Canine Ability Assistance Dogs

Canine Ability Assistance Dogs Specialising in the provision of Prospect Dogs for working roles and trained Assistance Dogs.

Based in Northern Ireland, CA Assistance Dogs also supports Owner-trained Assistance Dogs through 1-1s and residential training

On the debate of harness vs collar, where do we stand?The short answer? We work and train with both! The long answer? It...
08/06/2026

On the debate of harness vs collar, where do we stand?

The short answer? We work and train with both! The long answer? It is completely dependent on the situation, location and stage in training.

*Disclaimer: there are lots of different trainers out there who train in their own specific ways and each may be equally valid, this is simply what I do and methods I have developed over time and working with lots of different dogs*

This is Ash at 4.5 months old, taking on her first country road walk to visit the sheep near the village🐑 At this stage in her training, my goal is purely socialisation and building confidence- not behavior or obedience. I want to find the easiest way to get her down the road safely and comfortably, without making loose lead walking harder to teach when we start to tackle it later on. So I picked a harness and a light 3m lead to give her plenty of room to sniff, explore and check out the sights and sounds without hitting the end of a lead! She is too young for now for me to expect her to heel for an extended period of time (currently boasting the attention span on a gnat and is easily distracted by shiny objects) so putting her lead on her collar would only end up with a lot of tension on her neck or a very stop start walk-frustrating for both me and her! So for now we explore on a harness (still reinforcing loose-lead walking but making it much easier for Ash to get right) and collar training will come later, with heel work will be built up gradually until we are ready to use it for longer training walks🤞

For Aspen and Ash in the future, wearing their walking harness will tell them they are 'off-duty' and they can relax and do their thing, whereas walking on a collar will mean they are 'working' and need to stay engaged with their handler. In this way they can be both pets and life savers for someone very special.

📨If you'd like to register your interest in partnering with one of these pups once they are fully trained or to find out more, email [email protected]


Early exposure is all about building positive experiences and having fun🐾Once the puppies settled into our home and thei...
01/06/2026

Early exposure is all about building positive experiences and having fun🐾

Once the puppies settled into our home and their routines, we started to introduce them little and often to new people, new places and new environments. The priority here is letting them see, smell and hear new things and learn to feel comfortable and relaxed with novel experiences. I want them to have fun, feel confident and love seeing the world as they grow and develop🌈

This is Aspens first trip into the town at around 4.5 months old. She is hearing the traffic and people chatting as they pass her by, smelling the coffee shops and ice cream 🍦 and watching the pigeons fly in Conway Square (so far is a big fan of the birds- something to work on later🙈). She was excellent and took it all on her stride- this is what socialisation is all about!

Although Aspen and Ash are very close sisters, 99% of their training sessions take place separately so we can go at their own pace and adapt training to the individual pup. So for now, trips out are one at a time but they will both get the chance to see plenty of new places along the way!

📨If you'd like to register your interest in partnering with one of these pups once they are fully trained or to find out more, email [email protected]

Ps swipe for the outtake📸


Here comes Ash🌿The second of our pair of special pups striving to become an Assistance Dog (and someone's very best frie...
05/05/2026

Here comes Ash🌿

The second of our pair of special pups striving to become an Assistance Dog (and someone's very best friend♥️).

This little lady is our social butterfly who absolutely adores meeting new people and all the fuss that comes with them! She's mastered the '4 feet on the ground' rule to get her pets, and loves to be held like a baby. But Ash is a little all or nothing- so if she isn't on your knee having a snuggle, she's running at the speed of light and reaching World Record breaking Zoomie speeds with her favourite football in her mouth! Oh and if you need a hole dug in your garden? Ash is your woman! (...all digging activities are being redirected to the beach only but a puppy will be a puppy🤷🏻‍♀️😂)

Ash has food-drive by the bucket load and would work for snacks all day long if you let her. She is a pleasure to train and is incredibly focused for her age, with brains to burn- a skill we hope will help her succeed in her dreams of becoming an Assistance Dog some day in the future🤞

Follow us to watch Ash grow and learn about the world, working through lots of training and fun outings to prepare her for a very important job🐕‍🦺


Introducing Aspen🍃One of the two special little pups to join our crew for a very important role🤞 Aspen is a courageous, ...
30/04/2026

Introducing Aspen🍃

One of the two special little pups to join our crew for a very important role🤞 Aspen is a courageous, driven and busting to work but with a very sweet disposition and a big time cuddler (well...if you can make her sit still for more than half a second).

She is toy obsessed and sniffing for her Kong is her favourite game to play. She is pretty sure water bowls were designed for splashing in and anything climbable will be conquered. Over the past few weeks we've built her food drive up (it's hard to eat when you always have a ball in your mouth) and now she lovesss working any chance she gets!

Aspen is dreaming big and hopes to make it as an Assistance Dog when the time is right- but for now she is allowed to be the crazy little pup she is, with lots of fun training sessions and outings along the way🐾

Follow along with Aspen's training journey and watch this girl grow and thrive (no matter where that bright brain of hers takes her!)🐕‍🦺

Introducing Canine Ability Assistance Dogs — the next big step in the journey for Canine Ability Dog Training!An Assista...
27/04/2026

Introducing Canine Ability Assistance Dogs — the next big step in the journey for Canine Ability Dog Training!

An Assistance Dog is a highly trained canine that mitigates disability for the individual they work for. Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting owners who are training their own Assistance Dogs- watching them learn together, progress and thrive in their new partnerships has been incredible! At Canine Ability, my goal has always been to make life-changing Assistance Dogs more accessible to those who need them- and this new project (which I have been keeping quiet for a few months🤫) aims to add another route to access these special dogs.

So Canine Ability Assistance Dogs has some new recruits: two lively little Labrador pups with plans for a big future ahead🤞 (Proper introductions to follow). These are pups I will train myself to one day mitigate disability for someone who truly needs them. They'll be staying with me during the early and intensive stages of training, before being thoughtfully matched with the right families further down the line.

With the pitter-patter of tiny paws well and truly invading my house, I have my work cut out for me and lots and lots of training ahead! Come and follow along with us on our new page, and learn about what exactly we have to offer. Watch these pups learn and grow, and register your interest to be assessed as a potential match for one of these girls when the time is right🐕‍🦺


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