# Sensory Dogs Canada Standard (SDCS) ## Training & Assessment Standard for Sensory Assistance Dogs **Version:** 1.0 **Effective:** 25 August 2026 **Supersedes:** None **Review cycle:** Annual, or on material change to ATPDR, AODA O. Reg. 191/11, or ADI minimum standards **Document owner:** Standards Committee, Sensory Dogs Canada Inc. > This Standard is published in full and without charge. Any person may read it, train to it, > or audit a team against it. Publication is deliberate: a credential that cannot be > independently checked is not a credential. --- ## 1. Purpose and Scope ### 1.1 Purpose This Standard defines the minimum training, behaviour, task, and assessment requirements for dogs credentialled by Sensory Dogs Canada ("SDC") to assist handlers with sensory processing disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing disorder, and related conditions. ### 1.2 What this Standard is A private, voluntary, published training standard. It is designed to meet or exceed: - Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Minimum Standards for Assistance Dogs in Public - The Public Access Test (PAT) as generally applied by ADI member programs - Behavioural expectations implied by the *Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations* (ATPDR, SOR/2019-244) for dogs in an aircraft cabin - The functional expectations of AODA O. Reg. 191/11, s. 80.45 ### 1.3 What this Standard is NOT **This Standard does not confer legal status.** No level of government in Canada accredits, registers, or licenses service dogs outside the guide-dog provisions of Ontario's *Blind Persons' Rights Act* and comparable provincial statutes. An SDC credential is documentary evidence that a named team was assessed against a published standard on a stated date. It is not a licence, not a registration, and not a government document. Every credential issued under this Standard must carry that statement on its face. **Air travel:** an SDC credential does not by itself guarantee cabin access on any carrier. Carriers set their own acceptance criteria. Where a carrier operates its own assessment programme, SDC's role is to prepare teams to meet it, not to substitute for it. ### 1.4 Scope Applies to all dogs and handlers assessed by SDC or by an SDC-qualified assessor, and to all SDC training programmes, whether delivered as coaching, day training, board-and-train, or programme placement. --- ## 2. Definitions **Assessor** — an individual qualified under §11 to score a team against this Standard. **Credential** — a dated, uniquely numbered, revocable, publicly verifiable record that a team was assessed and achieved a stated result. **Facilitator** — where the handler is a minor or otherwise cannot independently direct the dog, the adult who holds the leash and directs the dog in public. See §2 "Three-unit team". **Handler** — the person with the disability the dog is trained to assist. **Public access** — presence with the dog in places the general public is permitted, where a pet dog would not ordinarily be admitted. **Task** — a specific, trained, cued or trained-response behaviour that directly mitigates an effect of the handler's disability. Comfort derived from a dog's presence is not a task. **Three-unit team** — handler (typically a child), dog, and facilitator (typically a parent or caregiver). The facilitator directs the dog; the dog works for the handler. Standard configuration for paediatric sensory placements. --- ## 3. Credential Classes SDC issues three credentials. They are deliberately distinct. Selling a public-access credential to a family that needs only in-home support is a failure of assessment, not a sale. ### 3.1 SD-C — Sensory Companion Dog **Scope:** private and residential settings only. **Public access claim:** none. Explicitly none. **Requirements:** §4 eligibility, §5 minimum two (2) trained tasks, §7 behaviour standard as applied in the home, §6 minimum 60 documented training hours. **Assessment:** In-Home Module (§8.1) only. **Validity:** 12 months. **Card colour:** slate. Card front reads *"Home & private settings. This credential makes no public access claim."