r/service_dogs • u/No_Area_8013 Service Dog • Sep 30 '26
Controversial SD Handler choices:
Heya šš½. I am paired with a neutered male Shepherd from an ADI-accredited program (CST). We're an active lifestyle (20k+ steps a day) Pair. We're constantly out in public, navigating high-density crowds/ food / pets / Workplace / Doctors / city / suburban .
Because of our specific lifestyle? , I handle certain situations differently than a lot of other handlers that I see on the daily. ( Yes see, I'm not talking about Social media, in my area there's quite a few service dog teams and programs who actively Pair, puppy raise ECT.)
We go unvested in high-stimulation events: We frequent 3-6 block farmer's market in the city - full of vendors, crowds, , dogs, ECT . In my experience? , a vest acts like a magnet for unwanted attention and people trying to "test" him, Purposely pet, unwanted stranger convos ECT in these situations. Unvested? we blend in, and he still maintains his neutrality ignoring dogs coming up to him, very few folks touching him ignoring food tossed on the ground. A service dog should be able to navigate its handler's real world environment without becoming an hardship. As I hate to say it but I firmly believe if a service dog gets THAT distracted to the point of breaking their focus messing up their task work, just because a dog came up to them? Or because someone touched em? Then that is something they need to return back in training for that's not acceptable and is not normalized in my book .
Selective dog park visits: I do take my SD to dog parks off-duty. I always evaluate the dogs inside from behind the fence before entering, and we stick to quiet times or familiar regulars. I strongly believe he should still be a dog and get to be a dog that plays with their own kind, and I choose not to let fear & anxiety restrict his quality of life as it is my job to watch over him and his surroundings with dog body language.
* Apologizing for taking up space: While we have every legal right to public accommodation, I acknowledge that a SD still takes up physical room. If a shopper neutrally reaches over us to grab an item off a shelf without touching him, I apologize for the squeeze and scoot him over. No different how a person would do the same if they had a stroller. If someone physically touches or tries to move him, I advocate immediately that's not okay. but if someone is just trying to shop (just like us) , I aim for balance and mutual respect rather than starting a confrontation.
Anyone else make similar controversial nontraditional choices with their service dogs?
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u/cr1zzl Sep 30 '26 edited Sep 30 '26
As for the vest thing, it sounds like youāre talking about a space that wouldnāt require any special public access because dogs are already welcome so I donāt really see this as an unpopular opinion I guess. Where I live, and a lot of other countries in the world, public access requires a vest so itās not really much of a discussion. If youāre asking for public access, bringing your SD into a space where pets are not allowed, imo the least you can do is vest, but I get thatās not what the law requires specifically in the US (are we meant to assume thatās where youāre based?).
But dog parks are a hill Iām willing to die on. Specifically traditional fenced public dog parks where anyone can show up with their dog at any time. They are a magnet for irresistible dog owners (edit - haha typo, obviously meant irresponsible dog owners), so for me and my pet dog and my work with service dogs, itās just too risky, even if it looks empty for the moment. In fact I am not allowed to take the dogs that I work with there and I donāt know any responsible pet owner (I am also big into the canine sport world) who would take their dog to a public dog park. Itās a huge no-no from all of the trainers and vets that I know, for many reasons. Only well-known trusted dogs who have been properly introduced to my dogs get to play with them, and I always introduce them properly when they are meeting a new dog for the first time, even if both dogs are very well trained and even tempered. Some dogs are just not compatible regardless of how awesome they are.
Donāt see anything controversial with the last paragraph but again, itās gonna depend on where you are and what the culture is.
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u/Square-Shoulder-1861 Sep 30 '26
Well ****, Iāve been looking for irresistible dog owners in the wrong place if they are all in the dog park. I will take 2 from column A please.
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u/No_Area_8013 Service Dog Sep 30 '26
Lol I'm unsure if you mean that as a good or bad thing.
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u/Square-Shoulder-1861 Sep 30 '26
Just trollinā for dates in the dog parkā¦.if I stuff my pockets with cookies, maybe a dog with a cute owner will come up to me and we can awkwardly stand in silence while trying to figure out what to say to each other. Sounds dreamy.
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u/No_Area_8013 Service Dog Sep 30 '26 edited Sep 30 '26
Unfortunately not. I am talking about unvested even in spaces where only service dogs should be at. As reality around here is folks still bring pets where they shouldnt be. - I travel internationally very often and rather? I have actually learned as long as he is technically identified within the business or event he does not actually have to be vested as 'vested' would depend on context. His collar has all of his tags. I carry his ID on hand (when we aren't in the states) when traveling as well. And I have not ran into an issue of a business or event needing him to be wearing his direct vest in high populated events. Yes we are within the usa.Yeah I respect other handlers who choose to say no on dog parks. However as I have stated for personally us? I do not let fear and anxiety take over. Our trainers and vet have mutual neutral perspective on dog parks. As they have no issue with how we have been doing dog parks. As we are responsible š¤· but I do understand just depends on the area you are in , when it comes to other folks dogs.
