ADI Accreditation for Canadian Programs: What the Standards Actually Require

What Is Assistance Dogs International

Assistance Dogs International, known as ADI, is a coalition of nonprofit programs that train and place assistance dogs. Founded in 1986, it operates as the primary international accrediting body for assistance dog programs across North America, Europe, Australia and beyond. For Canadian trainers working toward recognized program status, ADI accreditation is the benchmark most funding bodies, government agencies and partner organizations look to first.

ADI accreditation is not a certificate you earn once and keep. It is an ongoing process of external review, documentation and demonstrated compliance with published standards. Programs must apply, undergo a site visit and re-accredit on a regular cycle. That rigour is precisely what makes the credential meaningful.

As of 2026, ADI has accredited and candidate members operating across more than 30 countries. Canadian programs that achieve ADI accreditation join a network recognized by Veterans Affairs Canada, provincial health authorities and many housing and transit bodies as producing reliably trained assistance dogs.

How ADI Differs from CADI

The Canadian Association of Guide and Assistance Dogs, commonly known as CADI, is Canada's domestic accrediting body. CADI and ADI are distinct organizations with separate standards, separate application processes and separate membership structures. Understanding the difference is essential for any Canadian program deciding where to direct its accreditation efforts.

CADI focuses specifically on the Canadian regulatory and legal landscape. Its standards align with provincial human rights legislation and the needs of Canadian handlers navigating access rights under provincial accessibility acts and the Accessible Canada Act. CADI-accredited programs are recognized under provincial guide dog and service dog legislation across most Canadian jurisdictions, which is the more immediate access right lever for handlers in Canada.

ADI operates at the international level. Its standards are designed to apply across jurisdictions and are written more broadly. Where CADI standards may specify requirements tied to Canadian legal definitions of disability and access, ADI standards address program governance, training methodology, client services and aftercare in terms applicable globally.

A program can hold both accreditations. Many mature Canadian programs pursue CADI first for domestic access rights recognition, then pursue ADI for international credibility, research partnerships and access to ADI member resources. The two are complementary rather than competing credentials.

The ADI Accreditation Process

ADI uses a two-stage pathway: Candidate Member status followed by full Accredited Member status. Programs typically spend one to three years as a Candidate Member before applying for full accreditation. That candidacy period is not a waiting room. It is an active phase where programs document their operations, refine their training protocols and demonstrate they are building toward the published standards.

The application itself requires substantial documentation. Programs must submit written policies covering dog selection, training progression, client selection, matching, placement, follow-up and retirement. ADI reviewers look at governance documents, financial records and staff credentials. Programs without formal written protocols often find the application process forces them to articulate and systematize practices they have been doing informally for years. That is actually one of the underappreciated benefits of the process.

Once the paper review is complete, ADI conducts an in-person site visit. A team of peer evaluators from other ADI-accredited programs visits your facility, observes training sessions, reviews records and interviews staff and clients. The peer evaluator model means you are being assessed by working trainers who understand the realities of the job, not bureaucrats reading from a checklist. That said, they are rigorous.

After the site visit, the evaluation team prepares a report with findings and any areas requiring remediation. Programs that meet all standards receive accredited status. Programs with deficiencies receive a corrective action period. Full accreditation is then reviewed on a cycle, with interim reporting requirements between site visits.

Core Standards ADI Evaluates

ADI publishes its minimum standards publicly, which is worth emphasizing. There is no mystery about what is being assessed. The standards cover five broad domains: program operations, dog training, client services, aftercare and governance. Within each domain, specific performance indicators are defined.

On the dog training side, ADI standards require that dogs demonstrate a defined set of public access skills before placement. The ADI Public Access Test is the practical benchmark. Dogs must pass a standardized assessment covering controlled behaviour in public settings, appropriate response to distractions, task performance and handler responsiveness. Programs must document each dog's training history against this standard.

Client services standards address how programs screen applicants, match dogs to handlers and support the partnership after placement. ADI requires documented follow-up protocols. A program cannot place a dog and walk away. Post-placement visits, phone check-ins and a defined process for handling partnership breakdowns are all required. The aftercare standards are particularly detailed because the long-term outcome for both the dog and the handler is what determines whether a program is actually serving its mission.

Governance standards look at board structure, conflict of interest policies, financial accountability and staff qualifications. ADI does not mandate specific certifications for trainers but expects programs to demonstrate that staff have appropriate training and that there is a system for ongoing professional development. For Canadian programs where CPDT or similar credentials are common, documenting staff qualifications is usually straightforward.

Why Accreditation Matters for Program Credibility

Accreditation matters because it is the only independent verification that a program meets defined standards. In the assistance dog field, where unaccredited programs and fraudulent certifications create real harm for legitimate handlers, the distinction between accredited and non-accredited is not administrative. It is ethical.

For trainers, ADI accreditation signals to employers, funders and partner organizations that your program has been externally reviewed and found to meet international standards. Grant applications, government contracts and institutional partnerships often list ADI or CADI accreditation as a requirement or strong preference. Accreditation is increasingly the price of entry for serious program work.

For handlers, ADI accreditation provides assurance that the dog they receive has been trained to a documented standard and that the program placing that dog has accountability structures in place. This matters most when things go wrong. An accredited program has defined processes for addressing partnership breakdowns, dog welfare issues and follow-up care. An unaccredited program has no such accountability.

Canadian regulatory bodies are also increasingly attentive to accreditation status. Several provincial service dog registries and verification systems reference ADI or CADI accreditation as a factor in recognizing assistance dog partnerships. As access rights enforcement becomes more consistent across provinces, accreditation status will carry more weight in legal and quasi-legal contexts as well.

What Canadian Programs Need to Consider

If you are a Canadian program weighing whether to pursue ADI accreditation, the first honest question is whether your documentation is ready. ADI accreditation requires written protocols for every phase of your operation. If your training progression, client selection criteria and aftercare schedules live in the heads of your senior trainers rather than in written policy, you are not ready to apply. Getting ready is valuable work, but it takes time.

The second question is capacity. The application and site visit process requires significant staff time. Programs with one or two staff members often find the administrative burden of accreditation difficult to absorb alongside active training caseloads. Building a timeline that accounts for documentation work, not just training work, is essential.

The third question is which accreditation to pursue first. For Canadian programs whose primary concern is provincial access rights recognition, CADI accreditation standards should be the starting point. CADI accreditation is what most provincial legislation references when defining recognized guide dog and service dog programs. ADI accreditation adds international credibility and access to the ADI member network but does not substitute for CADI recognition in the Canadian legal context.

Programs should also consider the ADI Candidate Member phase as a structured improvement process, not just a waiting period. Using candidacy to audit your current protocols against ADI standards, identify gaps and build systematic documentation is how successful programs approach the process. The goal is not just to pass the site visit. The goal is to run a better program.

ADI's published standards are available directly on the Assistance Dogs International website, and reviewing them before beginning the application process is strongly recommended. Reading the standards as a program audit tool, rather than waiting for an evaluator to identify gaps, is the approach we consistently see in programs that accredit on their first attempt.

Our Nonprofit Mission

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit healthcare provider, TheraPetic® Healthcare Provider Group exists to ensure that Canadians who need support animal or assistance dog documentation have access to qualified, clinically reviewed services. Our partnership with the Assistance Dog Institute of Canada reflects a shared commitment to raising standards across the field, for trainers, for handlers and for the animals who make these partnerships possible.

If your program is working through the accreditation process and needs support with clinical documentation for handlers, our team is available to assist. Reach us at help@mypsd.org or by phone at (800) 851-4390. You can also start a screening conversation at go.mypsd.org.