Owner-trained · PAT Dogs Australia framework
36 weeks to a dog that can go anywhere
One full training day a week in Wollongong and Shellharbour.
You come in for one-on-one handling. Your dog finishes on the Public Access Test.
Fifteen minutes. No cost, no obligation.
Assessed and accredited under
The pathway
Two phases. Two assessments. Thirty-six weeks.
Foundations first, then distraction, then the real world — each layer added only after your dog has cleared the one before it. The bar below is drawn to scale.
Weeks 1–12
Weeks 13–36
▲ Suitability Test · Week 12
▲ Public Access Test · Week 36
Phase 1 · Foundations
Duration and place. Stay, wait, release and recall. Handling, grooming and cooperative care. Separation, car and door manners. Loose-lead walking. Social confidence with strangers. Dog neutrality. Desensitisation to sounds and sights.
Ends with
The Suitability Test, run by an accredited assessor who is a stranger to your dog.
Phase 2 · Public access
Real environments and real distraction: transport, restrooms, stairs and lifts, then shopping centres, restaurants, cafés and supermarkets. Twice the length of Phase 1, because public neutrality is where the work actually is. The jacket is issued only once the Suitability Test is passed.
Ends with
The Public Access Test, run by a PAT Dogs Australia-approved assessor. It runs like an extended shopping trip.
What you actually get
Every week, written down
You never have to guess how the day went. The report card is filled in before you arrive at pickup, and the handover tells you the one thing to work on before next time.
- A full training day for your dog with our trainers
- A written report card in the Ginger app before pickup, every skill scored 1–5
- A five to ten minute handover at pickup: one clip of your dog working, the one thing to practise, demonstrated once, and the exact online module to watch
- An exercise block to fold into your own walks, each item tagged with the distraction level to work it at
- The online assistance dog course and the Walkys community, for the full 36 weeks
The part nobody else mentions
We pay PAT Dogs Australia’s fees. Not you.
Accreditation carries its own costs, charged separately by PAT Dogs Australia and non-refundable whether your dog passes or not. Most owner-trained clients find that out after they have committed. Ours don’t — because we cover them.
$599
Application fee, charged on enrolment
$249
Public Access Test, payable pass or fail
$0
What you pay of it on this program
There is no separate invoice at week 12 and no separate invoice at week 36. The weekly fee is the cost of the pathway.
Two ways to run it
Same program. How often we work on you.
Your dog comes in every week either way — that part never changes. The only difference is how often we go deep on your handling, and you can move up at any point.
Where most people start
Book a call with Brando
Monthly one-on-one
$199per week
36 weeks · $7,164 total
Your dog comes in every week for the full training day. You get a one-on-one handling session each month.
This is the one most people choose, and it is where the value sits.
Fortnightly one-on-one
$249per week
36 weeks · $8,964 total
The same weekly training day, with a one-on-one handling session every fortnight instead of every month.
Worth stepping up to if you are newer to dogs, or your tasks are complex.
Start on monthly and move up to fortnightly whenever you want.
You are not locked in to the coaching tier. If a stage turns out to need more of our time on your handling, we step it up from there.
Both include the Suitability Test, the Public Access Test, PAT Dogs Australia’s fees, milestone reporting, the online course and the community.
How we pace it
We pace to the dog, not the calendar
Welfare leads every decision. A stressed, fearful or unwell dog does not progress until it is ready.
Every week has a gate. Your dog only takes on the next week’s challenge once it meets that gate in a calm, willing state. If it doesn’t, we hold the week and repeat it.
A dog held back to consolidate isn’t a training failure. It is the training.
We will not promise you a pass. No one honest can. What we guarantee is the structure, the standard and the oversight — and that you always know exactly where your dog is, because it is written down every week.
Before week one
What has to be in place first
Training days don’t start until all of this is done. Brando walks you through it on the call.
01
A free call with Brando and an informal suitability screen — confidence, sociability, basic obedience, health and age
02
Application Form Parts 1 to 3: yours, your medical or mental health practitioner’s, and your vet’s
03
The C-BARQ behavioural questionnaire, which becomes your baseline
04
Your disability assistance or therapy task list
05
Vaccination, desexing and council registration documents, and photo ID
06
Community and app access set up, ready for week one
If you can get to us
This program
Your dog needs to be here one day a week for 36 weeks, so this is an Illawarra program. Wollongong and Shellharbour.
Book a call with BrandoAnywhere else in Australia
The remote pathway
The same stages, booked one at a time and delivered online, with the two assessments done in person. Start with the Initial Consultation.
See the remote pathwayStart here
Fifteen minutes with Brando
Tell him about your dog and what you need it to do for you. He will tell you honestly whether this is a realistic pathway — and whether your dog is the right dog for it.
- No cost and no obligation
- An honest answer, including if the answer is no
- Nothing is booked or charged on the call
If you are in mental health crisis, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.