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

[Tami Jarvis]

Debby,

Since the ADA is about access for people with disabilities with their 
mobility tools, it makes sense that pups in training aren't included. 
More and more states are including dogs in training with their trainers 
in their service dog laws. I just did some review and discovered Oregon 
has added that. D'oh! I don't think knowing that would have changed how 
I've managed with Loki, which is why I didn't do a review earlier. The 
idea of taking the pup everywhere to get it used to being good indoors 
is nice... The reality is just plain scary. /lol/ Maybe if I could see 
what the pup was up to while taking him through the grocery store? Well, 
and that's when it would really help to see what's around and what the 
puppy will be responding to. If I could see the excited little kid 
coming before my puppy comes unglued wanting to play, then I could take 
effective action to keep him on the straight and narrow. Knowing about 
the yummy fresh pie at nose level right there in the aisle where I think 
there shouldn't be any such thing would also help. As it is, I need to 
rely on a measure of maturity in my pup, so I'm not rushing to take him 
to the store.

Now that he's getting ready for indoor public access training, I'm glad 
to know I can just go where I need to go with him to refine the prep 
work I've been doing. I also think it's up to me as his trainer to be 
responsible and cognizant of the fact that he is still a puppy. No, 
worse! He's an adolescent. He can be mature and as solid as an old pro, 
then he can be a nut. So when I start taking him in, especially to 
high-stimulus environments, I'll need to evaluate him before taking the 
trip, evaluate again before walking in the door and maybe do some 
settling, and then I'll need an exit strategy anyway, with firm rules in 
mind for myself for when it's time to go and try again later. It's not 
all that different from taking a full grown, fully trained guide in, 
except that you don't plan for the dog's brains to fall out without 
notice by then. /lol/ While I'm wearing my trainer hat, then I need to 
remember that whatever else I am doing in the store, I am primarily 
training my young dog.

What I did with Mitzi, since I didn't have legal access with her then 
until she was task trained, was just make arrangements with local corner 
markets and so forth, which I heard is how GDB managed it for their 
puppy raisers, at least in the metro area. Once I expanded our horizons 
and Mitzi was working enough I could just walk in all legal-like, I got 
tired of hearing about green vests -- which is what the GDB pups and 
dogs in training wear to identify them. This was before the big 
education push about the 2 question rule that made my life so much easier.

It is an interesting problem, getting the pup the exposure it needs 
without drama and all while it's learning how to behave in the places it 
will be working. By the time Loki was reliably enough house broken for 
me to consider some indoor exposure, he had discovered his big bark and 
liked it. He still liked to just stop and study things that were new to 
him, but he had to add the commentary, so... We've got that mostly under 
control now and need to do some more dog distraction work while we wait 
for a bit more maturity to happen. Then I guess it's Wal-Mart or bust. /lol/

Most of the owner-trainers or program puppy raisers I know take a 
similar approach to getting their youngsters the exposure they need in a 
responsible way. I've heard of folks that will just let their pups keep 
yapping or snapping or jumping or whatever but haven't encountered that 
myself. Dealing with a young dog in a high-stimulus environment is a 
learning experience, and mistakes happen. At that point, it's up to the 
trainer to deal responsibly with the mistake and know when it's time to 
call it quits and cancel the shopping trip or come back without a pup 
that's not ready.

The same rules apply for when a dog in training can be removed from a 
business legally as for a fully trained mature dog. The same problems 
with businesses not knowing or being reluctant to ask that the dog be 
removed also apply. So I guess it's still up to the trainer to choose to 
be responsible, as it is with handlers of fully trained dogs. Puppy 
raisers for programs have the program's reputation to motivate them and 
whatever training the program gives them to help them know how to make 
good decisions. Owner-trainers are trying to make their lives easier and 
more hassle-free, so that's a good motivator for me and most of the 
owner-trainers I know.

hth,

Tami

On 07/14/2015 09:03 PM, Debby Phillips via nagdu 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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