I was reading some of Ed Frawley's training material and he states he does not allow strangers to pet or touch his puppy. Wants to be center of dogs universe, focus on him, not other people and animals, yada, yada.)

My question is what about a working dog, specifically SAR? Are strangers not allowed to touch this dog as well? I would think these types of dogs should always be around and engaged by people so they would not be suspicious of strangers? (I have never trained SAR,so I don't know)

I was always taught differently...socialize, socialize, socialize . In fact in school we did pass the puppy.

What are some opinions regarding petting?

 Quote:

Who can pet my puppy

memememememe IcanIcanIcan


once the puppy figures out that people are nothing to be concerned with and routine handling and casual contact don't mean anything then you concentrate on having the puppy look to you for everything, all the play rewards petting etc

That's good, LOL!

I love that shot!

Hehehehehecanhecanhecan

I definitely ONLY pet Erika is Dennis's presence with permission first and with a happy, respectful smile on my face telling her how absolutley gorgeous, well trained, awesome, etc... she is.

 Quote: lisa harrison

That's good, LOL!

I love that shot!

You can see by the sig pic that Dennis has to fend people off from wanting to cuddle that adorable lil puppy, too.

 Quote: connie sutherland

 Quote: lisa harrison

That's good, LOL!

I love that shot!

You can see by the sig pic that Dennis has to fend people off from wanting to cuddle that adorable lil puppy, too.

she's a sweet heart really, I've went to a lot of trouble to socialize her, that is to say, she is not distracted by other people or things. As far as she is concerned children are little ball chuckers and hotdog dispensers. Adults are suspects and vets shouldn't linger. I proofed her in Washington DC at the National Mall and busy streets. She stayed focused. She totaly ignored other service dogs. But I just couldn't help myself, some japanese tourists wanted pictures of her so I made her "smile" just like the sig line. I'm a bad person

 Quote: lisa harrison

My question is what about a working dog, specifically SAR? Are strangers not allowed to touch this dog as well? I would think these types of dogs should always be around and engaged by people so they would not be suspicious of strangers? (I have never trained SAR,so I don't know)

You'll probably get varied opinions on this if you ask folks in the SAR community. For me, it starts with choosing a dog or puppy who is genetically social with people. A shy or sharp puppy probably isn't the best pick for a potential SAR dog. That being said, unless a person goes to the abusive extreme of keeping a pup in a box with no exposure to the outside world, a genetically social and stable pup probably doesn't need to be introduced to everybody and everything under the sun to be social and stable enough for SAR work.

Still, although I generally buy adults for SAR work, I have raised several "working" puppies, and I allow people to pet them. I generally don't want people making a big fuss over the pup though, but that's because I don't like the resulting spastic greeting behavior it seems to foster.

Ed actually stresses that it is important to socialize a working pup. It just doesn´t involve everybody cuddling or touching him. It is more about getting the puppy used to different environments, people, animals etc to be neutral to them and not getting the dog all fond of strangers.

The other day I was socializing my dog outside of a supermarket, watching people push carts, automatic doors, cars, all that stuff. My pup climbs up on a crate of salt bags and a man asks if he can pet him. I say 'no, he's just in training now, sorry'. After that he says, 'you know what to do right? You gotta pin em down and show him who's boss.' He then walks behind me, looks like he's leaving then turns back and says it again, 'let me show you how to pin him down,' and he grabbed the leash. He was somewhat behind me and I just made sure my hand was beneath his on the leash and put my other arm across his chest moving towards him to push him back. I couldn't believe it.

I think the idea behind search and rescue is that your dog is most likely going to be around police officers and their dogs, maybe volunteers who don't know as much about dogs etc. So you want your dog to concentrate on the work, to not look to other people. I can't remember what word Ed Frawley uses, but essentially other people are just scenery for the dog. Doesn't like em, doesn't hate em, but loves to get a prey item after finding the right smelling person. And if you're training off leash it's even more important for the dog to see people as neutral. Screaming/crying kid is not a threat, nor is the lost hunter who pets the dog when found. The dog accepts both situations but doesn't really seek them out. As Konnie says, there are different methods to proofing SAR dogs around people.

Are you wondering about your own working dog or a pet? Or a specific breed? The way I do it is while socializing to the environment we are around other people, but the strangers do not pet him. Keep in mind that strangers should give treats to your dog if the dog is sharp or shy. I do let family members and friends pet the puppy, but only for very short periods and only if the friend can be calm. But I will call the puppy back to me and give him a toy or a treat when he returns to me.

 Quote:

'you know what to do right? You gotta pin em down and show him who's boss.' He then walks behind me, looks like he's leaving then turns back and says it again, 'let me show you how to pin him down

You wouldn't happen to have a number where I can reach him at? I need him to do that to Erika. I want to video it