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I'm going live on YouTube to talk about one of the biggest problems we face as service dog handlers—distractions in public.

💬 From people trying to pet or talk to our dogs, to the best ways to respond in the moment, to strategies to avoid conflict — I’ll be covering it all.

Click the "notify me" button to get notified and join the chat!

Friday June 6th @1:30pm ET

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Previews only

How to Deal with People Trying to Distract Your Service Dog in Public

Going live to talk about one of the biggest problems we face as service dog handlers—distractions in public. 💬 From people trying to pet or talk to our dogs to the best ways to respond in the moment—I’ll be covering it all. My FREE and Low-Cost Training Resources 👇: 🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: https://courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101 🐕‍🦺 Behavior Interruptions & Alerts Course: https://courses.doggyu.com/p/bia 👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: https://www.doggyu.com/ 🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) https://patreon.com/doggyu #dogtraining #servicedog #servicedogs #servicedogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer #positivereinforcement #assistancedogtraining #publicaccess #disability #sdit #labradorretriever #labradorpuppy #servicedogintraining What My Dogs Eat 👇: 🥩 Oma's Pride Raw + Turkey Hearts, Lamb Lung, Chicken Chunks: https://shop.omaspride.com/doggyu30 Use Code: DOGGYU to get 30% off your first order! #omasaffiliate Training Treats: 👉🏽 Happy Howies Meat Log: https://amzn.to/3qFmMAa 👉🏽 Beef Liver: https://amzn.to/3B7VVS0 👉🏽 Rawwble: https://amzn.to/3BHlMlc 👉🏽 Vital Essentials: https://amzn.to/3S2F0aq Favorite Training Equipment: 👉🏽 Blue-9 Balance Harness: https://amzn.to/47CjLFa 👉🏽 Ruffwear Harness: https://amzn.to/3XGoNfz 👉🏽 Bold Lead Design Leather Leash: https://amzn.to/3AdhXm6 👉🏽 Blue-9 Multi-Function Leash: https://amzn.to/3Lj1iEo 👉🏽 Ollydog Large Adventure Pouch: https://amzn.to/3BPKG2d 👉🏽 Ollydog small treat pouch: https://amzn.to/3RZqr7k 👉🏽 Ruffwear Fanny Pouch: https://amzn.to/3diMCa4 👉🏽 Ruffwear Treat Pouch: https://amzn.to/3RMObfj My Favorite Dog Training Books: 👉🏽 https://www.amazon.com/shop/doggyu/list/33IBHUH6XV0BJ?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfdoggyu Camera Gear: 👉🏽 Gimble Camera (Osmo Pocket 3): https://amzn.to/3zw1Tzg 👉🏽 Mini Body Camera (Insta 360 Go3s): https://amzn.to/47BTJSH 👉🏽 Talking Head Shots (Sony a7c): https://amzn.to/3zupC2W New videos every week! **As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click on the above link supports the creation of these videos at no cost to you. I receive a small payment even if you don't purchase the products shown here. Connect with us on Social Media! Website: http://www.doggyu.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doggyutraining/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/doggy.u TikTok @doggy.u Blog: www.doggyu.com/blog/

Comments

Loretta Ayers

Hi , I am definitely dealing with this problem with my sheltie, Star. Yes I am training my own service dog and from West Newton PA and my subscription is currently coming to an end soon but I paid last year for a year but I don’t have enough money because I have saving money for my dog neutering during this month, I have people trying to pet him and it makes him more jumpy and twisting any advice to control him from circling around , thanks yeah I live in an apartment building and I had issues with confrontation with people and finding my voice

Loretta Ayers

Where do I get a visual vests like yours?

DOGGY•U

You definitely want to figure out the best way for you to advocate for your dog. That may be stepping between them and the people trying to pet them. If a dog is nervous about being pet, and then their space continues to get encroached upon, it can degrade trust and make that fear worse. Sometimes a leash wrap that says "do not pet" that's worn on the leash up where people can see it, can help with visual indication.

