Not to get into what is better, perhaps it is more appropriate to look at the individual dog. My now retired Mal is a pretty good housedog. A bit of a bull in a china shop at times, but not too bad. My new Mal is a demolition team rolled into 75 pounds. He has destroyed the entire rear section of my Suburban, made me have to get metal shields built around my rear strobe lights so he won't eat/destroy them, and will just about tear up anything. He is a great dog to work, and can work very calmly when I need him to. He is not a hyper wired Mal, but does like to wreck stuff...So I ask you, what is more fair to the dog? Do I make him live in my house, not kill my wife’s cats, or her little crazed Boston Terrier? Make him totally stressed and under pressure as to not eat my furniture? Make him learn it's not ok to jump on the table, attack the food when you open the fridge door? Ya know what, I think it's much easier to put him in a kennel where there is NO stress on him how to behave. He's NOT a pet...he's a patrol dog. I don't think his bond to me has anything to do w/ sleeping on my living room floor. He was bred, trained and loves to work, not have house manners and be a fur covered ottoman for me to rest my feet on.

I feel the need to answer this question/s about housing the service dog.
First, there is a rule of thumb, when the handler cannot directly supervise his/her dog the dog must be maintained in a kennel that is secure. Second, the ride in a vehicle is stressful for dogs (cops too) during a typical shift but yes they can sleep but that is not what a PSD should be doing while at work.
Third, the dog is not a family pet. Dogs are lazy. If they receive their social fill so to speak at home with the family they will demonstrate a lower level of intensity in their work with the handler. In one instance I had a handler who complained that his dog was searching poorly and slept in the unit at night. He discovered that while he slept his teens and spouse were entertaining the dog by taking him out and playing fetch and going for walks. He experienced a loss of control over his PSD (since the PSD pretty much ran the show when the famlily members took the dog out to play disciplined bahavior was not enforced) as well as desire to perform the normal tasks. This dog was not a average working PSD. He was intensely driven and after the situation was changed the dog quickly came under excellent control and made a reputation for himself among the regional dog handlers as being THE dog to conduct high risk searches due to his searching intensity and control.
Now, there will always be exceptions to the rule. I curreently have a handler who must crate his dog part of the day. His little malinois will run himself to exhaustion in the kennel and can't sit still in the house. So the dog comes inside and is placed in a large wire crate to force the dog to rest. I bring my PSD into the house during the heat of the day and crate him during the summer.
The PSD should be a social animal and have no problems with being with the family or others while being supervised by its handler. But, work comes first and foremost.
Between 40+ hours at work per week and 8-10 hours of training, plus brushing, cleaning, feeding i spend more time with my dog than I am able to with my children. The PSD's are not lacking for social contact which is where their needs lie. Our needs lie in the structure we provide so that our end goal of a safe productive K-9 team for the community is produced. To do this, we must take a logical approach to their housing and training and never anthropomophise about it.

Well this topic - as has many before it has - gotten pissy because someone dares to have a differing opinion. Rather tiresome because differences make for an interesting education.

I do know PSDs who live in the homes with their handlers. They are sharp on the job & more than effective. These dogs function well and are extremely stable. They aren't toys & they aren't treated as such but neither are they treated like a service weapon who's put away. I can promise you that just because the dog is in his kennel doe NOT mean he is 'resting'. These handlers have been working PSD's for many years without any problems. In fact one of them was a K9 handler who retired. He was handling dogs before I was born.

Maybe there way wouldn't work for you or the guy next to you... but your way is NOT the ONLY way.

Rob,
I don't think anyone said it was for every PSD..if I missed it, ooops on me. As you can see in my post, I said it depends on the dog, handler and living situation. I too know some GREAT PSDs that live in the house. I'm not saying they are "pets" but they do live in the house when not on duty. There are others however that need to be kennelled. Some need it to maintain drive as they wear themselves out, others are destructive others just do better in a kennel. I don't think it is a matter of they MUST, it living in the houses does not IMO make a better bonded, happier PSD.

It also depends on the neighborhood where the dog/handler team lives. Children are intensely drawn to dogs and often do not know how to listen when you tell them not to get near the dog. I used to have a very nice GSD, my mom own's him now, that was turned somewhat mean by children poking at him through the fence, climbing on the fence and throwing things at him. That is also the reason I lean more towards keeping the dog in the house. The last dog I rescued was a terror in the house, tearing up things, etc. -- even in an empty room, she would find something to destroy, but we worked with her and now she is a very nice dog that I am considering for SAR work. So it really does depend on what the dog is used to, whether it stays indoors or outdoors also.

>>>>>Now, there will always be exceptions to the rule. <<<<<<

Rob,
I guess you missed this part of my post. I'm not being "pissy" just a realist.