SIST EN 17984-4:2025
(Main)Assistance dogs - Part 4: Pre-training, training and tasks
Assistance dogs - Part 4: Pre-training, training and tasks
This document defines requirements for the training of assistance dogs. Assistance dogs can be trained by structured programmes/schools, owner-trained under supervision or owner-trainers.
Specifically, this document deals with the following topics:
— preparation of assistance dogs;
— socialization and/or puppy raising of assistance dogs;
— training of assistance dogs;
— guide dogs;
— hearing dogs;
— mobility assistance dogs;
— Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) assistance dogs;
— medical alert/response assistance dogs;
— developmental disorder assistance dogs;
— multi-purpose assistance dogs.
Assistenzhunde - Teil 4: Grundausbildung, Ausbildung und Aufgaben
Dieses Dokument legt Anforderungen an die Ausbildung von Assistenzhunden fest. Assistenzhunde können unter Anwendung strukturierter Programme/Schulen, von Besitzern unter Aufsicht oder von den Besitzern selbst ausgebildet werden.
Dieses Dokument befasst sich im Besonderen mit den folgenden Themen:
- Vorbereitung von Assistenzhunden;
- Sozialisierung und/oder Welpenaufzucht von Assistenzhunden;
- Ausbildung von Assistenzhunden;
- Blindenführhunde;
- Signal-Assistenzhunde;
- Mobilitätsassistenzhunde;
- PTBS-Assistenzhunde;
- medizinische Anzeige-Assistenzhunde;
- Assistenzhunde für Menschen mit Entwicklungsstörungen;
- Assistenzhunde mit mehreren Einsatzbereichen.
Chiens d’assistance - Partie 4 : Prééducation, éducation et tâches
Le présent document définit des exigences relatives à l’éducation des chiens d’assistance. Les chiens d’assistance peuvent être éduqués par des écoles/programmes structurés, par leur propriétaire sous supervision ou par les propriétaires qui éduquent eux-mêmes leurs chiens.
Le présent document traite de manière spécifique les sujets suivants :
— la préparation des chiens d’assistance ;
— la socialisation et/ou le développement des chiots destinés à devenir des chiens d’assistance ;
— l’éducation des chiens d’assistance ;
— les chiens guides ;
— les chiens écouteurs ;
— les chiens d’assistance pour personnes à mobilité réduite ;
— les chiens d’assistance pour syndrome de stress post-traumatique (SSPT) ;
— les chiens d’alerte/de réponse médicales ;
— les chiens d’assistance pour troubles du développement ;
— les chiens d’assistance à multiples spécialités.
Psi pomočniki - 4. del: Predhodno usposabljanje, usposabljanje in naloge
Ta dokument določa zahteve za usposabljanje psov pomočnikov. Usposabljanje psov pomočnikov se lahko izvaja v strukturiranih programih/šolah ali pa jih usposabljajo njihovi lastniki pod nadzorom oziroma lastniki, ki so obenem profesionalni trenerji psov. V tem dokumentu so obravnavane naslednje teme: – priprava psov pomočnikov; – socializacija in/ali vzgoja mladičkov psov pomočnikov; – usposabljanje psov pomočnikov; – psi vodniki; – psi pomočniki za gluhe osebe; – psi pomočniki za osebe z omejeno mobilnostjo; – psipomočniki za osebe s posttravmatsko stresno motnjo (PTSM); – psi pomočniki za opozarjanje/odzivanje v primeru zdravstvenih zapletov; – psi pomočniki za osebe z motnjami v razvoju; – večnamenski psi pomočniki.
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2025
Psi pomočniki - 4. del: Predhodno usposabljanje, usposabljanje in naloge
Assistance dogs - Part 4: Pre-training, training and tasks
Assistenzhunde - Teil 4: Grundausbildung, Ausbildung und Aufgaben
Chiens d’assistance - Partie 4 : Prééducation, éducation et tâches
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 17984-4:2025
ICS:
11.180.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi s Other standards related to
pripomočki za invalide aids for disabled and
handicapped people
65.020.30 Živinoreja Animal husbandry and
breeding
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EN 17984-4
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
August 2025
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 65.020.30; 11.180.99
English Version
Assistance dogs - Part 4: Pre-training, training and tasks
Chiens d'assistance - Partie 4 : Prééducation, éducation Assistenzhunde - Teil 4: Grundausbildung, Ausbildung
et tâches und Aufgaben
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 6 July 2025.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 17984-4:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Preparation of assistance dogs . 6
5 Socialization and/or puppy raising . 6
6 General training . 8
7 Guide dogs . 10
8 Hearing dogs . 11
9 Mobility assistance dogs . 11
10 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) assistance dogs . 12
11 Medical alert/response assistance dogs. 13
12 Developmental disorder assistance dogs . 14
13 Multi-purpose assistance dogs . 16
Bibliography . 17
European foreword
This document (EN 17984-4:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 452 “Assistance
dogs”, the secretariat of which is held by UNMZ.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by February 2026, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by February 2026.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document is part of a series of European Standards under the general title Assistance dogs, which
will comprise the following parts:
— Part 1: Vocabulary;
— Part 2: Dog lifetime welfare;
— Part 3: Competencies for assistance dogs professionals;
— Part 4: Pre-training, training and tasks;
— Part 5: Client services;
— Part 6: Accessibility and universal access.
