Workmen afraid of dogs?

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Sandstone1

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I've two dogs, a gsd and a large xbred.
Both very friendly and well behaved. A workman called today and refused to come in unless I shut the dogs away.
I offered to hold on to the dogs but that wasn't good enough.
I realise some people don't like dogs and are afraid of them but I thought this was over the top.
Can workmen refuse to come to properties with dogs?
 
selinas spirit said:
I've two dogs, a gsd and a large xbred.
Both very friendly and well behaved. A workman called today and refused to come in unless I shut the dogs away.
I offered to hold on to the dogs but that wasn't good enough.
I realise some people don't like dogs and are afraid of them but I thought this was over the top.
Can workmen refuse to come to properties with dogs?
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Of course they can refuse, why not just shut the dogs away and make life easy ?
 
I wouldn't have dogs loose in the house with workmen for safety (applies to dog too) and as a courtesy. JMO though. I would refuse to work in a house with big hairy spiders everywhere. Like dogs, I'm sure some people love them and know they'd never bite anyone, but I don't.
 
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I had some companies in to quote for new windows - one of the guys said he hoped we didnt go with his quote as he was frightened about working in a house with a Doberman, even though I had assured him the dog would never be loose while he was there!
 
Some people can have had bad experiences with dogs as an adult or child, and just don't trust them or like them. i can completely understand why some people wouldn't want them around when working. Even if they liked dogs I'd understand them not wanting them underfoot if the workmen were on ladders or carrying stuff. They know nothing about your dogs or how well-behaved they are.

I hate monkeys, I wouldn't set foot on a property with one unless it was locked up!!
 
I'm with the workman. There's plenty of numptie owners who would assure a visitor that their dogs were 'fine' only to lose control of them and have the dogs jumping all over the visitor.

I always shut our dog(s) away, unless the visitor assures us that he/she likes dogs so that there is no need.

Some people are scared of dogs, even well behaved ones, so it wouldn't bother me at all.
 
I had no intention of letting the dogs wander around loose while he was there. I had them under control.
He would not even come in to the house untill I locked them in another room.
Of course I know not everyone likes dogs but his reaction was a little extreme.
 
A lot of dog bites happen in hallways/doorways/entry and exit points to rooms. Some dogs see a stranger entering their space and don't take kindly to it. The vast majority of dog bites/nips/altercations are met with 'he's never done that before' or 'that was totally out of character'.
Holding a dog by the collar or physically restricting a dog could make it even more defensive.
Dogs can absolutely sense when someone is nervous of them and it can make them act oddly. To me the workman was acting wisely by making sure neither he or your dogs were put in a difficult position.
 
I work in a job that may take us onto premises or yards with dogs. I've had 'dangerous dog' training and they advised us to always ask for any dog to be shut away before entering. I love dogs and I think I am aware enough to decide whether a dog is friendly or not, but I would definitely ask if I was at all unsure of the animal. There were others on my course who werent dog owners and genuinely had no idea of dog behaviour or how to interperate a dogs body language or signals. I would completely understand if they didn't want any dog around them, regardless of what the owner told them.

On the other side of the coin, we lost our dog once when we were out the house and workmen were coming and going. Luckily he only went a wander round the village for the day, but he did have to cross the main road and it could have been so much worse. We had left him shut in a bedroom, but he must have got out to say hi!
 
I don't think his reaction was extreme. He only wanted the dogs to be put in another room, not asking for them to removed from the property. As a tradesperson myself (and I love dogs) I would expect any dogs to be in other room when I visited out of consideration for both parties, I'm working I'm not on a social call.
 
I wish my workmen felt as yours do.

As it is, I've had to buy hasp, staple and padlock, to prevent them from opening the door to the dogs because despite warnings, they couldn't seem to grasp the meaning of the sentence ' Please do not, under any circumstances, open that door'!

I always keep my dogs and workmen apart. I did have a workman flee the house once upon hearing we have a (appropriately contained) snake or two ��.
 
selinas spirit said:
I had no intention of letting the dogs wander around loose while he was there. I had them under control.
He would not even come in to the house untill I locked them in another room.
Of course I know not everyone likes dogs but his reaction was a little extreme.
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The thing is, it might seem like an extreme reaction, but you don't know why he is so wary of dogs. He may have had an exceptionally bad experience at some point. I don't think his request was entirely unreasonable - he didn't say the dogs had to be removed from the property and if he's genuinely afraid for whatever reason, something that seems like a tiny thing for you is probably a massive issue for him.
 
