[nagdu] petting and interaction.

[Lyn Gwizdak]

Hi Dan,
Petting a guide dog isn't the big problem you are imagining.  People do it 
and we need to treat it like any other distraction your dog will encounter 
in work and being out in public.  The schools have lectures on many topics 
relating to your using your dog, its care, your rights, etc.

You fully describe your lifestyle and type of location - city, small town, 
work or school, leisure activities, etc.  This way the school can make the 
best match for you.  When you are training with the dog, you learn the dog 
and the dog learns you and this process contines for a good six months to a 
year.

As you and your dog work and play together you will learn what you can do 
with your dog as far as its interactions with others.  Out of harness 
behavior is different than in harness behavior.  Look at it like this:  the 
harness is the dog's work uniform.  While wearing a uniform from your job or 
in the military, a certain code of behavior is expected - you are 
representing that place of employment or the military.  In harness, your dog 
is "in uniform" and representing your guide dog school, a service dog.  When 
out of harness, the dog is like a well trained and behaved pet.  It can 
interact with your family, the people you live with, and your friends. 
Bottom line is that the dog works well for you.  If out of harness behavior 
interferes with in harness behavior and work, then the behavior has to stop. 
An example:  You let your dog beg for people food and sleep on your 
furnature at home.  These behaviors may or may not interfere with the dog's 
public behavior.  It could also beg for food in a restaurant or climb up on 
furnature in a hotel or at the home of a friend who doesn't like dogs on the 
couch or beds.

Personally, I do not feed my dog people food or food from the table or my 
plate.  Therefore, Landon will lie quietly next to me or under the table in 
a restaurant.  He will walk past other diners without bothering them or 
trying to snatch food from a stranger's plate.  To me, a dog's place is on 
the floor or the beds I give them - never my furnature or bed.

If your dog goes apes for a friend and drags you across a street to greet 
them means that you have to stop interaction between your dog and that 
person for awhile until your dog understands that the act of guiding you 
isn't playtime with friends - dog or human.  You will know your dog and what 
freedoms it can handle and sometimes, that can be found out by trial and 
error.

When you are at the school and beyond, treat and work the dog as you are 
taught.  The dog will try to find ouot if the rules are the same at the new 
home as they were at the school.  They need to know that the rules are 
constant and the dog can then relax and feel comfortable in knowing what is 
expected of it.  When at school always, ALWAYS ask questions you have or 
concerns you have to resolve them before going home.  The schools are still 
always a phone call or email away if a concern comes up after you get home.

A guide dog lifestyle is different than a cane lifestyle in that you now 
have the responsibility of another living being that relies on you as you 
will come to rely on him.  You and your dog are a team and you care for one 
another.  There will be times when you deem an activity as unsuitable for 
having a dog with you - thus keeping up your cane skills.  I bring Landon 
the majority of the time I go out.  But I'd rather leave him home when I go 
to our local theatre because Landon's so big and the seating is so tight.  I 
use my cane to get there and Landon has a nice evening to snooze.  I don't 
bring him to bars on the rare occassions that I go.  Bars tend to be very 
dark and very noisy with people shouting over the loud music.  Landon would 
be stepped on because of the crowded conditions and a lack of a safe spot to 
put him.  I can get there with my cane and fold it up or if I dance.

HTH and explore everything about guide dogs to make the best determination 
for yourself and your needs.  Make sure to hang out with guide dog users if 
they are in your area.

Lyn and Landon

"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "daniel" <gutz2020 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 09, 2013 6:17 PM
Subject: [nagdu] petting and interaction.


> hey guys, a recent conversation on petting brought this question to my 
> mind.
> As a person who is about to get a guide dog I'm worried about not being 
> able to ever leave my dog alone. I've read posts about how you have to 
> limit the interaction with other people for the first month or so, so the 
> dog will get attached to you and learn to follow your commands. But what 
> about after that? Can I ever leave him/her alone? Like for example If I'm 
> in informal settings with my friends and I want to step out for a second 
> to do something, do I need to worry about telling people not to pet 
> him/her at all (even if there out of harnis)?
> I think what I'm really really trying to say is, (and I don't know how to 
> articulate this any more elegantly) can my guide be a real dog? like, do I 
> have to worry about her playing with other people too much?
> Thanks for (hopefully) clearing this up a bit!
>
> Dan
>
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