oSIST prEN 17984-1:2023

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 17984-1:2023
01-junij-2023
Psi pomočniki - 1. del: Slovar
Assistance dogs - Part 1: Vocabulary
Assistenzhunde - Begriffe
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 17984-1
ICS:
03.080.99 Druge storitve Other services
11.180.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi s Other standards related to
pripomočki za invalide aids for disabled and
handicapped people
oSIST prEN 17984-1:2023 en
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN 17984-1:2023

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oSIST prEN 17984-1:2023


DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 17984-1
NORME EUROPÉENNE

EUROPÄISCHE NORM

June 2023
ICS 11.180.99; 65.020.30
English Version

Assistance dogs - Part 1: Vocabulary
 Assistenzhunde - Begriffe
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 452.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, 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.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN 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.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.


EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2023 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 17984-1:2023 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
Annex A (normative) Additional vocabulary for other types of dogs . 28
Annex B (informative) Infographic: different types of assistance dogs . 29
Bibliography . 31

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European foreword
This document (prEN 17984-1:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 452
“Assistance Dogs”, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
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: 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
— Part 7: Conformity assessment
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Introduction
Assistance dog (in some countries referred to as service dog) is the umbrella term for a wide variety of
dogs that are specifically trained to perform tasks to increase independence and to mitigate limitations
of a person with a disability. In order to qualify as an assistance dog, the dog is permanently paired with
a person with a disability to perform tasks on a one-to-one basis or to perform these tasks under the
guidance of an additional support person. In this document, the currently existing types of assistance
dogs have been incorporated. However, this listing is not complete and probably never will be. The
assistance dog sector is constantly evolving, and new types of dogs will in all probability be trained that
potentially qualify as assistance dogs according to the above-mentioned requirements. These new types
of dogs as they occur, can be introduced in future revisions of the European Standards in a series. This,
however, should be based on a well-established professional practice.
In drafting this document, the members of CEN/TC 452/WG 1 ‘Terminology’ came across cultural and
geographical differences. A good example of this is the use of the term ‘beneficiary’, ‘client’ or ‘user’. If
such differences occurred the – by the majority – preferred term has been chosen. The other commonly
used terms were added in notes to entry or as an alternative term. This will be the procedure when this
occurs in future additions.
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.

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1 Scope
This document specifies the terms and definitions that apply to:
— different types of assistance dogs;
— the beneficiary and client services;
— health and disabilities;
— assistance dog service providers;
— assistance dog training staff and related professionals;
— the socialization and training processes;
— conformity assessment, identification and registration;
— accessibility.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions 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/
NOTE Definitions for terms 3.7.7, 3.7.8, 3.7.11, 3.7.12 and 3.7.15 are still under development.
3.1 Terms related to different types of assistance dogs
3.1.1
assistance dog
dog specifically trained to perform tasks to increase independence and to mitigate limitations of a person
with a disability
Note 1 to entry: A person is officially diagnosed by a qualified healthcare professional or by a state qualified board
with one or more disabilities. In this document, ‘with a disability’ can be replaced by ‘with one or more disabilities’.
Note 2 to entry: An assistance dog is permanently paired with a person with a disability to perform on a one-to-
one basis tasks to mitigate the limitations of this person or to perform these tasks under the guidance of an
additional support person such as a parent or a spouse. If the third partner in the assistance dog team is also legally
responsible for the dog and the person with a disability, the team is called a triad team.
Note 3 to entry: Assistance dog is the umbrella term. Examples of assistance dogs are autism assistance dogs,
developmental disorder assistance dogs, diabetes assistance dogs, guide dogs, hearing dogs, medical alert/response
assistance dogs, mobility assistance dogs, PTSD assistance dogs, seizure assistance dogs. Annex B shows an
infographic that provides information on the different types of assistance dogs and how these relate to the umbrella
term ‘assistance dog’.
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1
Note 4 to entry: The requirements for assistance dogs are specified in EN 17984-2 to EN 17984-6.
Note 5 to entry: A dog that offers personal defence, regardless of other tasks the dog performs, does not qualify as
an assistance dog. A dog that offers only emotional support and/or comfort does not qualify as an assistance dog.
Note 6 to entry: In some countries, an assistance dog is referred to as a service dog.
Note 7 to entry: To provide clarity to the readers of this document, the terms and definitions for other types of dogs
that are not included in the Scope of CEN/TC 452 are listed in Annex A.
3.1.2
developmental disorder assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with a mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorder by supporting
mobility, community engagement and acquisition of skills to manage challenging situations by providing
interventions to reduce anxieties and increase safety, and therefore independence
Note 1 to entry: Mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders are syndromes characterized by clinically
significant disturbance in a person’s cognition, emotional regulation or behaviour that reflects a dysfunction in the
psychological, biological or developmental processes that underlie mental and/or behavioural functioning. These
disturbances are usually associated with distress or impairment in personal, family, social, educational,
occupational or other important areas of functioning. For further information, see: International Statistical
Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (WHO, 10th revision, 2016) – ICD-10, Chapter V ‘Mental and
behavioural disorders’.
Note 2 to entry: A specific subtype of a developmental disorder assistance dog is an autism assistance dog
(see 3.1.2.1).
Note 3 to entry: The requirements for training a developmental disorder assistance dog are specified in
2
EN 17984-4 .
Note 4 to entry: Developmental disorder assistance dogs are often matched with children and therefore working
within a triad team under the supervision of a supervising handler (see 3.2.6.1).
3.1.2.1
autism assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with autism spectrum disorder by mitigating limitations in mobility and
community engagement, and therefore enhances independence
3.1.3
dual-purpose assistance dog
dog specifically trained to perform a combination of tasks to increase independence and to mitigate the
limitations of a person with more than one disability
Note 1 to entry: Examples of more than one disability are a visual impairment with a hearing impairment or a visual
impairment with a motor disability.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for training a dual-purpose assistance dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.4
guide dog
dog trained to assist a person with a visual impairment by helping to navigate the environment and
therefore improve mobility and independence
Note 1 to entry: Blind or visually impaired includes “sight loss”, “vision impaired” and “partially sighted”.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for training a guide dog are specified in EN 17984-4.

