For handlers with mobility impairments: wheelchair users, ambulatory handlers with balance/strength limitations, chronic pain, and post-injury conditions. This chapter has the manual's strictest physical safety gates, because weight-bearing work done wrong injures dogs — and handlers.
13.1 Task classes
Class A — Non-weight-bearing (any qualified dog, standard gates)
| Task | Trigger | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Retrieve dropped/named items | Cue | To hand or lap; item classes: keys, phone, wallet/card, clothing, cane; gentle mouth, no damage |
| Tug doors/drawers/laundry open-closed | Cue | Via attached tug straps; controlled, releases on cue |
| Push buttons/plates | Cue | Accessible-door plates, elevator buttons (within reach), adapted switches |
| Light switch | Cue | On/off via paw or nose per fixture setup |
| Carry/deliver items | Cue | Between handler and a second person or station |
| Remove garments | Cue | Sleeves, socks, shoes — gentle, on cue only |
| Fetch mobility aid | Cue | Brings cane/crutch/walker within grasp; steadies nothing (that's Class B) |
| Alert/summon (chained) | Cue | As per Chapter 8 chains if certified |
Class B — Weight-bearing (all gates in §13.2 required) ⚠
| Task | Standard |
|---|---|
| Counterbalance | Momentary steadying via rigid-handle harness during walking/turns; the dog is a stabilization reference, never a support structure carrying sustained load |
| Brace for transfers/rising | Momentary static brace, dog stands square on level ground, handler pushes on the harness platform ≤ 3 s; never on stairs/slick surfaces |
| Momentum pull | Assists a manual wheelchair or ambulatory handler on level/gentle grades via padded pulling harness; walking pace; never a primary traction source on hills |
13.2 Weight-bearing gates ⚠ (all mandatory, no exceptions)
- Age ≥ 24 months at certification of any Class B task (growth plates closed).
- Written veterinary orthopedic clearance, dated within 6 months, naming the intended task class; radiographic hip/elbow screening strongly recommended and required for sustained counterbalance work.
- Proportionality: the assessor verifies the dog's size against the handler and the task — as working guidance, counterbalance/brace candidates are typically ≥ 24 in (60 cm) at the shoulder and ≥ 55 lb (25 kg), and the loading must remain a fraction of the dog's weight. Under-sized pairings fail the gate regardless of training.
- Equipment: professionally fitted rigid-handle harness (counterbalance/brace) or padded pulling harness (momentum pull); fit re-checked at assessment; no neck-loading configurations.
- Annual orthopedic re-check to keep Class B tasks on an active registration.
13.3 Candidate suitability
- Class A: any size adequate to the items/devices; steady retrieve temperament.
- Class B: sound structure (§13.2), calm gait, high tolerance for close body contact and bumped/leaned scenarios.
- Dogs with any orthopedic history certify Class A only.
13.4 Training methodology requirements
- Retrieval built to a gentle-mouth criterion across item materials (metal keys to fabric) before public proofing.
- Class B loading introduced gradually and late (after physical maturity), with duty-cycle limits in training logs; any lameness/stiffness pauses training and triggers a vet check.
- Momentum pull: load progression documented; surfaces varied (pavement, indoor floors); emergency-stop cue trained to 100%.
- Handler technique is trained alongside the dog (how to load the harness momentarily, never sustained).
13.5 Task test
Class A — each certified task: 10 distributed trials ≥ 9/10 across 2+ environment classes; retrieval tested across ≥ 4 item classes; at least two tasks demonstrated in a public venue.
Class B ⚠ — gates verified documentarily first (clearance letter, equipment fit), then:
- Counterbalance: a walking course (turns, stop-starts, one doorway) with 3 cued steadying events — 3/3 smooth, dog maintains position, no stress/lameness signs; gait checked normal after.
- Brace: 3 cued momentary braces on level ground — 3/3 square stands, handler contact ≤ 3 s each.
- Momentum pull: course at walking pace with turns and a full emergency stop — stop cue 2/2 at 100%.
- Welfare scoring throughout: any soreness, reluctance, or stress-signal cluster fails the Class B test (not the dog's Class A results).
13.6 Maintenance
Class A: weekly refreshers. Class B: §13.2 annual re-check; handler self-audit of harness fit monthly; immediate suspension of Class B tasks on any sign of lameness pending veterinary review.
13.7 Records for this chapter
Task sheets; task-test scoresheet; Class B gate documents (vet clearance, equipment fit note); video when overseen remotely. On pass, Service Paws records the task testing date.