This document will be read in conjunction with EN 17984-1, EN 17984-2, EN 17984-3 and EN 17984-6
as the series is technically linked and to be read conjointly.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
Under preparation. Stage at the time of preparation: FprEN 17984-3:2025
Introduction
Training assistance dogs is a specialist skill requiring a clear understanding of positive reinforcement
training methods and a focus on supporting the dog to achieve the requisite skills to perform tasks to
increase independence and to mitigate limitations of a person with a disability.
High standards of dog welfare are critical to ensure each dog is able to thrive and support the handler
effectively. The training standards outlined are the minimum required to ensure positive outcomes in
terms of training assistance dogs.
It is important to reference EN 17984-2 (Dog lifetime welfare) when reading this document. Lifetime
Welfare outlines the ‘5 Domains’ model that underpins the welfare and wellbeing of assistance dogs.
In this document:
— “shall” indicates a requirement;
— “should” indicates a recommendation;
— “may” indicates a permission;
— “can” indicates a possibility or a capability.
Information marked ‘Note’ is for guidance in understanding or clarifying the associated sentence.
1 Scope
This document defines requirements for the training of assistance dogs. Assistance dogs can be trained
by structured programmes/schools, owner-trained under supervision or owner-trainers.
Specifically, this document deals with the following topics:
— preparation of assistance dogs;
— socialization and/or puppy raising of assistance dogs;
— training of assistance dogs;
— guide dogs;
— hearing dogs;
— mobility assistance dogs;
— Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) assistance dogs;
— medical alert/response assistance dogs;
— developmental disorder assistance dogs;
— multi-purpose assistance dogs.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 17984-1:2024, Assistance dogs - Part 1: Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 17984-1:2024 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
multi-purpose assistance dog
assistance dog providing tasks across a range of assistance dog types to mitigate the limitations of a
person with more than one disability
4 Preparation of assistance dogs
Prior to any assistance dog task-related training, all assistance dogs shall:
— be in good physical health and pain free;
— be a minimum age of 12 months and/or at such a level of maturity to facilitate commencement of
formal assistance dog task training.
NOTE 1 Dogs are not to be put in a position where they are taking responsibility for undertaking any tasks
under the age of 12 months. Training dogs to undertake specific assistance dog tasks is also not acceptable.
Puppy play that supports the shaping of the dogs behaviour (e.g. pulling a tugging toy) that can eventually form
a more formal part of the dogs training (e.g. learning to pull items) when the dog is appropriately mature, is
acceptable.
— be of a suitable appearance, appropriate to the expected working environment, so that the handler
does not receive adverse or frequent negative comments from the public and, shall not show any
exaggerations and/or extreme phenotypical conformation;
— have a coat compatible with the handler’s home environment and the handler’s ability to maintain
effectively.
NOTE 2 It is important that the handler and dog have compatible needs to function effectively. Handlers will
need to assess their capacity to manage the specific needs of a dog (e.g. long-hair breeds). In order to uphold
public confidence in assistance dogs and eliminate any potential negativity, it is vital that dogs are well cared
for and well presented.
— have gone through a recognized and credible behavioural and temperament assessment/analysis
based on accurate records over a period of time. The assessment shall be documented.
NOTE 3 It is vital that prior to any formal assistance dog task training, the dog is assessed for its suitability
to be an assistance dog and the handler is confident the dog will thrive as an assistance dog in line with the
welfare requirements laid out in EN 17984-2.
The recommended time for a behavioural and temperament assessment of a dog is at around the age of
12 months, depending on the maturity of the dog. There are different ways to assess behaviour and
temperament of a dog. One example is the C-BARQ survey (https://vetapps.vet.upenn.edu/cbarq/).
NOTE 4 National laws can exist and apply to assistance dogs (e.g. relating to 'high risk breeds').
5 Socialization and/or puppy raising
Assistance dogs shall go through a systematic and fully documented socialization process that provides
appropriate exposure to a variety of situations. At a minimum, records shall show that the dog has gone
through processes and training leading it to be:
— not overly sensitive, have a balanced character, have controlled sensitivity and be able to behave
appropriately, (in line with the requirements) during grooming, health investigations, tactile
interaction, and other sensory input;
— accustomed to being calm and working consistently around traffic or different noisy environments
present in the dogs’/handlers’ daily life;
— calm and able to work consistently around common modes of transport and trained to support travel
with common modes of personal/domestic/public transport likely to be used by the handler. (e.g.
car, bus, train or tram travel).
NOTE 1 Where handlers require use of transport modes which are not common to most assistance dogs or
handlers, this can be discussed in the assessment process or as and when the requirement is brought to the
attention of the trainer/handler. (e.g. ferry, air, cable car or cruise travel).
