Smart Collar, the service dog innovation that could ‘save charities millions of dollars’

Imagine having a toddler and trying to predict the grades they’ll achieve in high school. This is akin to what animal behavioralists face when assessing which puppies are suitable to be trained as Assistance Dogs. But game-changing new technology, which three Australian charities are helping to develop, could make assessment possible up to a year earlier, creating unprecedented savings.

The service animal charities involved in the international project, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Assistance Dogs Australia and Vision Australia, are trialing prototype harnesses, dubbed Smart Collars, on 400 puppies during the next three years to assess if initial findings are consistent across a wider cohort.

^{The harness has electrodes that provide data about movement and an ECG to measure a puppy’s heart rate. Guide Dog puppy Olivia is fitted with the harness by Lisa Williams, Early Puppy Development Co-ordinator (left) and volunteer Lyndall MacInnes.}

Results of phase one of the research, led by North Carolina State University in the US, suggested the technology can predict with 93% accuracy at 7.5 weeks of age which puppies would go on to pass the behavioral assessment checklist required to begin assistance training. Each charity has slightly different training models, but for Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, that assessment currently happens at 14 months of age.

It’s at that point that successful dogs are then entered into an intensive 20-week training program to become an Assistance Dog in accordance with international standards. Just under 40% of dogs assessed at 14 months are not suitable for the training and the cost of raising dogs to that stage is more than $50,000 per pup. Unsuccessful dogs have “career changes” to either become a Therapy Dog or Ambassador Dog for the charity.

Caroline Moeser, Veterinary and Breeding Services Manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, said: “If the results come out close to the 93%, it’s going to be remarkable and give us so much information about which pathway a dog is going down.

“Puppy raising is by far the most financially impactful area of the organisation’s business, so if we can determine at 7.5 weeks of age the dogs that aren’t going to be suitable, we can make earlier, informed decisions. This helps us use resources more efficiently and deliver meaningful cost savings – while continuing to prioritise the wellbeing of every dog.”

“The other significant benefit is welfare. It will mean dogs won’t be put through training and environments that they won’t enjoy or find comfortable. We’ll also be able to reduce the number of dogs we need to breed. It will definitely be a game-changer if successful. It’s incredibly exciting.”

Steve Byrne, GM of Dog Services and Operations at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, said: “Puppy raising and dog training is traditionally a very hands-on approach. We’ve just not had the richness of data that the Smart Collar is providing before. We’re majority donor-funded so if successful, the technology will mean we can be so much more efficient with donor-funded money.”

^{The Smart Collar provides unprecedented data on a puppy’s physiological reactions, compared to assessments that have traditionally been based on a trainer’s experience, judgment and ‘gut feels’.}

The harness has electrodes that provide data about a puppy’s movement and an ECG to measure its heart rate. Puppies are fitted with the harness and exposed to a series of challenges, such as stairs, a vacuum cleaner and unfamiliar objects to assess how the puppy is coping with the stress of the new environment. Some dogs internalise behaviours, which makes it difficult to assess so the Smart Collar provides objective measures, compared to assessments that have traditionally been based on a trainer’s experience, judgement and “gut feels”.

Assistance Dogs Australia (ADA) trains dogs to assist people with a range of disabilities, such as mobility challenges, complex autism or veterans with PTSD who may be struggling to leave their homes. ADA has around 100 pups involved in the Smart Collar testing.

CEO Tim Taylor thinks it may need time to gather sufficient data before the technology is made into a widely used commercial product, but its impact across global assistance animal charities will be profound. “If you look at savings across the Australian sector alone, it’s in the tens of millions of dollars.” Tim said that the value of collaboration is significant in driving research and innovation, underpinned by data-led analysis that benefits not only the Australian sector but the global assistance dog community. 

The project is one of three initiatives undertaken by the Dreena Collaborative, which involves a number of animal charities working together to reduce duplication and increase impact and efficiencies. The other charities involved are Happy Paws Happy Hearts and the Taronga Conservation Society.

As the first collaboration of its kind in the sector, members took its name from the first Guide Dog in Australia – Dreena. The collaborative is supported by The Edward Alexander Foundation. Executive Officer Larry Fingleson said: “There’s great joy in seeing something come together with these charities that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. It’s warming and fulfilling. While we didn’t set out with particular outcomes in mind, if Smart Collar saves millions for the sector, that’s awesome.”

Smart Collar is one of three projects the collaboration is moving forward. The group has been working to elevate advocacy around the increase in people with Assistance Dogs being refused entry to public spaces and transport, and ways in which to streamline backend volunteering onboarding and management systems.

^{Puppies are fitted with the harness and exposed to a series of challenges, such as stairs, a vacuum cleaner and unfamiliar objects – including a Yoda figurine – to assess how the puppy is coping with the stress of the new environment.}

Data from the three-year testing, which started earlier in 2025, will be sent back to the US and collated with results from other participating charities in Canada to determine the next phase in developing the technology.

In the meantime, if you’re wondering what attributes make the perfect Guide Dog, Caroline Moeser says it’s not that simple. Some recipients need a tall dog, or one that walks more slowly, or is a particular colour – black for people who wear suits to work. “There’s no one ideal dog. But there’s one ideal dog for everyone.”

All photos by Daniel Kukec Photography.