Lesson Learned

While I was at Nationals, I had a good reminder of why it is bad to let Morey develop bad habits, even if they are habits I personally don't really mind. Morey loves to get his butt scratched. When someone starts scratching him he will lean up against their legs and push into them, showing obvious enjoyment. When he does this to someone in a chair he will sometimes push them backward. If you tell him "settle" he will, but it's not something I mind so I have allowed him to practice that behavior.

At Nationals, one of the directors of the tournament had recently had knee surgery. As she was petting Morey he began to lean in on her-not a good situation for her. He was not responsive to my "settle" command and I put him into a sit so he would stop leaning against her injured leg. I realized that while letting Morey lean and push against people may be harmless most of the time, it is not a good habit to encourage. In the future I will be more strict about having him stand on his own four feet or be in a "sit" position before he gets petted. As a service dog who interacts with a variety of people, I need to make sure his behavior is socially acceptable. Even if I personally don't mind a behavior, I need to remember that other people might not enjoy it.