"Hi I am Victoria and this is my owner trained assistance dog Molly, I'm sure you will see her in many of my training videos on our Social Media Pages.
She is also one of our Mentor dogs and Demo dogs for some classes/workshops."
Meet Victoria
I'm Victoria, founder of Bond and Behave.
My journey into assistance dogs began when I became disabled at 18 and started looking for support to help manage daily life. Like many people, I explored assistance dog charities but found long waiting lists and eligibility requirements that didn't meet my individual needs.
That's when I discovered owner-trained assistance dogs.
What started as a personal journey soon became a passion. Over the last 12 years I have trained and worked alongside assistance dog teams, gaining first-hand experience of the challenges owner trainers face and the support they need to succeed.
Today, Bond and Behave exists to provide the guidance, structure and community I wish had been available when I first started my own journey.
Qualifications & Professional Development
- Level 3 Qualification in Dog Training and Behaviour
- Continuing professional development through the Institute of Modern Dog Trainers (IMDT)
- Ongoing education in evidence-based and ethical training practices
My training approach is ethical, practical, and evidence-based, using reward-based methods as a foundation alongside appropriate handling and management where needed. The focus is always on the dog’s welfare and building reliable behaviour that holds up in real-world environments.
ADAA Approved Assessor
I am an ADAA (Assistance Dog Assessment Association) Approved Assessor, able to provide independent assessments for owner-trained assistance dog teams across Scotland.
These assessments help determine whether a dog-handler partnership meets the behaviour and public access standards expected of an assistance dog.
Assessment services include:
- Public Access Testing
- Independent Aviation Assessments
My Assistance Dog
My current assistance dog, Molly, joined me in 2022 and successfully passed her Public Access Test in October 2024.
Training Molly reinforced something I have always believed: owner trainers deserve access to knowledgeable, affordable support and a community that understands the journey.
That's the foundation Bond and Behave was built on.
