Assistance dog team certification

A clear and globally accepted qualification is the long-overdue basis for access rights, support, and protection of assistance dog teams. A universally recognized identification with digital ID, register, identification card, and identifying marks is urgently needed to distinguish legitimate assistance dog teams from unqualified ones.

Challenges with former assessment formats

While reviewing existing options (see below) a need for improvement was noticeable in various practices. Candidates shared with us experiences of substantial stress, some enduring exams that continued for 4+ hours without sufficient breaks: much more than what is humanely appropriate for dog and human.

Handlers felt unsettled by examiners’ inspection, clipboard in hand. Being examined in public can make handlers feel anxious and insecure, a state of mind that transfers to the dog.

At times, decisions in traditional exams may be distorted by fleeting, potentially biased impressions, for example, if there are environmental distractions. If a candidate felt unfairly evaluated, they had little recourse, since the audit trail can be sparse. The lack of transparency and quality management can leave teams feeling unfairly evaluated and helpless.

iCert360™ – regulated and fair

In contrast, our assessment follows comprehensive, ISO-aligned certification standards. iCert360iCert360™ is the registered name for the process utilized during assessment. "i" stands for "international," "cert" for "certification," and "360" refers to its comprehensive video perspectives.™, our testing process, is designed to deliver standardized and universally comparable results regardless of location and without the need for travel.

Years of research and development have been invested in its proprietary technologies and ISO-aligned certification framework. This ensures that our certification is regulated and comparable as well as fair and accessible.

iCert360™ is designed to lower stress, minimize bias, prevent errors, and optimize fairness. Strict data protection principles guide the process throughout.

Pre-register now (waiting list)

What certified teams say

The exam was based on my everyday life and daily routine. I quickly came away from the feeling of being in an exam. There was just one person behind us. And soon I stopped noticing the unobtrusive camera. I never felt at the mercy of others and could set the pace at any time. M. M., Qualified assistance dog team

I could have watched mistakes on the video if I needed to. If you don't pass, you're not a bad team. You just have to develop to become a better team. Later you can show that progress again. So I was relaxed right from the start. M. M., qualified assistance dog team

Our certification process, step-by-step

You supply required documents about you, your needs, and your dog.
Your data is confidential and secured by data protection standards.
An independent data protection officer supports our compliance.
Your final commitment and payment are required only if you are admitted to the assessment.
iCert360™ is conducted by an external, regulated assessment body.
Fees and more details will be published soon.

Note:
The next exam cycle starts in spring 2026.
Secure your place on the waiting list, obligation-free.
Self-financed teams may qualify for a subsidy thanks to donor-advised Impact Funds.

Pre-register now to join the waiting list

Data safety

Data protection laws require an external data protection agent for all organizations, large or small, processing health data. Many organizations offering public access tests do not publicly declare their compliance level.

Furthermore, in traditional exam formats, admission with its detailed personal history, the exam, and the assessment are typically done by the same people. This easily leads to bias: Your examiners have a lot of information about you, which may cause negative associations, whether unconscious or due to prejudice.

iCert360™ shares only relevant information with the examiners:
Your needs, your assistance dog’s tasks, and our audit-grade, multi-perspective video documentation.
We never share: your name, where you live, your service providers, whether your dog was educated by someone else or yourself, and other personal details. This is how we ensure that examiners focus on your readiness as an assistance dog team — bias-free.

A handbook, provided by the Assistance Dog Foundation free of charge, can help you prepare for the theoretical exam.
The theoretical exam is done remotely via video conferencing in multiple-choice format and lasts 30 minutes.
Compliance is ensured by a modern set of proctoring technologies.
Technical support and accessibility adaptations as needed.
Once you pass your theoretical exam, you are scheduled for the practical exam.
Your practical exam planning follows a detailed protocol, based on the certification scheme and global standards. This ensures that all relevant aspects are covered and our certificates are always comparable.
In addition to your list of assistance dog tasks, you may also submit a list of familiar locations to be considered.
You receive the exam route on the day of your practical exam.

