The actual training of a dog takes an average of 6 to 9 months, sometimes even longer; it depends on the difficulty of the tasks that the dog has to master, given the severity of your disability. It also depends on the dog’s ability to learn, and it is not at all true that a dog that learns more slowly will be worse off in life than a dog that understands very quickly. However, training a dog cannot be rushed, and until the dog performs reliably, it is not possible to hand it over to you for training.

The waiting time for a dog is on average between 8 and 12 months. Choosing the ideal dog for you is quite a difficult task and is the first prerequisite for your future successful coexistence with a dog. Of course, it also depends on your requirements and needs, as well as the level of training. If you require, for example, a representative of a less common breed or insist on a certain color of dog, finding the “best” individual for you may take quite a long time. However, it is not worth rushing to choose a suitable dog that will suit you in terms of its nature, temperament and gender.

Of course, breeds are more suitable, less suitable and completely unsuitable for these types of training. But it mostly depends on the specific individuals. For example, we can meet quite a few golden retrievers who have bitten their masters, Labradors who are seasoned provocateurs and dog fighters. On the other hand, it is not difficult to meet pit bull terriers who would not bite a person, even if they were hurt, or Dobermans who avoid fights with other dogs.

The suitability of breeds is described for individual types of training, which also describes what a dog can help a person with a given handicap in – see the page Dog helpers for

You can even see examples of the work of dog helpers, directly on this website, in the Gallery section – “Video”.

The price of dog helpers is 270,000 CZK to 300,000 CZK.

The total price of a dog includes all costs associated with its preparation and training. From purchasing a puppy or young dog, through its upbringing, nutrition, veterinary care and procedures, hygiene and care for the dog, food supplements, training aids – dog equipment and gear, rewards, toys, travel costs for raising and training the dog, costs associated with training and visits to the client, handing over the dog and training the client with the dog, and costs for inspection visits. In addition, there are employee costs and operating costs – energy, postage, telecommunications fees, administration, repairs and maintenance of the training area, membership in international organizations, participation in fairs, seminars, conferences in our country and abroad, and employee training as part of improving the quality of services, presentation events, equipment of the area and employees, etc.

There is, of course, no fundamental difference, because the same demands are placed on the quality of the dogs – their health and character traits, regardless of the type of training, the duration of the training and its difficulty are also always almost the same, and the demands on the expertise of all workers are equally high.

Nothing, a guide dog is a recognized compensatory aid that is paid for from state funds under the same conditions as other compensatory aids. You can read more here.

Clients receive canine helpers from Helppes for free.

This is one of the main reasons for a personal meeting and interview. This is where we will specify your specific needs, possibilities and abilities, including the pronunciation of commands and the dog’s name. In some cases, we will even record the client’s pronunciation and the trainers will then use the exact command technique that you can handle during training. The dog’s name can of course also be adapted to this. Together with you, we will find a form of the dog’s name that remains similar to its original name, but you will be able to pronounce it. Several dogs that have undergone our training have already been renamed for this very reason. The dog can get used to the adapted and new name very quickly. If you are not able to use the same command every time or issue a sufficiently loud command, e.g. when recalling the dog from the game, it is possible to choose such methods and aids so that you can also control the dog – clicker, whistle, vibrating collar, clapping, etc.

Of course not. The fact that a dog has a pedigree is only a relative guarantee that it is a purebred individual; a pedigree does not guarantee anything more. It is not a guarantee of suitable character traits for these types of training, nor of satisfactory and good health. It does not matter whether a dog has a pedigree or not, it is always necessary to assess the suitability and corresponding qualities of each individual. Many dogs with a pedigree are excluded from breeding precisely because of severe, genetically determined defects, such as hip or elbow dysplasia, congenital eye defects or because of unsuitable character traits, etc. We can give an example of the breeds most used for these types of training – Labrador and golden retrievers or other retrievers. This is a hunting breed, for which the condition for inclusion in breeding is to pass at least a basic test, the so-called verification of the retrievers’ aptitude characteristics, i.e. the innate qualities for hunting. Puppies with a pedigree cannot be bred from individuals that do not meet this condition. However, only individuals or descendants of individuals that do not meet this basic condition for breeding – innate hunting behavior – are suitable for us, or for you. You cannot get a dog that has hunting instincts, because then it could easily happen to you that the dog runs away from you after the game and leaves you in the middle of the forest, for example. Of course, while chasing the game, the dog may even be hit by a car and you, for example, if you cannot see, will have a hard time getting out of such a situation, it can have very serious consequences for you. And we understandably cannot and do not want to give you such a dog. That is why we select individuals in the breeds that have passed all the testing. The absence of hunting instinct is part of the basic temperament tests.

