Six weeks. Two packs. One skill a week. Bragging rights for a year. Nath's Wild Dogs vs Matt's Jackals. Every Sunday night one of them drops the next skill, and the other one has to beat it with his pack. Nath thinks the Wild Dogs have this. Matt hasn't stopped talking about the Jackals since the patches arrived. Your dog decides who's right. Runs 14 September to graduation on 31 October: the Blue Mile, a cafe stop at Diggies, and Halloween dress-ups.

Your step-by-step home companion to the 36-week Assistance Dog Pathway: from foundations to the Suitability Test and your Public Access Test. Each week is a module with short lessons, a video for every skill, and exactly what to practise between academy days.