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Dogs bring exercise, social interaction, and joy into our lives. What many people don’t know is that dogs can do so much more. Assistance dogs remind their owners to take medication, sound the alarm and get help, or guide their owners safely home.
At the same time, a dog isn’t a tool you can simply turn on and off — it’s a living being with its own needs and limitations. We interviewed Alexandra Schemm about it: She’s an assistance dog trainer based near Cologne. She trains dogs to assist people and help them manage their daily lives. A conversation about the potentials — but also the limitations — of assistance dogs.
What to expect in this interview:
- How assistance dogs can support older adults and people with dementia in their daily lives,
- what the limitations are and why a dog cannot replace human supervision,
- how the training works, which dogs are suitable, and who covers the costs,
- what requirements must be met at home, and
- what ordinary family dogs can learn — even without extensive assistance dog training.
SBC: I’m familiar with assistance dogs for people who are blind, for example. It was new to me that there are also assistance dogs for older adults and people with dementia. How can these dogs provide support in everyday life?
Schemm: In Germany, training is now regulated by the Assistance Dog Ordinance, so I can speak primarily from that perspective. Assistance dogs for people with dementia fall under the professional classification of psychosocial impairments. This category also includes post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and ADHD. These assistance dogs are trained to meet the specific needs of their handlers.
The support starts with very simple things: For example, the dog can wear a GPS tracker on its collar that allows you to locate him. You can set up so-called geofences so that family members receive a notification if the dog leaves a specific area. And, of course, the dog usually does this together with its owner. I find this particularly valuable because people with dementia are often reluctant to wear a tracker themselves or simply forget to do so.
In addition, a dog can lead its owner home if they’re out and about nearby. It can remind them to take their medication, eat, go for a walk, or get out of bed. To do this, the dog is conditioned to respond to a signal, such as an alarm clock: He learns that when the alarm rings, he must do whatever it takes to get its owner to perform the desired action. And in the end, he receives a reward for doing so.
Also of interest are tasks involving signal dogs that assist deaf people. A dog can alert its owner that water is running into the bathtub or that it is overflowing, or that the smoke detector is going off. It can notify family members if something is wrong, get help, and even press an emergency button.
SBC: Can a dog really press an emergency button?
Schemm: Yes, that can be trained. Alternatively, the dog can go directly to other people and get them to help. This also works in public. To that end, these dogs wear a small tag on their harness that explains to passersby that something is wrong with the person and help is needed.
SBC: As a dog owner, I find dogs remarkable, and I know they’re very trainable. But what are the limits of assistance provided by a dog, for example, in cases of dementia?
Schemm: That’s a key point when it comes to assistance dogs for people with dementia, because the training is always designed so that the person and the dog work together. Therefore, such a dog is only useful if it is trained at the very onset of the disease and learns alongside its owner. Because when dementia progresses, it eventually becomes impossible to continue living with and caring for the dog.
That is why assistance dogs for people with dementia are generally only provided to individuals who live with their family members in the same household, so that there is always someone keeping an eye on the dog. Most of the training also takes place within what’s known as the “triad” — that is, with the family members, the person with dementia, and the dog. This is partly because such a demanding training program would be nearly impossible to manage cognitively on one’s own. The limitations lie equally with the person and the dog.
SBC: In what ways could an assistance dog also provide relief for family members who are providing care and support?
Schemm: Dogs can be helpful, but it’s important to make one thing clear: A dog cannot replace human supervision, and it can make mistakes. For example, you can’t rely on them to stop at every crosswalk and prevent its owner from just walking off.
They are still a huge help, though. For example, when the dog signals to me that my mother or father has just left the house, or when he barks at night to let me know that someone has got up and is wandering around the house, that takes an enormous burden off family caregivers. That is exactly why pairing an assistance dog with a caregiving household makes sense. Much of what makes an assistance dog so valuable simply would not be possible in a single-person household.
SBC: How does the training work, and is every dog suitable?
Schemm: There are different ways to get an assistance dog. You can bring your own dog and have it tested for suitability as an assistance dog. In Germany, this is actually required by regulation. The process assesses whether the dog is likely to complete the training and whether it can truly help with the specific condition. When it comes to dementia, you need a dog that absolutely loves to learn — one that thinks for itself and doesn’t just wait for the next command, but notices on its own when something isn’t right and then takes action.
You can also start training with a puppy. However, this carries a certain risk because it takes at least two years for the dog to complete its training. A lot can happen during that time, and there’s no guarantee that the dog will become a good assistance dog. A third option is a dog between one and two years old, which may already know a few things, allowing you to start from a completely different level. As a general rule, the dog must have the right temperament — that accounts for about eighty percent of the training.
