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.

I was actually joking about the pork pie, she wouldn't even approach a group of people. Though I can't help but suspect even the best trained dog in the world wouldnt be tempted by freshly cooked sausages. I'll sit and wait for the 'experts' to disagree with me. Again that was a joke.

I'm not annoyed about about the initial responses as I realise I didn't explain what her 'bad' behaviour was. I'm annoyed that despite me clarifying what I meant several times people still seem to think she rampages through the streets destroying people's lives and properties. Despite me clarifying that she is being trained by professionals several times apparently I've made this up and I'm pretending just so I can take her everywhere with me and she can cause mass destruction wherever we go.

i agree. For some reason MN is vehement in its hatred of dogs to the extent that, as a dog owner, is unrecognisable in the real world.
just carry on working with the charity and follow their guidance - if it’s the one I’m thinking of them they have many years of experience of training assistance dogs.
good luck and maybe avoid the nuts on here.

I live just down the road from a guide dogs training centre, see most of the dogs under a year old with foster parents either walking in cafe around children play area on lead of course. You are not allowed to make a fuss off them unless they are off lead in designated area.This is part of a structured programme.

If she's wearing the harness I would presume people would be tolerant? If she's shitting on people's carpets or biting their kids or something that's a different matter.

Why are you being so hostile? Why not just ask a question rather than being an arse.

Actually I understood her reaction in some ways. Ideally I wouldn't want to take a dog in a supermarket, I wonder though if she would have reacted the same if I was blind and had a guide dog 🤔. I also except that some people are going to feel uncomfortable around a dog, or even afraid of dogs. Like you said that's the reality. My reality is living with a condition that can and does frequently try to unalive me, I'm sure most people's day would be made more uncomfortable by them having to do cpr on me.

Also I'd like to ask where in any of my posts I've said that my dog bothers people or jumps at them, or where have I given the impression that I'm not mindful of people around me? Maybe I gave the impression I let her tear around tescos snaffling pork pies whilst some poor innocent women cowers in the corner 🙄.

Well quite.

Good question 👏🏻 although I don't think the intelligence is strong with this one.

I'm a medical alert dog handler with my second assistance dog. He accompanies me almost everywhere (including for international travel) now, but certainly didn't at 12 months.

A dog in training is not a working assistance dog yet. Yes, your dog does need to accompany you in public places for training but this should be done with intention and consideration for where she is currently at in her training so that you're setting her up for success, and it should happen when you are able to actively train. A dog in training can't be expected to behave perfectly but they also can't be allowed to practice unacceptable behavior and they need to be exposed to challenges in a gradual enough way that they are actually able to learn. Quality assistance dog organizations take two years on average to train dogs, and outings to difficult places like food stores or restaurants come during the latter stages, usually past 18 months. Length of working/training sessions also needs to be gradually increased as they mature. Neither you nor your adolescent dog is capable of putting in quality training time all day long while going about your life. Just taking her everywhere with you right now is likely to do more harm than good. Talk to the training organization about the specific type, length and frequency of training outings and goals you should be engaging in as well as recommendations for appropriate social outings and recreation options that will not be counterproductive.

What I would say the earlier & the more you do it the quicker they acclimatise. I have a dog with separation anxiety you wouldn’t know if you met her, she goes in lifts, cafes, restaurants & Is very well behaved social with other dogs. Just keep it small amounts of time, most people in real life are much nicer & ask to say hello, mine is 3yrs old good with children but likes older people with grey hair😂

Also, you mentioned friends' houses.

I do not automatically take my working dog to other people's homes. He's welcome in many, but I always ask first (and for every visit unless he has been explicitly given a permanent-invite) while making it extremely clear that there is no obligation to say yes. And when visiting homes with dogs I default to leaving him at home unless I know the dog and trust he'll be welcomed in their space. When he does accompany me I offer to keep him on lead in his work-mode or in specific areas rather than defaulting to letting him go into normal dog mode. I have a right to take my assistance dog out in public where others need to make reasonable accomodations but other people and dogs have an overriding right to comfort and security in their own homes. Always being respectful of that means that he's rather beloved by my friends and family and they're more likely to be supportive and accomodating, not resentful.

