EN 17984-4:2025

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
...