About The Pet Dog Ambassador Program

The Benefits of The Program:

• Improve the relationship between pet dogs and their guardians
  
• Help guardians gain a better appreciation of force-free dog training and its applications to everyday living
  
• Improve the knowledge of socially responsible pet guardians
  
• Increase guardians’ knowledge and understanding of local laws in their locality
  
• Equip dogs and guardians with the skills to be out in the wider community in settings such as cafes and outdoor eating areas, off leash areas, busy streets and beaches
  
• Demonstrate to the public the advantages of a well-trained dog
  

The Assessment Levels

The PDA Program is a five level program. Each level builds on the previous level to strengthen the knowledge, skills and abilities of dogs and their guardians. 

The PPG PDA levels are:

PDA – Level 1 (Puppy), PDA – Level 2, PDA – Level 3, PDA – Level 4, PDA – Level 5 (Championship)

Level 1 (Puppy) Dogs, like people, learn best when they are young. That is why we love to see puppies (four to nine months) reach their first pet dog training goal early. Qualified assessors assess puppies in class. This can be the class teacher (if PPG qualified to assess) or an assessor brought into class for the purpose of assessing the work done by participants.

Level 2 (any dog over the age of six months) builds on the work undertaken at Level 1. It is at a level where those who did not undertake Level 1 because they did not fit the age bracket can still have an easy entry into the program. This too is assessed in a class situation.

Levels 3 and Level 4 build further on the dogs’ and Guardians’ skills, knowledge and ability and culminate in assessments both in real life settings and in the class situation.

Level 5 (Championship) This level is where everything the dog and Guardian have learned is put to the test in real life settings. There are location options available to help assessors make real life training relevant to their clients. Assessors will be able to create scenarios that may be appropriate to their local surroundings provided they include all of the compulsory exercises and two from the selection of optional exercises.

Before starting the program, the dog’s guardian must complete the online open book quiz that checks their knowledge on dogs and their needs. The quiz must be completed successfully before starting Level 1 or Level 2 which are the entry points to the PDA program.