Dogs behaving badly: why standards matter
We’ve all been there. Relaxing in our favorite cafe when the peace is shattered by a couple of badly-behaved dogs trying to bite each other or a passing waiter. A high-pitched mutt irritating everyone with non-stop yapping while its owner studiously ignores the noise. The huge dog lying in the way and refusing to move. It’s annoying, it’s anti-social and, perhaps most importantly, it gives responsible assistance dog teams a bad name. No wonder that dogs are frequently banned from restaurants, shops and hospitals, or that airlines, taxi drivers and public transport operators are wary about letting dogs on board.
Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs. As Executive Director of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), it would be pretty weird if I didn’t. I’ve even got two of my own — Elsa the yellow Labrador and Jasper, an Australian Shepherd — I love them dearly, but the less said about their behavior the better. The point is, an out-of-control dog can cause havoc in a public space — and that’s bad news for the tens of thousands of assistance dogs users around the world for whom their dog represents access, independence and wellbeing.
The evidence suggests these hard-won rights are now under threat from a rise in untrained, out-of-control and poorly-behaved fake service dogs, leading to skepticism or even hostility towards genuine assistance dog teams. In 2025, a joint report by ADI and the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF), based on interviews with 1,200 assistance dog users in 24 countries, found nearly half had experienced discrimination, humiliation and exclusion from public transport, restaurants and medical facilities.
As we celebrate this year’s International Assistance Dog Week, which runs from 2 to 8 August, it’s worth reflecting on the unique relationship not only between assistance dogs and their users, but between assistance dogs teams and wider society. Well-trained, well-behaved and well cared-for assistance dog teams — such as those provided by ADI members — bring huge benefits both to people living with a range of disabilities and to the communities in which they live. As this year’s campaign theme underlines, we’re all #BetterTogether with an ADI-certified assistance dog.
An assistance dog team is an inseparable partnership. Deny access to an assistance dog, and you deny access to the disabled person who relies on it. That’s why ADI’s industry-leading standards for the training, behavior and welfare of assistance dogs are so important. Firstly, because disabled people enjoy greater access, independence and freedom to travel when they are partnered with an assistance dog trained to ADI standards. These partnerships are successful precisely because they are grounded in high standards, developed over 40 years, which set the benchmark for ethical training, welfare, breeding and inclusion.
Secondly, if you’re a restaurant owner, store manager or health care worker, you can welcome an assistance dog trained by one of our members onto your premises and be sure it has been trained to behave in public. If you’re a taxi driver, train operator or airline, you can be confident the dog will not cause damage or create a hazard for staff and customers. If you’re in doubt, ADI-certified assistance dog teams also carry a tamper-proof digital ID card which can be quickly checked against a secure database to prove the dog is genuine.
Finally, standards for assistance dog standards matter because both people and dogs thrive under ADI’s industry-leading welfare and ethical framework, which covers a dog’s entire lifecycle from breeding, whelping and puppy-raising through to working life, retirement and veterinary care. In addition, many ADI members rescue and train dogs from shelters, giving them a new lease of life while providing a life-changing assistance dog for someone in need.
We are proud of our standards and we take them seriously — not least because the safety of the dog, the user and the public are at stake. ADI accreditation takes at least two years and members are re-assessed every five years. Assessments are incredibly thorough, covering every aspect of training, behavior, welfare, staff and client wellbeing, breeding, facilities and kennels — as well as specific standards for different types of assistance dogs.
Assistance dog teams all over the world continue to face challenges to their legal rights to access and inclusion. It’s hard enough being a disabled person with an assistance dog without having the door shut in your face, and I’m not suggesting that standards alone are the answer. But as part of a package including better awareness and education, legal reform and training for business owners, high standards for assistance dogs are vital.
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David Locklin is Executive Director of Assistance Dogs International, the world’s leading standards-setter and accreditation body for training assistance dogs. As a worldwide coalition of more than 200 non-profit member and candidate organizations spread across five continents, ADI is the world’s most diverse and inclusive assistance dog certification and standard-setting body.
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