ADI | Standards for Training Hearing Dogs

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These are intended to be minimum standards for all hearing dog centers that want to be affiliated with ADI. All centers are encouraged to strive to work at levels above the minimums.

1. A minimum of three (3) months/sixty (60) hours of training must take place under the supervision of a program's trainer. During this time, at least twenty (20) hours of regularly scheduled training must be devoted to city work, obedience, and socialization training during the dog’s entire training time.

2. Basic obedience skills the dog must master with voice and/or hand signals are: sit, stay come, down, heel and off leash recall.

3. The dog must show social behavior skills of no aggression, no inappropriate barking, no biting, no snapping/growling, no inappropriate jumping on strangers, no begging and no sniffing of people.

4. Sound awareness skills-Upon hearing a sound, the dog must make physical contact with the recipient and then specifically indicate or lead the person to the source of the sound. All dogs must be trained to at least three (3) sounds.

5. The placement of the Hearing Dog must last at least four (4) days/32 hours. By the end of the placement, the recipient will be able to correctly praise and discipline the dog, care for the dog, practice sound work with the dog, control the dog and enforce obedience skills. During the placement, the trainer will go with the recipient and the dog to do city training and go to stores and a restaurant. Also, during the placement, the trainer, recipient and dog will practice sound work and obedience every day.

6. The training facility must require the recipient to complete a follow-up progress report once a month for the first six months following the placement. Personal contact will be done by qualified staff or program volunteer within twelve to eighteen (12-18) months of graduation and annually thereafter.

7. Identification of the Hearing Dog and recipient will be accomplished with a laminated ID card with a photo of the dog and partner and names of both recipient and dog. The dog must wear a blaze orange collar and leash, approved by ADI, with Hearing Dog printed/stitched on it and a cape with the program's logo whenever in public.

8. The staff of the training center must demonstrate knowledge of deafness, deaf culture and hearing impairment. A staff member or agent must know basic sign language. Organization shall make available educational material on different disabilities.

9. The recipient must agree to abide the Minimum Standards for Assistance Dog Partners.

10. At the onset of training, every dog will be spayed or neutered and will have a thorough medical evaluation to determine that the dog does not have any physical problems that would cause difficulty for a working dog.

Minimum Standards for Training Hearing Dogs