Sometimes we also like to get away from it all – especially when we can learn, be inspired and have new experiences with our dogs. Last week, as a member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), we traveled to Austria for the 2026 Trainers Workshop, where we met with interested assistance dog professionals from many parts of the world. Over the three days, we learned a lot, gathered many new ideas, and were reinforced that the commitment to assistance dogs is truly a common language, no matter where the participants come from.

The program was varied: We visited the local assistance dog school, where we had a possibility to see how our Austrian colleagues work, and we also took part in a number of exciting lectures and practical sessions. Among other things, we heard about the conscious use of the flexi leash, the possibilities of clicker training, making veterinary visits less stressful, and allergic and dermatological problems in dogs. And the best thing was that we could not only listen to what we learned, but also try it out with our dogs.

We got inspiration from all over the world

For Mónika Papp, the strategic manager of our foundation, the visit to the institution and the international professional community were particularly inspiring:

“The visit to the institution provided great inspiration. It was good to see that professionals from various parts of the world—despite coming from different backgrounds and regulatory environments—share similar perspectives on many issues. I was particularly pleased to witness the exceptional professional competence of our colleagues. Naturally, we learned new things, but these insights build upon a solid existing foundation. It was wonderful to see us working together as a team and to observe how the field of assistance dogs transcends language—there are no real language barriers.”

According to Mónika Köbli, the workshop was not only professional, but also personal experience:

“We learned a lot of things that I can incorporate into my training work later, and these three days were also a great opportunity for team building.”

We came home with new ideas

Professional leader of the Baráthegyi Guide Dog School, Piroska Komondi summarized the most important experiences of the conference as follows:

“We were able to participate in a great professional program in a beautiful environment. It was a pleasure to meet colleagues working in the field, and we saw many new equipment and ideas with which we can expand our toolbox.”

For Emese Királyné Barkóczi, the most exciting part were the practical tasks:

“In addition to the professional presentations, our knowledge was expanded with a lot of useful information, and we were able to try ourselves in practice together with our dogs. For me, this interactive opportunity was particularly exciting because we were able to try out new approaches that we can continue to consider in our work in the future. I am proud that our dogs present performed wonderfully during these days.”

After the professional programs, we also had the opportunity to explore Salzburg, so we not only gained new knowledge, but also many shared experiences. It was inspiring to see that although the participants came from different countries, we were united by the same goal: to train assistance dogs that can enable their owners to live even more fulfilling lives.

We arrived home with many experiences, new ideas, and recharged – and we can’t wait to put what we learned to use in our everyday work.