Our dogs are bred, socialized and trained to be affable, and accepting of strangers. After all, they need to be comfortable working in public spaces, and must not be a nuisance or pose a threat or danger to anyone. This means that our dogs are generally friendly and quite like human attention. As much as we try to train them to disregard the impulse to go greet a stranger making inviting eye contact, or holding out a welcoming hand to be sniffed and inspected, our dogs are just dogs. They are not robots. Sometimes they have moments where an opportunity to go greet someone, new or known, is just irresistible. One cannot always be perfect, even if you come equipped with magnificent four paws and a fantastic fluffy tail.

Fluffy is a guide-dog. She has been trained to help her visually impaired handler John to navigate the world. John loves Fluffy, and really appreciates how she helps guide him on his daily routes. He especially likes how Fluffy has made it easier for other people to start a conversation with him, as previously people were unsure of how to approach him, fearing they would offend him. But John has a dilemma: his dog is so friendly and approachable, that everyone wants to stop and say “hello” to his dog, sometimes not even asking his permission, and catching him off-guard when they step into his path. This has caused a few stubbed toes, nearly missing his bus to work, and quite a bit of confusion as to where they were on a route as Fluffy stopped not to indicate an obstacle but to admire a stranger staring at him. There was also the incident with the car that nearly hit them, by someone reaching down and talking to Fluffy as John was trying to listen to and concentrate on the flow of traffic. Fluffy was a good girl and still obeyed her handler’s cue to move off the kerb, but had they both been concentrating fully, Fluffy would not have stepped off as she would have seen the car and known to override John’s cue.

So, as a member of the public, what can I do to avoid being a distraction to the dog and their handler?

• Avoid making prolonged eye contact with the dog.
• Do not call the dog or make noises at them.
• Do not touch the dog unless you have received permission from their handler.
• Do not be overly enthusiastic in your greeting of the dog- respect the fact that they have to work around other members of the public that may not be okay with a dog licking, jumping up or pawing at them when excited. If you encourage this behaviour, it is not the fault of the dog (or the handler) and you are actively undoing their training. Allow the handler time to cue their dog into a calm position before greeting their dog.
• Consider whether it is in the working unit’s best interest for you to greet the dog. You may really like dogs, but it may be detrimental for the unit if you initiate a greeting.
• Always ask the handler for permission to greet the dog first. Wait for their response, and accept their answer. They do not owe you an explanation. Please do not take offence if they deny your request- they may have very good reason to do so.
• Please do not stare at the unit while they are working.