1
Under development.
2
Under development.
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3.1.5
hearing dog
dog trained to assist a person who is deaf or hearing impaired by alerting this person to specific sounds
in order to increase communication and safety, and therefore independence
Note 1 to entry: The requirements for training a hearing dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.6
medical alert/response assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with a medical condition by alerting that the onset of a critical medical
event caused by the condition is imminent and/or demonstrating specific behaviour before, during and
immediately after that medical event, in order to increase independence
Note 1 to entry: Specific subtypes of a medical alert/response assistance dog are a diabetes assistance dog (see
3.1.6.1) and a seizure assistance dog (see 3.1.6.2).
Note 2 to entry: A medical alert/response assistance dog can activate an emergency response system, stimulate a
person to help them be aroused from an unconscious state after a seizure and/or retrieve a phone or medication.
An example of a medical alert/response assistance dog is an Addison assistance dog.
Note 3 to entry: The requirements for training a medical alert/response assistance dog are specified in
EN 17984-4.
3.1.6.1
diabetes assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with diabetes by alerting that a pronounced drop or increase in blood sugar
level is imminent and/or demonstrating specific behaviour before and during a hypo/hyperglycaemia
episode, in order to increase independence
Note 1 to entry: The requirements for training a diabetes assistance dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.6.2
seizure assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person by alerting that the onset of a seizure is imminent and/or demonstrating
specific behaviour before, during and immediately after that seizure, in order to increase independence
Note 1 to entry: Seizures can be caused by, for example, epilepsy or heart conditions.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for training a seizure assistance dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.7
mobility assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with a motor disability or a condition which affects the person’s motor
abilities by mitigating mobility limitations to increase independence
Note 1 to entry: A mobility assistance dog can perform tasks such as opening/closing doors, removal of clothing,
assisting with balance/stability and retrieving objects.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for training a mobility assistance dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.8
owner-trained assistance dog under supervision
assistance dog owned and trained by a person with a disability, under the supervision of an assistance
dog trainer or assistance dog instructor
Note 1 to entry: In some countries referred to as ‘team-trained assistance dogs’.
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3.1.9
owner-trained assistance dog
assistance dog owned and trained by a person with a disability, without the supervision of an assistance
dog trainer or assistance dog instructor
3.1.10
PTSD assistance dog
dog trained to assist a person with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by mitigating PTSD impact, and
therefore enhancing independence
Note 1 to entry: A PTSD assistance dog can perform tasks such as nightmare interruption, supporting a person by
securing sufficient personal space and developing pressure to reduce anxiety.
Note 2 to entry: A PTSD assistance dog is not trained to protect a person in a manner that is aggressive to other
persons and animals.
Note 3 to entry: The requirements for training a PTSD assistance dog are specified in EN 17984-4.
3.1.11
successor dog
any dog that succeeds the first or subsequent assistance dog of a specific beneficiary
3.2 Terms related to beneficiary and client services
3.2.1
applicant
person with a disability who contacts an assistance dog service provider with the intention to apply for
an assistance dog
3.2.2
application process
process in which the assistance dog service provider and the applicant go through the requirements and
specific needs of the applicant to assess if the applicant qualifies for an assistance dog
3.2.3
assistance dog team
working combination of a beneficiary, an assistance dog and possibly a supervising handler
Note 1 to entry: Assistance dog team is sometimes referred to as ‘partnership’ or ‘team’.
Note 2 to entry: If the third partner, the supervising handler, in the assistance dog team is (also) legally responsible
for the dog and the person with a disability, the team is called a triad team.
3.2.4
beneficiary or user
person with a disability receiving assistance in an assistance dog team
Note 1 to entry: In many countries, a beneficiary is referred to as user.
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3.2.5
client
person with a disability who could or does receive an assistance dog that is intended for or required by
this person
Note 1 to entry: This term relates to the assistance dog service provider and the client. The client is the beneficiary
or applicant beneficiary of an assistance dog team. The term client is used to describe the contractual relationship
between the assistance dog service provider and the beneficiary.
Note 2 to entry: If the beneficiary is legally incapable, the contractual rights and responsibilities shall be confirmed
by the supervising handler.
3.2.6
handler
person who is responsible for the care and control of the assistance dog
Note 1 to entry: A handler can be the person with the disability with whom the assistance dog is paired, the support
person, the supervising handler, a puppy raiser, the assistance dog trainer, or the assistance dog instructor.
3.2.6.1
