Assistance Dog Candidate: Puppies or dogs that are being taught the basics such as housebreaking and basic manners in the home. Undergoing health checks and getting age appropriate vet work. Evaluations on the suitability of the dog that were done when choosing a candidate continue at this time. Puppy and Beginning Obedience training should be completed during this time.

A dog being trained as an Assistance/Service Dog is not a rehab project. If a dog shows people or dog aggression or show shyness or fear when around people acting in a normal manner then the dog should not be elevated from the candidate level.

Assistance Dog-In-Training (ADIT): Novice and Advanced Obedience training should be given. Dog should have some type of evaluation to check progress.

Advanced health checks such as hip, back, and elbow exrays should be taken and evaluated and also complete eye and heart evaluations. Breed specific health tests should also be done during this time.

A dog that is not reliably housebroken should never go into the public as an ADIT. Until they are housebroken, walk nicely on a leash, and show good public manners they should only be going to places where pets are welcomed. It is very important that the candidate not be allowed to form bad habits out in the community at this time. Any dog before going out into the public as an ADIT should be able to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation.

Some states give owner trainers the same rights as a professional trainer in taking their dog into a non-pet allowed place of business. This right is only to be used while actively training such as taking your dog to a store and having him walk nicely by a cart and going through a check-out line. While training the object is to keep a close eye on the dog and know what needs more work done with the dog. This is not the time to take the dog to do your weekly grocery shopping or sitting through a concert. Training sessions are just that — sessions that the owner is teaching and not just passively taking the dog with them out into the public.

A dog that is going to be worked in the public should be able to pass (with no problems) a temperament test such as given by the American Temperament Test Society, Inc.

Until an ADIT is qualified to meet all of the above (and of course taught tasks to mitigate the owner’s disability) it is not ready to advance to an active Assistance Dog status.

And also, until a dog is able to pass a PAT given by a reputable trainer/evaluator it should not be used outside of the home.as an Assistance Dog.

An owner trainer needs to be aware that at any level or stage of training they may have to wash their dog out of training and that their dog may never make it to the advanced level that is needed. Emotion, time spent, and money spent on training and having to remove their dog is a risk that is taken by owner training and one that all OTs face as a possibility