[nagdu] getting along with other guide dogs

Mark J. Cadigan kramc11 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 27 16:17:27 UTC 2012


Robert,



I sometimes take my dog down the hill to Boston Common, and let him run 
around on a 50 ft leash. When I do this, I go with a sighted friend. My dog 
is mostly interested in playing catch than anything else.



All the other dogs I have run into are very well behaved, and most of them 
play off leash. I just don't do it often enough to trust my dog off leash 
especially somewhere like the common ware there are bizzy streets only a 
hundred feet away.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Hooper" <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2012 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] getting along with other guide dogs


> Hello Julie:
>
> I'm sure this has been well covered already (I'm just catching up with 
> emails), but I'll give a crack at it nonetheless.
> I am rarely around service dogs, however I believe my actions would be the 
> same. My philosophy when Bailey is in harness is that he is working. 
> Period. He tends to want to be a social dog (with dogs and people), so 
> consequently I disallow any forms of petting or other dog contact. Bailey 
> likes to steal sniffs at other people as well--something I've recently 
> noticed; our dogs can be sleigh, no? The more he tells me he wants to do 
> something social, the more I insist on good behavior. For example, I was 
> at the vet yesterday for a follow-up appointment. Because he was wiggling 
> all over the place to look at and try and get close to other dogs, I made 
> him sit in front of me and did not allow him to so much as sniff the 
> ground. When he relaxed to an appropriate degree, I likewise relaxed a bit 
> and allowed him to have a bit more freedom--he used that freedom to lay 
> down and take a nap.
> As for arranged things, I would be very wary of allowing him to romp 
> around with other dogs--I live in university housing, so he is not used to 
> being around other dogs--it might be different if I lived in a house with 
> pets and could better predict how he would respond to other dogs, but as I 
> don't, I generally play it safe and keep him to himself. As for dog parks, 
> I hate them. Ideally, every dog owner would be an exemplary dog handler, 
> exercising discipline on their animals and keeping them well trained in 
> obedience; this is not the case. Also, not everyone is as scrupulous about 
> their dogs' health as I am about mine.
> The chances for disaster are just too high. I can just imagine some 
> clueless person not recognizing the signs of a brewing dog fight. Do you 
> think that dogs poorly trained (if at all) in obedience will obey their 
> owners whilst off-leash and distracted? I think not. Plus, what would I do 
> even if I had a sighted friend to tell me what is happening?
> "oh dear. Your dog is eating feces!" What could I do about such a thing?
> I don't have money for lawsuits or needless vet bills, so dog parks are 
> out of the question. However, if anybody reading this does take their dog 
> to such a place, could you please help me to understand why?
>
> As a rule of thumb, service animals would probably exhibit more tame 
> behavior, so I wouldn't be as worried, but I would still be hesitant. I 
> would probably let my dog play with one other dog in an enclosed yard or 
> house, so getting him rounded up and calmed down wouldn't present as much 
> difficulty. I know that playing can be great exercise, but I always put 
> safety first--his Kong gives him plenty of exercise, as well as the amount 
> of time I spend working him. I don't think it essential that Bailey play 
> with other dogs--just that he recognizes what they are and doesn't respond 
> inappropriately to them. I don't think he is missing out on anything--dogs 
> don't think in those terms; the only things out on which I am missing are 
> vet bills, stress, and the worry that my dog will pick up bad habits.
> This finally brings me to a question of my own: Do those that have doggy 
> socials worry about their dogs picking up bad habits from other dogs? I 
> think I agree with Julie--I am not totally closed off to dog-to-dog 
> action, so long as the play were easily detained and under controlled 
> situations.
>
> Robert Hooper
> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
> The Ohio State University
> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
> 653 Cuyahoga Court
> Columbus, Ohio 43210
> (740) 856-8195
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of Julie J.
> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 7:05 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: [nagdu] getting along with other guide dogs
>
> I don't encounter other guide dogs very often, maybe 2 or 3 times a year
> depending on how much I travel to attend blindness events.   But it is
> extremely rare that I allow Monty to visit with other guide or service
> dogs.   I have never allowed this when he is working.  I have let him
> visit with one guide out of harness in my home.  I think if I were at a 
> convention with other dogs who wanted to work out a play date type of 
> thing I'd be very open to that, it just hasn't happened.
>
> Anyway I was wondering how others approach this issue.  Do you like for 
> your guide to meet and greet the other working dogs?  Do you do this in 
> harness?  Are there circumstances that help you decide this on a case by
> case basis?   Does it make a difference to you whether or not the dogs
> get along or like each other?
>
> The recent messages have peaked my curiosity.
>
> Julie
>
>
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