* ### 3.2 SD-A — Sensory Assistance Dog **Scope:** public access. **Requirements:** §4 eligibility, §5 minimum three (3) trained tasks, §6 minimum 120 documented training hours including not fewer than 30 hours of supervised public access, §7 behaviour standard in full. **Assessment:** In-Home Module + Public Access Module (§8.1, §8.2). All hard-fail items clear. **Validity:** 12 months. **Card colour:** navy. ### 3.3 SD-A(T) — Travel Endorsement **Scope:** an endorsement added to a current SD-A. Never issued standalone. **Requirements:** current SD-A in good standing + Travel Readiness Module (§8.3). **Assessment:** dual-scored by two independent assessors (§11.4). Video-recorded without exception. **Validity:** 12 months, or the remaining term of the underlying SD-A, whichever is shorter. **Card marking:** navy card, copper "T" endorsement block. > **Travel endorsement — mandatory disclosure.** Every SD-A(T) holder must be given, in > writing, at issue: *"This endorsement records that your team met SDC's travel readiness > standard. It does not obligate any airline to carry your dog in the cabin. Air Canada, > WestJet, and other carriers set their own requirements and may require their own > assessment. Confirm your carrier's current policy before booking."* --- ## 4. Eligibility ### 4.1 Dog | Requirement | Minimum | |---|---| | Age at final assessment | 12 months (SD-C), 18 months (SD-A, SD-A(T)) | | Vaccination | Current core vaccines; rabies per provincial law | | Veterinary clearance | Written fitness-to-work letter dated within 12 months | | Orthopaedic screening | Required for SD-A where breed/size indicates; hips and elbows | | Reproductive status | Spayed/neutered, or documented veterinary deferral | | Bite history | **None.** Any bite causing broken skin to a human is a permanent bar. | | Breed restrictions | None by breed. Restricted only by demonstrated behaviour and by applicable municipal or provincial law (see: Ontario *Dog Owners' Liability Act*). | ### 4.2 Handler - Documentation from a regulated health professional confirming a disability and a disability-related need the dog will mitigate. Accepted professions track AODA O. Reg. 191/11, s. 80.45(4): physician, nurse, psychologist, psychotherapist or registered mental health therapist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, audiologist, speech-language pathologist, chiropractor, optometrist. - SDC does not diagnose, does not assess disability, and does not second-guess the treating professional. SDC assesses dogs and teams. - Where the handler is a minor: a named facilitator must be identified and must be assessed as part of the team. ### 4.3 Handler capability The team is assessed, not the dog alone. A well-trained dog with a handler who cannot direct it does not pass. --- ## 5. Task Requirements ### 5.1 Rule Each task must be (a) trained, (b) reliably performed on cue or on a trained trigger, (c) demonstrable on assessment day, and (d) documented as mitigating a specific disability-related need identified by the handler's health professional. Presence, companionship, and general calming effect are real and valuable — and are **not tasks.** They do not count toward the minimum. ### 5.2 Sensory task catalogue Non-exhaustive. Teams may present tasks not listed if they meet §5.1. **Pressure and proprioceptive input** - `DPT-LAP` — deep pressure therapy, chest/lap, on cue, sustained ≥ 2 min - `DPT-FULL` — full-body lay-across for a handler in a recumbent position - `DPT-LEG` — weighted lean or lay-across legs, seated, suitable for public settings - `LEAN` — standing weight-lean against handler on cue **Interruption and redirection** - `INT-STIM` — trained interruption of a specified repetitive or self-injurious behaviour by nose-nudge, paw, or targeted contact. The target behaviour must be named on the credential record. Generic "interrupts when upset" is not sufficient. - `INT-ESC` — escalation interrupt at an early-stage trained cue - `GROUND` — orienting/grounding response: sustained contact plus eye contact to re-orient **Spatial and mobility** - `BLOCK` — position facing outward in front of handler, creating personal space - `COVER` — position behind handler - `ANCHOR` — trained braced stationary position (see §5.3 restrictions) - `EXIT` — locate and lead handler to a marked exit on cue **Safety** - `FIND` — locate a named person within a defined area on cue (elopement response) - `ALERT-F` — alert the facilitator to the handler's location or distress state **Retrieval and daily living** - `RETR-KIT` — retrieve a named sensory or medication kit - `RETR-ITEM` — retrieve a named dropped or requested item **Rest and transition** - `SETTLE-N` — trained night settle / sleep-support position - `TRANS` — trained transition cue to support a change of activity or environment ### 5.3 Restricted techniques **Tethering a child to a dog** (`TETHER`) may only be trained and credentialled where **all** of the following hold. This is not negotiable and is not waivable by client request. 