The Smart Dog- Animal Behaviour and Training Centre

02/09/2026

🐾 COULD YOUR DOG BECOME A CANINE GOOD CITIZEN? 🐾

Join the Canine Good Citizen Programme at Smart Dog Behaviour and Training School in Kloof.

Help your dog develop the practical skills needed to be calm, confident and well-mannered at home and in the community.

Your dog will work towards:

✅ Calm, loose-lead walking
✅ Reliable sits, downs and recalls
✅ Good manners around people and dogs
✅ Confidence around everyday distractions
✅ Improved focus and handler communication
✅ Puppy, Bronze, Silver and Gold CGC levels

The programme is suitable for purebred and mixed-breed dogs. You don’t need a perfect dog to start—you simply need a dog, a lead and a willingness to learn together.

🎓 Professional and supportive instruction
🐕 More than 15 years of training experience
📍 Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal

📞 Phone or WhatsApp 081 270 4672

Places will be limited. Contact us today to register your interest in our next CGC programme.

31/08/2026

🐾 Help us change more lives through fundraising

From sponsored challenges and bake sales to workplace fundraising and monthly donations, there are so many ways to get involved - and every effort helps us train life-changing assistance dogs 🐕💙

If you’d like to support or start fundraising for SSD, find out more here:
https://smartservicedog.co.za/needs-sponsorships/

Together, we can make a real difference.

26/08/2026

Did You Know? 🐾🎯

We use Rally signs when training our Guide and Assistance Dogs!

You might be wondering… why would a service dog school use Rally signs? 🤔

Rally is a fantastic way to develop focus, precision, communication and teamwork between the dog and handler.

The exercises help our dogs learn to:
🐾 Respond reliably to different cues
🐾 Maintain focus around distractions
🐾 Change direction and position with confidence
🐾 Work closely with their handler
🐾 Build consistency and enthusiasm for learning

For our Guide and Assistance Dogs, these skills become the foundation for something much bigger — working as a confident, reliable partnership with their handler in the real world.

Training isn't just about teaching a dog commands. It's about developing communication, trust and teamwork. ❤️

At Smart Service Dog, we use every opportunity to make training meaningful, engaging and purposeful.

🐕🦺 Training today. Independence tomorrow.

Smart Service Dog
Changing lives one dog at a time. 🐾

17/08/2026

🌸 HAPPY WOMEN’S MONTH FROM SMART SERVICE DOG! 🌸

This Women’s Month, we celebrate the incredible women who inspire, lead, care, nurture and make a difference every single day. ❤️

We especially celebrate the women who help us change lives through the incredible bond between people and assistance dogs — our trainers, puppy raisers, volunteers, clients, families and supporters.

To every woman who makes a difference: thank you for being you. 🌷
Visit our website https://smartservicedog.co.za/celebrating-womens-month-at-smart-service-dog/

🐾 Smart Service Dog
Changing Lives One Dog At A Time.

Thank you to our sponsors

Hillcrest and BYD PMB

Real Food Cafe Gillitts
Pet Deli
Pet Dog Grooming
Pet food
SA

09/08/2026

🌸 HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY FROM SMART SERVICE DOG 🌸

Today, Smart Service Dog celebrates the incredible women who inspire, lead, care, teach, nurture and make a difference every single day. 💜

From the women who raise and train our incredible assistance dogs, to the women who work tirelessly behind the scenes, support our clients, advocate for inclusion, and change lives through the bond between people and dogs — today we celebrate YOU. 🐾❤️

Women have always played a powerful role in creating change, showing compassion and building stronger communities. At Smart Service Dog, we are proud to stand alongside the remarkable women who help us give people greater independence, confidence, dignity and freedom through professionally trained assistance dogs.

To every woman — whether you are a mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, trainer, handler, caregiver, professional, volunteer, leader or simply someone making a difference in another person's life:

You are valued. You are appreciated. You are powerful. And you matter. 🌷

Happy Women’s Day from all of us at Smart Service Dog. 🇿🇦

🐾 Empowering people. Changing lives. One incredible dog at a time.

06/08/2026

International Assistance Dog Week | Access Is a Right, Not a Privilege

Every day, guide dog and assistance dog teams continue to face unnecessary barriers simply because of a lack of awareness.

Despite legal protections in South Africa, many handlers are still refused access to shops, restaurants, hotels, public transport, rideshare services, shopping centres and other public places. Some are questioned, delayed, embarrassed, or even turned away completely because they are accompanied by a highly trained assistance dog.

Research by the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) and guide dog organisations around the world shows that access refusals remain one of the biggest challenges faced by people who rely on guide dogs for their independence. These barriers affect far more than a single journey—they impact employment, education, healthcare, social inclusion, and a person's confidence to participate fully in everyday life.

A guide or assistance dog is not a pet. It is carefully selected, professionally trained, and works as an essential mobility and independence aid. Refusing access to a certified assistance dog team is not only discriminatory—it prevents someone from living independently and participating equally in society.

This International Assistance Dog Week, we encourage everyone to:
🐾 Welcome assistance dog teams with respect.
🐾 Learn about the rights of assistance dog handlers.
🐾 Educate your staff and colleagues on access laws.
🐾 Help create communities where everyone can move freely and with dignity.

At Smart Service Dog, we are committed to raising the standards of assistance dog training while advocating for equal access, inclusion, and understanding across South Africa.

Together, we can build a country where every certified assistance dog team is welcomed—not questioned.

02/08/2026

🐾 Better Together. Stronger Together.

This International Assistance Dog Week, the Assistance Dogs Association South Africa (AADSA) celebrates the incredible partnerships between assistance dogs and the people whose lives they transform every day.

As the leading association for assistance dog organisations in Southern Africa, AADSA is committed to promoting excellence in training, animal welfare, accessibility, and inclusion.

Together, we can create a future where every legitimate assistance dog team is welcomed with dignity, respect, and equal access.

Join us in celebrating the life-changing difference that assistance dogs make.

09/07/2026

There are 3 types of trainers..

1. The Intimidator - These trainers use force, intermidation and deprivation. They typically dont see great life results and jeopardise relationships.
2.Use only reward based methods and focus on the basic commands, sit, down, come.
3.At The Smart Dog we use the power of GAMES to inspire great choices, relationships and whatever the owner wants to achieve to happen in Real Life.

07/07/2026

" I have been refused access until I explained legislation and legal liability".

Guide and Assistance dog handlers deserve to access public space and receive regular services without justifuing their journey.

Help support the rights of Guide and Assistance Dog Handlers.

Learn more about working Assistance and Guide Dogs here:

https://smartservicedog.co.za/the-importance-of-access-for-assistance-dogs/

Feel free to contact us on :

Email [email protected]
Whatsapp 0812704672
Office 0878221144

As we celebrate International Assistance Dog Week, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the life-changing impact of assistance dogs—and the importance

06/07/2026

Mental Health Wednesday:

July 8th at 9am
The Els for Autism South Africa foundation(who is one of our sponsors) is hosting a 3-day autism education workshop and teacher training in Durban (Queensburgh). Designed for educators, parents, and professionals, the event provides practical strategies and connection Els for Autism South Africa Facebook.

Event Details:
Dates: July 6 to July 8
Location: 64 Pioneer Road, Northdene, Queensburgh, Durban [1]
Itinerary & Costs:
Teacher Training: July 6–7 (R250) Els for Autism South Africa Facebook
Parent Workshop: July 8 (R150)