Public Access Assessment (HSD PAA)
Evaluating the Service Dog Team
A service dog isn't simply a dog that knows commands or performs disability-related tasks.
A successful service dog must be able to work safely, appropriately, and reliably in the real world—alongside their handler and in the environments where that handler needs them.
That's why Hope Service Dogs, Inc. developed the HSD Public Access Assessment (HSD PAA).
The HSD PAA evaluates the service dog and handler as a team, looking at their ability to navigate a variety of public environments while maintaining appropriate behavior, control, focus, and teamwork.
A Three-Location Assessment
The HSD PAA consists of three separate public-location visits.
Evaluating a team in multiple environments provides a better picture of how the dog and handler work together outside of a controlled training environment.
The assessment measures the team's skills and performance on a specific date and time. It is a snapshot of the team's current level of public-access reliability—not a guarantee that training will never need to continue.
Because service dog training is an ongoing process, maintaining and strengthening public-access skills should continue throughout the dog's working life.
This Is Not a Service Dog Certification
The HSD Public Access Assessment is not a certification, registration, or legal designation for a service dog or service dog team.
The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require service dogs to be certified, registered, or professionally trained. The U.S. Department of Justice does not recognize service-dog certification documents as proof of a dog's status under the ADA.
The purpose of the HSD PAA is simply to provide a structured way to evaluate public-access skills and team performance.
A passing assessment does not create legal rights that did not otherwise exist, and failing an assessment does not determine whether a dog legally meets the ADA definition of a service animal.
What Does the HSD PAA Evaluate?
Public access is about much more than obedience.
A service dog must be able to remain focused on their handler while appropriately navigating the distractions, environments, and situations that occur in everyday life.
The HSD PAA evaluates the team's ability to work safely and appropriately around:
People
Children
Other dogs
Food
Noise
Crowds
Unexpected distractions
Elevators
Stores
Restaurants
Transportation
Different surfaces and environments
Normal activity occurring around the team
The assessment also considers the handler's ability to effectively manage and work with the dog.
A highly trained dog still needs a handler who understands how to communicate with the dog, maintain control, recognize problems, and respond appropriately when something unexpected happens.
Public Access Is More Than Obedience
A dog can have beautiful obedience at home and still struggle in a busy public environment.
Public-access training teaches a dog how to work through the world, not simply how to perform commands.
The goal is a dog who can accompany their handler into appropriate public environments while remaining:
Controlled.
Focused.
Confident.
Responsive.
Safe.
Non-disruptive.
That reliability is what allows a service dog team to function as a team in everyday life.
Training Equipment
The HSD PAA does not require a specific training tool or piece of equipment.
All training tools are permitted during the assessment, provided they are used appropriately, safely, and humanely.
Our focus is on the performance of the team—not on requiring a particular training philosophy or piece of equipment.
Why We Share the HSD PAA
We could have kept this assessment proprietary.
We could have treated it as a secret and kept it within Hope Service Dogs.
We chose not to.
We believe service dogs are better served when trainers, programs, handlers, and organizations share knowledge and work toward higher standards of training and public behavior.
We are all stronger, together.
If the HSD Public Access Assessment helps another service dog team identify areas that need additional training, then sharing it has accomplished exactly what we intended.
Download the HSD Public Access Assessment
Whether you're a professional service dog organization, independent trainer, owner-trainer, or service dog handler, we invite you to use the HSD PAA as a tool for evaluating public-access skills.
Download the HSD Public Access Assessment →
Use it as a starting point, adapt it to your training program when appropriate, and continue working toward reliable performance in the real world.
Because a service dog doesn't just need to know how to work.
A service dog needs to know how to work with their person, wherever life takes them.
Gypsy at Diagon Alley at Universal Studios