difference. It's why I went into teaching. Then why I became a pastor, youth pastor, school chaplain, nursing home chaplain. Why I started my assistance dog, therapy dog and obedience dog training. And now why I've entered into health coaching.

Why?
Because I love people.

It's also why I raise my children the way I do- so they grow up with gentleness, kindness and love for others in their hearts. It's why we have our animals, because they bring us joy, teach us many things about being trustworthy and kind; and give us a chance to give back to them.

And it's why my heart is 100% here.

Because I'm addicted to inspiring meaningful, effective and long term change in people's lives. I'm addicted to supporting, loving and building up others. I'm addicted to seeing whole worlds grow and bloom because somehow I did something that enabled belief and courage and love.

I'm addicted to serving.

And I'm so glad you're here.

May we support and build each other.
Always.
- Annie

💛💛
05/07/2026

💛💛

And just like that an incredible group of therapy dogs and their humans have been sent out into the world to bless and i...
02/07/2026

And just like that an incredible group of therapy dogs and their humans have been sent out into the world to bless and impact their world. I have no doubt that their spark will be felt far and wide, and lives changed wherever they go.

To the participants- thank you for trusting me to guide and support you on your journey. You have been a fabulous group to work with. I feel honoured that you wear my bandana and hold my certification. Go well, as I know you will.
- Annie

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For those interested:
My next therapy dog course is September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000, Ararat. Reach out for more information or to book. I'd love to have you.

Real world experience is so important. That's why this course is based around public exposure all the way through. Here'...
01/07/2026

Real world experience is so important. That's why this course is based around public exposure all the way through.

Here's our participants walking up the main street of Ararat. 💛

Next course September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000, Ararat.

What do chooks, and horses, have to do with therapy dogs? They provide a great way to practise new found obedience under...
01/07/2026

What do chooks, and horses, have to do with therapy dogs? They provide a great way to practise new found obedience under distraction.

Which is why I include a farm visit in this course. 💛

Next course September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000, Ararat.

What a day! 💛 We managed to pack in a farm visit, local park visit with the public popping in for more pats and love, ob...
01/07/2026

What a day! 💛 We managed to pack in a farm visit, local park visit with the public popping in for more pats and love, obedience testing, and our last theory session covering off on current research on therapy dogs and different ways to use them.

Well done to all! Ready for our last day tomorrow. 💛💛

Next course September 21-24, 9am-3pm, $2000, Ararat.

And just like that, day 1 is done. 💛 And what a beautiful day it was. Some obedience training first to prepare the dogs ...
29/06/2026

And just like that, day 1 is done. 💛 And what a beautiful day it was. Some obedience training first to prepare the dogs not to jump on the kids and to interact calmly. Then came the kids and the public- despite the rain and cold. And then the afternoon of theory where we discussed what a therapy dog is, the regulations around assistance vs therapy dogs; where they're found and much more.

A brilliant day. Well done to all, and thank you for those who came to help.

We'll be open again for the public tomorrow at 11am-11.30am.

Address

Crouch Street
Ararat, VIC
3377

Telephone

+61473739067

Website

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