Benefits for you

In traditional exams, the theoretical exam often takes place before or during the practical exam. This accommodates the examiners and reduces their travel needs.

For the handler, this additional requirement on the day of the practical exam may significantly increase their stress level and impair concentration.

*iCert360™*	What it means for you
You meet your video proctor at the agreed location. Any visual clues that identify your assistance dog service provider are covered.	Since proctors live in your region, travel expenses are low. We can be more flexible and affordable. No examiner entourage follows you and makes you uncomfortable.
The proctor activates a set of small cameras and ensures proper connection on all channels.	Our cameras reliably capture the full environment, without limitation: everything is recorded from multiple perspectives, nothing is missed.
The proctor attaches a small wearable camera in a way that does not distract you to document your viewpoint.	These cameras reliably document (A) the handler–dog interaction, (B) the dog’s body language, and (C) additional environmental context. They include what you see and hear, capturing details someone following would miss.
You and your proctor are connected to the exam supervisor via encrypted livestream and audio. The proctor is only in charge of monitoring the technologies.	You navigate your route at your tempo and with minimal interruption: Real-life scenarios on your daily routes, in places you typically visit, where possible. Candidates regularly report that the process reduces stress, preserves autonomy, and feels non-invasive.
Your remote exam supervisor guides you — focused, organized, and undistracted.	Traditional exam: Risk of reduced accuracy as examiners multitask on-site (observe, walk, follow the plan, take notes, interact, react to the environment, etc).
The exam is typically split into two sessions (morning/afternoon) and includes breaks to reduce stress. If needed, the exam can be split over multiple days.	Traditional exam: Logistics and costs require that everything be done in one day, ideally in one session.
Changes in weather or health? The exam date can easily be changed.	Traditional exam: Once the examiners have traveled to the location, it is expensive to postpone. You may feel pressured into a sub-optimal exam.
You may share your self-assessment after the exam with the examiners (optional).	Your view counts: share your comments for the examiners to consider.
Your feedback regarding our processes is always welcome and treated confidentially.	Quality management includes you! Your experiences and ideas count.
Third parties may observe from a distance.	However, since video documentation is available, they no longer need to. Remember that familiar people in the surroundings may distract the dog.

*iCert360™*	What it means for you
Three examiners assess you per aggregated video and audio documentation: focused, undistracted, and unbiased.	Removing all distractions results in high-quality, detailed assessments, appreciated by our clients.
Examiners do not know who the other examiners are. The scores and comments of each examiner are confidential. Examiners may not discuss the exam with others. This prevents group bias and distortions of judgment.	In their assessment, our examiners solely rely on their judgment and what they see. By process design, they cannot influence each other.
“Nothing about us without us” — we honor this principle by including an experienced assistance dog handler as examiner.	Nobody understands you better than someone who lives with similar impairments and has long experience living with an assistance dog.
Your name, location, assistance dog service provider, and personal information remain confidential.	You’re protected from bias or prejudice that may be introduced through too much personal information.
In addition to audio, the examiners utilize multiple video perspectives simultaneously.	This multi-perspective video shows details that examiners on-site would miss, including the handler’s perspective up close. iCert360™ supports a much more profound understanding of events.
Video evidence is assessed with care, not in the rush of the moment. The examiners may pause, rewind, zoom in, and slow-mo the video as needed. Every decision is based on time-stamped clips and easily documented.	No details are missed because an examiner is temporarily distracted or looking elsewhere. Sound observation replaces selective and subjective perception. This creates unparalleled insights and fairness.
Reflecting our focus on human-dog partnership, examiners focus less on problems and more on how you resolve them with your dog.	Our assessment focuses on the competence of the handler. Making good decisions concerning the partnership with the assistance dog leads to the expected performance as a team and certification.
Examiners are selected for high expertise in the education of assistance dog teams. After successfully assessing a set of assessments as additional examiners, they become qualified.	Assistance dog professionals are best qualified, as they bring a lot of practical experience and competence. A long qualification period ensures alignment with the certification standards.
Your examiners’ exam scores are also continuously measured, and their performance is scored.	An intricate algorithm tracks every score and deviation, updating the examiner’s quality score continuously. This ensures that only the best, most committed examiners work with us.
Partial retests may be offered if you fail, where appropriate.	The video provides clear feedback with referenced scenes. A failed assessment turns into a learning opportunity and chance for self-improvement.

