Assistance Dog Etiquette
One of the most commonly asked questions is how to treat assistance dogs and puppies-in-training when you meet them in public. When you meet a person with an assistance dog, please remember that the dog is working. You don't want anything you do to interrupt the dog from performing its tasks. If you are a business owner or operator, this includes allowing a working dog and client the same access you would give any other customer. The Guide Animal Act of BC and the Service Dogs Act of Alberta guarantees people with disabilities the right to be accompanied by their government certified assistance dog in all areas open to the general public.
Here are a list of do's and don't's (many submitted by our clients and raisers) as well as some tips to follow when meeting or approaching a working assistance dog and his or her handler:
- Working dogs, even when they appear to be doing nothing need to be attentive to their handler, if they realize that they can get attention (or food - see "don't feed a working dog") somewhere other than their handler it makes them less attentive to the client who needs their undivided attention.
- Many of our clients are limited in their mobility and the amount of physical affection they can give their dog - but the dog will be very content with whatever physical touch the client offers as long as it is greater than what they are getting elsewhere.
- PADS trains their dogs to rigorous ADI Standards (see link at left) and dogs that solicit attention from the public can fail their public access test and be released from the program. Being petted by members of the public encourages this behaviour.
DO's
Feel free to admire a dog from afar or to quickly compliment the dog as you pass by.
Remember, our clients lead active lives and you are not the first person today who wants to ask them questions or tell him/her how great/beautiful/special their dog is. While these conversations are wonderful occasionally, they become tedious when they happen more than a dozen times a day.- If you support the work that we do
Many passerby's want to communicate how wonderful they think the dogs are. If this is the case, please consider showing your support in a less intrusive and more practical way by investigating the Help Give a Dog page. You might even get to know some of our clients and dogs personally through your participation.
Ask politely if you can pet a puppy-in-training (NOT Adult Working Dogs)
Puppies-in-training wear a yellow cape and are being socialized by their puppy-raisers. If we never let anyone pet them they would be poorly socialized. Before petting the puppy, wait for the raiser to instruct the puppy into a sit, and to give you the ok before you start petting the puppy. The puppy must remain in a calm sit, if the puppy gets up or tries to paw at or mouth you please immediately stop petting them. In this way you can help the puppy to learn that being well behaved gets it attention, whereas being rambunctious means no attention. In this way your interaction with the dog helps it reach its goal of a well trained assistance dog. Please bear in mind, that sometimes a handler will say no to your request. Each puppy and each day is different - and sometimes the raiser needs to get through their errands and get home!DON'T's
Don't ever pet (or ask to pet) a working dog
There are a few reasons for this.Never feed a working dog or puppy-in-training
All of the logic for not petting apply to not feeding PADS dogs as well. Please rest assured our dogs get a well balanced amount of treats, toys and meals.Do not ask for/give training advice
Please DO NOT question the client or puppy-raiser on how they are handling thier dog or ask for/give them training advice. Working dogs are not pets, and as such they are trained and handled differently.Do not give commands to a working dog or puppy-in-training
Do not use commands, call, whistle, or otherwise try to distract a working dog. This is inappropriate and disrespectful to the client and dog.If a puppy-raiser is trying to get their dog to sit so you can pet them PLEASE do not give the puppy any commands. They are trained to only listen to the person holding their leash and there is a specific command structure we use to teach the puppies effectively. When someone the dog doesn't know says "sit, sit, sit, No! Sit Puppy, SIT!!" it just confuses the puppy and frustrates the handler.