About Service Dogs

Sometimes when I am responding to a potential client in email, I find that I have written words which are worth sharing. Rather than just allowing these thoughts to drop to the bottom of the SENT folder, I’ve chosen to share them here.

This family is considering acquiring a trained Service Dog (Rock) from us for their ten year old daughter who struggles with the effects of Autism and a couple of other conditions. They have never had a dog before, which makes it a bit more of a challenge when integrating a new “family member” into their society.

The first question, which I have edited for privacy and clarity, asked:

“Since it may be some time before our daughter, Susan, can fully handle her Service Dog when attending school, during weekday the dog would mostly be “on deck“ 3-4 hours a day. Is this type of schedule OK for a dog of his training and intelligence? Won’t he get bored, or, on the flipside, when she is able to handle him everywhere she goes, will it be difficult for him to build back stamina for that?”

It’s a reasonable question, and this was my reply:

Regarding your first question which focuses on your schedule versus time available for interactions with a dog:

A Service Dog is just a dog.  He doesn’t know that he has a fancy title.  He doesn’t punch a time clock to move in and out of a job or specific tasks.  He has no concept of being “on deck” waiting for his turn to bat.  When he’s awake, he’s always “on duty” as a member of his pack.  He can quickly switch from chewing on a bone next to the fireplace to retrieving a fallen item or attending to his handler if she begins to have a shift-from-normal event.   He has no concept of differentiating a “service dog task” from just doing what he has learned and been reinforced to do or that which is a very instinctive, natural behavior of being part of a society.

Here’s my human analogy of this concept: 

Say you have three kids.  They are outside playing in the yard.  You are listening to their chatter, their laughter, and then that escalation that makes you stop what you are doing, walk to the backdoor, open it and say, “Put down the sticks.  You may not use them as swords,” or “Stop chasing your little sister around the swing set.”  Because you have taught them to respect and listen to you, the kids oblige.  You close the door and go back about your business in the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, you go to the door and announce, “Dinner is almost ready.  Come inside, wash your hands, and then please come and set the table.”   They follow your directions because you taught them to respect and listen to you.   In that moment, they went from “off duty” to “on duty.”

After the table is set you tell the kids, “It’ll be about ten minutes before we eat.  You can play a video game, but no throwing the ball in the house.” That last part was added because one of the kids is tossing a ball in his hands and you want to proactively remind them of your standards for inside behavior. That is something we do with dogs, too.

When you call them in for dinner, the kids sit politely in their chairs and they follow the manners that you have taught them since they were little; things like passing the food to others when asked and no spitting peas across the table at their sibling.  When the middle kid elbows his little sister, you address it.  It’s not the same way you would respond if your older child used a curse word.  Corrections are delivered “equal and opposite of the infraction.”  

Having a dog in the house is like having a kid in the house.  You need to establish standards for his behavior.  You need to pay attention.  You sometimes need to proactively give a reminder of your standards. You may need to dole out a consequence that is clear and fair for the offense.

The dog is always a dog.  If he walks into the kitchen when you are carrying a large pot of boiling water to the sink, you want him to listen and obey to leave the room, instantly and without the need for physical intervention.  For that reason, you practice that behavior in advance of such a possibility.  If he walks into a calm kitchen, he can come lay at your feet where you are sitting at the breakfast nook reading a book, which is just like you might engage with your kids.  They are “off duty” while playing in the yard, but they must immediately listen and respond when you make a request.  After “working” (setting the table), they are granted “off duty” status, but they can’t throw balls like when they are outside “off duty” because they are inside.  Essentially, “off duty” has set limits of exuberance depending upon the location.   You teach a kid that.  You also teach a dog that there are geographical standards for behavior. He can chase a ball in the backyard, but there will be no playing fetch in the living room where a bad throw can knock a vase off the shelf.

There’s no punching in and punching out of a clock for a kid, a spouse or a dog.  The family rules apply every day, even if they don’t actually go into practice on any given day. There are expectations for behavior that must be established proactively and thoughtfully taught at the specific student’s level of understanding. Then, they must be consistently reinforced if you want the behavior to remain at a high level of performance.

In his current life, Rock is a dog in our house.  Some rules apply all the time, behaviors like ‘don’t jump up’, ‘don’t charge through doors’, ‘don’t run past the old dog and knock him over’, or ‘get out of my way if I enter your space.’    I try to practice with him on tasks (which for a dog are really just fun tricks) several times a week, for maybe 15 minutes, just to keep him up on those behavior.  Nearly every day, I also practice high standard obedience like “down” or “sit” including when there are distractions. However, if I fail to do so, I don’t fret or worry the dog will forget. When the training is sounds, dogs have a wonderful memory regarding social standards as well as “trick trained” type behaviors.

Rock has no concept of being “on deck” to work for a person.   The expectation is that he is always ready to listen to and be obedient to a request from a person.  That said, I don’t think a well-trained dog is ever anxiously waiting around for a person to tell him what to do.  The training method shouldn’t create a situation of fear or anxiety about performance.  

I don’t think that Rock thinks “I’m a working dog” or “I’m a service dog in training.”  He’s just a dog that is being a dog that has been property managed, socialized and trained.   He’s not likely to distinguish the times when he’s “working for” Susan, versus when he’s just Susan’s devoted companion.  For a properly trained dog, it’s the same thing.

To create that relationship, it does take practice.  Susan will need to interact with her dog on a daily basis, if even to simply make him sit before he’s allowed outside, or lie down and stay (not get up until told) at her side during dinner.  She can practice with her dog when her Aunt or Grandma comes to visit by having him remain sitting calmly when the enter the door, and even if they raise their voice with excitement or when they hug her.  Rock should remain sitting, and Susan should make certain that he does. 

Susan can practice with her dog every day when she brushes her teeth by making him remain just outside of the bathroom door in a sit position rather than permitting him to do as he pleases.  She can reinforce rules like “wait in the crate until you are invited out.”  And, she can practice proper heeling on a loose lead even if it limited to walking down and back up the driveway, or around the backyard.  

Of course, it would be great to schedule actual trips to town where Susan can handle her dog in a variety of situations.  You can start out in safe places where she won’t feel intimidated by others who may look at or make comments to her.  Find places where she can make mistakes and have the freedom to recover without feeling overwhelmed.  A park during low visitor times is one good place to start.  Dog-friendly stores, where folks bring their often unruly pets is also a good place to practice, because Susan and Rock will clearly be the best behaved person and dog in the shop!

You may be able to schedule time at the school, maybe on days when the teachers are there but the kids are not in attendance, when Susan can practice walking her dog down the hallway and request him to lie down next to her desk.  You may be able to do the same thing at the library or even at a local coffee shop.  These don’t need to be lengthy training sessions.  I always advise that you start out in baby steps to develop confidence and self-reliance.

If you teach kids to sit at the table when eating meals at home, then going to a restaurant is a pleasant experience.   If a dog is expected to be well-mannered at home, going in public, even if it’s a rare situation, is not as stressful for the handler or the dog.   Therefore, I recommend simply considering that your home is a safe place to practice exactly how you want the dog to behave in public. 

A properly socialized dog doesn’t typically present issues going into unfamiliar places. If he has trust in his relationship with his handler, the dog will be more focused on his her expectations than the common distractions you might encounter in a strange place. 

Dogs are followers.  If you lead, they will follow.

For more information on establishing a great relationship with your dog, visit the Category:

Common Sense Dog Advice