# Service Dogs at Dog Shows?



## Persinette (Jan 31, 2015)

I know it is generally frowned upon/against ground rules to bring a non-competing dog into a dog show venue (I think this is what I have read?)

Does this rule apply to Service Dogs? I know they generally have public access rights, but not in all venues (i.e. the Zoo can bar them from certain high risk areas, etc.)

Are they allowed? I imagine the reason non-competing dogs are bared is since they can be a distraction/there is no way to guarantee their training, but since Service Dogs are so highly trained I would think it would be a non-issue?


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## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

Service dogs are allowed. A friend shows GSDs and her previous service dog would go to shows with her. He'd wait in the common area in his crate while she was in the ring with the dog she was showing. As long as they're not disruptive, there isn't usually any issue.


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

I go to dog shows all the time that I do not enter. I find people very friendly from the social aspect. Plus there can always be great vender deals to be had. It is just a great place to get your pup social.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

HOBY said:


> I go to dog shows all the time that I do not enter. I find people very friendly from the social aspect. Plus there can always be great vender deals to be had. It is just a great place to get your pup social.



Actually, it is not. A service dog should already be social enough not to react to other dogs in a negative fashion. A service dog should be able to keep its mind on its owner and ignore its surroundings even in a dog show environment, and yes, service dogs should be allowed in a dog show, even if they are not entered. 

But, it is not just a great place to get your pup social. Sorry. Dog classes are a great place to take a pup. Dog shows have tons of dogs and people, half of them nervous and getting ready to go into the ring, who have all paid to enter the show. It is no place for dogs that are not trustworthy around other dogs. It is not a place for puppies to be getting used to other dogs and people -- too many of both, and likely to over-whelm a youngster anyway. If a pup is ready to be entered in a dog show -- six months, then enter the dog and pay your fee. Don't just bring dogs that don't belong to a dog show. 

For one thing, it means, that since most of the premiums say clearly that unentered dogs are not permitted, that some steward will have the unpleasant business of asking you if the dog is entered, and if it is not, asking you to leave. No one wants this confrontation, because it sours people to the sport. But, accidents and incidents happen at dog shows occasionally, and it makes people furious when a dog that really shouldn't be there is involved. There are enough dogs at the show that are entered. Unentered dogs should not be there, save service dogs. 

If you have a service dog. Than you need a service dog. If you need a service dog in the grocery store, then you need a service dog at a dog show. That shouldn't even be a question. Not letting a service dog in some areas of a zoo may be for the benefit of both the animals in the zoo, and the service dog, depending on the type of zoo. I don't know those rules.


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## d4mmo (Mar 27, 2013)

Persinette said:


> I know it is generally frowned upon/against ground rules to bring a non-competing dog into a dog show venue (I think this is what I have read?)
> 
> Are they allowed? I imagine the reason non-competing dogs are bared is since they can be a distraction/there is no way to guarantee their training, but since Service Dogs are so highly trained I would think it would be a non-issue?



where did you get this information?

in my experience is is very false


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

OP sorry I got side tracked a little about specifically service dogs on my first post. I have a friend who served overseas that goes to Dog Shows with her service dog occasionally, never a problem. I have been going to a large indoor/outdoor show in my area for years and I usually not entered. My dogs are at least 6 to 8 months old when I start them going and it continues to old age. Dogs and owners must be well behaved. I have contacted the clubs in the past to see if it is AOK. I never approach the conformation ring or prep area. This show has a large vendor dealer area and there are many people like myself. You can watch agility, obedience and testing. There is a large area outside for walking your dog on leash only. I enjoy this as this is an area where everyone is on the same channel, good conversation and good for a 6-8 month old pup. I have never been asked to leave. I find good people, good dogs, good deals and I will be doing it again soon. Check with the club or clubs that are sponsoring the show and have fun.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Some shows allow unentered dogs, and some don't. If it's not allowed, the kennel club will state it in their premium list. I've never asked the reasoning behind not allowing an unentered dog. I just assume it's a lack of space for crating dogs that aren't being shown. or not wanting spectators dogs in the mix. Russell has been with me to several out of state shows, when I had no one at home to take care of him. He hasn't been shown yet. 

Anyway, a service dog should be a non-issue, and allowed at the show.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yep, it is listed on the premium list. 

But even in the vendor area. The larger the show, the larger the vendor area, but also the larger number of entered dogs. The Christmas classic has thousands of dogs there. And yes, when we are not competing, we will walk through the vendor area to get to other venues or to check out what is offered for sale. 