Thankyou for your input. We are doing all that already. I don't have the mental energy left to detail her training schedule, I appreciate it sounds like we are out 24/7 training, but it's not and everything we do is under guidance from the Charity for what is appropriate for her age and ability. Because of my health most of the time we are at home or the park where she can run around and play.

Out of interest why specifically would food stores be after 18 months? She copes well with our local store and behaves very well, it is a very small one and never that busy. I definitely wouldn't expect her to cope in a big supermarket as I can't cope with them.

I always ask first and would understand if they didn't want her there. Thankfully my friends are really supportive and are totally in love with her. I would hate it if anyone resented her so will make extra sure they don't feel pressured to say yes. Thankyou

@Loopylouloves dogs are often very keen to please their owners and they will mask stress. Stress signs are often very subtle and can be mistaken for happiness, tiredness, etc. Food shops are challenging environments for dogs because of the smells, close encounters with people, lights, noises, etc.

The difficulty is that dogs can store stress and then they often react later. It's known as trigger stacking (or 'filling the bucket') which means that their handlers don't recognise what it was that pushed them over the edge.

Thankyou so much for this. I will stop taking her there for now just in case. It's not essential she goes atm and we can try once she's older.

I’m a bit confused about why you posted. FWIW I read the first few posts earlier and voted YANBU, and I’m also a massive dog lover.

however having returned to the post and read the updates, it now sounds like you’ve already decided you should take your dog everywhere and don’t want to hear any other views?

If you were blind, you would have a proper trained guide dog. Not a puppy you are partially self-training.

For example this sounds very like being nonchalant about your dog bothering people
I couldn't promise she wouldn't nick a pork pie at a picnic tbh but she has never wrecked havoc anywhere yet.
I know you've said lately it was a joke, but your communication is just too similar to communication of the entitled owners, some of them are even trying to pretend their pets are kind of service animals when they are not.

If my friends were not impressed by needing her to be with me then I would question the sort of person they were. - shouldn't this go both ways? Understanding that some people wish you the best, but want to keep their home a dog free place. You can still be friends when meeting outside or in other places, but questioning "what sort of people they are" just because they are not comfortable with having a half trained dog at their homes doesn't sound mindful of others.

Totally agree with this. I've never known such a weird stance regarding dogs, than on here.

It's not that I don't want to hear other views, I've thanked some posters for their advice and will take it on board. It's been helpful to hear how some people are allergic to dogs or fearful and what I can do to respect that. Not sure where I've said I will take dog everywhere except in title, and the only views I'm interested in is intelligent, well thought out ones, whether that's for or against.

Were you not aware people had allergies before today?

Again where in my posts have I mentioned my dog bothering anyone? Or that my dog is half trained?

My dog is being trained to detect when I'm about to become very unwell, the waiting list and amount of medical evidence needed to have this charity train a dog is huge. I'm sorry you don't like the way I 'communicate' but I couldn't have been clearer in my posts but still I'm misquoted and accused of pretending my pet is a service dog.

As for my friends, well let me ask you. If you had a very close friend that you had to resuscitate several times, lived in fear of her not surviving, holding her hand in intensive care, watching the drs try to save her, would you refuse to let her very well behaved assistant dog be with her in your house? Or would you feel reassured that this dog will be able to alert you to an oncoming episode so that you don't have to do cpr on her in your livingroom?

Oh OP, what have you let yourself in for, in starting this thread x

To save you actually reading the full thread so you could comment without looking stupid, I only carry epipens as fun accessories along with my fake service dogs. Hope that helps 👌

Lol what a lame excuse and a joke. Also the whole "accredited service dog" thing is horse shit.

I take my dog everywhere and she isn't trained to do anything. At least I own it and don't make my dog wear a stupid vest and pretend I have a medical need it for it to be present.

I feel bad for blind people who will no doubt he victims of every man and his dog deciding it's okay to invade any public place with even the most passive of medical inconveniences.

Actually I'm finding all the stupidity entertaining 😆. If my eyes roll anymore they are going to fall out, (and obviously be eaten by my untrained fake service dog).