YoPaws | Assistance Dog Coach

Well, there’s the name! 💜🐾

Very happy to be a finalist for the Lifeline Canberra 2026 Spirit of Hope Award alongside some wonderful Canberrans doing great things in our community.

There’s also a People’s Choice Award, decided by public vote.

If you’d like to cast yours, head to the link, scroll to the bottom and select Yevette Ho. 🐾💜

https://www.lifelinecanberra.org.au/spirit-of-canberra-awards/⁠

Thank you.

Yoshi & Yevette

Big day out for the CEO today. 🐕‍🦺💜

We started by visiting Kobe while his human is away. Kobe is an older gentleman who apparently hasn't seen much value in sits and downs over the years. 😂

Enter the two-and-a-half-year-old CEO, who demonstrated that sits, downs and holding the all-important chill position magically unlock treats. Somehow, Kobe started joining in. Apparently Yoshi has added staff training to her responsibilities. 🤣

Then we somehow found parking at the Kite Festival, so obviously we had to go! 🪁

And this is where I realised just how far Yoshi has come.

Kites falling around her, kids running towards her, crowds everywhere and people nearly stepping on her tail. Through all of it, she trusted me to look after her and I made sure I did.

Then it was off to the Disability Expo, where we added wheelchairs, mobility devices, crowds, giant balls bouncing around and even a random ball rolling right up to our feet.

If you know YoshiPaws, you know how she feels about BALLS. 😂🎾

But she held it together beautifully.

The Director of YoPaws l did the networking and made connections while the CEO mostly chilled, watched the world go by and supervised.

Typical management. 😂

Yoshi wears a lot of hats. She's my assistance dog, CEO, training partner and adventure buddy.

But underneath all of that, she's also just my dog and my best friend.

Work, business, boring errands, adventures and everything in between, we pretty much do life together.

And today, I was incredibly proud of her. 💜🐾

🐾 Small dog. Same standards.

Having a tiny dog does not come with a complimentary Public Access Test pass. 😅

Yes, there are circumstances where a small assistance dog may be carried. Sometimes that makes sense because of the handler’s disability, the task the dog performs, or for safety.

But being portable is not a public access skill. 😂

Your dog still needs to demonstrate that they can:

🐕 Work appropriately alongside their handler
👀 Focus and respond to their handler
🍗 Ignore food and other tempting distractions
🐶 Remain appropriate around other dogs and people
🧘 Settle and remain under effective control
🧼 Meet appropriate hygiene standards
♿ Perform a trained task or behaviour that helps alleviate the effects of their handler’s disability

And yes, a small dog should still be capable of working appropriately on the ground when required.

A Public Access Test is about whether a dog can safely and appropriately work with their human in public. It is not a test of whether your dog fits under your arm.

Being handbag-sized is a physical characteristic, not a qualification. 😂

Small dogs can sometimes make fantastic assistance dogs. Their size may change how they work, but it does not remove the standards they need to meet.

Small dog. Same job. Same public access expectations. 🐾

If you have a small dog and you’re unsure what this actually looks like in practice, we are always happy to have a chat. We can explain what assessors are looking for, when carrying may be appropriate, what your dog should be able to demonstrate on the ground, and how you can work towards those skills before attempting a PAT.

The goal isn’t to catch teams out. It’s to make sure both ends of the lead are ready to work safely and confidently in the real world. 💜

We have some pretty special news. 💙

I’ve been selected as a finalist for the 2026 Lifeline Canberra Spirit of Canberra Awards — Spirit of Hope Award.

This one means a lot.

YoPaws grew from my own lived experience, from Yoshi, and from wanting to make the assistance dog journey a little less overwhelming and lonely for the people coming after us.

What started as something incredibly personal has grown into a community where I get to help people understand their dogs, build stronger partnerships and find a pathway forward that actually works for them.

To have that work recognised under an award called Spirit of Hope feels particularly special.

And apparently there’s one more thing… 😅

All finalists are also in the running for the People’s Choice Award, which is decided by public vote.

So, if YoPaws, YoshiPaws or something I’ve shared has helped you, taught you something, made you feel seen, or simply made you smile — I’d be incredibly grateful for your vote. 💜🐾

👉 Vote for Yevette Ho – Spirit of Hope Award:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/bshdtTxGhK

Thank you to everyone who has supported this slightly crazy journey, our clients, our community, the people who have trusted me with their dogs, and everyone who believed YoPaws could become something.

And, of course, Yoshi — CEO, assistance dog, business partner and the reason much of this exists in the first place. 🐕💚

Whatever happens on awards night, being named a finalist is already something I’m incredibly proud of.

🐾 Pet Dog, Assistance Dog or Therapy Dog: Great Foundations Start Here.

Got a new puppy? Let’s start their journey a little differently.

YoPaws Puppy Foundations is more than puppy preschool. We focus on the foundations that help puppies grow into confident dogs who can navigate the real world, whatever their future holds.

💜 Connection & communication
💛 Confidence & thoughtful socialisation
🐾 Calmness & everyday life skills
💜 Understanding the puppy in front of you

YoPaws specialises in puppy development, behaviour and assistance-dog coaching, bringing that experience into a program designed for all puppies.

📅 Wed 14 October | 6pm
📍 Woofy & Whiskers, Gungahlin
🐶 5 weeks | Small group | $350

Places are limited!

Book at: https://yopaws.com.au/product/puppy-foundations/

🐾 Stella has come such a long way!

This girl is absolutely loving life. 💜

Stella can now head out onto the oval, have a run and a play off leash, stay close, check in with her humans and come back when called. And the best part? She’s choosing to stay connected even when she has the freedom to go and explore.

That didn’t happen overnight.

Being off leash is a privilege that Stella has earned through lots of consistency, practice and trust.

But we’ve also worked on something just as important: fun doesn’t only happen when the leash comes off.

We can play on leash. We can explore on leash. We can train, sniff, run around and have a great time on leash too.

So now, for Stella, the leash isn’t the big deal it once was. On or off, life is still fun and her human is still worth checking in with.

And that’s what we wanted. 💜

Go Stella! 🐾

🚌🐾 Beep beep! YoPaws puppies coming through!

Today’s Special Community Training took us somewhere a little different… the Belconnen Bus Depot! 💜

Our dogs and assistance dogs in training got to explore a bus, practise getting on and off, find their comfy spots and then go for an actual bus ride! 🐶🚌

There were wagging tails, lots of treats, a few “ummm… what is this giant moving thing?” moments 😂 and plenty of opportunities to just stop, watch and take it all in.

Because exposure doesn’t mean “just deal with it.”

New things should be introduced safely, at a pace each dog can handle. Some dogs jump straight in. Some need a little more time. Both are completely okay.

The aim isn’t to force confidence. It’s to create experiences where confidence has a chance to grow. 🌱🐾

A HUGE thank you to Transport Canberra ACTION buses, the team at Belconnen Bus Depot, and especially Michelle and Scott for letting our slightly furrier-than-usual passengers come along for the adventure! 😂💜

We had an absolute blast and would love to visit again!