[Nfbf-l] Guide Dogs in the Work Place

[Alan Dicey]

Guide Dogs in the Work Place
by John Justice
When  a newly matched dog and handler return home after training, one of the 
most difficult decisions is how to deal with fellow employees in the work 
place.  For the most part, each person has his or her own set of rules to go 
by but there are some essential points that should be made, especially when 
the dog-and-human team are new to guide-dog work.  This article will attempt 
to cover the most important issues a visually impaired employee might 
encounter when arriving at work with a newly trained dog.
To begin with, the dog and human are still experiencing the bonding process.
That requires that the dog focus his attention strictly on the blind 
handler.  Anything that might distract the dog from this essential part of 
training should be avoided at all costs.  Simple, easy-to-follow rules 
should be established by the dog handler and no exceptions whatsoever should 
be made to those rules.  No co-worker should be permitted to do anything 
which might distract the dog from his primary purpose, working with the 
blind handler.
These dogs are not pets!  That is something which should be emphasized most 
strongly.  If that single factor is kept in the forefront of any decision, 
it should be easier to determine just how to handle any situation.  Time and 
time again, the guide-dog instructors will have mentioned this in one form 
or another.  Nothing should ever be allowed to take precedence over that 
single, immutable fact. The dog is at work for one reason and that is to 
guide the visually impaired handler safely and effectively.
Whenever possible, the dog should not be fed in the work place.  There are 
always exceptions to this rule, of course.  But if the dog has to be given 
food, it should be done in a quiet, restricted area such as the lavatory.
At no time should anyone other than the dog's handler be permitted to feed 
the guide dog.     Providing unrestricted access to a water dish is not 
always a good idea since the dog's intake should be limited and controlled. 
The old adage "What goes in must come out" is something to keep in mind.  In 
most work situations, the animal will be required to wait quietly for a 
considerable length of time.  If the dog's bladder is full, this may become 
difficult and accidents may occur.  Until the dog accepts the work area as a 
part of his world, the same restrictions regarding vacating a bladder might 
not be as strong in the animal's mind.  He or she might never think of going 
in the home but that same training might not apply to a strange environment.
At no time should anyone be permitted to park the dog except in extreme 
emergencies. A dog will naturally attach feeding and parking to his human 
and nothing should detract from that part of the bonding process.
To Pet or Not to Pet
There are as many theories about this situation as there are guide dogs.
But the one thing most trainers and handlers agree on is that petting by 
strangers should be avoided if not severely limited during the bonding 
process.  For some dogs, that bonding will take months.  Even a seasoned 
guide dog might become distracted if too much attention is paid to him by 
someone other than the handler.  There have been cases in which the dog 
expressed an unfortunate preference for someone else in the family to the 
exclusion of the owner. This is certainly understandable given the fact that 
the handler must insist that the dog perform certain functions, while a 
friend or family member will not have to impose that kind of restriction.
The dog, naturally, will prefer the company of someone who means fun or food 
over the person who puts pressure on him to perform.  Not all dogs enjoy 
working.  When it comes right down to it, pulling someone around in a 
harness isn't part of a dog's instinctive behavior.
Establishing and Maintaining Rules for Co-Workers
There are many factors which go into a successful working relationship with 
co-workers.  But one thing is almost unilateral - if a person is working, he 
or she has to follow rules.  That is part of how a successful business 
functions.  If co-workers know what is expected of them, they will be much 
more likely to cooperate.  Establishing and maintaining rules of comportment 
where the guide dog is concerned will take a mixture of logic, understanding 
and determination.  Dogs can be friendly as part of their nature.  This is 
especially true of the various Retriever breeds.  They want to be petted and 
fussed over.  Add to that the fact that having a dog at work is unusual.  If 
the dog appears friendly, people will want to pet him.  Some others will try 
to avoid being close to the dog as a part of their normal response to 
animals.  However, we are now dealing with a highly trained guide dog. 
Having a set of rules printed and distributed with the cooperation of the 
management is an excellent plan of action.  If the management is supporting 
these rules, then the employees will be more inclined to work within their 
limits.  The best thing to do is to sit down for a while and think about 
what kind of working conditions are involved.What kind of working 
environment are you in?  Do you work in a small office or in a larger area 
such as a call center or data-entry pool? Your dog's exposure to people will 
be impacted by that kind of working condition.Can you restrict access to 
your dog in some way?  If the dog is out of sight, that tends to limit the 
interest of passing co-workers.  If the dog is visible and easily 
accessible, people will find a way to pet him.How does your dog react to 
contact with strangers?  Today, most guide dogs are basically friendly but 
there is some difference in how each dog responds to attention from others. 
