The Public Access Test (PAT) is a set of standards determined by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), to be used by its member organisations, to regularly assess the public appropriateness of their accredited assistance dog teams. ASDOG administers the PAT to their partnered teams upon completion of Team Training and annually thereafter.
ADI outlines the purpose and benchmark of the PAT:
The purpose of this Public Access Test is to ensure that dogs that have public access are stable, well-behaved, and unobtrusive to the public. It is to ensure that the client has control over the dog and the team is not a public hazard.
Any dog that displays any aggressive behaviour will be eliminated from the test. Any dog that eliminates in a building or shows uncontrollable behaviour will be eliminated from the test.
The bottom line of this test is that the dog demonstrates that he/she is safe to be in public and that the person demonstrates that he/she has control of the dog at all times.
Assistance dog teams must successfully demonstrate superior control and behaviour in a range of nominated situations in each of the mandatory assessment categories:
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