Disclaimer:
The CEN standards are still in development which means anything discussed in this post is still subject to change. This post is based on current available information.
CEN TC/452 Assistance Dogs is the committee that is developing the European standards for assistance dogs.
The standards are developing around assistance dogs. The current working groups are the following:
The standard will not get rid of owner training.
Though much of the standard is aimed at organisations, some of it will effect owner trained assistance dogs.
The standards affect organisations the most and will provide standards for areas such as:
Some of these will only affect organisations whilst others may have aspects relevant outside of them. Some parts of the standards are more universal.
Terminology and accessibility will be standardised. For accessibility it includes improving free movement in Europe for assistance dogs, creating a procedure for places where assistance dogs are prohibited, and access rights for assistance dogs in training.
Terminology wise, there has already been a decided definition of assistance dog this being
“Assistance Dogs are dogs specifically trained to perform tasks to mitigate the limitations of a person with a disability”
The standards will discuss many aspects of training such as when task training will begin and other pre-assistance dog training requirements. It will also discuss the suitability of different training methods, assessment, and certification and identification.
Working Groups 1, 2, 4 and 5 are planned to become New Work Items (NWI) this year. When a NWI is registered, the standards must then be published within 30 months. Additionally, there will be public consultation in this period. It is currently predicted to be completed by late 2025.
When published these standards , will be voluntary. It will remain this way unless it becomes adopted into law.
Sources:
European Guide Dog Federation CEN progress report [2019] Link
CEN TC/452 Business Plan [December 2019] Link
AnimalGeo Research Newsletter , Cardiff University [ July 25, 2022] Link
