Service Dog won't go on rides

[kymmyk13]

We went to Disneyland last month and my daughter's service dog went on one ride and then refused to go on any others. When we tried to get him to go on them he would lay down and would not even let us pick him up. Has anyone had this problem before and have any suggestions. We go to Disney World in November and don't know how to handle the rides that don't have rider swap.

 

[2Lunds]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/service-animals/

"Due to the nature of some attractions, service animals may not be permitted to ride. At these locations, please ask a Cast Member about available options, including Rider Switch with a member of your party or a portable kennel."

More details, and a pick of the setup (towards the bottom of the article) here: https://mickeyblog.com/2021/03/26/ultimate-guide-to-service-dogs-at-walt-disney-world/

 

[kymmyk13]

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/guest-services/service-animals/

"Due to the nature of some attractions, service animals may not be permitted to ride. At these locations, please ask a Cast Member about available options, including Rider Switch with a member of your party or a portable kennel."

More details, and a pick of the setup (towards the bottom of the article) here: https://mickeyblog.com/2021/03/26/ultimate-guide-to-service-dogs-at-walt-disney-world/

the problem we ran into were the rides he was allowed to ride. some let us do ride swap and some would not

 

[2Lunds]

the problem we ran into were the rides he was allowed to ride. some let us do ride swap and some would not

Perhaps you can email guest services and ask for a list of rider-swappable attractions in advance?

 

[2Lunds]

Perhaps you can email guest services and ask for a list of rider-swappable attractions in advance?

Or, maybe you could work on training him to be more accepting of the rides? Teach him to get on and off a flatbed wheeler for example, or hop into a wagon voluntarily, to simulate the experience?

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

How many people are in your party? Do you use DAS? If so many be group 1 could go through the standby line while group 2 (with your daughter) waits out the DAS time. Once group 1 exits they can take the service dog while group 2 rides using DAS. It would be a little slower than normal but not too bad if DAS simulates standby wait times but standby wait times are inflated.

If you are not a DAS family maybe everyone lines up in standby or the LL together, but once you get to the front explain to the CM that you will be riding separately to accommodate the service dog. One party waits at the front while the other rides, then swap the dog out and let everyone else ride.

 

[Mokat76]

Let the dog be a dog while you adapt a bit to his needs. Treat him the same as you would a child who’s terrified of a ride. Someone will need to be the adult in the room and respect her dog has some boundaries. Maybe you’ll miss a ride or two, but please don’t force the dog to do things he’s clearly afraid of. It’s helping neither your child nor the service dog.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I have seen people do this with kids who are too big to get a rider swap but don’t want to ride. Presumably the CMs could do the same with a dog if needed.

 

[Fitzwoman27]

Consult service dog trainer. You will probably have to do some training to make it an acceptable experience for the dog. Maybe bring treats that have substantial reward for dog and treAt while on it. Or it is possible that the dog does not feel it is safe for his charge and against his training. IE if ride warning says not suitable for people with blood pressure or heart problems and dog is trained to predict events, dog senses danger before you.

 

[Simba's Mom]

At first I was really surprised, thinking that service dogs would do whatever you wanted them to do. But then I realized that there are certain rides I refuse to go on (like Mission Space and Expedition Everest). So if a person can refuse, why can't a dog? And I can't think of anything that would change my mind.

 

[kymmyk13]

We do utilize the DAS, which helps. While we were at DisneyLand I contacted the organization we got him from and they just said some dogs wont ride them. I was just wondering if anyone has had personal experience because I am so curious as to why he was refusing. My daughter has Autism.

 

[Pooh bear 39]

Most likely is experiening some motion sickness. I would not force him to go on rides. If there is no other option, someone will probably have to sit out the ride.

 

[2Lunds]

We do utilize the DAS, which helps. While we were at DisneyLand I contacted the organization we got him from and they just said some dogs wont ride them. I was just wondering if anyone has had personal experience because I am so curious as to why he was refusing. My daughter has Autism.

I don't have experience with service dogs per se, but having trained a couple of regular dogs, it sounds like he was confident enough for a novel situation like a ride, but he had a bad experience (for whatever reason) and balked.

You should try slowly exposing him to things that replicate those experiences - the carwash for dark/noisy interiors, riding in a shopping cart or wagon for unstable ride vehicles, climbing into and out of small spaces to simulate getting onto rides etc...

 

[SueM in MN]

This is a link to the WDW website information about Service Animals. The ones listed as ‘Service Dogs not permitted’ would have kennels or Rider Swap. The ones listed as ‘with caution’ should be able to make some allowance for a non-riding dog, but it probably varies from attraction to attraction.

This is a link to the WDW Rider Switch information. If someone in your group is using DAS, they would need to be in the first group to ride.

 

[lanejudy]

I was just wondering if anyone has had personal experience because I am so curious as to why he was refusing.

No personal experience, but dogs are kind of like people -- some like rides and some don't. Maybe it upset his tummy or made his head dizzy or was too much stimulation that he couldn't do his "work." I would give some consideration to this last possibility -- think about what the dog is trained to do for your daughter and is the ride creating an environment where he can't do that? Like if he's trained to calm her but the ride excites her (intentionally), the dog may be confused and unable to understand what is his job at that moment.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I don't have experience with service dogs per se, but having trained a couple of regular dogs, it sounds like he was confident enough for a novel situation like a ride, but he had a bad experience (for whatever reason) and balked.

You should try slowly exposing him to things that replicate those experiences - the carwash for dark/noisy interiors, riding in a shopping cart or wagon for unstable ride vehicles, climbing into and out of small spaces to simulate getting onto rides etc...

Or accept that he doesn't like rides and respect that. While I agree it may be inconvenient, bottom line is that time spent in a theme park and on rides is probably just a fraction of the time he spends "working".

 

[Skippyboo]

I am curious about what ride did the dog get on?

 

[2Lunds]

Or accept that he doesn't like rides and respect that. While I agree it may be inconvenient, bottom line is that time spent in a theme park and on rides is probably just a fraction of the time he spends "working".

While I don't disagree with that, anything you can do to familiarize your dog (particularly a service dog) with new environments will benefit them down the line.

 

[cobright]

At first I was really surprised, thinking that service dogs would do whatever you wanted them to do. But then I realized that there are certain rides I refuse to go on (like Mission Space and Expedition Everest). So if a person can refuse, why can't a dog? And I can't think of anything that would change my mind.

Having volunteered at the leader dog training facility in Michigan here for my high school years this is the mentality we focused on removing from our dog recipients. It ruins a service dog to teach them that they get to choose when they do and don’t support their disabled human.

Imagine a seeing eye dog deciding that there are just some intersections it doesn’t like crossing.

 

[bambialways4ever]

At first I was really surprised, thinking that service dogs would do whatever you wanted them to do. But then I realized that there are certain rides I refuse to go on (like Mission Space and Expedition Everest). So if a person can refuse, why can't a dog? And I can't think of anything that would change my mind.

People often forget service dogs are... still dogs. They get mildly ill and need to take days off to recover. They can still get anxious of loud noises. They still need sleep and food and play time.

The services they provide are amazing, and they are fantastic tools for their handlers, but just like how a doctor doesn't work 24 hours a day every day, neither do service animals!