Bus Training

[Bokkapooh]

Mercedez,

This is actually not true. Not all dogs are going to react aggressively or at all if they have been desensitized to certain stimuli. I am not against muzzling aggressive dogs that are not safe, but my point is that a dog that is not properly trained and/or dogs not have a stable temperament should not be on a bus at all. However, a stable, sound and well trained service dog is desensitized to this before being put in the situation. I totally understand that it's important to keep everyone safe, but again if the dog is NOT safe around humans, he is not cut out for service work.


Vicki

I do not think service dogs, who are trained properly, should have to be muzzled.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Thank you !!!!! I won't be taking him onto a busy bus till he is 100% on the bus that doesn't have many people on it.

Erin,

Just remember the key when desensitizing an animal is to move slowly and at the animals pace. If you force him into situations that he is not ready to he is very likely to sensitize and get worse instead of getting better.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I do not think service dogs, who are trained properly, should have to be muzzled.

Me neither

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I am not a dog trainer. But, I think that if a dog reacts by barking and growling when the owner is worried/stressed/upset/scared it is not really working as a service dog. Having him trained as a service dog is a good and positive thing for him and you. But a dog who barks and growls, even if he thinks he is protecting you, is not trained well enough to be a service animal.

I work in an industry where I regularly encounter service animals. I have met some amazing and phenomenal animals. I have also met some who should not be considered a service animal and make you wish that there was a test that service animals had to pass. For instance, I walk with crutches. When I was riding the bus one day a dog with a service dog vest riding on the lap of a man in a wheelchair growled and snapped at me when I walked past him. The owner stated that his dog was afraid of my crutches. That owner is opening himself up to liability if his dog was to bite someone. And, that dog is giving other service animals a bad name.

I don't think your comments are harsh, I think that they are very true. Service dogs need to be stable. A dog who is fearful, reactive or aggressive has a high level of anxiety and emotional stress. When an animal (regardless of species) is emotional (again fearful, reactive, aggressive or even highly aroused) they cannot think rationally, it is just how our brains our designed. This is why they tell people not to try and talk when they are angry. It just doesn't work.

There are a lot of people out there (not saying you Erin) who take untrained, unsound dogs and throw a vest on them and call them service dogs. There are a lot of different types of service dogs but you are right that a dog that is going to be working in public, needs to be reliable.

 

[magni]

I am not a trainer but I do have 5 dogs myself. I have 2 I adopted that were from a bad home and very scared. You have to take it slow like Vickie said or you will set them back and it will be very hard. Vickie is trained and titled to train dogs and a very good dog consultant. Always go with someone who is trained and certified which Vickie is. She knows what she is talking about, you can damage a dog a lot even if you think you are doing the right thing. There are books out there to get, I know Vickie has some that I bought. Check for a certified school also. To work with your dog is very rewarding, if you do it right

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I am not a trainer but I do have 5 dogs myself. I have 2 I adopted that were from a bad home and very scared. You have to take it slow like Vickie said or you will set them back and it will be very hard. Vickie is trained and titled to train dogs and a very good dog consultant. Always go with someone who is trained and certified which Vickie is. She knows what she is talking about, you can damage a dog a lot even if you think you are doing the right thing. There are books out there to get, I know Vickie has some that I bought. Check for a certified school also. To work with your dog is very rewarding, if you do it right

Awww thanks I really appreciate your confidence

You bring up a great point that it might be a good idea to get a qualified trainer on board to help. But, you want to make sure that it is someone who is actually qualified and who has a very clear understanding of desensitization and counter conditioning. You can go to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (Association of Pet Dog Trainers - Dog Training Resources) website. You might want to go with a CPDT - Certified Professional Dog Trainer as we are required to take a test, have references and keep current with CEUs. I am also a member of the IAABC - International Association of Animal Behavior Counselors (Int. Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants) which is another resource. Both of these websites have consultant searches to help you find a qualified trainer.

Finally, I recommend you get the book The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell, PhD. Patricia is an Applied Animal Behaviorist and PhD. Her books are made easy to understand and apply. You might also check out Working with a fearful, scared or shy dog which is a website with tons of free information on fearful dogs.

 

[Sharpie]

In my town, you can take a pet dog on the bus If and Only If it is muzzled. Has nothing to do with if it's a nice dog, a reactive dog, a fearful dog, a chihuahua, or a Great Dane. Service dogs are exempt, but ALL pet dogs must be muzzled or in a carrier before they are allowed to board the bus. Just the rules here and in Western WA where I grew up, so it's a good idea to have the dog used to wearing a muzzle if you are going to need to take them somewhere via bus in the future.

 

[Chewy]

I am not a trainer but I do have 5 dogs myself. I have 2 I adopted that were from a bad home and very scared. You have to take it slow like Vickie said or you will set them back and it will be very hard. Vickie is trained and titled to train dogs and a very good dog consultant. Always go with someone who is trained and certified which Vickie is. She knows what she is talking about, you can damage a dog a lot even if you think you are doing the right thing. There are books out there to get, I know Vickie has some that I bought. Check for a certified school also. To work with your dog is very rewarding, if you do it right

Id id and the only one we have over here costs 60 a hour I cannot pay that much.
I am working with him very slowly again, he got nervous started shaking. But that wasn't BAD. It was just nerves and I need to reassure him that it's going to be ok
Again I will Never put a muzzle on my dog, less it's to do vetting or something like that.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Id id and the only one we have over here costs 60 a hour I cannot pay that much.
I am working with him very slowly again, he got nervous started shaking. But that wasn't BAD. It was just nerves and I need to reassure him that it's going to be ok
Again I will Never put a muzzle on my dog, less it's to do vetting or something like that.

If he is shaking he is WAY over threshold and very stressed out. You are TOO close to the triggers. Just reassuring a fearful dog is NOT going to change his emotional response. Please be very careful because if you push him to quickly you are likely to make things much worse. Putting him in situations where he is so fearful he is shaking is called "flooding" What that means is that he is being forced into the fearful situation without being able to escape. Some dogs "shut down" meaning that they just give up but they are NOT they just gave up fighting because they realize that there is no way out. Flooding makes it worse, not better.

There are several stress signals you can look for that can give you an idea of his emotional state so that you can get him out of those situations before he is shaking and very upset. Sniffing the ground, shaking off, lip licking, yawning are all signs that a dog is becoming stressed. If you start seeing those early on get him out of there.

 

[Chewy]

Thank you. I always thought that yawning was a sign of relaxing. I will now look at it differently.