Together for assistance dog teams
Teams deserve our help!
Stiftung Assistenzhund is committed to quality assurance and support structures based on this. Our independent iCert360™ test concept is a first important milestone on the way to meaningful care.
Join us so that…
- Quality improvisation replaced,
- the path to becoming an assistance dog becomes easier,
- teams are better supported be better supported.
About assistance dogs
Assistance dogs live permanently with their humans and mitigate their disabilities through carefully learned assistance. They are important assistance for their owners to live safer and more mobile.
Assistance dog teams are breaking new ground and designing solutions for greater mobility. Their partnership, discipline and care are fascinating – but unfortunately they are often completely on their own.
You can find detailed information about assistance dog teams at Pfotenpiloten, our parent organization. Here you can find out more and campaign for access rights for assistance dog teams.

Ensuring quality, establishing support structures
✓ Demonstrating impact: High-impact research convinces top performers and thus improves the sector. We are looking for committed partners for this!
✓ The goal: Comprehensive promotion. Standards, independent testing, and scientific analysis improve acceptance and progress. We establish partnerships and support structures so that teams are better supported.
✓ Independent, objective examination: Our video-based assistance dog team examination, iCert360™, is fair and transparent, and qualifies teams for the state license plate. Register here without obligation!

Who is Foundation Assistance Dog?

Stiftung Assistenzhund is a direct subsidiary of Pfotenpiloten and focuses on quality assurance and sustainable funding structures. The division of tasks became necessary in order to do justice to the many fields of activity in which we support the assistance dog sector.
We do not train teams ourselves, but aim to be able to support them in a variety of ways in the near future. A first milestone is our video-based assistance dog team test, iCert360™. We also develop a wide range of partnerships – but take great care to remain independent of interest groups.
In addition to the assistance dog owners, we also keep an eye on the needs of the dog, trainer, public and sponsors. We are convinced that only a concept that suits everyone can develop optimally.



Honorary Advisory Board
Get to know our Honorary Advisory Board here. Representatives from politics, society, business, research, medicine and animal welfare join us in advocating for assistance dog teams.
And you? Join in!

Our Supervisory Board
As an initiative of the Pfotenpiloten, the Assistenzhund Foundation is also accompanied by our Supervisory Board.
Why we do not (yet) promote teams
Although it would be more satisfying to simply fund teams and thus make people with disabilities more mobile *today*, this would only help a tiny group. However, the real core of the problem lies in the lack of structures and the improvised nature of the sector.
To enable systematic promotion once in the future, we first focus on the basics.
We build understanding, develop independent structures, and devise reliable ways to ensure quality. Effective care that is fair to all stakeholders can then be built on these foundations.
There are still many barriers on the way to a reliable solution that make it difficult to live successfully with
assistance dog in Germany (and many other countries). They all arise from lack of basics – improvised career path, lack of information, lack of quality assurance.
An effective solution must think of all parties involved: not only the people with assistance needs, but also the dog, the trainers, the public and the sponsors.
Once clear structures have replaced weak standards, systematic support can be built on them – the path becomes easier and safer for everyone. This is still a long way off. We can only do it together! To build effective structures and solid foundations as an independent organization, we need your help .