Canine Course Application Form – Level Four

Requirements for Handlers

• Handlers must be at least 18 years of age and are required to have a dog, who has been living with them for a minimum of 2 months, or with whom they have had a strong and ongoing bond for a period of greater than 2 months.
• Current WWCC (or equivalent teacher registration) (or international equivalent) to be eligible to attend community visits.
• Foundation Handler Certification can be obtained if a handler shows competence, even if their dog is not deemed suitable to work as a visiting therapy dog.
• Advanced Handler Certification can only be granted to those participants who successfully complete the Advanced course, and who’s dog successfully passes the Advanced assessments.
• Handlers must have sufficient English language skills (written and oral) to complete the intensive training courses and communicate with trainers, fellow students, and clients. All training materials are supplied in English.
• Handlers must have the capacity for intensive study and physical capacity to handle and work dogs in indoor and outdoor environments. Handling and training of dogs can be physically demanding, and there is some requirement to navigate outdoor terrain, such as stairs, hills or paddocks.
• For online courses, a computer or device with access to the internet and a camera is required.
• Practitioners will be Certified in accordance with their existing qualifications, for example Certified Practitioner in Animal-Assisted Therapy – Psychologist; or Certified Practitioner in Animal-Assisted Education – Secondary Teacher (see Certification Standards for more information).

Additional Handlers

• Handlers must not work more than one dog per training course, except where they are Certifying as Advanced Multidog Handlers
• A maximum of two Secondary Handlers per dog is allowed at the foundational levels (Step One and Two) (subject to approval from the Course-Co-ordinator)
• Only one handler per dog is permitted at the Advanced levels (Step Three and Four), due to the intensity of the learning involved
• Applicants from overseas should speak with us in advance about alternative options.

Course Pre-requisites

• Most courses will have pre-requisite learning which must be completed prior to enrolment. Please see the course information page for more information before submitting your application

Assessments & Competence

• E-Courses and online (theoretical) content are assessed via online (open book) questionnaires. Participants are required to obtain 100% correct in order to pass the assessments. Three attempts are provided to pass each assessment. If participants are unsuccessful, they must contact the course instructor for further support.
• Dog handling and dog temperament are assessed face to face as part of a range of practical skills demonstrations. Detailed requirements about competence standards are provided to all course participants at the commencement of their course. Opportunities to re-sit the practical assessments will be provided to dog-handler teams who are deemed not-yet-competent. Costs apply.
• Assessment tasks may be photographed or videoed by the instructors and kept as evidence of competence.

