The reasons I ask that Duchess not to be pet. Each service dog team is different in how they approach this issue. I know my dog well and have learned so much about this through my own personal experiences. I so wish Duchess was like some of my friends dogs who can be pet but not become distracted. Duchess is very easily distracted by what is going on around her but not enough not to do a wonderful at her job. Duchess has an off switch if she gets too much attention from the general public. In fact she stopped working during college in the fall of 2010. I was able to get her working again but it was a great deal of work to do so. It was hard taking full courses and working hours with Duchess to get her back on track. When I was in college all the students were petting her without asking. I know most people think I am being mean by saying no but I completely disagree. She gives me my freedom and keeps me safe. I rely pretty heavily on Duchess doing her job. I have been cursed at by the general public because they feel she is there for their person enjoyment and should be allowed to be pet.
I am not sure if Duchess will ever be to a point that I can allow her to be pet by the general public. She does get pet by my personal friends and family. She is not lacking in the attention department. She may have you believe she is but she is very loved and praised for all her work. I try my best to educate people as to why I do not allow her to be pet but some people do not get it. There is such a balance when having a service dog. There are these on and off switches in some dogs and others are completely fine with attention. I still would not choose another dog than Duchess she was the best alert dog they trained and even with her distract ability still does an excellent job with her work. I am also glad in some ways that she does not do well with being pet while working because I would get stopped constantly and that would make a normal shopping trip that much more challenging.
I am not sure if Duchess will ever be to a point that I can allow her to be pet by the general public. She does get pet by my personal friends and family. She is not lacking in the attention department. She may have you believe she is but she is very loved and praised for all her work. I try my best to educate people as to why I do not allow her to be pet but some people do not get it. There is such a balance when having a service dog. There are these on and off switches in some dogs and others are completely fine with attention. I still would not choose another dog than Duchess she was the best alert dog they trained and even with her distract ability still does an excellent job with her work. I am also glad in some ways that she does not do well with being pet while working because I would get stopped constantly and that would make a normal shopping trip that much more challenging.
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