Pawsitive Squad CIC - Therapy & community assistance dogs

Pawsitive Squad CIC

Paws of Hope, Paws of Love,

Paws of Life

Therapy dogs and community assistance dogs

Our Therapy Dog & Community Assistance Dog Program offers a clear, supportive training pathway for dogs to assist individuals across a range of environments. All dogs begin at the Bronze Award level, where they build essential foundations in socialisation, obedience, handling, and an introduction to workplace-specific therapy concepts—preparing them for safe, responsive, and effective work in future settings.

The Silver Award marks the beginning of formal therapy dog training. At this level, dogs develop targeted therapy skills and begin working in your own workplace, such as a school, clinic, or community space, engaging in canine-assisted activities with clients or learners. We also introduce a structured program of activities divided into four key categories: Teamwork, Sensory & Physical, Life skills, and Nurture. These activities are designed to support a wide range of emotional, social, and developmental outcomes, and the Silver Award can be completed entirely virtually for maximum flexibility.

Progressing to the Gold Award, your dog can become a certified Community Assistance Dog, trained to work alongside you in public spaces and support clients with tasks that promote access, independence, and participation. To ensure consistency with the high standards required for assistance dogs working with disabled individuals, an in-person assessment is required at the Gold level, along with annual reassessments to ensure your dog remains safe, reliable, and capable in diverse environments.

Application Eligibility

Dog criteria:

Your dog must NOT:

Bark at other dogs or people when on lead.
Still be having toileting accidents within the home.
Show any aggression.
Have any severe anxiety/fear issues.
Display 'repetitive stereotypic behaviours such as spinning, compulsive licking etc.
Be raw fed.
Be a bradychephalic breed (have a very short nose which could impact on dogs breathing & increase risk of heart conditions - this includes pedigree pugs, French bulldogs, Shar Pei, shih tzu's etc) We do allow crossbreeds where a longer nosed breed has been bred with the bradychephalic dog to increase nose length.
Be used in association with any other organisation or role (except of course where the dog will be working as a Pawsitive Squad therapy or community assistance dog).

Your dog must:

Be fully vaccinated (except kennel cough which is optional)
Be flea & wormed with a product recommended by your vet.
Have insurance also covering public liability. Once you've passed the bronze award and begin training as a therapy or community assistance dog program within a workspace. This insurance must specifically cover your dog as a therapy dog (which pet dog insurance will not! Your business or professional insurance may be able to cover this).

Professional & organisation eligibility:

This program is open to OT's, physio therapists and speech and language therapists or education professionals who work in person with young people with additional needs (this can include social deprivation, health and disability, social, emotional needs) and either as 1:1 or small groups up to 15 people at a time.

How does training work?

Welcome to our comprehensive training programme for therapy and community assistance dogs. Designed with flexibility in mind, our programme combines the convenience of virtual learning with optional in-person opportunities.

Online Learning Zones

Access all essential theory and practical guidance through our two dedicated platforms:

Virtual Learning Theory Zone – Learn the foundations and theory behind effective training methods.
Virtual Training Zone – Follow practical step-by-step exercises to develop your dog’s skills at your own pace.

Live Zoom Classes

Join our live online classes, where our experienced trainers provide interactive support and instruction:

When: Every Monday and Thursday evening, during school term time
Where: Live via Zoom
Who: Open to all therapy and community assistance dog trainees

In Person Workshop (Optional!)

We also offer optional monthly workshops in Nottingham. These sessions provide hands-on opportunities to practise and refine your skills in a supportive, real-world setting.

Note: These workshops are entirely optional — your full training journey can be completed virtually if you prefer.

Assessment process

Bronze & Silver Awards

Assessments for the Bronze and Silver levels are completed through:

Video evidence submissions
Live Zoom assessments

This flexible format allows you to complete assessments from the comfort of your home.

Gold Award (Community Assistance Dogs Only)

To achieve the Gold Award, you’ll need to:

Attend an in-person assessment in Nottingham
Participate in annual in-person reassessment visits

This ensures dogs performing advanced community assistance work meet rigorous standards in real-life environments.

Commitment & expectations of therapy dog & community assistance dog clients

Our program is designed to support you every step of the way as you train your dog to become a therapy or community assistance dog. We are committed to helping you achieve a high standard of training within a reasonable timeframe. To ensure consistency and quality, we have a few important requirements for all participants.

Minimum Training Requirements

While your dog is in training, we ask that you meet the following expectations:

Class Attendance: Attend at least two Zoom training classes per month.
Training Records: Submit a short training record every 3 months. This form is quick and easy—usually taking just 15 minutes to complete.
Health Checks: Ensure your dog has a veterinary check-up every 6 months.

After Passing Your Final Award

Once you and your dog have successfully achieved your final award—Silver for therapy dogs or Gold for community assistance dogs—the requirements reduce:

Zoom Attendance: No further Zoom classes are required, though you’re always welcome to continue attending to expand your skills and explore additional canine-assisted activities.
Annual Check-In: One annual 1:1 Zoom review and a brief annual report are required to remain in good standing.
Ongoing assessments for community Assistance Dog Teams: In addition to the therapy dog requirements, you’ll also need to complete an annual in-person assessment ONLY if you're a community assistance dog team. Therapy dog teams have no in person assessment requirements.