1. A three-unit team is in place and the facilitator holds primary control at all times. 2. The tether is quick-release from the facilitator's side and never load-bearing on the dog. 3. The dog is ≥ 24 months, has passed SD-A, and has demonstrated a stationary brace under distraction. 4. Written informed consent from the facilitator, on SDC's consent form, acknowledging the documented risks to both child and dog. 5. Written support from the handler's occupational therapist or physician. 6. Reassessed at 6 months, not 12. **Prohibited outright:** any task premised on the dog restraining, pulling, or bearing the weight of a human; any protection, guarding, or deterrent behaviour; any task requiring the dog to be left unsupervised with a handler who cannot direct it. --- ## 6. Training Hours | Credential | Total documented hours | Of which, supervised public access | |---|---|---| | SD-C | 60 | 0 | | SD-A | 120 | 30 | | SD-A(T) | +20 travel-specific | +12 in transit environments | Hours must be logged contemporaneously in the SDC training log (date, duration, location, environment type, behaviours worked, trainer or self-report flag). Owner-trainer logs are accepted and are flagged as self-reported on the assessment record. Self-reported hours do not lower the assessment standard. --- ## 7. Behaviour Standard ### 7.1 Hard-fail items Any single occurrence terminates the assessment. No partial credit, no same-day retest. Retest permitted after 90 days with documented remedial training. - **H1** Aggression: growl, snap, lunge, or bite toward any person or animal - **H2** Toileting indoors or in any prohibited area - **H3** Soliciting food from any surface, person, or floor - **H4** Leaving the handler/facilitator beyond leash length without recall on first cue - **H5** Unmanaged vocalization (barking, whining) not part of a trained alert - **H6** Handler unable to regain control within 15 seconds of any lapse - **H7** Any sign of fear or distress in the dog that the assessor judges incompatible with the dog's welfare in the working environment ### 7.2 Scored items Scored **Pass / Conditional / Fail**. Three or more Conditionals, or any single Fail, is a non-pass. Conditionals are recorded on the assessment sheet with a written remediation note. ### 7.3 Dog welfare Any assessor may halt any assessment at any time on welfare grounds. A welfare halt is recorded as "Halted — welfare" and is never recorded as a failure of the team. A dog that shows consistent stress in public work is not a candidate for SD-A regardless of skill. Career change is a legitimate and supported outcome, not a failure. See `governance/Career-Change-Policy.md`. --- ## 8. Assessment Modules ### 8.1 In-Home Module (SD-C, SD-A) Conducted at the team's residence. 45–60 minutes. 1. Settle on mat, 10 minutes, assessor present 2. Greeting behaviour at the door with a stranger entering 3. Each declared task demonstrated on cue, twice 4. Handler/facilitator interview: care routine, relief schedule, escalation plan 5. Dog's resting space, equipment, and body condition observed ### 8.2 Public Access Module (SD-A) Conducted across not fewer than three distinct public environments. 90–120 minutes. Built on the ADI Public Access Test with sensory-specific additions. 1. Controlled unload from vehicle in a busy lot 2. Entry through automatic and manual doors 3. Heel through a crowded retail aisle, including a narrow-aisle pass 4. Six-foot recall under distraction 5. Sit / down / stay with assessor circling at 3 m 6. Dropped-food test: food dropped within 30 cm, dog declines without a cue 7. Stranger interaction: assessor pets dog; dog tolerates, does not solicit or startle 8. Noise startle: dropped object behind the team; recovery within 5 seconds 9. Restaurant or café settle, 20 minutes, under table, no soliciting 10. Elevator entry, ride, exit 11. Cart, stroller, and mobility-device pass at close range 12. **Sensory-specific:** one declared task performed correctly in a public setting under distraction 13. **Sensory-specific:** simulated handler escalation — declared interrupt or DPT task performed on trigger in public 14. Exit and controlled load into vehicle ### 8.3 Travel Readiness Module (SD-A(T)) Conducted at or adjacent to a transit hub. Dual-scored. Video-recorded. 120 minutes. 1. **Sustained settle, 120 minutes continuous**, in a footwell-sized floor space (approx. 