Wife has a guide dog Labrador trained from a puppy incredibly well behaved and when on harness total worker focused and its interesting what she does and doesnt play with when not working. She has a stuffed animal that she sleeps with and never carries anywhere then another that she does. She loves a donut nylabone but not a bone shaped one. Shes also learned that there are toys she can bring over like a tennis ball to you that will distract YOU and therefor she can get a sneak of a lick off your plate. We’ve had to correct that a few times but she is just too smart she keeps learning new methods.
The change in behaviour when a service dog goes on duty (or off duty) is always fascinating. Most people I know, including myself, cannot focus instantly when starting work, nor can they relax immediately after work.
And service dogs do not even know the shift plan of the day. They just do the job. But maybe that’s their survival strategy, to use every available slot for relaxation because they don’t know when they will have to work again.
BTW what are the dog‘s usual working hours, how long can it stay focused while guiding?
It probably isn’t accurate to classify it as working and relaxing, in the way we humans see “going to work”. I’ve never worked with a service dog but I have with “working” dogs. They almost universally enjoy and prefer working to “relaxing”. The reason people need to take their dogs on long walks and play with them in the park is really to simulate working. Dogs like tasks, focusing and following a leader, and having a structure of being a pack member fulfilling whatever goal.
Agreed. A better word might be "focused". A dog has one set of behaviors when focused, and another when not.
When I research a topic, whether it's an engineering diagram or looking up a half-remembered recipe on my phone, I immediately engage. It's fulfilling, not tedious. It can lead to "being in the zone".
It doesn't mean it's not taxing, but there's definitely a positive feedback from my system. Probably the same feeling if you're watching the water for a fish to spear, or watching your dad to see how he spears fish, or watching your mom to see how her lips move when she says "Mom". Or the ball to see when it's thrown and where, or if cars are coming because then you need to stay still and keep your human from proceeding.
The situation of ptsd service dogs is somewhat different, even more so if its client has to earn a living. A big chunk of the dog’s work could be to observe their client and to act if (and only if) dissociation happens (ideally to intervene before the client dissociates). While overseeing the client’s wellbeing, they have to stay out of the way of the business as much as possible (especially during meetings, seeing customers etc).
Apart from the clients workplace, the service dog will be on and off duty for the rest of the day depending on the specific needs of its client. It follows them wherever they go (supermarkets, doctors, museums, whatever).
The dog can play or relax during breaks, or in the evening, when the client is in a safer/less stressful environment.
Guide dogs really are on another level. It's always wild to see how they can switch so seamlessly between "serious work mode" and "clever little gremlin with a mission."