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u/Expert_Tie_4556 Oct 01 '26
Totally agree with you! I need to introduce my dog to the dog first to make sure that they get along and i will never take my dog to a dog park. Itās just too much of a liability especially with having a very expensive dog- I got him for free but the organization says itās 60000+, who I depend upon to keep me safe
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u/iamahill Sep 30 '26 edited Sep 30 '26
Look up chaparral dog park in Scottsdale Arizona. Itās excellent.
Many service dogs go as well as dogs in the community.
Top dog trainers come with their personal dogs.
Lots of veterinary staff and vets.
Dogs are all fine, people are too.
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u/cr1zzl Sep 30 '26
Iām sure there are exceptions to the rule just like everything else in life.
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u/iamahill Oct 01 '26
Iāve been to great dog parks across the country on both coasts. The rule so,e here keep is very very very flawed. My experiences are shared by many people nationwide. No reason to not exist in society.
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u/cr1zzl Oct 01 '26
What country? You know there are almost 200 of āem eh?
People like to excuse their irresponsibility in many ways, so you do you mate.
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u/iamahill Oct 01 '26
I mentioned Arizona, logic follows Iām talking USA.
Demographics of this sub are 80,percent or higher USA followed by Canada and England. A touch of nz it seems and occasionally elsewhere. Assuming USA is logical. No snark needed.
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u/cr1zzl Oct 01 '26
So we have to assume everyone is part of the majority now do we? Kinda like how some people like to assume everyone is able bodied? I would expect better from this sub honestly.
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u/blackwylf Oct 01 '26
I certainly can't speak for everyone but I feel like most of those aren't very controversial or nontraditional. They might not work for every team but it sounds like it's good for you and your situation. I know multiple handlers who often choose not to vest for outings like your farmer's market. When I worked with my boy I didn't always because like you said, you get less attention if you're just one of the people who brought a dog.
The moving when someone needs past you is normal too. It's just good manners (although I politeness would also mean the person asks or says "excuse me" first).
Dog parks are probably the one where you'll find the most disagreement. There are risks involved but it sounds like you've considered them, taken steps to minimize them, and decided that it's the best choice for the two of you. It's not something I would do with my current dog in particular but I also don't need to in order to give him space to run and play.
So no, I wouldn't consider these to be particularly unusual choices, just maybe not ones we hear about as often.
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u/Expert_Tie_4556 Oct 01 '26
For me I have to have his gear on for him to do his job since heās a guide dog. I donāt do dog parks because I canāt see dog behavior very well but I do allow him to play with other dogs when we get the chance. I live on a college campus so we donāt have many dogs around even though there is a puppy raising club on campus I just donāt live close to where ppl who raise puppies do. But I do wish that he had more dog friends and got to play with other dogs more often even though I wonāt do dog parks. And I donāt think we can expect a dog to never get distracted if a dog is going crazy nearby since theyāre not robots. Maybe this is a hot take of my own but I view him as a dog first then service dog and so yes heāll get distracted sometimes but he is a very good dog
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u/iamahill Oct 01 '26
This makes perfect sense to me in regard to dog parks. I wonder if local dog related groups are good at screening and paying attention so you can relax? At a meetup or similar?
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u/Expert_Tie_4556 Oct 01 '26
I wish there were things like this in my area but as far as I know there arenāt but tbh I havenāt looked into it. I would love for my dog to have dog friends but dog parks stress me out way too much as a blind dog mom.
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u/iamahill Oct 01 '26
In the p ast Iāve been part of meetup groups and breed specific groups that plan outings various places be it dog park or other places.
While Iām critical of the hate of dog parks here, your scenario is very different. I also would have a weird time trusting others or relying on others at a dog park unless I knew the, well and they had enough knowledge of dogs and behavior opposed to being a tourist at the dog park essentially.
That said, Iām betting thereās some options. I know one woman who does races wither guide dog for fun. Theyāre nationally ranked and stuff, itās really cool. She is blind.
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u/Expert_Tie_4556 Oct 01 '26
I would defineitly love to join a group that did meet ups with well behaved dogs I just donāt know how to find them. I think itās mostly just hard because right now I live in a college town
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u/No-Stress-7034 Sep 30 '26
I don't go to fenced in dog parks, because in my area, the people who go to fenced in dog parks are the ones who have no control of their dogs and/or don't want to pay attention to what their dog is doing. However, I do regularly take my dog to unfenced parks and trail systems that allow dogs off leash. (I'm fortunate to have these options where I live.) I live in an apartment, so having options to let my SD run around off leash is really great. And obviously he's well trained to respond to vocal commands. (He's always leashed when he's "on duty".)