Application process and payment terms To apply for a course, complete and submit the online application form. Your application will be processed, and you will receive a confirmation email within 2 business days of the application being received by the Course Coordinator. If you have not received an email from us within 5 business days, please check your junk mail folder, then contact the Course Coordinator directly at tglasson@leadtheway.com.au or 0421 059 943. The confirmation email will include an invoice and a copy of our payment terms. If paying for a course individually, a Adeposit is due immediately to confirm your place in the course. If payment or contact has not been made within 72 hours, this may forfeit your place in the course. The balance of course fees is due no later than 28 days prior to the course commencement. To be eligible for bundle discounts, courses must be purchased upfront as part of a training package via the Matrix online learning platform. Payment is required online at the time of purchase, via PayPal. A full re-fund will be provided to any applicant deemed ineligible to attend the training package. Any arrangement for payment outside of these terms must be discussed with and approved by the Course Coordinator. Waiting List If a course is indicated as ‘Waiting List Only’ your application will be placed on the waiting list. Occasionally places become available due to cancellations. Places are offered in order of application and you will be notified by email & SMS (mobile phone message) of an available place. Offers must be accepted or declined within 2 business days or the place will be offered to the next applicant on the list. Once a place has been accepted you will receive a confirmation email including an invoice and our Payment Terms. A deposit is due immediately to confirm your place in the course. If payment or contact has not been made within 72 hours, this may forfeit your place in the course. The balance of course fees is due no later than 28 days prior to the course commencement. Any arrangement for payment outside of these terms must be discussed with and approved by the Course Coordinator. Cancellation and Refund Policy More than 30 days notice: Refunds for cancellations made prior to 30 days before the course commences will be provided minus an early cancellation fee of $110. Applications may be transferred to a future course, providing places are available, if notification is made to the Course Coordinator prior to 30 days before the course commences. With 3 to 30 days notice: Cancellations within 3 – 30 days notice will be subject to a full cancellation fee of $300. Transfers will be at the discretion of the course administrators and subject to availability. If a transfer has been approved within 3 – 30 days before course commencement a late transfer fee of $110 will be applied. 2 days or less: Participants who withdraw from a course within 2 days prior to course commencement, or do not successfully complete a course for any reason are not eligible for a refund. E-courses are not subject to a refund once access has been granted. Full course fees will apply. Should a course be cancelled by Lead The Way, for any reason, all monies paid will be refunded in full, or transferred to a future course, by mutual agreement. Attendance/completion requirements The attendance/completion requirements for courses is 100%. The content taught is both sequential and cumulative, meaning that if you miss any content, you may not understand critical foundational concepts moving forward. You must attend all scheduled sessions unless you have been specifically granted Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for that component of the course. If you have exceptional circumstances, you must discuss this with our trainers, however please be aware that if you do miss important concepts, we may not be able to grant competence. Recognition of Prior Learning Please see each course page for more information about RPL requirements.. Intellectual Property & Copyright All courses and all content delivered, including but not limited to; the course outline structure or content, activities assessments or assessment protocols, policies, procedures guidelines or documents, learning goals or outcomes, videos pictures or graphics, remain the intellectual property of Lead The Way Pty Ltd and relevant Associates. No part of any course may be replicated or delivered by you or your agents. The intellectual property delivered throughout the course must be used for the sole purpose for which it was intended – that is to certify you, the handler, to work with your own therapy dog. You must not use any content for professional training programmes or in any other manner without the express written permission of the owners. All written materials provided to you are subject to copyright. You must not reproduce or distribute any materials or communications except for your own personal or professional use, without the express written permission of the owners. All citations of the work must be adequately referenced. Code of Conduct All graduates must adhere to the code of conduct. Graduates are required to sign a disclaimer attesting to the safe, ethical, and professional handling of their dog, agreeing to:

• To operate within their certification level and not to misrepresent their training or certification standards or operate outside of the Institute guidelines including
  • Team statements of competence (including limitations and recommendations)
  • Practice guidelines (Handler, Infection Control & Allergy Management, Grooming), and the Veterinary Screening procedures, and all other relevant LTW guidelines, policies, procedures & recommendations
• To maintain a high ethical standard, ensuring the safety and welfare of humans and animals during all interactions
• To work exclusively within the Handler’s own professional training and expertise, and to operate within said professional and ethical guidelines
• Not to misrepresent the Handlers level of training or expertise or to provide ‘therapy’ without appropriate qualifications & registration
• Not to misrepresent any visiting therapy dog as an assistance or service dog
• Not to claim a dog is Certified if it is not, nor allow any other dog to wear the Visiting Therapy Dog Identification Coat
• To maintain the standards of all visiting therapy dog’s training and behaviour as per the team assessments, and to seek assistance, guidance or support from LTW trainers (for rehabilitation and/or re-certification) or cease working with the visiting therapy dog if required
• Not to allow another person to work the visiting therapy dog without supervision or guidance, or to claim to be the Certified Handler for the purposes of providing animal-assisted interactions
• To acknowledge the copyright of all educational materials, appropriately attributing authorship via referencing
• To acknowledge ‘fair use’ of the training by acknowledging the ownership of all intellectual property, by attributing ownership of ideas and concepts learned, and to refrain from using the intellectual property to run training for profit

Failure to sign the Graduate Disclaimer will result in certification for handler and dog being withheld.