[nagdu] petting guide dog question

[The Pawpower Pack]

I'm a little different than most because I'm Deafblind, I cannot police the general public's interactions with my dog to the degree that a hearing person can.  Therefore, it is my responsibility to train my dog to the level that she polices herself.  If my dog likes other people's attention more than she likes work, then she is not a suitable dog to be my partner.  I'm alsoculturally Deafblind... We are, by necessary, a very tactile group.  My dog is going to be touched and probably petted by deafblind children, coworkers, etc. It's natural, if someone is using touch to navigate, say, around my chair, and they bump my dog to touch her. If she lost her head every time someone touched her or patted her as they passed, we'd have a big problem.  
The same goes with people calling her name.  I use her name as part of the way I communicate with her, her name first, then a cue word like forward, or whtever. People are going to hear that, and people will call out to her, so I specifically built these situations into the training. And she will ignore it.  
If I'm sitting somewhere, and a child or someone we know asks to say hi to her, I will usually allow it. She has a cue that means say hi, and a cue that means ok you are done, back to work.  
These things are as important to me for my dog to learn as the act us guiding. 
I think people have to decide what works for them. With first dogs, it's ok to try different approaches until you find what works for you, and what works for you may not work for the next guy.  

 Rox and the kitchen Bitches: 
Mill'E, Laveau, Soleil
Pawpower4me at gmail.com
Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 28, 2014, at 11:29 AM, Craig Heaps via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I think you have to work backward from the ultimate goal: your safety.
> 
> The reason we ask people not to pet our dogs is because it can distract them.  If it distracts them, they might not guide us safely.  So, someone might say, if you're just sitting there, what difference does it make if your dog is distracted?  Because it tells the dog it's okay to be petted while in harness, and the dog might not differentieate between "just sitting there" and crossing the street.
> 
> So you discourage petting so your dog gets the message that when he/she is in harness, it's time to focus.  No seeking affectioin.  No scavenging for food.  No sniffing the bushes.
> 
> I tell people, "Please don't pet my guide dog.  It can make him distracted. And when he's distracted, I tend to walk into fire hydrants and parking meters.  I've found that to be very painful."  They usually laugh and say they understand.
> 
> That said, I sometimes let people (especially children) pet Chase.  It's the real world and you have to use your judgment.  Just remember, it's about your safety.
> 
> Craig and Chase, who loves to be petted
> craig.heaps at comcast.net
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Sanders via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> To: <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 28, 2014 7:40 AM
> Subject: [nagdu] petting guide dog question
> 
> 
>> Hi,
>> I have a question: I know that this topic has already been talked about so I do apologize for reposting it.
>> I had talked with my parents and they said that they were ok with me getting a guide dog.
>> My mom had asked me, if me and the guide dog were just sitting there and the guide dog wasn’t working, what would I say to some one who wanted to pet him?
>> I remember a lot of people saying that while the guide dog is working, people are not supposed to pet him.
>> I’m just wondering:  when your not working with the guide dog, do you allow other people to pet them?
>> I hope to hear from you soon.
>> Sincerely,
>> John Sanders
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> 
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