Once in a vender area, I was at a show that I was entered in, with two youngsters -- 3 or 4 year old children in tow. Some hag needing to get to a conformation ring with her dog, was upset that my niece was not walking fast enough for her, and she chewed me out for having the kid there in the vendor area. 

Another time, a Newfoundland in a vendor area, decided that my dog Heidi did not need to exist and made a lunge at her. I got in between and prevented a problem. I assumed the Newf was entered somewhere and hoped to God it wasn't conformation, because that reaction to another dog for a Newf was just wrong. Bad temperament. Shouldn't be bred. But I would have been ticked off if I found out that dog was just someone's pet and not entered in anything. We have enough issues with 2000+ dogs in a location, that there is just no point in having an incident between a competition dog and a pet. Out in the wider world, we look at every dog with the idea that it may attack our dog, and we ensure that doesn't happen. The expectation at a dog show is that dogs ought to be owned by people who have a clue, and the dogs have reached a level of acceptance of being in the presence of other dogs. You just don't get that with the population as a whole, but these ought to be the elite owners. 

Service dog owners also ought to be elite owners. And yes, they should be there. Leave your pets at home. Take them to classes, and when they are ready, pay your money and enter them, then they do have a right to be there. Until then, go to classes, and matches and run-throughs, go to shows without your dog, it doesn't belong there. 

For owners who have an entered dog and a second dog that is not entered, follow the premium list. If it says no un-entered dogs, don't bring the dog or enter it in something. Even so, people who have a dog entered, ought to be owners who know how to properly manage their dogs at a show and rarely contribute to incidents at shows, whether their other dog is entered or not. I expect a lot of leeway is given so long as the owner of the dog is a competitor.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Too many spectators are clueless when they are at a show. They get in the way, they try to pet dogs without permission, and if they have a dog with them, they rarely watch to see what their dog is doing. I've had to quickly steer my dogs around people standing in the aisles, all the while keeping my dogs looking straight ahead to keep them from making eye contact with another dog. Eye contact is just an invitation to a ruckus. It's a bit of a dance, and when you are really pressed for time, then it gets annoying.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

dogfaeries said:


> Too many spectators are clueless when they are at a show. They get in the way, they try to pet dogs without permission, and if they have a dog with them, they rarely watch to see what their dog is doing. I've had to quickly steer my dogs around people standing in the aisles, all the while keeping my dogs looking straight ahead to keep them from making eye contact with another dog. Eye contact is just an invitation to a ruckus. It's a bit of a dance, and when you are really pressed for time, then it gets annoying.


And some people are plain rude. The girls were not trying to pet her dogs, we did not have the dog with us at that moment, we were not standing in the aisle. 

The thing is, a dog show is for the vast majority a hobby/sport. It is an opportunity for good sportsmanship, fun, helping new people, enjoying the things you really love. If it isn't fun, then find another hobby. If you are so cross that you snap at a couple of pre-schoolers or their aunt in the vendor area, where the kids are doing nothing more than walking at a youngster's pace, then it's time to hang up your show lead and switch your hobby to golf or fishing or poker.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Yes, BUT... dog shows are _filled with professional handlers and their assistants, and showing dogs is their job. 
_
People should be considerate of children. That's a given. But when you are racing back and forth between rings and the grooming site, moving dogs from one place to the other, and the judges are waiting for you to get there with the right dog, well, sometimes you don't have time to be polite. And people are always in the way. I've been frustrated myself with spectators jammed into tiny areas, or blocking the aisles when I'm literally running to a ring, with a loud "excuse me, excuse me, excuse me!", as I navigate the obstacle course of people and dogs. People walk slow. They stop and watch. They get in the way of the ring gates. It's a madhouse at a dog show. I know that sounds bad, but to the professionals, it's not a hobby or a sport. It's a job. And when you inadvertently get in the way, well...

I'm not trying to argue with you, but that's the reality of the dog shows that I've entered.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

We all make choices. I have had dogs in both rally and obedience at the same show, only to have them both at the same time. Or two dogs in the same rally class. I've been in a class of 3, with my dog in the parking lot, falling first, and having to do the walk through, then run outside and get my dog and then back inside to be first in the class, all while waiting for my turn in obedience with the other dog. 

And yet, I did not bark at anyone who got in my way. If we are unable to manage multiple dogs in multiple rings, then we need to rethink what we are doing at the show. Maybe we should stick with one dog or maybe we should enter fewer classes with the dog or dogs we are handling. If we find ourselves barking at people at our job, we need to rethink how we are doing our job. If we are barking at people at our hobby, then we have to rethink our hobby. 