40 cm × 50 cm), handler seated, dog fully within footprint 2. No vocalization for the full settle period 3. Relief on cue, on at least two of: grass, concrete, gravel, artificial turf, pee pad 4. Documented ability to hold elimination ≥ 8 hours (handler log, verified over 3 days) 5. Security screening simulation: leash removal, walk-through separation from handler, reunion 6. Escalator (carried or stepped, per size) and moving walkway 7. Crowded gate-area settle with PA announcements and rolling luggage 8. Confined space: dog remains settled with a person seated at close proximity on both sides 9. Boarding-bridge or jetway-equivalent narrow corridor 10. Handler knowledge check: carrier notification timelines, relief area planning, documentation to carry, what to do if refused > Item 1 is the item most teams fail. It is not negotiable and is not shortened. --- ## 9. Results, Validity, Recertification | Result | Meaning | |---|---| | **Pass** | Credential issued. | | **Conditional Pass** | Credential issued with named limitations printed on the card. Re-presentation required within 6 months. | | **Non-Pass** | No credential. Written report with specific remediation. Retest after 90 days. | | **Halted — Welfare** | No credential. Not a failure. Career-change consultation offered at no charge. | Credentials are valid **12 months**. Recertification requires re-presentation of the full module set, not a paper renewal. There is no renewal-by-payment path. --- ## 10. Revocation A credential may be suspended or revoked on: a bite or aggression incident; a substantiated public complaint; a change in the dog's health or behaviour incompatible with working; misrepresentation on the application; misuse of SDC documents; or failure to present for recertification. Revoked credential IDs remain in the verification system permanently and return **"REVOKED — [date]"**. They are never deleted. Full process, including the appeal route, in `governance/Revocation-and-Complaints-Policy.md`. --- ## 11. Assessor Qualification and Independence ### 11.1 Qualification An SDC Assessor must hold: a recognised professional training credential (CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, CBCC-KA, IAABC-ADT, or Cooperative Paws Service Dog Coach); documented involvement in not fewer than 25 service-dog team preparations; completion of SDC assessor training; and successful shadow-scoring of 10 assessments within tolerance of a senior assessor. ### 11.2 Independence — the firewall **No assessor may score a team they trained, coached, or advised within the preceding 12 months.** No exceptions, no waivers, no "supervising assessor" workaround. Where SDC has trained the team, the assessment is conducted by an assessor with no financial interest in the outcome, drawn from the independent assessor panel. Assessors are paid a flat per-assessment fee that does not vary with the result. This is the provision an airline, an insurer, or a plaintiff's counsel will examine first. It is written to survive that examination. ### 11.3 Calibration All assessors re-score two archived assessment videos annually. Assessors whose scores diverge materially from panel consensus are re-trained or removed. ### 11.4 Dual scoring Required for: all SD-A(T) travel endorsements, all `TETHER` credentials, all assessments of a dog with any prior incident record, and a random 10% audit sample of all other assessments. --- ## 12. Records, Verification, Privacy - Every assessment is video-recorded. Video is retained **7 years**. - Every credential carries a unique ID: `SDC-[CLASS]-[YYYY]-[NNNNN]` - Every credential is checkable at `verify.sensorydogs.ca` by ID, returning: validity status, class, endorsements, issue date, expiry date, issuing assessor ID, and any limitations. **The verification page returns no handler name, no diagnosis, and no health information.** - Personal health information is collected, used, and disclosed under PIPEDA and is stored separately from the credential record. See `governance/Privacy-Policy.md`. - Records are auditable by a carrier, insurer, or regulator on request, subject to handler consent and health-information redaction. --- ## 13. Version Control | Version | Date | Change | |---|---|---| | 1.0 | 25 August 2026 | Initial publication | Every credential records the Standard version it was assessed under. A credential issued under v1.0 remains valid under v1.0 until expiry. --- *Sensory Dogs Canada Inc. — Toronto, Ontario — standards@sensorydogs.ca* *This Standard is published under CC BY-ND 4.0 and may be reproduced in full without alteration.*