Yes, all dogs handed over by us pass an exam with an independent judge before being handed over, just like in other branches of cynology. Even in all areas of hobby cynology, the independence and impartiality of judges must be maintained (judges may not judge family members, household members, partners, relatives), and this is only about hobby activities and gaining points, not about the health or life of people with disabilities or financial gain. Especially in the case of guide dogs, which are fully paid for from the state funds of the entity that trained and handed over the dog, an employee of this entity who directly participates financially in the success of the exam cannot judge the final exam of the dog, as this would be an obvious conflict of interest, not independence in judging. Of course, this also applies to assistance and signal dogs, which are paid for from other sources. The judge must be appointed by a professional independent guarantor of dog training – KSV – ČKS and may judge dogs only after training in the needs and specifics of people with disabilities, successfully completing the judge’s exams and the prescribed number of observation visits by the examination committee. The judge is reimbursed for the assessment and travel expenses according to the ČKS tables for the relevant period and this compensation is paid to him regardless of whether the dog passes the exam or not. The independence of the judge is therefore given by his position in relation to the entity where he judges the exam and by the fact that he does not participate directly or indirectly in the success of the exam.

Yes, if you successfully complete the initial interview, and your dog or female is of the appropriate age (from 1 year to a maximum of 2.5 years) and successfully passes all temperament and health tests, he can be included in training after castration. The minimum training period is 6 months. During the entire training period, your dog will be in our training school, and you can visit him.

If this dog is not aggressive enough to attack other dogs, regardless of their gender, then this is certainly not an obstacle to submitting an application. However, we always recommend getting a canine helper of the opposite sex. A tortoiseshell is no problem at all. Many of our clients already had one dog at home before getting a canine helper, but also cats, guinea pigs, ornamental birds, etc., as well as farm animals. One of the questions in the questionnaire concerns the presence of other animals in your family, because when preparing the dog, we already take into account that your future helper will live with you together with, for example, a parrot, another dog, but perhaps even a horse, and during the training the dog is then introduced to specific types of animals in detail and is prepared for future coexistence with them.

Yes, of course, if cats repeatedly provoke or even attack a dog, this can happen. Neither a fully trained dog is a robot that would be completely indifferent to everything that happens to it, nor a fool who would let cats repeatedly attack it. It depends on you and your neighbors how you can prevent cats from attacking and provoking your dog. In addition to the real risk that the dog will stop being indifferent to cats, there is also a risk of injury to the dog – a scratch from a cat to the dog’s eye can even end in blindness, and if the cats are wild, there is also a risk of infection for the dog after being scratched by the cats.

Every dog ​​that is accepted into training already has its name, is used to it and can hear it. Therefore, unless there is a really serious reason to change its name, the name cannot be changed. A serious reason is that you are not able to pronounce the dog’s name. Then a name is chosen that is as similar as possible to the original name that the dog is used to and can hear, but which the client is able to pronounce.

The first thing parents of a child who has an approved application for an assistance dog to accompany them to school must do is to notify the school management of this fact and find out whether the school management agrees with the presence of an assistance dog at school. In order for a child to be able to accompany a dog to school, they must meet the basic condition, namely that they can handle their dog in all situations, which they must also prove at the end of the training process by passing the Dog Behavior Test in Public according to international standards (the so-called access test). This test tests the child’s ability to handle a dog in a variety of environments, including the most demanding ones, as well as the assistance tasks required for the child. Only after successfully passing this test do the child and the dog become a certified team.

