[Nfbf-l] Guide Dogs in the Work Place

Sun Apr 21 15:54:48 UTC 2013

	Hello Alan,
Thank you so much for this wonderful article. It certainly contains timely advice since I am working with my new Seeing Eye Dog here in Morristown as I type. I like the article so much that I am going to forward it to family and friends. 

Have a blessed Sunday.
Kathy Davis and New Seeing Eye Dog Wade 

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 19, 2013, at 6:07 AM, "Alan Dicey" <adicey at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
> 
> 
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