In short, just because we over-extended ourselves in what we entered, we do not have a right to snap at everyone in between. Sorry.


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## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

I love when you are trying to get to ringside and the Lookylous are standing right at the gate you are trying to get in with their untrained dog on a chain or rope, tags a jingling on the collar trying to eat your dog and the pet owner just stands there and says "my dog just wants to play" . Yea sure he does.
As far as kids, when I was showing multiple Shelties,it was hard to be nice to the uncontrolled kids who wanted to pet "lassie" with sticky hands right before ringtime.
A lot of shows are now banning strollers because that puts little ones right at mouth level with some big dogs. I have also seen many banning flexie leashes because while the owners are busy visiting with other folks, their dog is 10 or 15 feet away bothering other dogs, or fighting. I was at one show where a handler had her Borzoi on a flexi leash standing at ringside visiting and her dog went over to my friend and grabbed and killed her Papillion off her lap. 
Unentered dogs are not allowed at most shows "on the show grounds "but most shows have the actual "show area" marked off, usually by ringside and not the vendors. This is why you will see owners/handlers having unentered dogs at their setups,because at many shows the parking area is not considered the "show area".
I think it is getting more and more likely that bringing an unentered dog to the show will result in being asked to leave. The good owners are constantly on watch for their dogs and are not the problem,its the typical pet owner who wants to bring Princess Fluffy Toes to see all the doggies that cause the problems.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Disabled handlers have the right (per the Dept. of Justice, ADA - Title III) to have their Service Dogs with them in any area where the general public is allowed on a dog show grounds. Handlers of a SD must keep their dog under control. If the dog presents a problem like showing any type of aggression such as barking or jumping at other dogs or people, then an official of the show has the right to have the SD handler to remove the dog. The handler once they remove the dog then has the right to return to the show grounds. The handler of any SD must pay for any damages that their dog may cause - if the handler of any of the dogs entered in the show would have to pay for the same damage. 

The handler of the SD is not required to have any specific markings on the dog or show gatekeepers any specific type of ID. Only the same two questions may be asked of the SD handler as in any other location or venue attended by a SD Team under Title III, Public Access.



> When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited
> inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions:
> (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and
> (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform.


http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.pdf


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

wyominggrandma said:


> I love when you are trying to get to ringside and the Lookylous are standing right at the gate you are trying to get in with their untrained dog on a chain or rope, tags a jingling on the collar trying to eat your dog and the pet owner just stands there and says "my dog just wants to play" . Yea sure he does.
> As far as kids, when I was showing multiple Shelties,it was hard to be nice to the uncontrolled kids who wanted to pet "lassie" with sticky hands right before ringtime.
> A lot of shows are now banning strollers because that puts little ones right at mouth level with some big dogs. I have also seen many banning flexie leashes because while the owners are busy visiting with other folks, their dog is 10 or 15 feet away bothering other dogs, or fighting. I was at one show where a handler had her Borzoi on a flexi leash standing at ringside visiting and her dog went over to my friend and grabbed and killed her Papillion off her lap.
> Unentered dogs are not allowed at most shows "on the show grounds "but most shows have the actual "show area" marked off, usually by ringside and not the vendors. This is why you will see owners/handlers having unentered dogs at their setups,because at many shows the parking area is not considered the "show area".
> *I think it is getting more and more likely that bringing an unentered dog to the show will result in being asked to leave. The good owners are constantly on watch for their dogs and are not the problem,its the typical pet owner who wants to bring Princess Fluffy Toes to see all the doggies that cause the problems*.


 The "good owners" are following the rules, and yes, if they have their RV set up and they have their other dog in the RV and properly contained or supervised where that is set up, then yeah that is understandable. Good owners are not breaking rules that they think are unnecessary, or shouldn't apply to them.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

A service dog is not the same as bringing an un-entered dog (which is a pet), a service dog and handler have rights. I used to do a large weekend cluster show and always saw a young man with a medical alert pitbull (no, I didn't ask, the dog wears a harness that says WORKING DOG MEDICAL ALERT DOG). Being a trained service dog, there were absolutely no issues.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Interesting. I just assumed a service dog would have to be allowed, without question.

For what it's worth, I've brought my dog to shows before. I always check with people beforehand to find out if the norm is that unentered dogs are absolutely not allowed, or if it's a more casual club event where everyone brings their dogs. If it's the former, I wouldn't bring her unless I was competing with her. When it's the latter, she just comes and hangs out with me. And yes, she went to events with me when she was little, for socialization.


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