supervising handler
person who is legally responsible for the beneficiary of the assistance dog and the dog
Note 1 to entry: If the beneficiary cannot be held legally responsible, the person legally responsible for the
beneficiary is added to the team as supervising handler. Typically, this can be a parent or caregiver. The supervising
handler is the legally responsible party in the contractual relationship with the assistance service provider.
3.2.7
household
person(s) living under one roof or occupying a separate housing unit, having either direct access to the
outside (or to a public area)
Note 1 to entry: Where the members of a household are related by blood or law, they constitute a family.
Note 2 to entry: This term can also apply to the assistance dog service provider.
3.2.8
support person
person that assists the beneficiary with tasks associated with the care of the assistance dog
Note 1 to entry: Another term for support person is caregiver or carer.
3.3 Terms related to health and disabilities
3.3.1
activity
execution of a task or action by an individual
Note 1 to entry: It represents the individual perspective of functioning.
3.3.2
activity limitation
difficulty an individual may have in executing activities
Note 1 to entry: An activity limitation may range from a slight to a severe deviation in terms of quality or quantity
in executing the activity in a manner or to the extent that is expected of people without the health condition.
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3.3.3
body function
physiological function of body system (including psychological functions)
Note 1 to entry: ‘Body’ refers to the human organism as a whole, and thus includes the brain. Hence, mental (or
psychological) functions are subsumed under body functions.
3.3.4
body structure
anatomical part of the body such as organs, limbs and their components
3.3.5
disability
umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions denoting the negative
aspects of the interaction between a person (with a health condition) and that person’s contextual factors
(environmental and personal factors)
Note 1 to entry: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health of the World Health
Organization (ICF 2001, WHO) provides further information on the classification of disabilities.
[SOURCE: ICF 2001, WHO, modified – the word ‘individual’ has been changed to ‘person’.]
3.3.6
functioning
umbrella term for body functions, body structures, activities and participation denoting the positive
aspects of the interaction between an individual (with a health condition) and that individual's contextual
factors (environmental and personal factors)
3.3.7
health condition
umbrella term for disease (acute or chronic), disorder, injury or trauma
Note 1 to entry: Health conditions are coded using ICD-10. Functioning and disability associated with health
conditions are classified in ICF. ICD-10 and ICF are therefore complementary, and readers are encouraged to utilize
these two members of the WHO family of international classifications together. ICD-10 provides a “diagnosis” of
diseases, disorders or other health conditions, and this information is enriched by the additional information given
by ICF on functioning. Together, information on diagnosis plus functioning provides a broader and more meaningful
picture of the health of an individual which can then be used for decision-making purposes.
3.3.8
impairment
problem in body function or structure related to a significant deviation or loss
Note 1 to entry: Impairments can be temporary or permanent; progressive, regressive or static; intermittent or
continuous.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC Guide 71:2014, 2.5, modified – The term has been changed to singular.]
3.3.9
participation
involvement in a life situation
Note 1 to entry: It represents the societal perspective of functioning.
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3.3.10
participation restriction
problem an individual may experience in involvement in life situations
Note 1 to entry: The presence of a participation restriction is determined by comparing an individual's
participation to that which is expected of an individual without disability in that culture or society.
3.3.11
person with disability
person with one or more impairments, one or more activity limitations, one or more participation
restrictions or a combination thereof
Note 1 to entry: Person can refer to a child or adult of any age.
[SOURCE: ISO 9999:2022, 3.10, modified – Note 1 to entry has been added.]
3.4 Terms related to assistance dog service providers
3.4.1
abuse
use or treat in such a way as to cause damage or harm to the assistance dog
3.4.2
adoptive household
person(s) who adopts the assistance dog after termination of the dog’s working life
3.4.3
aftercare
action of tracking and ensuring the fitness and welfare of the dog and the functioning of the team after
the instruction of the team and during the working life of the assistance dog team
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Note 1 to entry: The requirements for aftercare are specified in EN 17984-5 .
Note 2 to entry: Aftercare can also be referred to as ‘follow-up’.
Note 3 to entry: Where the assistance dog is provided by a service provider, the service provider provides the
support in aftercare.
3.4.4
agreement
specification of the terms and conditions of the engagement between the assistance dog service provider
and the client
Note 1 to entry: Examples include, but are not limited to, details of the service or products to be delivered, duration,
scope, ownership and appropriate use of intellectual property and costs.
3.4.5
appeal
request by the applicant, client or assistance dog team to an assistance dog service provider for
reconsideration by that provider of a decision it has made to the related service, individual, or team

