[nagdu] petting guide dog question

[Raven Tolliver]

The textbook answer is this: if the harness is on, your dog is
working. Even if you're sitting down having lunch or at church, the
dog is on the job. They need to be ready to work at a moment's notice,
and also, their job is to lie there quietly and keep to themselves
until you give a command. Whether you allow people to pet him or not
is up to you. There is definitely a polite way to tell people not to,
even though some will get offended, and that is their own choice to
feel that way; not your problem.
For the first six months or so that I had the Golden Guy, no one could
pet him in harness, no one! I was very snappish toward people who
tried to pet my dog or even spoke to him. When it came to other people
approaching or addressing the Golden Guy, I was very abrasive,
straightforward, stubborn, and possessive. Of course, as time passed,
I found other ways to get the message across without being so harsh.
When it comes to petting, it happens far more now that I work a desk
job. At the animal shelter, everyone knew not to bother him, and if
they did once, I made sure it didn't happen again. At my current job,
lots of people walk by my desk or sit near me and want to pet him. If
I'm not busy or if I'm on break, I usually allow it. Of course, he's
usually out of harness when I'm at work. The Golden Guy is obviously
pleased to receive attention from others, but he does not seek it. I
indicate to him when it is appropriate to interact with others. And he
usually indicates when he's done being petted, returning to my side,
or turning to me and putting his head in my lap.
For the general public, the answer is no 9 times out of 10, especially
if it's a situation where I will not be walking away from it after the
interaction.
As others have said, it depends on the dog. If your dog is easily
distracted and has a hard time refousing, then petting in-harness
isn't a good idea. You're just setting you and your dog up for hard
times.
Just tell people, "petting is a distraction," and if they don't get
it, that says more about them than it does about you.

On 11/28/14, Danielle Burton via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi John, I don't allow people to pet my dog in harness. I have on 2 or 3
> occasions ybe at most under certain circumstances such as a small child. I
> do allow petting out of harness if she is calm. She can interact with family
> and friends out of harness as long as she isn't going crazy. If she is going
> crazy I will tell them to wait until she has calmed down before petting.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Nov 28, 2014, at 10:40 AM, John Sanders via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> 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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-- 
Raven
Stop being a victim, and choose to be a victor.

Naturally-reared guide dogs
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs