Editing Assistance dog (section)

==Distinctive features==

For a dog to be considered an assistance dog, they must meet the following criteria:

# The dog's handler must meet the legal definition of disability in a specific country or region.
# The dog must be specifically trained to mitigate the handler's disability in some way,--e.g. opening doors, detecting [[Hyperglycemia|high blood sugar]] or [[Allergy|allergens]] and notifying of such, alerting to a ringing phone or other audible stimuli, assisting handlers with PTSD, assisting those who are visual impaired, helping individuals with disabilities that affect their mobility, and much more.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tasks performed by Guide, Hearing and Service Dogs, .|url=https://iaadp.org/membership/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access/tasks-performed-by-guide-hearing-and-service-dogs/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) |language=en-US}}</ref>
# The dog must be docile and well-behaved, as well as clean and healthy.
Individual countries and regions will have specific laws and regulations, with these international criteria having broad recognition across the globe.<ref>{{cite web |last1=The Equality and Human Rights Commission |title=Assistance Dogs. A Guide For All Businesses |url=http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/assistance-dogs-a-guide-for-all-businesses_0.pdf |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-date=22 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822154606/http://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/assistance-dogs-a-guide-for-all-businesses_0.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Standards |url=https://assistancedogseurope.org/standards/ |website=Assistance Dogs Europe |access-date=25 August 2018 |archive-date=3 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103223352/https://assistancedogseurope.org/standards/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=IAADP Minimum Training Standards for Public Access |url=https://iaadp.org/membership/iaadp-minimum-training-standards-for-public-access/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) |language=en-US}}</ref> In many countries, notably in Europe, assistance dogs must be certified by a State-recognized body to enjoy the legal protections.