Our certification scheme
While a third-party certification body conducts the certifications and decisions to reach full ISO-compliance, the Assistance Dog Foundation manages the independent certification scheme for the assistance dog team certifications.
This approach became necessary, because a detailed review of existing standards and assessments revealed that none of them were suitable to be used as an international ISO certification scheme as they were.
As of 2026, our certification scheme is in its final validation phase.
At this stage, associations and policymakers are invited to contribute their thoughts and requirements. If you have not been contacted and would like to join in, please contact us. Publication is expected for summer of 2026.
Most assessments largely focus on the dog. They ignore the fact that the handler’s competence is key to the success of this human-dog partnership. Our certification scheme explicitly honors the leadership of the handler guiding the partnership and being responsible for the success of the team.
We standardize how we assess, not how a team works. Our certification program combines ISO-requirements with the required flexibility for individual solutions, where appropriate. This is how our process acknowledges the highly personalized character of the assistance dog concept.
Audit‑grade technologies minimize bias and document every step of the certificiation objectively and transparently, including the performance of the examiners. Our processes are designed for highest privacy protection through restricted access to personal information and the involvement of an external data protection officer.
Our commitment to quality management
Perfection is impossible, since quality is a process.
We therefore commit to quality management that is both rigorous and humane Our certification scheme follows documented processes, independent oversight, and ongoing feedback cycles aligned with ISO-principles.
We continuously collect and act on
feedback from all stakeholders: handlers, dogs, professionals, the public, and funders.
We measure what matters, review objectives and results, and act on evidence. We do this to protect the teams’ welfare and the public’s trust.
The following works informed our current certification scheme:
- The European CEN standard “Assistance Dogs” (EN 17984-1 to -6) and extensive discourse with experts in all its technical committees.
- Publications by professional associations Assistance Dog International (ADI) and International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF)
- The Austrian regulation, administered by the Messerli Institute,
- Guide Dog and Service Dog Regulation by British Columbia, Canada, the Service Dog Pass from AKC, and various assessments worldwide.
- The German Assistance Dog Ordinance, “AHundV”, detailing specifics for §12 e-l BGG, and years of advisory to the German government and Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.
- The quality criteria of the German health insurance regarding guide dogs for the blind (“Qualitätskriterien”).
- The assistance dog assessment by the German BHV.
