I'm just curious and wondering: if one owns a PP dog and takes it to the park for example, will the PP dog go and play with other dogs? Or would it stay close to the owner - unless instructed otherwise? Would it always be watching the owner to ward off any potential threat, or will a PP dog relax totally at times when out and about?

Just interested, thanks for any answers

__________________
Happy K-9 Dog Boarding
- all breeds and sizes welcome

http://www.happyk9.co.uk

Is that a new breed of dog? Never heard of em.....

__________________
Never argue with an idiot. They will reduce you down to their level and then beat you with experience.

I believe that, similar to Guide Dogs, they would be 'on duty' when out and about and so would sit with the owner.

Interesting question, though.

The short answer is, I think it depends on how they are trained and what the owner wants the dog to do.

__________________
Fere libenter hormines id quod volunt credunt

This.
The way the dog is trained definitely matters. But also, some dogs are just naturally more checked in to their people than others - you can affect this to an extent with training, but much of it is instinctual and innate.

I'm not a fan of dogs in ANY job not having down time and an "off" button so-to-speak. Dogs understand context very well, and they can often very seamlessly transition from "on duty" to "off" if they've been trained using the front part of their brains

The guide dogs I've known weren't always on duty while out. One was a regular on the field when I had Shadow and Wolf. The owner would remove the harness and the dog was off duty and free to behave like any other dog.

I would hope the same sort of thing would hold true for a PP dog. Being "on duty" all the time would be very tiring and not much fun I would think.

I think most would depend on training. OK not a personal protection dog but I knew a rottie a long time ago who was on guard while on a chain (nobody could/would go near hime except his owner). Off chain he was a soppy big thing as he was off duty and liked nothing better than a tummy rub.

__________________

Our major.. Slightly different.. well he joined the police..

He would go for normal walks and be let off.. (i have some funny stories about this and his training) And he would be treated like any other dog..
If he came to visit.. he sat quiet by his Master.. And Id be told I can come over for a cuddle..

__________________

Off duty police dogs behave like 'normal' dogs