— comfortable and enjoy being around humans in all their diversity;
— able to work consistently and appropriately around intimidating people, people who distract dogs
and people with a variety of behaviours and appearances.
EXAMPLE 1 Someone fixated on the dog, walking into the dog or deliberately
disturbing the dog.
NOTE 2 There are limits to what a dog can reasonably be expected to tolerate without reaction if a person
deliberately provokes the dog.
— socialized and habituated to unusual stimuli and able to regain composure within a reasonable
period of time and then continue working immediately.
NOTE 3 Unusual stimuli can include, but are not limited to loud noises and/or uncommon noises, unusual
smells, visual stimuli and different textures.
EXAMPLE 2 Loud noises can be thunder, motorbikes etc.
NOTE 4 A can be regarded as 1-2 minutes, after which the dog is able to regain
composure and continue working.
— able to exhibit established and required social behaviours;
— able to work around people who have a range of motor skills;
— able to initiate self-directed activities for play time;
— able to behave appropriately around dogs and other animals;
— able to spend time alone, if necessary, without compromising welfare.
An appropriate time for a young dog to be able to cope with being alone without compromising
welfare will differ depending on age and temperament, but as a guide, this should be no more than
4 hours in a 24 hour period, although time and training will need to be given to gently train the dog
to the point where it can spend considerable time alone.
— able to be calm and work consistently when dealing with common household distractions;
— able to be calm and work consistently when dealing with common neighbourhood and public
distractions;
— able to accept physical manipulation, restraint or touch from known or unknown people and not
become fearful, stressed or aggressive.
6 General training
During the assistance dog training process, written, audio and/or filmed records shall be kept to
determine that the dog is suitable to work as an assistance dog. These records shall cover, but not be
limited to, the following:
— physical, mental, temperamental, and behavioural characteristics relevant to the expected tasks and
the identified handler and an assessment of emotional state and stress levels;
— all health-related information, including weight, vaccinations, and parasite control;
— aptitude (natural ability) for the specific assistive tasks;
— level of sustainable socially acceptable behaviour in work and in social contexts;
— historic events that can impact on the dog’s suitability to be an assistance dog or meet a specific
handler’s needs;
Assistance dogs shall be trained until dog training records show consistent:
— general working skills that are reliable and repeatable;
— emotional stability and social behaviour;
— ability to appear comfortable and enjoy undertaking required assistance dog tasks.
The required number of disability-related tasks to be undertaken by an assistance dog is identified in the
specific requirements for each type of assistance dog. Where a type of assistance dog is not specifically
mentioned in the requirements, the minimum number of tasks shall be 3.
The training of assistance dog tasks shall be carried out in such a way that the dog can perform the
assistance task safely.
Assistance dogs shall not be trained to undertake aggressive protection, self-defence/security or
guarding roles.
Assistance dogs shall be trained and managed using humane, pain-free and non-aversive equipment and
positive re-enforcement methods that provide for the physical and emotional wellbeing, welfare and
safety of the dog.
Aversive training equipment (e.g. pinch collar, electric collars, choke chains, spray collars, tightening ‘no
pull’ harness) shall not be used.
Assistance dogs shall respond appropriately to vocal/acoustic, and/or physical, and/or
environmental/interpersonal cues relative to their training in all public and home environments.
EXAMPLE 1 < vocal/acoustic cues > Verbal, vocal, whistle, wheelchair horn, etc.
EXAMPLE 2 < physical cues > Hand signals, physical movement, laser pointer etc.
EXAMPLE 3 < environmental cues > Kerbs, obstacles etc.
EXAMPLE 4 < interpersonal cues > no special signal is given, but the dog perceives a signal from the handler which
triggers a trained reaction.
Assistance dogs shall demonstrate obedience skills by consistently responding to their name, vocal
and/or physical cues and direction from the handler for staying in close proximity to the handler unless
the nature of the trained task requires it to be working at a greater distance.
Additional obedience skills shall include, but not be limited to:
— walking in a controlled position near the handler, both on and off-leash (loose leash when on);
— coming to the handler in a timely manner when called, including when off-leash through voice and/or
whistle or other agreed sound;
— sit, down, stay, stand, and stop on cue from the handler;
— ceasing an undesired behaviour, distraction, or activity on cue from the handler.
Assistance dogs shall show:
— focus maintained on the handler when working;
— responsiveness to task cues;
— performance of expected assistance dog tasks as requested;
— quick return of concentration to the handler when distracted;
— focus maintained on the handler/task when working and greeted by people within the boundaries of
socially acceptable behaviour;
— established and good toileting routine;
— strong coping strategies in stressful situations;
— no inappropriate demonstrations of aggression (including vocalizing/biting/snapping and
predatory aggression);
— no inappropriate reactivity, possessiveness, guarding behaviours or increased anxiety or fear;
— no inappropriate barking or whining;
— no soliciting attention, sniffing, or jumping on people inappropriately;
— no begging for
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