SBC: Training an assistance dog sounds very time-consuming. Who covers the costs?
Schemm: Guide dogs for the blind are covered by health insurance in Germany, but other assistance dogs are not — at least not yet. Although I certainly hope that will change. So you have to pay for the training yourself, which is why people often ask whether it really has to be a certified assistance dog. Often, it’s a relief just to work with assistance dog trainers and teach your own dog the specific tasks that are needed.
One alternative is what are known as ESA dogs, or Emotional Support Animals. This is a concept that originated in the U.S. These dogs perform similar tasks to assistance dogs, but they do not have to meet all the same requirements. I like to compare this to glasses: The assistance dog is the pair of glasses without which I wouldn’t be able to see at all or go anywhere. The ESA dog is like reading glasses, which I need in certain situations — especially at home. For people with dementia, an ESA dog is often entirely sufficient because it’s needed primarily at home.
SBC: What requirements must a home meet to accommodate an assistance dog?
Schemm: The most important requirement is that the condition is still in its early stages. Ideally, this should be shortly after diagnosis, when the person is experiencing only mild limitations. Then training can begin, and the owner will be able to make good use of the dog later on.
In addition, one or two family members need to be involved in the training, and ideally, everyone lives together in the same house. That way, someone is always keeping an eye on how the dog is doing, and neither the person nor the dog is left to fend for themselves. This is also very important for the Assistance Dog Center.
SBC: You also train visiting dogs. Can you explain the concept behind this?
Schemm: The concept of visiting dogs is designed for long-term care facilities. Volunteers visit senior care homes with their own dogs that have been trained for this purpose. It’s important to bring in teams that are truly trained for this purpose. Don’t just ask anyone to drop by with their dog. That often goes wrong — and it’s especially the dogs who suffer as a result.
People underestimate how exhausting a visit like this can be: An unfamiliar environment, slippery floors, lots of people and smells, cramped spaces, wheelchairs, and many other things a dog may have never seen before. During these visits, dog owners, for example, need to be very familiar with the signs of stress in their dogs. Facilities can specifically seek out people with the appropriate training or have their staff undergo training in animal-assisted interventions.
SBC: What impact do visiting dogs have in senior care facilities? Can you share your experiences with us?
Schemm: These visits make such an incredible difference! I once visited a woman at a nursing home who was slumped in front of the TV. I asked her if she liked dogs. And all of a sudden, she was like a different person — there was real life in her again. Especially for people with dementia, who often live in the past, a dog can often open the door to their own story.
They then talk about the dogs they’ve had, what the dogs liked to eat, and what illnesses they had. Caregivers always tell me how amazed they are. The dog is like a gateway back to the world.
Visiting dogs are also available for people who live at home. In Germany, as far as I know, the Johanniter organization offers this service, for example, and there are associations where you can sign up for these visits. However, this varies greatly by region, so you’ll need to check locally to see if there’s an organization nearby. I’ve offered training for visitation dog teams myself at the adult education center, and many of the participants went on to organize their own visits afterward.
SBC: We’ve now discussed the situation in Germany — what’s the situation like in Austria?
Schemm: Many trainers from Austria and Switzerland also complete their continuing education at the German Assistance Dog Center and work according to very similar principles. Austria actually has slightly higher standards when it comes to dog health, but overall, the approaches are very similar.
SBC: If someone is interested in getting an assistance dog, how can those affected and their families find the right people to contact?
Schemm: A first step is to contact the assistance dog associations, which can provide further information and put you in touch with suitable trainers.
The most important thing for me is that a professional assesses the dog. It doesn’t do anyone any good to try to teach a dog who doesn’t want to learn or reacts with avoidance or even aggression. Some dogs take an emergency situation in stride, while others withdraw and feel uncomfortable. Whether the dog enjoys the task and whether you’re asking too much of it — that must always be the first question, for the dog’s sake.
SBC: I see that you also offer online training. Which countries are your clients from?
Schemm: Yes, a lot of it can also be done online. For example, I work with some clients in the U.S. through online training. Those who already have experience in dog training receive guidance from me and apply it in their daily lives. This works even across national borders.
Thank you very much for the interview!
Alexandra Schemm is a dog trainer and assistance dog trainer based near Cologne. She also offers training for visiting dog teams. In addition to in-person training sessions, online meetings are also available. Learn more about Alexandra Schemm
Find trainers in Germany: German Assistance Dog Association
For Austria, you can find more information about assistance dogs at the Testing and Coordination Center for Assistance Dogs (https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/assistenzhunde/informationen-ueber-assistenzhunde) as well as from organizations such as the Partner-Hunde Österreich association: https://www.partner-hunde.org
