Live in Fullness

Often, when I am training in public with a service dog-to-be, I sense that people feel “sad” or “sorry” as they look in on the situation from an outside vantage point. I think people either feel sad that they can’t pet the dog and really want to. Or, they feel sad for the dog, assuming that because she isn’t able to engage in belly rubs and kisses while she is working, that she never gets to enjoy these things. I completely understand where people’s hearts are – they are in the right place! But I hope I can shed some light here, as I think about it from a completely different perspective. I received the following comment from someone on my Facebook page (Life is For Service), and will address it below: Her comment: I have wondered about service dogs, when they can have a moment to drink or go to the bathroom? Or, is it really fair that they can't get love because they're working? They do amazing things, but they're God's creations, representative of unconditional love. Don't these amazing animals deserve love and attention?? My reply: Your concern for working dogs is absolutely valid. All dogs should be treated with love and respect, offered affection and interactivity, and given the opportunity to live their lives as dogs. That said, to assume that because a dog has a job, he or she is unloved or unattended to is completely counter to the way I see service dogs, and practice service dog training. Dogs - like people - gain a great deal from working. Work gives dogs a sense of place and purpose, and a job well done is fulfilling to them, just as it is to us! I believe that to give a dog work to do - especially when it is such important work as to help their human mates - is one of the highest forms of love there is. I can tell you that for me, personally, making sure the dogs I train have balance in their lives is an absolute priority. I make sure to teach the dogs that there is a very clear distinction between when they are on the clock versus when they are off. As you might imagine, dozens of strangers approaching to pet dogs while they are working is distracting, and can disrupt the training process. Not to mention it can be an intrusion of privacy for a trainer or person who is just trying to go about their day of running errands, or working to get a report finished on their laptop in a coffee shop. Working dogs must learn to be attentive to their trainers and handlers in the busiest of places, surrounded by all manner of hectic stimuli. For this reason, I actually look at interactions with people in public as prime training opportunities for real-world situations the dogs are sure to encounter in the future. But just because working dogs must be professional while “in uniform”, this doesn't mean they are slaves to their jobs, never given free time to play or relax. My main concern with regard to the pups I train, even before command skills or public access practice, is that the dogs’ lives are full. Not only full of work, but rich with love, learning, lounging, and simply enjoying life! As is the case with people, a working dog whose energy is totally spent will eventually burn out; her productivity and wellness will suffer.

Ultimately, the goal for a working dog in a public setting is for her to be on her best, calmest, most professional behavior. When you see that beautiful little lab puppy, laying quietly and curled up at her handler's feet under a table at a cafe, believe me, she is earning the tons of pets and scratches and hugs she is going to get back at home when the vest comes off. Because too much work and not enough belly rubs simply doesn't work when the goal is to function as a happy, healthy, working-dog- and-handler team. -- Liz

#Betty #BettyWhite #servicedog #intraining #workingdogs #perspective #LifeisforService