Before task training is assessed, every candidate dog must meet the health, age, and temperament requirements in this chapter. These are verified as part of the standards assessment (first recorded milestone).
1.1 Age
| Gate | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Begin training | Any age. Early socialization is encouraged from puppyhood. |
| Foundation benchmark (Ch. 2) | 10 months or older at assessment. |
| Certification (all milestones complete) | 12 months or older. |
| Weight-bearing mobility work (Ch. 13) | 24 months or older + orthopedic clearance. |
| Upper working age | No fixed retirement age. From age 8, an annual veterinary fitness-to-work check is required to keep the registration active. |
1.2 Health and veterinary requirements
- Veterinary examination within the 6 months before certification, confirming the dog is in good general health and physically capable of its intended work.
- Vaccinations current per the treating veterinarian and local requirements (rabies is mandatory everywhere Service Paws certifies).
- Parasite prevention in place appropriate to region and season.
- Spay/neuter: recommended for working dogs; not mandatory. Intact dogs must show no reproductive-driven behaviour problems (roaming, marking, reactivity).
- Sensory adequacy: vision and hearing adequate for the intended discipline (e.g., a sound-alert dog must have clinically normal hearing; a detection dog must have an unimpaired airway/olfaction — flag chronic nasal disease).
- Orthopedic screening is required only for weight-bearing mobility tasks (Chapter 13) but is recommended for any large-breed candidate.
- Conditions that exclude certification while unmanaged: chronic pain, seizure disorders in the dog, significant heart/respiratory disease, or any condition the veterinarian judges incompatible with public work.
Records: the vet exam summary (or certificate of health) is submitted with the standards assessment.
1.3 Temperament evaluation
Administered by the trainer with Service Paws oversight (Chapter 14) in a neutral location. The evaluator scores each item Pass / Borderline / Fail. Any Fail ends the evaluation; two or more Borderlines require re-evaluation after at least 30 days of remedial work.
| # | Item | Pass looks like |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Novel person approach (neutral, then friendly) | Relaxed or politely interested; no cowering, freezing, growling, or lunging |
| T2 | Body handling (paws, ears, tail, mouth, collar grab) | Tolerates calmly; may shift but settles; no mouthing/escape panic |
| T3 | Novel object (umbrella opening, rolling bin) | May startle; recovers within 30 seconds and can approach or ignore |
| T4 | Sudden sound (dropped pan ~3 m away) | Startle acceptable; recovery ≤ 30 s; no bolt, no sustained fear |
| T5 | Food/toy exchange | Gives up item or tolerates removal; no freezing over item, no guarding |
| T6 | Neutral dog at 3 m (on lead) | Notices, disengages on cue; no fixation, hackling, or lunging |
| T7 | Child-energy simulation (running, squealing at a distance) | Remains handler-focused or calmly curious |
| T8 | 2-minute separation with a stranger holding the lead | May watch for handler; no panic, vocal distress, or escape attempts |
1.4 Disqualifiers
The following permanently disqualify a dog from Service Paws certification:
- Any bite of a person or animal that broke skin, at any point in the dog's known history.
- Lunging, snapping, or sustained growling directed at people during any evaluation or assessment.
- Severe resource guarding directed at people.
- Predatory fixation on small animals or children that does not respond to redirection.
The following disqualify until resolved and re-evaluated (minimum 60 days):
- Marked fearfulness without recovery (T3/T4 failure pattern).
- Separation panic (T8 failure).
- Reactivity to dogs or strangers beyond a Borderline score.
- Any medical condition in §1.2 while unmanaged.
1.5 Breed, size, and suitability
- Service Paws is breed-neutral: any breed or mix may certify if it meets this chapter and its discipline's requirements.
- Size must fit the work: weight-bearing mobility has explicit size gates (Chapter 13); a sound-alert or detection dog has none.
- Brachycephalic and giant breeds: the veterinary exam must specifically confirm heat tolerance/respiratory adequacy (brachycephalic) and joint status (giant) for the intended workload.
- Dogs with cropped-ear/docked-tail history, cosmetic issues, or non-standard appearance are not penalized. Only behaviour and health are scored.
1.6 Handler and team requirements
- The handler (or co-handler, Chapter 11) must demonstrate they can manage the dog in public: this is scored inside the PAT (Chapter 3) — the team passes, not the dog alone.
- The handler attests to a disability-related need for the trained tasks (Chapter 15). Service Paws does not require or review medical diagnoses.
- One dog, one handler team per certification. The same dog certified for an additional handler is a new assessment.
1.7 Records for this chapter
Submitted with the standards assessment: veterinary exam summary; completed temperament scoresheet (Chapter 16); dog identification (name, breed, DOB, photo, microchip number if available).