HashRouge said:
The thing is, it might seem like an extreme reaction, but you don't know why he is so wary of dogs. He may have had an exceptionally bad experience at some point. I don't think his request was entirely unreasonable - he didn't say the dogs had to be removed from the property and if he's genuinely afraid for whatever reason, something that seems like a tiny thing for you is probably a massive issue for him.
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I appreciate that, however when I answered the door he was hiding round the corner because he heard the dogs bark.
He did ask for them to be shut outside I refused due to the fact it as blowing a Gale and pouring with rain.
I shut them safely in another room.
On chatting to him it seems it's more of a cultural thing for him and he hates to be anywhere near dogs at all.
Must make his job fairly difficult I would have thought.
 
I think its rude to allow your dogs to be loose while an uncomfortable person is in your house - just put them away. It's a good thing- means if he was a dodgy type he's unlikely to come back to burgle you :D Just because you are happy around your large dog doesnt mean he is
 
i do agree it is on the extreme side, but some people are not dog lovers and even on a lead/ held by you, would be cautious of the dog getting near them.
they may also of been trained to ask to shut them away as part of risk assessment, as although unlikely, some dogs can take a disliking to a stranger, even if they have always been friendly before.
the last time we had a tradesman round (sky engineer) my GSD lay on his bed watching him work in the living room- dog lover!
I used to have a post man who would knock and then stand a good 5 meters away from the door for me to come out and sign for a parcel because he heard my dog bark. still, better safe then sorry I guess. little did he know that my GSD barks but then just sniffs and lets anyone in!
 
he doesn't like dogs, i don't see why you think it's odd or rude? We have friends who don't like cats and we happily shut them away when they call over, it's just polite. I don't question why they don't like cats, they just don't. Some people are terrified of dogs if they were bitten as a kid, some cultures don't like dogs, I don't see why it's odd?
 
All the tradesmen working at mine adore dogs, all have their own. My plasterer asked to swap the job for the terrier!!

Has made life much, much easier, but if someone didn't like them, we'd have to figure a plan B, which would have been tricky as my dog likes to be able to see me, as dad's dog does him, and they can't be left for the 10+ hours we are on site!
 
If you say it was cultural that is fair enough as well - although even if it wasn't I would be wary of entering a house where a woman was hanging on the the collars of two large barking dogs!
I work with a muslim boy and dogs are a real no no to them.
 
selinas spirit said:
I've two dogs, a gsd and a large xbred.
Both very friendly and well behaved. A workman called today and refused to come in unless I shut the dogs away.
I offered to hold on to the dogs but that wasn't good enough.
I realise some people don't like dogs and are afraid of them but I thought this was over the top.
Can workmen refuse to come to properties with dogs?
Click to expand...

Yes of cause they can, some are scared - some phobia. We have ours on a chain during the day, but if ness I bring her in house if they wont coming in or courier about to call and asked dog shut away

if they have a phobia then I would expect that sort of reaction
 
it's so hard to get good tradesmen though - if one wanted me to lock my husband in a room i'd do it, once they did a good job!
 
I cant remember which company it was, I think it might have been Sky tv, but I had to call a repair man out to my house some years ago now, and as well as asking if they could park close by, the call centre asked whether I had any dogs or cats at the house. The question took me by surprise but thinking about it, it must make sense to know in advance and try and send an engineer who is neither terrified or culturally anxious about animals. I do always offer to shut mine away if anyone needs to come in, would hate anyone to be licked to death by my terrierist of a jrt :) In 10 years of marriage my MIL has only visited us twice, both times whilst dogs were at the groomers. I have offered many times to lock them in the garden but she has such an ingrained phobia, even that wont pacify her, she is convinced they will break the door down and get in. Ridiculous but quite sad that she feels so scared, so I kind of understand that some people really are genuinely terrified.
 
ester said:
Surely it is anyone's prerogative to be scared of things?
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It is, but it's illegal for a taxi driver to refuse to take a assistance dog for example. So if it's because they are scared or because of religious or cultural reasons it makes no difference it's against the law.
 
That is something you are aware of when you decide to be a taxi driver though. Not when you decide to be a workman/builder.
I don't think it an unreasonable request.
 
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