Answers to some questions

Hey Kat! Let me try to answer your questions, and hopefully provide some info...

Q. "Working" mode -vs.- "at home" mode
A. I get the following question a lot when I'm out with my sdogs... "does he ever get to be a *real* dog?" And the answer is "yes"! Kat, you got a chance to see this, my dogs at home are just like anyone else's pet dogs. They run around, play, bark, sleep, scratch, jump...and just have lots of fun! Even though my dogs are always working for me, my needs are different in my house and I'm very comfortable letting my dogs be dogs. If I need some assistance, I just call over Willie or Frankie and they are back in "working mode" for just that moment.


Q. How do I keep people from petting/talking to my sdogs when they're working?
A. I have a sign on their vests that says "Please don't pet me, I'm working". I got these signs here: www.SitStay.com. Granted, this signage works only about 50% of the time. Either the dog is laying on the sign, or people don't even look and make the wrong assumptions. The funniest (and most annoying) thing is when someone says "can I pet your dog" at the same time they start petting the dog! They don't even wait for an answer.

I try to tell folks that people have different reasons for either not allowing petting or allowing it. It may be based on the dog's personality, or on their personal experience. I've found that if I were to allow petting, it distracts the dog and basically turns us into a rolling Petting Zoo. This can take up my precious time, and when you're like me and don't get out much, that time is very precious indeed.


Q. How do they respond to attention?
A. JoJo, my first sdog (see below) had been trained at a late age. She was raised as a "pet" dog, and then as I became more disabled, it was suggested to me I try training her to work. Because of this late training, she was more distracted by petting. She was very gregarious, friendly and outgoing. Willie and Frankie started their exposure training at 16 weeks old (after their last round of shots). They've been trained to not look for petting from "strangers" while they were working, but that they could be normal doggies at home. You really see a big change in their home demeanor -vs.- their working demeanor. We say it's like their "on duty" and don't want to be distracted by petting! In fact, they both almost ignore petting, talking, kissy noises, and whistling when they are working. And I like that!


Q. Do female dogs do well as service dogs?
A. YES! Both sexes work equally well as service dogs. My first sdog was JoJo, a female black lab/golden retriever mix. She was awesome.


Q. I may need a sdog someday... (for multiple functions)
A. First off, Wow. I didn't know you had all that stuff going on. You and I should talk sometime!

There are many organizations that train sdogs for multiple functions like hearing alert, guiding, and balance work...so you may have some options when the time comes for you. I'd suggest you start researching now and query your docs (if you haven't already) as to when they think you might need assistance. I say that because some organizations have waiting lists as long as 2 years. Also, realize that having multiple dogs at home might preclude you from getting an sdog from an organization. I know that Texas Hearing and Service Dogs (THSD) in Houston does not place their dogs in households that already have dogs. That stopped me from signing up with them before I got Willie. I keep my sdogs when they retire. (Rant On. Frankly, I think this is a lame policy of theirs. If they can't train their dogs well enough to work around the distractions of another dog in the house, then they are doing a disservice to those with pet dogs and especially those with retired service dogs. Rant Off.)

Here's a list of some orgs to get you started: Legalities, Organizations, Newsgroups

Thanks for your questions!

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