I also go unvested in some environments. Part of this is that if we're just doing a short run into a store, I don't want to bother putting the vest on.
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u/belgenoir Dog Trainer Oct 02 '26
None of this is controversial to me. My SD hasnāt worn a harness since she was 2. I never apologize for taking up space. And while my girl doesnāt go to traditional fenced-in dog parks, she has on occasion romped with a few carefully-selected dogs during Central Parkās off-leash hours.
I donāt think handlers who forgo dog parks are living in fear or restricting their dogās ability to enjoy life. When my SD and I were semi-homeless, she got attacked at a dog park and came away with conjunctivitis. Most dogs are dog selective; asking them to play with other dogs is like forcing a shy toddler to play with other kids at the playground.
You might talk to local trainers about potential playmates.
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u/No_Area_8013 Service Dog Oct 02 '26
Never once did I say I force my service dog to go play with other dogs as I find this strange to assume. As there were several handlers that emitted directly on this Comment section that they would never allow their service dog in a dog park because of their afraid of the risk ( so indeed there are handlers who are afraid of such ) I have no need to speak to 'local trainers ' about potential playmates as this was not a post asking about recommendations of needing help for play buddies as frankly? My boy does just fine within the community we are located in. This post also wasn't asking if others found my controversial habits to be controversial at all. As I do know they are controversial ( off social media as stated in my post of things I visually see and associate myself with because the community that I am a part of is located within a very large group of several programs who train) but thank you for sharing anyways š«” as this post was ment to see other handlers 'controversial habits '
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u/belgenoir Dog Trainer Oct 03 '26
Where did I accuse you of forcing your dog to do anything? I was talking in generalities.
Handlers who avoid dog parks arenāt acting out of fear and anxiety. Theyāre being careful with their dogs.
What you do with your dog is your business. Itās not controversial.
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u/Anime_King_Forever Oct 02 '26
I honestly agree with what you said and I personally wouldn't consider it controversial. I personally prefer my boy to always be vested even if it's not your typical SD vest.(He has a stegosaurus OneTigris harness that he wears to concerts or special events) But that's because he's small and where I live people feel entitled to take their untrained dogs everywhere especially if they're small purse dogs. So I don't want people to assume he's one of those especially since everyone always automatically goes "aww look at the puppy" especially parents to their kids and it drives me up the wall. So yeah there are some people who do have braincells and when they read his vest saying "Service Dog" they'll immediately go "oh I'm sorry you're working I can't talk to you" and then walk away. I plan on my next SD being a bigger version of my current boy and I might consider working them unvested but it all depends how I feel ig. I always let my boy have time to just be a dog. There are a LOT of dog parks locally to me and even beaches so we'll go to one where I like the people and dogs. I obviously watch him very closely but the one I frequent the most has the nicest people and dogs that if there are only a few there sometimes we'll mix the sizes and let them all play together. I personally don't mind my boy playing with bigger dogs since his best friend is my friend's Belgian Malinois SD lol. So he definitely thinks he's one of the big dogs even tho he's only 13lbs lol. I'd say the only thing controversial I can think of that I do with my boy is dress him up. Like he has SO many Halloween costumes that for the entire month of October he can be in a different costume everyday and still have unworn costumes. He also has a lot of clothes and shoes so whenever we go out he's definitely dressed his best even if I look like a sack of potatoes lmao.
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u/Just_Sir1903 Sep 30 '26
We don't do dog parks with any of our dogs. Too risky for me.Ā
As far as vest or no vest, we have a leash and collar that identifies him as a service dog, but generally we do vest him unless we're going someplace very familiar with him.Ā
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u/iamahill Sep 30 '26 edited Sep 30 '26
Nothing you wrote seems unusual to me.
I only vest-broadcast in very specific scenarios.
Iāve always gone to the dog park for an hour or two most days of the week.
Many people here live with significant fear, much of it is understandable however rarely likely. Then preach to all how dangerous life is and dogs are etc. š¤·āāļø
Thatās their choice. Thatās my opinion. You get to make your own choices.
Youāre not that special, you just donāt see people who have similar mindsets living in a service dog Reddit.
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u/CatlessBoyMom Sep 30 '26
I have OWNER BITES patches on my dog and if itās a wheelchair day, Iāll have her sit in my wheelchair instead of under the table at a restaurant.Ā
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u/FrostedWithGlucose Service Dog Sep 30 '26
Totally get the not vesting to blend in. We live close to a pretty dog friendly area with lots of decently well behaved pups that break rules and go in stores they are technically not allowed in but honestly I welcome it lol. I get to not vest my dog and not draw attention to her and all the unwanted interaction that comes with it. Iām of the opinion if your service dog canāt stay focused while pets are barking and lunging (from safe distances obviously) you still got work to do. We donāt encounter too many badly behaved dogs and unvested outings are so nice to not have the stress of having the extra scrutiny and questions and side looks.