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Service Dog Etiquette- Laws vs. SD community

The Service and Therapy Dog forum is for all service and therapy dogs regardless of whether or not their status is legally defined by federal or state law, how they are trained, or whether or not they are "certified." Posts questioning or disputing a person's need for a service or therapy dog, the validity of a person's service or therapy dog, or the dog's ability to do the work of a service or therapy dog are not permitted in this forum. Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times.

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Graciella- Louisa- (Gracie)

OCD- Occupational- Companion Dog		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 4:27pm PST 
Service dogs, per the law, must not be disruptive and must not fundamentally alter the business (or something along those lines), but just becaue a dog is task trained and doesn't bark doesnt make it a service dog, per the SD community. The laws seem to be pretty leanient, but I know the service dog community always tries to keep a high standard.
What exactly does the law say about how well behaved a service dog must be?
And what do you think is generally accepted as a rule within the community?

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were on how well behaved a service dog should/must be in public, and on how a handler should treat the dog (feeding, babying, etc.).
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Voltaire SD

Did somebody say- deer??		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 4:54pm PST 
As far as what I personally feel

I don't like to see any SD handler feeding their dog people food from the table, off the plate or otherwise.

I don't like to see a Full SD team (not SDiT) correct/punish their dog in public

I don't like to see a SD pulling on their leash in excitement or aggression (not doing a task)

In a nutshell those are my top personal concerns, among others.
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Maizie Moo

Yup, I'm a- fashion diva,- DEAL!		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 6:43pm PST 
So long as the dog is well-mannered, under control and doing its job, that's what counts.
smile

Simple, but truly that's it in a nutshell.
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Harley, SD,- CGC, TDI

Super Service- Boy!		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 6:54pm PST 
I hope this doesn't turn into a hornets nest.

The law doesn't have a set of behavioral standards other than the dog has to be potty trained and can't alter the nature of a business. This is why I discourage training a bark as an alert. There are settings, like a movie theater where a bark would fundamentally alter the nature of the business.

As far as how I think service dog teams should/should not behave... I do not think we should do anything that would cause reasonable people to call for stricter regulation of service dogs. If what we do causes a reasonable person to shake their head and say, "that's not right" (or something of that nature), then it's probably not. (That is not regarding actual task work, but behavioral standards).
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Member Since
03/11/2012		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 7:40pm PST 
I can give examples of dogs... said service dogs... that I have run across online or have seen in public that I find not to be proper SD etiquette.

A photo of a said SD in the middle of a bunch of dog toys (looks like it was at walmart).

Shorty feeding his dog under the table.

Dog sitting in the seat of a grocery store basket.

A U tube of a dog eating a cup cake in a mall's food court.

A LARGE lab being pushed in a stroller. (unloading this photo from my camera now)

Edited by author Mon Apr 2, '12 12:32pm PST

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Gladys

1236372		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 8:47pm PST 
Love Maizie in the toys!

New member, let's see the LARGE Lab in a stroller.

Gladys would probably love it. Haha.
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Member Since
03/11/2012		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 8:59pm PST 
I didn't know that was a member of a group. These were photos I saw in another service dog group. I didn't mean to offend you, but I do find the behavior inappropriate for service dog work.
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Voltaire SD

Did somebody say- deer??		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 9:28pm PST 
Gladys...

i just saw a picture of one.

not lying...
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Mordecai-Ret- ired SD

Missing my SD- friends!		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 9:54pm PST 
Sad to say, I've seen one too Voltaire.
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Sita SD

When we seeing- the ponies?!		 
 
Barked: Sun Mar 11, '12 10:05pm PST 
When I first started taking Sita out as a SD, I was extremely nervous. I thought she had to be absolutely perfect. I was sooooooo embarrassed if she did anything that I thought was out of line (I thought her power naps in stores was unacceptable at first, now I feel she should get them in whenever she can). After getting constant comments on how well behaved she was (even when I thought she was being naughty lol), I relaxed my stance on how she or other SDs should act. As long as they are not bugging other people, not calling attention to themselves (invisibility is Sita's super power!), potty trained and paying attention to their job, I think the rest is just a plus.
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