why aren't you supposed to pet seeing eye dogs?

Question

I often see seeing eye dogs with little signs that say "Please do not pet." Why?

Answer 1

The dog is "working" for blind person. If you reach in to pet the dog you disrupt the communication between the peson and the dog and could cause the blind person to stumble and fall if the dog moves towards you or lurches to be petted.

Save yourself and the disabled person a lot of grief and simply ask if it is OK to pet the dog. Most of the time it will be OK, but sometimes it isn't and you need to respect the owner of the dog.

The University I attended also had a Training Center for the Blind on campus and as such we had a large population of blind students with service dogs attending classes and the faculty made sure that the student body understood the basic rules pertaining to service dogs. Here are some tips to remember when you encounter a service dog in public.

Basic Rules (Do's and Dont's) When Encountering a Service Dog in Public:

1. Don't call out to, make noises at, or maintain eye contact with a working dog when you encounter it. He could seriously injure his partner if he's suddenly distracted in mid-task. When in harness, the dog is "on duty" and needs to stay focused on what his human partner needs him to do.

2.Do not reach out to pet or grab a working dog. When that harness is on, the dog is "on duty," even if he is lying quietly at his person's side. If you absolutely cannot resist, ask the person first if you may pet the dog. And do not be disappointed if he/she says no. There may be a very good reason why petting is not appropriate at that time.

3.If a person gives you permission to pet his dog once, don't automatically assume you can pet the dog every time you see it. It is not a pet, and when on duty, the dog must have permission every time to interact with someone.

4.Please keep an eye on your children. Just because a working dog has a friendly disposition does not mean it is ok for a child to just come up and grab him. Teach your child that the dog is working, and if they want to pet him, they have to ask the handler first.

5.Don't give a working dog commands. He could become confused if too many people try to tell him what to do. He needs to focus on - and obey - only his partner.

6.Don't offer a working dog "people food". His own dog food is nutritionally balanced. And, when the dog is working in public places like grocery stores or restaurants, it's most important that he not be distracted by food.

7.Don't be alarmed if you hear the dog being told to 'Hurry Up'. Working dogs have commands for toileting. Remember, too, that the handler cleans up after the dog, and he/she must make sure the dog leaves the droppings in easy pick-up reach.

8.Don't interfere with the dog's handler. He/she has been properly trained to deal with the dog if a mistake has been made.

9.When you encounter a canine team in public, please direct your attention to the person, not the dog. By observing the rules of working dog protocol, it fosters better relations with the disabled community, and you won't be getting an assistance dog in trouble for your mistake of distracting him when he's on duty.

10.If you have any questions or concerns about the dog, please ask the handler. People who use canine assistance are happy to talk about their helpers!


Once important note that needs to be stressed....

Don't assume that a person with a dog in harness is blind. Guide Dogs have been around for over 70 years assisting visually impaired people. But there are Signal Dogs trained to assist people who are hearing-impaired and Service Dogs who help mobility-impaired individuals.


I hope this answeres your question.

Answer 2

When you pet a service dog that usually takes their mind off of what they are supposed to be doing. They are the eyes and ears of a lot of people. Sometimes their harness will say "service dog, do not pet"

When in doubt, and the person is just waiting, you can always ask if it's ok. A lot of people don't mind their dog being petted as long as they are not in motion at the time. Never hurts to ask.

Answer 3

I saw a TV show on this once. They're basically trained to be working all the time. They have designated breaks to play and romp around and be petted, but outside of that time, they are working and shouldn't be distracted. It's sad for people like us, because all I want to do when I see one is to pet it and thank it for the job it's doing!

Answer 4

BECAUSE IT'S DISTRACTING TO THE DOG AND THE HANDLER!!!!

I have a service dog (SD), who wears a "do not pet" patch and people pet him all the time. It takes a lot of time and money to train a dog to assist a person with a disablility. When you pet the dog, you're taking the dog's attention away from the person who is depending on the dog to help them.

Think of it this way: the SD is a peice of adaptive medical equipment, just like a wheelchiar or walker. You wouldn't go up to a person in a wheelchair and start touching their chair so why would you go up t to a SD and start touching them? Also, do you want some stanger coming up to you and touching you while you're working?

Oh, and please, please, PLEASE don't ask why I have a SD!!! It's exremely rude and an invasion of my privacy. Would you like total strangers asking you about your medical issues? Just know that if I have a SD it's because I NEED it.

Just as it's rude to point out someone who is in a wheelchair, who is hearing impared or who is visually impaired, it is equally rude to point out someone who is working with a SD. We are not there for your amusement, nor are we on display. We simply want to go about our business and conduct our day to day activities, just as someone without a disablility does.

I'm sorry if I'm ranting, but this is an issue I'm passionate about. I deal with discrimination and unwanted attention everyday.

Some great websites to check out about SD and SD etiquette are:
www.deltasociety.org
www.caninecompaions.org/etiquette
www.iaadp.org

Answer 5

When a dog is in lead, it is doing a job. If you pet the dog, you are confusing the dog and what its role is. Those dogs when they are off lead can be pet. I had friend who was blind explain to me, that it is a distraction. Not too mention. People who are blind don't often appreciate people coming up just to talk about their dog. Because they want to be treated as normal as possible.

Answer 6

They are trained in a very specific manner and interaction with other people, especially when "on duty" can seriously interfere with that training. I'm a dog lover and I want to pet every friendly dog I ever see but sometimes we simply have to just restrain ourselves and walk on by.

Answer 7

You are not suppose to pet them because it distracts them from doing their job, witch is helping their owner. Sometimes if you ask people before you go to pet them they don't have a problem with it.

Answer 8

A dog should be trained on how to eat, walk with you, not to bark, potty training and sleep on its place etc. You can teach anything to your puppy, dogs get trained easily with some good instructions. If you want some good training tips visit https://tr.im/NonZz

If properly trained, they should also understand whistle and gesture equivalents for all the relevant commands, e.g. short whistle or finger raised sit, long whistle or flat hand lay down, and so on.

It's important that they also get gestures and whistles as voice may not be sufficient over long distances and under certain circumstances.

Answer 9

they are only meant to be the pet of the owner...the dog was trained explicitly for being a seeing eye dog. If you were blind and people pet your seeing eye dog and it took its concentration on its job from playing, wouldnt you be quite pissed off that you spent all that money to train a dog for work instead of play...I know I sure would. They are service dogs not meant to be toys.

Answer 10

seeing eye dogs are not "pets " they have been trained "past that " they need to stay totaly focused on the job at hand,,,,,,
so while you mightthink that they liked to be petted actually they could care less, and in some cases may see that as a sign of agression towaards there handler