A certified handler has proven competence at managing the dog’s welfare and the team’s integrity.
A global register is offered for certified teams and service providers. Furthermore, the handler receives an ID card and identification marks from the Assistance Dog Foundation.
Concerns and incident are logged and tracked to resolution.
Recertification is only required if a substantiated concern is not resolvable.
Certification ends if a dog is unable to assist or on the 10th birthday.
Annual extensions are possible with proof that the dog is fit for work.

Benefits for you

Certified handlers and assistance dog professionals are our partners in our quest to ensure successful assistance dog teams.

We turn to them for timely, effective solutions when concerns arise.

We apply the same quality standards and processes to every team.
Examiners’ performance and outcome are tracked (quality score).
Examiners stay current on developments in the assistance dog sector.
Regular internal and external audits advance the processes.
Feedback channels invite suggestions and concerns from applicants, candidates, certified teams, and the public.
Independent studies strengthen welfare and acceptance.
Our comprehensive bibliography supports research.
Our global register will serve as reliable verification for the public, decision-makers, and funders.

For all things certification, the Assistance Dog Foundation and its global register are your point of contact.

The full certification process itself, however, is supervised by a 3rd-party certification agency we contract to comply with ISO-standards.

This setup ensures global validity of your certification while also ensuring that the certification program is informed processes deeply rooted in the assistance dog sector, considering the full range of stakeholders. The Assistance Dog Foundation also aims to keep costs low and secure additional support for certified teams.

Compare us to other options

A few governments have tried to regulate assistance dog teams and service providers.
The following are some typical problems:

National relevance only, no international recognition.
Regulations, once implemented, become static.
Rarely reviewed and adapted to progress in the sector.
At times, weak feedback loops and unclear processes.
Often skewed by lobbying activities or guided by ideology, not assistance dog-specific expertise.
Written by sector outsiders, laws may contradict actual requirements.
Lax regulations invite and empower abuse.
Overly rigid and uninformed laws may clash with concept requirements or fail the needs of teams.

Every service provider should assess the readiness of their teams before concluding their education. Such assessments are valuable for internal purposes.

However, this approach risks conflicts of interest. Provider assessments have limited to no validity as a public certification, even when done by colleagues or others within a professional association.

Funding bodies, like health insurance agencies, typically require a comprehensive assessment to ensure that the handler and dog are competent, tasks are successfully executed, and both can safely navigate life together.

Examiners sent by the health insurance are frequently not assistance dog experts.
High costs and shortage of available examiners, since they travel long distances, often requiring 2-3 days.
Due to conflict potential, additional observers are often added, increasing expenses.
Travel plans are complex and do not allow for flexibility accommodating the needs of handlers and dogs.
Despite high expenses, there is no audit-grade documentation to prevent disagreement.

A range of nonprofits have attempted to provide qualified teams with validation. These efforts frequently suffer from a lack of funding and/or professional structures and quality management. Sometimes this results in micro-exams of 30 minutes to an hour — by far not enough to conduct a comprehensive and reliable assessment.

Assistance Dog Foundation is a nonprofit as well, yet we are partnering with a third-party certification agency to ensure that processes are independent, validated, well-structured, and ISO-aligned.

A lucrative income to the creators, these “IDs” are simply issued for a fee. At times, submitting a doctor’s letter of recommendation is required; sometimes these services even offer to write such an attestation remotely for an additional fee. If there is an “exam”, it is minimal and flawed, like sending in video snippets.

A flood of official-looking assistance dog IDs and harnesses confuse the public. This encouraged a flood of unqualified or outright fake teams, jeopardizing this life-saving concept. This abuse endangers the assistance dog concept, and ending it is our goal. Qualified handlers, who depend on their assistance dog for improved autonomy, finally need to be recognized beyond a doubt and their rights protected.

Pre-register now (waiting list)