Service Dog Public Access Test

Below is minimum we expect a dog to be able to perform to consider them public access ready

*No fearful responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) to stimulus in public

CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF A VEHICLE: The dog must wait until released before coming out of the vehicle. Once outside, it must wait quietly unless otherwise instructed by the handler/owner. The dog may not run around, be off lead, or ignore cues. Essentially, the dog should be unobtrusive and unloaded in the safest manner possible.

HEELING OUTSIDE: After unloading the dog from a vehicle or leaving a building, the dog should stay in a relative heel position and not forge ahead or lag behind. When you stop for any reason, the dog should also stop.

CONTROLLED ENTRY AND EXIT THROUGH A DOORWAY: Upon entering or exiting a doorway, the dog should not wander off or seek attention from the public. The dog should wait quietly until the handler/owner is fully inside or outside the doorway, and then calmly heel. The dog must not pull or strain against the lead or try to push its way past the handler/owner, but should wait patiently while entry or exit is completed.

HEELING THROUGH A BUILDING: Once inside a building, the handler/owner and dog should be able to walk through the area in a controlled manner. The dog should always be within touching distance where applicable or no greater than a foot away from the handler/owner. The dog should not seek public attention or strain against the lead (except in cases where the service dog may be pulling your wheelchair, if applicable). The dog should readily adjust to speed changes, turn corners promptly, and travel through a crowded area without interacting with the public. In tight quarters, such as store aisles, the dog must be able to get out of the way of obstacles and not destroy merchandise by knocking it over or by playing with it.

SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD: The handler/owner should be able to cue the dog to sit, leave it, travel six feet, then turn and call the dog to them. The dog should respond promptly and not stop to solicit attention from the public or ignore the cue. The dog should come close enough to the handler/owner to be readily touched. The recall should be smooth and deliberate without the dog trudging to the handler/owner or taking any detours along the way.

SITS ON CUE: The dog must respond promptly each time they are given it the cue to sit while out in public without needing to repeat the cue.

DOWNS ON CUE: The dog must respond promptly each time they are given the cue to down while out in public without needing to repeat the cue.

STAY: The dog should be able to hold a sit stay and a down stay with the capability to hold the down stay for a minimum of 30 minutes while in public without breaking the stay until released by the handler/owner including around food, during being pet, or any other distraction.

NOISE DISTRACTION: A startle reaction is normal to a sudden noise (the dog may jump and/or turn), but the dog should quickly recover and continue focusing on the handler/owner and shouldn’t continue to show any fear responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn).

TABLE MANNERS: While seated at a dining table (restaurant or other suitably alternative location), the dog should be comfortable in a down stay under the table, or if size prevents that, a down stay close to the handler/owner. If the dog is a very small breed and is placed on the seat beside the handler/owner, it must hold the down stay without investigating the table. It’s ok for the dog to reposition their down for comfort.

DROPPED LEASH: If the leash is dropped, the dog should stop and wait for the handler/owner to get the leash back in its appropriate position.

LEAVE IT: The dog should have an automatic leave it when inside a business or around food, they should not sniff or investigate merchandise. The dog should respond promptly when given the leave it cue while out in public without needing to repeat the cue.