These standards are in place to ensure the well-being of your dog, the consistency of training, and the quality of service you’ll be able to offer to your community. Non-compliance with these expectations may result in removal from the program.

Costs

Our therapy dog & community program costs £70 per calendar month for not-for-profit organisations and £85pcm for 'for profit' organisations.

Upon passing the silver award if you're remaining at therapy dog level or upon passing the gold award for community assistance dogs the program cost reduces to £6pcm for non profits and £10pcm for 'for profit' companies. The ongoing membership fees cover uniform, annual reassessments and continued training and development support.

The fees do not include the cost of resources for canine assisted activities (though you're likely to already own many or be able to purchase at a low cost) and optional hire of Pawsitive squad branded equipment such as settle mats, handler uniform etc.

Important note on financial terms:

Part of the written agreement between ourselves and therapy dog/community assistance dog clients is that you will not charge an additional fee for the therapy dog engaging with any specific session (e.g you can't say an OT session is £45 per hour standard but £55 per hour if the therapy dog is present). You can however of course increase your fees overall to accommodate the additional costs of having a therapy dog.

Outcomes and impact

The therapeutic integration of dogs into professional settings—whether in education, healthcare, or allied health—offers wide-ranging benefits backed by a growing body of academic research. Numerous studies have demonstrated that structured human-animal interactions, particularly involving dogs, lead to measurable improvements in psychological, emotional, cognitive, and even physiological outcomes for a variety of client populations.

Evidence-Based Benefits

Reductions in Anxiety, Stress, and Cortisol
Interactions with therapy dogs have been consistently associated with reduced physiological indicators of stress. For instance, a 2020 randomized controlled trial found that children exposed to therapy dogs before anxiety-inducing tasks showed significantly lower cortisol levels than those who did not interact with a dog (Pendry & Vandagriff, 2020).
Improved Emotional Regulation and Engagement
Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) improve emotional regulation, motivation, and participation in therapeutic settings. In occupational therapy contexts, dog presence has been shown to increase social responsiveness and client engagement (Gee, Belcher, Grabski, DeJesus, & Riley, 2021).
Enhanced Learning and Cognitive Outcomes
In school and cognitive therapy environments, children working with dogs showed improvements in attention, reading fluency, and classroom behaviour (Uccheddu et al., 2019). These effects are especially significant for neurodiverse individuals, such as those with autism or ADHD.
Pain Reduction and Physical Benefits
Physical health outcomes are also improved in clinical settings. A study by Marcus et al. (2013) found that patients undergoing joint replacement surgery who spent time with therapy dogs reported significantly reduced pain and required fewer opioid medications.

Testimonial: An OT’s Perspective

“I am a member of Pawsitive Squad; having trained my dog to become a therapy dog for my work as an Occupational Therapist. Heather has been so helpful on this journey and the modules have allowed me to fit my OT knowledge alongside to make the most out of the therapy dog sessions in practice. Heather’s modules are thorough and ensure that each handler understands dog behaviour and welfare which has been extremely important to me also.”

— Rachel, Occupational Therapist

Rachel’s experience reflects the depth of learning and professional alignment our programme fosters. Our focus on ethical training, and tailored canine-assisted interventions enables professionals to deliver impactful services that are fun and effective for the dog and the clients.

Application Process

We are committed to providing a structured, supportive, and transparent admissions process for individuals wishing to join our Therapy Dog and Community Assistance Dog Program. Please carefully follow the steps outlined below to ensure your application is processed efficiently.

Step 1: Attend an Introductory Course

To begin the application process, you must first attend our Introductory Course. These can be booked via our website:
www.pawsitivesquad.co.uk/events

Step 2: Receive Application Forms & Support Plans

Once you’ve booked onto the Introductory Course, we will email you your application form & individual support plan which you may choose to complete if you're a deaf, neurodivergent or disabled handler.

Step 3: Submit Paperwork to Your Personalised Dropbox

After completing the forms, upload your completed paperwork to the personal Dropbox link provided in your email.

Please note:

We only accept paperwork uploaded to the provided Dropbox link.
Paperwork submitted via email will not be processed and will be securely deleted.

Step 4: Complete All 4 Introductory Sessions

You must attend all four sessions of the Introductory Course to be eligible for the Therapy Dog Program. Full attendance is mandatory.

Step 5: Sign the Assistance Dog Program Contract

Once you’ve completed the Introductory Course, and if you wish to proceed, you will be emailed a contract to join the Therapy Dog Program.

This contract must be completed and returned within 60 days of finishing the Introductory Course.
If you do not return the contract within this timeframe, you will need to retake the Introductory Course in order to apply.

Pawsitive Squad is a registered community interest company (non profit organisation) number 1145 1119 (England and Wales)

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