Problem No. 1 – allergies and other health or psychological problems of classmates

– it is necessary to realize that it is not possible to discriminate against a child with a disability just because he/she needs an assistance dog to compensate for his/her handicap. In addition to practical help, a child gets an assistance dog because of the possibility of better integration into society and the team. And for school-age children, logically, the main team is the school. On the other hand, it is necessary to take into account other children, and if there are children in the class who have a demonstrable health or psychological problem that could be dramatically worsened by a long-term stay with a dog in the same room (asthma, severe allergies, panic fear of dogs), it is necessary to find an individual solution that will not harm any child (change of class, short-term stay of the dog at certain hours, etc.)

– panic fear of dogs is almost exclusively the result of bad experiences or faulty upbringing (e.g. grandmother threatens a small child that if he is naughty, that big dog will eat him – unfortunately, such senseless threats can be heard quite often in practice). In this case, it is necessary to consult both the parents of the child who has a phobia of dogs, as well as teachers, educational counselors and a child psychologist. An assistance dog can be an excellent helper in overcoming this phobia.

Problem No. 2 – hygiene:

– given that the strictest hygiene standards apply in healthcare facilities and catering services, the presence of canine assistants is regulated by law. The entry and stay of assistance dogs in healthcare facilities is regulated by the Act on Health Services No. 372/2011 Coll. The permission for the presence of assistance dogs in catering facilities is regulated by the Act on Public Health Protection No. 258/2000 Coll. Schools do not have such strict hygiene standards, therefore no law regulates the entry of assistance dogs into school facilities for hygiene reasons. There is no reason to prevent the entry of an assistance dog due to hygiene concerns

– each assistance dog must always be kept clean (brushed, bathed)

– dogs are under regular veterinary supervision, are regularly vaccinated and treated against external and internal parasites

Problem No. 3 – the dog will disrupt classes, may bite someone, will walk in the hallways, will disrupt classes by slapping while eating, the dog will suffer from typical child behaviors 

These concerns are caused by ignorance of the issue, behavior and needs of dogs. A survey of schools, from elementary to high school, conducted in 2018 clearly demonstrated that an assistance dog has never been a disruptive element, but on the contrary has always been a benefit to pupils (students) and teaching staff

– during classes, the dog lies calmly next to/under the student’s desk

– even during breaks, the dog does not run around the school or classroom freely, but is on a leash

– the dog is prepared for the specific school environment during training

– the dog does not need to be walked during teaching. In the example of an ordinary family, where the dog is walked in the morning and then when they come home from work, when the whole family’s apartment is not peed on and soiled during that time, and also during the whole night the adult dog does not need to be walked, it is clear that there is no reason to walk the dog during school hours, especially at primary school. If school hours are very long, then there is always a sufficient break for the possibility of walking the dog. If it is possible to walk the dog on school premises, then there is no problem with the child leaving school. In such a case, the child or parents must always clean up after the dog. Walking the dog when the child has to leave school premises must be resolved after the parents have agreed with the school management, or the parents or someone from the family walks the dog

– the dog is usually fed once or twice a day. The dog is never fed in school

– all assistance dogs must have a friendly and balanced nature. Dogs that show even a hint of aggressive behavior are excluded from training

– for children’s clients, dogs are selected that love children, are tolerant of a large group of children and various manifestations of children’s behavior (running, stomping, screaming, etc.), and with regard to the physical and psychological abilities of the child to handle the dog

Problem No. 4 – if the child is not in a wheelchair or blind, he does not need an assistance dog (a common myth) and he does not even need to go to school with one

– the fact that a person’s handicap is not visible at first glance does not mean that a dog cannot be as important a help to him as it is to someone whose disability is visible at first glance

– a dog does not cooperate with a child (or an adult) solely on the basis of training, but mainly on the basis of the relationship that they create between them. And that is why it is very important that the dog and the child spend as much time together as possible. And since the child spends a relatively large part of his time at school, it is important and desirable that they be together there too

– it is necessary to realize that every child can get an assistance dog only on the basis of a doctor’s recommendation. And it is the doctor, or A psychologist who knows the child’s problem in great detail is the one who can assess the benefit of a dog for a given child independently and best

The whole process also includes introducing school staff, children and possibly parents to the importance of an assistance dog for a given student. Our experts will inform everyone about how the dog is prepared for its stay at school and how to behave towards an assistance dog. The children are explained and justified in a clear and understandable way, taking into account their age, why their classmate needs such a canine helper, and why they must not disturb the assistance dog in any way, pet it, feed it or give it commands.