Joyce Frustillo

Went in Walmart with my 6 month old sdit, and a lady started screaming “a dog, a dog, I love dogs” There was a man who was mentally challenged walking in behind me, the woman reached me and before I could open my mouth to say anything to her, She had her hands all over my girl I need crutches to walk, so I can’t move very fast) The man behind me started literally screaming “no! Stop it! She is a service dog! She is working! Can’t you read? Her harness says Service Dog, Do not pet”! Then he said “you are old enough to know when you see a dog with that kind of harness, you are supposed to leave it alone and not talk to it”! she stood up and started screaming at me, I love dogs! I want to pet her and play with her!” So I finally get a chance to speak up and I said, “I’m sorry, but this is a service dog and she is working, so please don’t touch her again or distract her”. So she started to raise her voice and was again I want to play with her! Your mean! She is too young to work’ at this point I just “with me, to my dog and I thanked the man behind me and just walked away from her. It was then that I realized that there were about 20 people standing there, just watching the whole show.i know my face must have been ten shades of red as I usually do my darndest not to call attention ever! So much for that! 😂

DOGGY•U

Wow, I love that the guy behind you stood up for you. Sometimes all we can do in those situations is walk away. So annoying!

C Marie

Oh wow, I so wish I could've been on the live when you did this. This was such an awesme video. I shared the public YT version with several. So I've had my current girl working with me since my beloved SD of 10 out of 13yrs passed. She's only kind of temp as we got her, she shadowed him, is fully trained but has never been large enough to do several of the tasks he did, and in general is a diff breed (we didn't know when we got her) that does not like nor want to do certain other tasks he did either. She does do the 6-7 fundamental tasks enough to be a stand in, and actually due to her being smaller she can fly better with me. ...however she's losing her hearing now and misses cues....but also due to her not hearing as well, I've had less issues taking her to really loud venues and it doesn't phase her. so its a blessing and a curse. Regardless, where I'm going with that, is she had to have surgery on one ear that now has nerve damage. well, after church a little boy just ran up and hit her on the head...RIGHT ON THAT EAR!!! I was pretty harsh and told the child (the mother was mortified, and reprimanded him, but it was clear it needed to come from me to be taken serious, he just ran over the mom), so with my husband being the father role and glaring at him, I went into my Mama bear protection mode, and told him loudlu you NEVER EVER PET MUCH LESS HIT A STRANGE DOG BECAUSE THE NEXT DOG YOU DO THAT TO MIGHT NOT BE AS WELL TRAINED, NOR A SERVICE DOG, AND MAY BITE YOU." and turned and walked off before I lost it and hubs ran recon, and I consoled my girl and checked her ear. Since then she crawfishes when people try to reach out to her and pet her against my wishes or in general when she's vested, and if they are annoying boundary crossers and cont to persue her against both of our wishes since that incident, I have felt her low level growl if were in a trapped place. This has usually happened when we are standing in line, or a tight space and the person was literally going for her head after she couldn't get away so I have snapped at these people. The nerve of people! I try to body block or put her in between my legs now. Their sense of entitlement is real...full grown adults! I wasn't nice about it but really feel its my duty to protect these guys who work so hard for me. I know it would be way worse if it was my child they were trying to pet/fondle? but I bet some moms could weigh in on overstepping those bounds with their kids. I've heard stories from pregnant moms about random strangers coming up and touching their belly. Its prob the same people who feel the need to cop a feel on my dog. She only solicits or allows pets when at home and from friends. with my SDiT he is pretty reserved and ignores people. Praise God. But he's also the same glorious temperament of my boy I lost last year. He looks very menacing because of his black mask face, but he is the biggest softy ever. But they don't need to know that. We will see if it decreases petting. I know I didn't get random cop a feels on my prior dog either. I actually was turned into a manager at a hospital by a nurse who I wouldn't let pet him. It ended up being a great educational opportunity for both of them. Regardless, he had the most amazing reaction to these idiots...that male nurse was literally waving in his face. His reaction was to do what I call "Stevie Wonder eyes" I want to train this to my new SDiT but have no idea how to. Basically if someone would glare at him or wave like that nincompoop, in his face, i would roll his head and his eyes totally away, averting eye contact, but very dramatically... like when stevie wonder played the piano. I would tell people he doesn't want to interact and he's being a very good boy trying to do his job and not get distracted from me. I used to think it was because he was black, but my girl is black. She's 80# and looks like a lab, way too friendly. So I think now, it was his size and cropped ears. Was great, people would grab their dogs and go the other way. instead of letting them run up and try to attack my little girl. At one single event it happened 4 times, 2 diff dogs, with her. ONly happened 3 times in 10 working yrs with my other. Thats what has mostly happened while training my new big guy so far. Suits me. ONe of my trainers is blind and had to stop working her dog because he was attacked. In fact we even used my prior boy at the Moody Gardens zoo to train the huge monkeys to go back up in the trees because they had a history of attacking the VI SD's or SD's of wheelchair folks. He was big enough, not scared and could stand his ground and I'm a sighted handler. Craziness. Not the dogs...the humans!!!