[nagdu] Expectations of service dogs WAS How to Take Your Pet Everywhere

[Daryl Marie]

Viviana,
Your question, and Dan's response to it, made me think.

I understand basic doggie etiquette - don't go sniffing, lay down nicely under the table, don't bark, growl, whine, etc... - but Dan's comment about expectation caused me to think of the gray areas, or moments of misjudgment.

For example: Yesterday jenny did nearly flawless guide work... except when we had to walk up a flight of stairs where someone had spilled something.  She tried to sniff/eat it, I told her to keep her nose up, and off we went.

By Vivianna's description (correct me if I'm wrong here), Jenny is not behaving.  Is redirecting moments of misjudgment considered being too hard on one's dog?  Is any moment of misjudgment a misbehavior?

I do not think of my dog as a robot, but a living, breathing creature that has quirks, triggers, and desires, just like I do.  That does not mean I tolerate outright disobedience, but I do try and understand why she is doing XYZ.

I am honestly curious.

Daryl
----- Original Message -----
From: Vivianna via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 00:48:43 -0600 (MDT)
Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to Take Your Pet Everywhere

Hi all.
so, i have a question for you all.
what if i am somewhere and am with another blind person with a dog but, they are allowing their dog to misbehave?
here is an example; A couple months ago i met a friend for dinner, she brought a friend of hers.  we all 3 had guide dogs.
both of ours are well behaved in public, however, the friend’s dog was not.  the dog was standing the entire time, wandering around, out in the aisle between the tables, seeking attention, sniffing and eating things off the floor etc.
i said to the man; “your dog is up.”
his answer; “oh, that’s ok.  he’s fine.”
me; “do you ever make him lay down?”
him; “no, he’s fine.”
now, techniqually, they could ask him to leave, even though that dog had a harness on.  
i have seen this sort of thing very often.  dogs up, wandering around at the end of the leash, putting their heads in my lap, licking me, etc, and, the handlers do nothing.  IMO, this happens way to often and makes things more difficult for those of us who actually use our dogs to guide us around and whose dogs are well behaved.
i almost wish that these folks would be tossed out of a few places.  maybe that would help them learn that they must control their dogs.
i am certain that, at the schools that they went to, they were not allowed to let the dogs behave that way.
any suggestions?

Vivianna


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