· Your dog must have access to an outdoor area for toileting. If you do not have a private outdoor space your dog must be exercised regularly for toileting purposes.
· You must follow our guidelines for age to exercise ratio e.g. 5 minutes per month of your puppy.
· Puppies should never be left for more than 2 hours on their own.
· Assistance dogs should never be left for more than 4 hours on their own.
· You must be able to maintain your dog’s grooming, health care and mental stimulation.
· You must provide your own insurance. Once passed Bronze level this MUST include public liability.
· Retractable leads are NOT permitted to be used while your do is training or working.
· We do NOT use electronic, choke, prong or citronella collars on any of our dogs.
· When accessing public places you must carry your ID card and your dog MUST wear their Oliver’s Army logo jacket and full equipment at all times.
· Non Compliance with these rules will result in immediate removal of our programme and handler will have to return their jacket and ID badge immediately.
· Before you can start classes you must fill out an application form, read and sign our policies and procedures form, provide us with a photo of the handler and one of the dog for your file. Additionally you must provide a copy of the dog’s vaccination records. Flea and worming clarification of your dog is also required.
· You are required before class and secure your place to make a block booking payment. At our Crosshill Centre each term we half the number of weeks and each class is £15 each. Example 6 week block booking is £90.
· If there are no available classes your name and contact details will be put on our waiting list. When a class becomes available we will contact you to get you booked in. The waiting list is first come first serve no one is prioritised.
· Puppies are able to start training classes one week after they have had their 2nd vaccination, around 12 weeks of age.
· We cannot take any dog over the age of 6 years on to our programme.
· Dogs under 1 year of age start at Puppy Foundation. Older than 1 year old start at Bronze Level.
· Dogs must attend at least 6 weeks of each programme before sitting the assessment for that level.
· Assistance dogs ‘In training’ must have a vet’s letter to state they are fit and healthy before they can do the public access assessment.
· Assistance dogs NEED to have established toileting and MUST be fully toilet trained before gaining any public access.
· Dogs who are unwell must not attend classes/assessments under any circumstances until they are cleared from the vet.
· We apologise for the inconvenience, but female dogs in heat/season may not attend class.
· Unfortunately handlers and family members must not attend class/assessments under any circumstances if they are ill. They can return 48 hours of feeling well again (72 hours if COVID). We have a lot of vulnerable people coming in and out our doors and wish to keep our centre as safe as possible.
· You will still be charged the full class price if you do not attend the class unless you have extenuating circumstances, contacted management or head trainer and it has been agreed upon.
· When coming to classes, you should arrive 5-10 minutes early in order to toilet your dog before entering the building.
· You MUST bring all your equipment ready for each class. This including, grooming equipment, bed/blanket and treats.
· We expect everyone to engage in class and practise what they are taught at home.
· You must be in control of your dog at all times. When you enter the training room, please take care around other dogs you see, since some may become overly excited and do all they can to meet your dog.
· Some dogs are not friendly toward or comfortable around people they don’t know. Please do not approach or pet any other dog. If you have a child attending class with you and your child wants to meet another dog, please note that greeting other dogs can only be done after obtaining permission from the other dog’s handler and must take place during non-teaching time unless agreed by the trainer.
· If a dog approaches you or sniffs you or even nudges you, alert the handlers straight away and they should correct their dog.
· You should NEVER offer a dog, other than your own, food. The dog may have allergies but also they are training and need to be rewarded by their handler at the right time.
· You the handler are responsible for your dog’s behaviour. Oliver’s Army take no responsibility for any incidents that may occur involving you or your dog.
· You MUST not train with any non-Kennel Club Scheme trainer out with Oliver’s Army. This causes difficulty with our training technique and is very confusing for your dog.
· Excessively drooling dogs are not allowed on the Assistance Dog Programme for Health and Safety reasons.
· We do not recommend Day care facilities for dog as this is where bad habits are picked up and become issues with the training needed.
· As our classes are 50/55 minutes long with a 5/10 minute turn over in between, in order to clean. If you have any questions that can wait till after class please contact us via email or messenger. This allows us to keep classes rolling and not over run. Our trainers have a schedule for each class which allows some time for questions but we want everyone to have a chance/time they have paid for.
· All assessments MUST be paid in full before any assessment can take place.
· You should NEVER be responsible for handling your dog when under the influence.
· When your dog is in a car it legally MUST be appropriately restrained (crate, travel harness, carrier or boot grate) if unsure please check the gov.uk website.
· All trainers/volunteers reserve the right to refuse to work with ANY dog at any time.
· Treat all owners/handlers with respect and sensitivity. It would disrespectful and an infringement of a human’s rights to ask personal questions regarding the person’s disability. If you feel that they may require help or support, please ask them.
· In order to protect all participants in a class, we reserve the right to decline entry to or remove any dog who presents behavioural issues that may be deemed overly dangerous or disruptive, or that may be exacerbated by participation in a class setting.
· Depending on the circumstance, credit for removal of a class may be granted, and we may recommend our private training option, if available. This may include a behaviour consultation. This will be discussed with our Trustees and a decision made if this is an option available.
· We reserve the right to remove any dog from the programme, if they show signs of aggression or guarding behaviour, without any notice.
· Some dogs may start presenting behavioural issues for some unknown reason, to the handler. If agreed by the head trainer, these dogs maybe put on a probation period to work on what is causing these uncommon issues of that dog. If the handler is not seen to be working on these issues, as discussed with the trainer, they may lose their place on the programme.
· Dogs that show guarding or aggressive behaviour towards other dogs or to people will not be able to become an Assistance Dog.
· Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs reserve the right to refuse to train ANY dog showing signs of aggression.
· We will not tolerate bad behaviour or inappropriate use of language. We expect everyone to respect each other.
· If an altercation does occur in the class please keep your distance and keep your dog safe.
· Supporting letters/emails can be provided for a fee of £20.
· We expect all our volunteers, trainers and service users to be treated equally and fairly.
· If you have any issues, in public with your dog. If you have observed the Oliver’s Army public access rules e.g. full equipment, then Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs can support you with anything necessarily e.g. police, dog warden etc.
· We kindly remind handlers that all our trainers/staff are unpaid volunteers and respect the time and effort they put into the charity. We will reply to all messages/emails but also need our down time with our families and our own dogs.
• When the Bronze assessment has been achieved you will be entitled to lease an ID badge for ‘In Training’ purposes. This ID badge will help you gain public access into shops etc. with your dog.
• You will also be entitled to lease an ‘In Training’ jacket.
• Both the ID and jacket MUST be worn when gaining public access as well as in class. This is to teach the dog when they are working and when they are off duty.
• Be mindful that you are representing the charity every time you are in public wearing our jacket.
• As the dogs are still young we ask that you slowly and gradually gain public access, starting at Dog Friendly establishments.
• You MUST provide your own Insurance which MUST include Full Public Liability.
• We NEVER use escalators unless your dog is wearing boots.
• Anyone or anyone’s dog found not behaving in an appropriate manner in public may be aken off the programme.
• Task training can begin when the Silver Assessment has been achieved and your dog is over 1 year old. They will need at least 3 tasks to achieve their Public Access assessment.
• If you fail to attend classes without good reason for over 6 weeks, at the trainers discretion, your ID badge can be removed for a probationary time, until regular attendance of classes are met.
• Dogs CANNOT take the public access assessment before 24 months of age.
• Dogs MUST be spayed/neutered before sitting the public access assessment.
• Male dogs must NOT have sired before in order to become an Assistance dogs.
• Female dogs must NOT have produced a litter of pups to become an Assistance dog.
• Handlers MUST provide proof from vet of the dog’s good health before sitting the public access assessment.
• Everyone’s Public Access Assessment is £300
• Dogs MUST re-sit annually, if not their jacket and ID badge will be removed.
• Re-sit assessments are also £300 for everyone.
• The first year you have passed your public access assessment you are expected to attend catch up classes 4 times a year (roughly every 3 months) in order to maintain training standards.
• The second year you have passed your public access assessment you are expected to attend catch up classes 3 times a year (roughly every 4 months) in order to maintain training standards.
• For 3 years passed and above you are expected to attend catch up classes 2 times a year (roughly every 6 months) in order to maintain training standards.
• You are able to attend more classes after passing the public access assessment to learn more tasks training if you require.
• You are required to maintain your dog’s health, grooming and cleanliness before gaining public access.
• You are required to update Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs of any ill health, infection or incidents.
• Any behavioural issues that may occur, you MUST report to the charity so we can work through them together.
• You are representing Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs every time you are in the public eye. We expect good behaviour/manners by both handler and dog. Anyone found NOT to behaving appropriately will have their ID badge and jacket removed and removed from the programme.
• If you wish to leave the programme, for whatever reason, you MUST give us 10 days’ notice, in writing along with returning your ID card and jacket.
