[nagdu] Service dogs who were pets

[Tracy Carcione]

I've been thinking about what Ann said about expectations.  I bet many 
people who have trained a pet to be a service dog still think of it first as 
a pet, if only subconsciously.  There's Fluffy, begging at the table, saying 
Hi to everyone he meets, and then Joe Q discovers Fluffy can do this great 
extra thing, like detect low blood sugar or anxiety, and alert him to it, so 
Joe Q trains Fluffy to enhance that ability, but doesn't do any other 
training, or change how he thinks about Fluffy, except to appreciate his new 
skill.  On the other hand, most of us, from the first, think of our dogs as 
service dogs first, and pets second.  From the beginning, everything we do 
is with service in mind, and thus we expect a different standard of 
behavior.  Everything that's done has to be evaluated as to how it will 
affect the dog's work. For instance, I'm sure Jetta is not being allowed to 
beg at the table, because that is not acceptable guide dog behavior.
So, as Ann said, people who've trained pets as service dogs have to be made 
more aware of acceptable service dog behavior, which, IMO, requires a change 
of mindset.  I'm not sure how that could be done, though.  I wonder if an 
organization like IAADP could be helpful, having as members many kinds of 
assistance dog partners.
Tracy