At first, limiting that attention or eliminating it entirely is always best 
for the dog/human bonding process.
Can you get your dog under control if he begins to respond to the attention 
of strangers?  If you lose control, you lose your guide dog's usefulness for 
as long as it takes to reestablish the fact that you are the one he should 
be putting first.  With a new dog, that is a clear and present danger. 
Whatever it takes, you must retain contact with your guide dog.
Parking Your Dog
Where you take your dog to relieve himself will be dictated by the kind of 
environment you work in.  But there are some basic ideas to keep in mind. 
Until the dog becomes comfortable with his surroundings, he may not be 
willing to go at all.Whenever possible, a quiet area with minimal traffic is 
best.  If the dog has few distractions, the parking process is more likely 
to succeed.  The same area should be used each time since the dog will 
recognize his own scent and be comforted by that.  Remaining calm yourself 
is a surprisingly strong influence on your dog's own demeanor.  If his human 
companion shows tension or demonstrates uneasiness, the dog will most 
certainly pick up on that and respond to it.Today's guide-dog handler is 
always taught to pick up after the animal. Many cities and towns have 
regulations which insist that an owner not leave any evidence that his or 
her dog has been visiting.  But what to do with the bag after everything has 
been successfully completed is always a question of planning and knowing 
your surroundings.  Some employers have gone to the extreme of providing 
special containers for the disposal of the dog's solid waste.  In most 
cases, there are usually outside trash cans which will solve the problem. 
But this is one activity which should be kept absolutely private.  The 
presence of anyone else might distract the dog enough to prevent nature from 
taking its course.  No matter what the provocation, never ever bring the 
baggies back into the building.
Grooming and Dog Fur
One of the most difficult problems a dog owner may encounter is in dealing 
with his or her guide dog's fur.  No matter how hard we try, dogs do shed, 
some more than others.  If the work area is carpeted, an amazing amount of 
fur can collect when the dog stays in one particular place.  During certain 
seasonal changes, the dogs will "blow their coats" at an alarming rate.  Our 
only weapon against this invader is continuous and careful grooming.  The 
more hair we remove, the less likely it is that it will end up on our 
clothing, the carpets, upholstery in vehicles or on other people's garments. 
If one of your co-workers doesn't particularly like animals and then finds 
dog hair on his or her clothes, the result may be some kind of confrontation 
or even a complaint to the management.  Brushing the dog every day before 
work is something that is recommended (though isn't often practiced).  But 
in the final analysis, that is our only defense.
Removing hair from our own clothes can be accomplished with relative ease by 
a device called a "Lint Roller" which is designed with sheets of sticky film 
which, when rolled over pants, skirts, blouses and coats, does remove an 
incredible amount of loose hair.  There are other devices like lint brushes 
which have short, stiff bristles that can also be used for the same purpose. 
How we appear to our sighted co-workers is important to them, if not to us. 
People with sight rely on it for a large part of the input they use from day 
to day.
Finally, a word or two to the cleaning staff might help with the fur which 
collects in the area where the guide dog rests during each work day.
Warning!  Please Read!
The one piece of advice that can be offered to any new guide-dog user 
without reservation is this:  Maintaining a low profile with your dog is 
always best.  Attention of any kind, even the most well intended, can be 
damaging to a new relationship between dog and master.  Encouraging your 
co-workers to keep their distance and to give you and your new dog a chance 
to learn and grow is the best course of action.  A new dog/human 
relationship can be compared to the sprouting of a new plant.  Too much 
handling, especially by someone who doesn't know and understand the way to 
do it, can only cause harm.  There have been extreme cases in which a dog 
had to be returned because the human handler had lost all control of the 
situation.  It just isn't worth taking that kind of chance.  Your new dog is 
a rare and precious thing.  Don't allow well-meaning heavy-handed strangers 
to deprive you of one of life's most marvelous experiences.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information.
John and Linda Justice
with Guide Dogs Jake and Zachary