• Once the public access assessment has been achieved we will work with you and your school/college/university/workplace to get your dog transitioned. You MUST be aware that there are certain places that a dog cannot access due to Health and Safety reasons. This is the law.
• Dogs CANNOT take the therapy assessment before 12 months of age.
• Handlers MUST be 18 years old or over to take the Therapy Assessment.
• Dogs MUST have completed the gold assessment before doing their Therapy assessment
• Therapy dogs are NOT allowed to be fed a raw feed diet.
• Dogs MUST re-sit every 2 years, if not their jacket and ID badge will be removed.
• You are expected to attend catch up classes 2 times a year (roughly every 6 months) in order to maintain training standards.
• Therapy Dogs are NOT entitled to public access.
• Therapy dogs can ONLY gain public access if invited and agreed upon with the venue and through the charity.
• You MUST provide your own insurance including Public Liability for a minimum of 5 million.
• You dog MUST wear their jacket and ID badge when gaining public access.
• Handlers MUST provide proof from vet of the dog’s good health before sitting the therapy assessment.
• Each time you visit a venue; the required paperwork MUST be completed and sent back to the Scotland Centre.
• You MUST inform us immediately if your dog has been reactive (including growling) or been involved in an incident. This is to support you and work through any future incidents that may occur due to this situation.
• Please remember you are in charge of your Therapy dog and there to keep them safe when working. You are entitled to say no to anyone doing anything inappropriate to your dog.
• Your dog’s health and wellbeing and being free from fear and distress is of the upmost important to us.
At Oliver’s Army Assistance & Therapy Dogs, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring your personal information is handled safely and responsibly.
We only collect the information we need to deliver our charitable services — such as supporting handlers, volunteers, and veterinary professionals — and to maintain accurate welfare, health, and communication records. We will never sell or share your data for marketing purposes.
All personal data is collected and used in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and is stored securely with access limited to authorised team members only.
You have the right to access, correct, or request the deletion of your personal information at any time. We aim to be transparent about how and why we collect data, and to respect your preferences and privacy at every stage of your engagement with us.
For full details of how we collect, store, and use personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy (POL-HR-032) and Data Protection Policy (POL-HR-019).
If you would like to request a copy of these policies or ask a question about how we handle your data, please contact us at:
management@oliversarmyassistancedogs.org or use our contact form.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may include links to other websites that we think you may find useful or of interest. However, once you leave our site, please be aware that we have no control over the content or management of those external websites.
We cannot be responsible for the protection or privacy of any information you provide while visiting other sites, as they are not governed by this Privacy Statement. We encourage you to read the privacy statement of any website you visit to ensure you are comfortable with how your information may be used.
At Oliver’s Army Assistance & Therapy Dogs, we are committed to providing an inclusive, welcoming and respectful environment for everyone involved in our work — including our clients, volunteers, staff, and partners.
We believe everyone should be treated fairly and with dignity, regardless of race, sex, pregnancy or maternity, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, disability, religion or belief, age, or sexual orientation.
We actively oppose all forms of discrimination and strive to ensure equality of opportunity in every area of our organisation — from volunteering and training to the services we provide.
We aim to reflect the diverse communities we serve and ensure that our programmes and activities are accessible to all.
A copy of our full Equality & Diversity Policy (POL-HR-004) can be requested by contacting us at management@oliversarmyassistancedogs.org or via our contact form.
At Oliver’s Army Assistance & Therapy Dogs, the safety and wellbeing of everyone we work with — especially vulnerable people — is our highest priority.
We believe that nobody involved in our activities should ever experience abuse, harm, neglect, or exploitation. Every trustee, staff member, and volunteer has a shared responsibility to protect others and to act immediately if they have any concerns.
We are committed to:
If you have a safeguarding concern or wish to request a copy of our full Safeguarding Policy (POL-HR-042), please contact us at:
management@oliversarmyassistancedogs.org or use our contact form.
At Oliver’s Army we take complaints seriously and aim to support you in resolving it as quickly as possible. Any complaint should be made in writing and sent to management at address noted below. We will address the matter and contact you before speaking to the person or persons involved in the complaint. We will then discuss the matter further with our Trustees. A decision will be made how the matter will be managed in accordance to our policies and procedures. We would hope after completing an investigation, we would contact you with our findings and what the outcome will be.
Oliver’s Army Assistance and Therapy Dogs,
Unit 19 Crosshill Business Centre
Crosshill
Lochgelly
KY5 8BJ
01592 869484 Mob: 07546940232