Assistance & Working Dogs
The dogs with jobs, held to some of the highest training standards of all.
Assistance Dogs International is the worldwide coalition that accredits assistance-dog programs. Members are assessed by peer review against standards covering humane training, the dog’s tasks, handler education and ethical breeding, and re-assessed on a multi-year cycle. Its accreditation is recognized internationally as evidence of an audited training standard.
The International Guide Dog Federation sets and assesses the global standards for guide-dog organizations. Its peer-led accreditation covers breeding, training, mobility instruction and the long-term support of the guide-dog partnership. Recognized as the field’s definitive benchmark, membership signals that an organization trains guide dogs to a consistent international standard.
Published as RDWS-01, an open standard defining what it means for a workplace to genuinely welcome a dog, for the dog and the people who share the room. Its fifteen requirements span fair, transparent terms with no breed or size bans, the dog’s welfare through the day, and protection for colleagues who cannot share a room with one. The text is free to read; certification follows assessment.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain regulates licensed greyhound racing and sets welfare standards for the dogs and the kennels that house them. Licensed trainers’ kennels are audited against a published specification by an independent certification body holding UKAS national accreditation, while stewards make their own visits. It is an unusual case of a sporting welfare code brought inside the formal accreditation chain.
The Kennel Club sets the regulations governing licensed dog shows in the UK, including Crufts. These cover entry, veterinary inspection, handling and the welfare and housing of dogs while at an event, and bind everyone who competes under Kennel Club rules. Participation is voluntary, but for anyone showing a dog the regulations are the binding framework defining acceptable conduct and care in the ring.
The Americans with Disabilities Act defines service animals in US federal law and guarantees their handlers access to public spaces and businesses. It sets what qualifies as a service animal, principally a dog trained to perform tasks for a person with a disability, and what establishments may and may not ask. Enforced through the courts, it makes access a civil right rather than a courtesy.
Germany’s federal ordinance standardising the training, examination and certification of assistance dogs, made under disability-equality law. It defines categories of assistance dog by function, requires veterinary screening for health and suitability, and requires the dog-and-handler team to pass a formal practical and theoretical examination, giving certified teams uniform national recognition.
Spain’s national royal decree on the activity and welfare of assistance dogs, which replaced an older guide-dog rule. It defines categories of assistance dog, sets training and accreditation requirements for the entities that train them, provides for registration of recognized teams by the autonomous communities, and guarantees access to public spaces, transport, workplaces and accommodation.