AIBU to take my dog everywhere I go

[Loopylouloves]

After several posts recently about dogs in public spaces I wanted to add another angle. For context I wasnt a dog lover and never thought I would own one. However I am now the owner of one but with a difference. I have a serious medical condition which causes me to become very unwell quickly and my dog is being trained to detect when this is about to happen so I can take action promptly and get help. She goes everywhere with me including supermarkets, cafes, friends houses etc.

The issue is that shes a puppy (12 months) and is very much in the training phase so sometimes she doesnt behave when we go out. But its so important that she lives my life with me so she learns to alert me even when we are out and about. Once fully trained she is going to change my life and give me so much freedom and peace of mind.

Because she doesnt always behave like a service dog should, aibu to think that people should be more understanding and tolerant of her.

Depends where you’re taking her and what the behaviour is. Who’s training her with you?

Is it a service dog or isn't it? AFAIK you don't usually train them yourself.

I assume she wears a harness which says “service dog in training”? If so, then people are likely to be tolerant. Otherwise, she’ll just be a boisterous puppy bounding around with no context.

Unusual to be given a service dog untrained. Or have you had her from a puppy and are training her yourself?

In any case, get her a service dog, preferably service dog in training harness.

Probably depends what you mean by doesn't behave. A relative is incredibly allergic to dogs (carries an epi pen). It would be a problem for them if your dog jumped up at them. So I would say if you can't stop that happening you shouldn't be taking them everywhere. Similarly if they are not toilet trained clearly indoors spaced are not acceptable.

She is either a service dog or isn't - make your mind up! How are you training her? Do you know how to train a dog to be alert to your needs?
Sounds to me like you have just got a puppy that you are insisting on taking everywhere and expect everyone else to be accomodating of this on the premise of her being a "service dog"

Badly behaved dogs are bad enough in public spaces but you can't insist your friends let you bring it to their houses. I'd no longer be inviting you round.

If you’re training a service dog then it’s usual to have them in a recognisable harness and tabard - this helps the general public to understand that you have an apprentice service dog and a) disregard some behaviour and b) and perhaps more importantly, avoid coming over to pet and distract the cute puppy, which isn’t good for their training.

If you’re just lugging a badly behaved dog with you wherever you go, people are going to think you’re just a shit owner who hasn’t bothered to train their pet, and they won’t put up with it in shops and cafes where many people don’t think dogs are necessary in the first place.

Personally I like dogs and well behaved ones are generally no bother to me however I know someone who is genuinely phobic and it makes me uneasy that dogs are being brought into medical settings, shops and cafes because I think of the impact on her as well as those with allergies some of which can be life threatening.

Service dogs arent given to those with disabilities untrained.

So you don't have a service dog "in training" you have a puppy.

She is being trained by a charity that specialises in this. I reinforce this training when shes with me. But its a work in progress.

Interesting use of the passive "is being trained", there. By you?

Edit: cross post

If she’s trained via a charity and you’re having difficulties with her then can the charity help with further training?

Does she wear anything to show she's a service dog in training? Someone local to me trains guide dog puppies and the puppies wear a little "I'm a guide dog in training" sign on their harness.

Yes she does.

If people aren’t tolerant OP then that’s probably because they don’t know she is a service dog. The harness is a good idea.

taking a service dog to places with you is a different thing to taking a dog somewhere just because you want to.

So can you get an official harness?

Sorry just seen she has one.

Absolutely nobody is including service dogs when they comment about dogs being everywhere, and I think everybody knows that.

If she is a service dog then she should have a harness/lead that displays that fact and there is no issue.

Have you actually had many people respond badly to your dog, even when it’s clear she’s a young service dog in training? In my experience, people are very good and tolerant in these situations.

ETA: you also need to advocate for her and you. People get annoyed at owners who just do the naff “don’t worry, she’s harmless and friendly!” as their dog leaps up or raids their picnic. If you have her in working gear and say “I’m sorry about that, she’s young and still learning her job, sometimes all the excitement gets the better of her” and keep her firmly leashed rather than letting her continue causing havoc, you should get a positive response in return.

YANBU because she is a service dog in training. YWBVU if she was just your pet

So what have been the negative responses you have had?

I can understand their problem though as service dogs are usually well behaved which is part of the reason people tolerate them in what would normally be inappropriate places for dogs.

It really does depend what you mean by badly behaved and where you’re taking it. If you take it to a cafe and it starts barking like crazy the entire time, under people’s tables, weeing on the floor and eating people’s food then I would say no it’s not appropriate to take it to certain places yet.

Are you telling me or asking me? She is not as yet a accredited service dog as she is being trained by a charity. Once she passes her levels she will be.I would have no idea how to train her to scent train or alert, my role is to reinforce positive behaviours and expose her to as many different enviroments as possible. Hope that helps.

You don’t train service dogs by just taking them with you everywhere. You train them by taking them on planned trips to expose them to different scenarios. So you being unreasonable taking a dog everywhere and should be sticking to a training plan.