Assistance dogs

Clodagh

Clodagh

Playing chess with pigeons
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A lab came in to day with it's wheelchair bound owner. Most working dogs look happy and alert, we get a few guide dogs and the Newfie I have mentioned before, and they all seem happy and relaxed.
The dog today looked totally shut down. I know you don't acknowledge them but you can tell, although they are concentrating, they are quite happy about life. This one just stood by the wheelchair with his head and tail down not reacting in any way. The owner was stroking him all the time but he was not even glancing in her (or any other) direction. Is that normal?
 
I honestly think some of them never have any fun, it just becomes repetition, no challenges and little play, some don't play with other dogs for the fear of the distraction that would bring if they enjoyed it more than there human.
It's very sad to see them like that, I have seen obedience dogs and other working dogs lie it too though but not as many.
It's no different to horses we have to do our best to present work in a way that they enjoy and some of them are not cut out for certain jobs or owners.
 
Assistance dogs including guide dogs are generally selected because they are very low drive and their training is very definte, absolutely black and white, there is not much room for freedom of expression.

Things like the slippy floors, bright lights and the unnatural noises and smells of a care setting, when their handler has a medical or mental episode, and the other factors like going in and out of different places that assistance dogs have to deal with, can be incredibly stressful for some dogs.

It's not nice to contemplate sometimes, but it's one of the realities of using animals for service or sports and why I wish more breeders would place more emphasis on 'resilience' and ability to cope with stess and come out the other side, rather than 'cute and cuddly'. Another rant for another day lol
 
That's the thing though, as far as I am aware it's still a relatively unregulated industry, some trainers are better than others and there have been cases of people charging eye watering amounts of money for dogs who have only received very basic training or worse.

More of a general point, not related to the OP, as was my previous one, really :p
 
It was down the cold aisles of Tesco, and was there for some time, so I don't think heat was an issue. I was in long sleeved jacket and gloves.
I have never seen one like this, we see a lot and although none are waggy and bouncy (of course) they all look 'alive'.
I did wonder about the quality of the training, I couldn't see on his harness who he was with (charity wise). It was very sad. He was fit and well and obviously much loved but so sad!

A friend of mine has just been given a guide dog (she is blind). As she has had dogs before she got this one that had failed in his last home. She is having terrible trouble and cannot use him to work, he has panic attacks. Poor dog.

I look at my working dogs, who are not perfect but would give their heart and soul for me, and compare them to shut down dogs you see on training days (not all) and tell them they don't know how lucky they are.
 
What sort of "Assistance Dog" was it you saw OP?? Did it have a tabard on to indicate that it was a working dog??

I saw a dog in my local Sainsburys the other day; it had what was obviously a made-up tag on its collar to say the owner needed it for "psychological support" but it didn't say what organisation it was representing.

I have a deaf friend, who has a Hearing Dog; and so I know that all assistance dogs have to be registered - and insured, if they are to be used in a public place. If the dog is properly registered, then there is basically legal clout which the handler can use if for e.g. the dog is refused entry somewhere or someone questions whether a dog can be admitted to the premises, such as a restaurant. If entry is refused then the organisation can be fined under the Disability Discrimination Act.

Wonder if the dog OP saw was a properly registered "Assistance Dog" or not.
 
Do these dogs ever get a chance to express themselves? Do the five freedoms ever get considered? I mean, at least horses get to pelt round the fields daily, although I worry about the Cavalry horses living up a height in Central London. When do they get turned out?
 
Ok...slippy floor, bright lights, buzzy fridges/freezers, the bing-bong announcers, some dogs would freak out at that. Or maybe owner was having a bad day and dog was picking up vibes. Who knows.

I did work with a guy who had a guide dog and it just used to sleep under the table at his work or if he went out to lunch. It was staggeringly quiet and calm. A neighbour had one who was a total disaster, but the dog was such a character that they kept him when the replacement arrived. Super dog but far too bouncy for the work and he went for walks with the wife instead.
 
Cinnamontoast said:
Do these dogs ever get a chance to express themselves? Do the five freedoms ever get considered? I mean, at least horses get to pelt round the fields daily, although I worry about the Cavalry horses living up a height in Central London. When do they get turned out?
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They do get breaks and go to farms etc for rest a few times a year. No worse than top competition/race horses etc.

Re the assistance dog, there is no enough info on the situation. Dogs are like people and are not all the same. My old staffy was not typical in that she was not all "out there" and bigger than life. She was a quiet and shy dog who would be behind my leg most of the time and i often thought she was unhappy with her life until i found out her sister was exactly the same. I have known many dogs who are very aloof to life in general, and seem "unhappy" when all we see are dogs out of control bounding and smiling but its all relative. If it was in good health and free from pain, thats good. My horse can seem too calm and bored most of the time and i go oh is he not happy he doesn't look alert or run about...then i remind myself he is a horse and happy to him is to be totally BLAH cause thats when he is totally at ease.
 
twiggy2 said:
Where do you get that information from?
Even if it is correct it's nowhere near enough, dogs need (as do horses) free time everyday
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In relation to dogs? Nowhere...it doesn't happen in the dogs world. For the horses, In an ideal world yes, but not likely to happen. What is free time defined as? Time out in an arena or time out in a pasture? My info was gathered from HH and FB mostly.
 
equi said:
In relation to dogs? Nowhere...it doesn't happen in the dogs world. For the horses, In an ideal world yes, but not likely to happen. What is free time defined as? Time out in an arena or time out in a pasture? My info was gathered from HH and FB mostly.
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I think there is some confusion... I may have read your post wrong, I thought you were saying that the dogs get time off a few times a year, but you were talking about horses?
Free time, time to be a dog, interact with those of these own kind, roll in the grass, chase a ball etc not be at someone's beck and call.
 
There's a bit in So That Others May Live by Caroline Hebard that tells of how on one mission, her search dog just shut down after finding so many dead bodies. It was still a 'win', but he knew the difference between the vibe of euphoria of finding a living person and 'good boy...but this sucks'.
 
We had one in St work the other day. It picked up the histamine response in its owner before anaphylaxis happened.

As she was in hospital and being monitored, she took his jacket off and let us play with him. He was utterly adorable and very keen for kisses.

She said he got play time every day with a ball etc. He cert seemed super happy, and despite his jacket being off, kept checking back in with her.

He was totally accepting of being in the utterly bizzare environment that Resus is, and happily had a good drink of water.
 
I've wondered about this before, especially assistance dogs for people with conditions such as epilepsy, where the dog may never be 'off duty' as it were. It must be very stressful for them.
 
CorvusCorax said:
The best assistance dogs in terms of detecting signs of illness or disease are family dogs who know the person already and know there is something amiss. It's a much harder thing to train.
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One of our Rotters takes on an 'assistance' role when necessary. When I came home from hospital with my foot in a pot and on crutches, she met me, circled the living-room to make sure there was nothing in my path and then led the way to my usual seat - we won't go into her part in the accident:D. She does get a bit stressed if her family members are not all together in the same part of the house, so that she can keep an eye on them, although she relaxes if she can see every-one who is at home and seems to forget about any-one who has gone out. I am convinced that if we had a family member with epilepsy etc she would be aware of any changes long before the humans.
 
The first time they come in they have to show their card to the store manager. So I don't know under what umbrella he fell, but he had a purple harness on.

I believe that guide dogs have to have off harness play time every day.
 
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