[nagdu] Should Service dogs in training be allowed in the classroom?

[Valerie Gibson]

Hello,

speaking as another person on here who trains their dogs, my experience has taught me that it really depends on the dog.  Zion didn't go to class with me until he was about ten months old.  I didn't plan it that way, it was just around the time when I felt he could handle what I would ask of him.  Those who train their dogs probably know that you just develop a sense as to your dog's state of mind, and you just know what your dog will and will not be able to tolerate.  

I'm sure there are som e people who want to jump steps ahead and flood their dog with what they know, if they stopped and thought about it, what their dog could not handle.  If I thought for a second that Zion would get too excited and have an accident, i would not have taken him.  


For the first couple of weeks in class, he was a little resteless. He'd chew at his leash or wine softly when the professor would look to our side of the room, but my professors were very tolerant of him, often saying that he did not disturb them at all.  . Some professors would unknowingly help me, because when he would wine softly when they looked over to our side of the room, they would steer clear of him. They'd not walk in his direction or look at him at all.  

With that being said, had they told me after class to not bring him, I would, of course, comply because the first two weeks were a trying time.

After the initial period, he got much better at staying still in class rooms.  

Sometimes, after class, I'd give my dog and professors a treat by letting them pet him if they wished, and as long as he was sitting or lying down.  

This isn't to say you won't have a minor hiccup every now and then.  Zion once spit up in class, which was totally my fault for not having given him enough food before class, and again, i was blessed to have a professor who was more concerned for the dog.  But I think a true accident doesn't constitute misbehavior.  He could have easily had that problem as an adult, and it had nothing to do with his training.

So now that I've shared my stories, here's my take.

I think as long as your dog in training is not a disturbance to the classroom, I don't see a problem.  I know the laws trump my opinion, so obviously go with the law first, but that's just my thoughts on it.  Again, if Zion was causing a disturbance, I could see why I would have to remove him, but if he's not causing trouble, I see no reason not to use school as yet another training lesson.  My school's policy is pretty much what i just said, but in more elegantly put terms



> On Jul 14, 2015, at 10:03 PM, Debby Phillips via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Dogs in training have no rights under the ADA.  They may be banned, it depends on the places where people want to take their pups in training.  I have mixed feelings about this.  On the one hand, how do puppies learn good behavior? But sometimes pups, when they get excited, have accidents.  Or other things.  So I guess I'm okay with the law.    Debby and Nova
> 
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