3
Under development.
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3.4.6
arbitration
dispute resolution mechanism in which the assistance dog service provider and a beneficiary/client agree
to have their dispute resolved by a private third-party decision-maker, rather than through litigation in
public courts
Note 1 to entry: The parties agreed in advance that the decision-maker’s ruling will be binding on them.
3.4.7
assistance dog in training
dog that is in the process of being specifically trained to perform tasks to increase independence and to
mitigate limitations of a person with a disability
Note 1 to entry: In some countries, an assistance dog in training is referred to as a candidate assistance dog.
Note 2 to entry: National legislation can determine access provisions for assistance dogs in training.
3.4.8
assistance dog service provider
organization that provides services related to assistance dogs
3.4.9
breeder
organization who breeds dogs intended as companion dogs or working dogs (including assistance dogs)
Note 1 to entry: An organization can be one person as well (see 3.8.3).
3.4.10
breeding centre
site where dogs are cared for and housed for reproduction purposes
3.4.11
breeding program
planned multiplication of a group of dogs involving at least several individuals and extending over several
generations with the specific objective to train them as assistance dogs
Note 1 to entry: The requirements for a breeding program are specified in EN 17984-2.
3.4.12
complaint
expression of dissatisfaction, other than appeal, made to an assistance dog service provider related to its
service or the complaints-handling process itself, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly
expected
3.4.13
contract
binding agreement
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.4.7]
3.4.14
dispute
disagreement arising from a complaint or an appeal
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3.4.15
document
information and the medium on which it is contained
EXAMPLE Record, specification, procedure document, drawing, report, standard.
Note 1 to entry: The medium can be paper, magnetic, electronic or optical computer disc, photograph or master
sample, or combination thereof.
Note 2 to entry: A set of documents, for example specifications and records, is frequently called “documentation”.
Note 3 to entry: Some requirements (e.g. the requirement to be readable) relate to all types of documents.
However, there can be different requirements for specifications (e.g. the requirement to be revision controlled) and
for records (e.g. the requirement to be retrievable).
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.5]
3.4.16
documented information
information required to be controlled and maintained by an organization and the medium on which it is
contained
Note 1 to entry: Documented information can be in any format and media and from any source.
Note 2 to entry: Documented information can refer to:
— the management system, including related processes;
— information created in order for the organization to operate (documentation);
— evidence of results achieved (records).
[SOURCE: ISO 9000:2015, 3.8.6]
3.4.16.1
accessible documented information
documented information in a format which is best suited to that individuals’ communication needs and
abilities based on, for example, the frequency and method of communication
Note 1 to entry: The communication format should also be reasonable for the assistance dog provider to give the
documented information in a timely manner to the client, without disproportionate financial cost and time for both
parties.
3.4.17
grievance
real or perceived cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment
3.4.18
clinical assessment
physical examination of a dog, collecting information and drawing conclusions through direct
observation, gathering of health history, and completing further clinical tests (e.g. neurological,
laboratory, imaging techniques) to interpret the presenting symptoms, determine the health problem
and decide on an appropriate treatment plan
Note 1 to entry: The clinical assessment shall be completed by a veterinary surgeon or other veterinary specialist.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for a clinical assessment are specified in EN 17984-2.
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3.4.19
health assessment
evaluation of the health status of a dog by performing a physical examination after taking a health history
with the aim to determine general health, physical condition, and the early identification of diseases in
dogs that may look and feel well
Note 1 to entry: A health assessment may be used to produce a care plan that identifies the specific needs of a dog
and how those needs will be addressed.
Note 2 to entry: The requirements for a health assessment are specified in EN 17984-2.
3.4.20
behaviour assessment
evaluation of the dog’s behaviour to determine causation and maintenance factors of undesirable
behaviours or suitability for an assistance dog programme
Note 1 to entry: A behaviour assessment is achieved by direct behavioural observations and the dog’s history, and
should be informed by clinical and health assessments before reaching any diagnosis. Behaviour assessments may
be used to select breeding stock, identify an appropriate tra
...