Choosing Doggy Playmates

Everybody needs a friend. For service dogs, this is extremely important for several reasons. 

• Learn good socialization & manners
• Chance to release excess energy
• Be a dog, not a working dog for a bit
  
• ​Mixing recalls with playtime teaches reliability under any circumstance - will your SD come to aid you even if they are playing?
• You & your service dog need a break from each other sometimes, in order to keep the partnership strong.

In this post, you’ll learn about why its okay to be picky about what dogs your service dog socializes with, how to choose those friends, how playtime can aid in training overall, and a quick bit about dog parks, though that topic will be discussed in more detail in another post. ​

Why It’s Okay to Be Picky

Sometimes, it’s okay to be overprotective of your service dog. Service dogs are extremely valuable to their handlers, and while they are your friend, at the end of the day they are working animals first. Service dogs need to have the perfect disposition, be able to ignore instinctual desires to be protective of themselves or their handlers, and more. The last situation a responsible handler should put their service dog in is one where they are around loose dogs who might play too rough, be confrontational, be aggressive, be rough with you, cause an injury or attack to an extent that could cause temporary or permanent washout, or if your dog is in training, teach your dog bad manners. Choosing the right dogs for your service dog to be around can help prevent any one of those situations, and still fulfill your dog’s need for dog-on-dog playtime and relaxation.

Temperament Qualities All Service Dogs Should Possess & Need to Maintain Throughout Their Working Life:

• No aggression towards anything or anyone
• No reactivity towards other animals
• No protective or guarding tendencies
• No fear of other animals​
• No dominance over other animals or extreme submission to them

Additionally, your service dog needs to know that you, as the handler, will always do what it takes to keep them safe. This is any leader’s job, but especially important with our working partners. Part of asking your service dog not to be protective means showing them that whatever happens, they can trust you to handle it. When strange dogs approach, it’s important that you stay calm, and be prepared to place yourself between your dog and the newcomer until you feel confident that your dog’s safety isn’t at risk. You never want to put your service dog in a position where they may feel compelled to defend themselves or you, because that wouldn’t be fair to the dog after you’ve worked so hard to teach your dog not to react. 

This may sound like I expect every dog to be this snarling terror, and I promise that's not what I'm trying to say. That in mind, I know that most dogs don't have the training or discipline or socialization that a service dog does. Most dogs don't have a lot at stake, like your service dog does. Most owners can't really distinguish bad behaviors and so don't know when to correct them or how, and all too often, its common for a service dog handler to have a loose dog racing towards them with a pet owner lagging behind with, “Don’t worry, he’s friendly!” You can’t control when a strange dog will pop out or the disposition of other owners’ dogs, but you can control who your dog plays with and do everything in your power to reinforce the training you’ve put years into, and ensuring that your service dog has good influences from other dogs in his life. 

Choosing Friends for Your Service Dog

Dogs should have good manners - no aggression, no territorial issues (guarding toys or food), shouldn't play too rough (using teeth).
Dogs should match energy with your dog. A super chill dog combined with a super high energy dog might not make the best playmates because one will want to run around while the other wants to laze around. ​

Two dogs playing with each other

No one should be trying to have a dominance battle
​Dogs should be in good health, or at least not have anything contagious that your dog could be at risk for.

They should get along!!! The first few meetings should be done on leash initially. Have both dogs sit very calmly and wait until they are calm before releasing them to say hi. Use a long leash and be ready to call your dog back to heel if needed. Make sure to do the meet and greet in an open area so that no one feels cornered. This is also a great exercise for teaching your service dog to "visit" in a calm & polite manner no matter what. Always supervise playtime, even if you trust the other dog. Your service dog should be keeping an eye on you as well, and accidents happen sometimes. If your dog should get injured, you want to be right there. ​

Let your dog have other animal friends, but be judicious. Horses can kick, don't always know their size, and sometimes see a dog as a threat or nuisance more than a friend. Play this by ear, and also listen to what your dog and the other animals are trying to tell you. Some times weird friends turn out to be the best ones, but other times other pets don't want to be the dog's friend, and that's ok. Keep in mind too that cats, for instance, may not play the same way a dog will. ​

How Playtime Aids Training

All training exercises should be mixed with playtime anyway, because this helps the dog learn that working can be fun. Just as you would mix training with play, play can be mixed with training. A few ways to incorporate training into playtime are:

• Practice your recalls - if your dog can leave a good friend to come galloping to your side at the first call, this will ensure his reliability on responding to you under other circumstances. Practicing recalls will also encourage the dog to keep an eye on you or check in periodically to see if you need help. 
• Practice various tasks, such as bracing. Pretend to fall down and call your dog to you to come help you. They should be able to come over, perform a brace, and then return to playing.

• Test your dog's ability to share toys or food and water dishes. Some dogs don't show territorial behaviors at home, but do around other dogs. Service dogs should never be territorial, even if you don't have other dogs at home. One day, you will have a second dog in your home, as your next service dog prospect, & you need to know now if your current service will be okay with that. So testing out with a known friend if your dog can share a toy or food without getting protective is crucial. 

• Test to see if your dog is protective over you. Let them watch you play with and pet another dog. Let another dog get in between you and your service dog. If your service dog growls or shows another protective behavior, correct it right then and there. Continue to work on this until your service dog no longer reacts. If it can't be fixed, it's a sign that your dog may not have what it takes to be a service dog. 

• Teach your dog when it's ok to play and when it's time to ignore. Especially with known dog friends, it will be harder for them to ignore their friends in order to help you, heel with you, etc. Practice having your dog heel while wearing gear or perform commands. Practice without gear, too, because even if your dog isn't working, you don't want them pulling out of heel to greet another dog because it's disrespectful to you and could cause you serious harm. This exercise will help cement the play brain and work brain. Make sure you have a command that lets your dog know when it ok to go play. ​

Dog Parks

Deciding to take your dog to the local dog park needs to be a personal, well-thought out choice. Many trainers don’t like the idea of a dog park, because it can sometimes be an explosion waiting to happen. As a handler walking in, you can read the language of the dogs in sight, but have no clue about the ones around the corner. You have no control over how the other dogs behave or will interact with you or your service dog. You have control over your dog’s behavior, but that’s it. It’s a gamble. Some owners are fine with that gamble, but others are not. There’s a lot at risk exposing a service dog to a gamble like the dog park, and for that reason it’s a decision that shouldn’t be made lightly. For more on dog parks, click here.

Our service dogs work so hard for us every day. They deserve a chance to let loose and live a normal life just as much as we do. If we get date nights, ladies' (or guys') nights out, and other activities, our service dogs should get to have their own days off too. 

Three dogs playing together

Friends are extremely important for learning good manners, retaining good dog socialization skills, reducing stress, and practicing service dog etiquette around tempting distractions like the lure of playtime. ​​

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You can sign up for a Free consultation to start training with me here, or email me to sign up for a Coaching session to ask questions about living with and training a service dog.