Whenever Caesar & I are out and about, whether Caesar is on or off duty, I often get asked lots of questions. I don't mind this at all, unless I am in a terrible hurry, as it is a free opportunity to educate about the role of an assistance dog. In fact, when we are giving Presentations, we welcome questions from the audience.

However, sometimes, the questions aren't fully thought through, or perhaps come from people who may not be familiar with dog ownership, let alone assistance dog ownership.

By far the most frequently asked questions are, "What's his name?" "How old is he?" and "What does he do for you?". Well, the answers to all three of these questions may be found elsewhere on this site, and here I shall attempt to cover some of the other questions we get asked.

Q. Does Caesar ever get the opportunity to free run and mix with other dogs?
A. Yes, several times a day. We are lucky living on the edge of a large nature reserve, and I have an off-road electric scooter, so Caesar gets to mix with other dogs and run free regularly. Most warmer days he takes a dip or swim in the nearby ponds too.

Q. Is Caesar on duty ALL the time?
A. No, although for the most part he is in my company 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We work, rest and play together.

Q. What do you do if Caesar is ill and cannot work?
A. Good question. After appropriate vetinary attention, I rearrange my schedule to ensure he has the opportunity to rest and recouperate, and provide any follow up treatment necessary. Thankfully, so far, Caesar has had no major illnesses or injuries.

Q. Does he need a lot of grooming?
A. No, not really, but he does need regular grooming. On a daily basis, he is brushed & combed, ears and paws checked, and eyes and teeth cleaned. Once a week I clean his ears and about once a month clip his nails and trim the hair on his paws.

Q. You mentioned you clean his teeth, have you ever mistaken his toothpaste for your own, if so, what's it taste like?
A. *smile* Take it from me, Caesars' poultry flavour toothpaste tastes fowl!!!!!

Q. Does he bite?
A. No, and to the best of my knowledge he has never bitten anybody in his life. Like almost all Golden Retrievers, Caesar has a wonderful temperament and is a happy go lucky, tolerant guy. Biting would not be tolerated in any assistance dog.

Q. Does he get fleas or worms?
A. No. Caesar is regularly treated with Frontline and Drontal to prevent these problems arising.

Q. Do you ever have to force Caesar to work?
A. No. Our partnership is based on respect, love and trust. Again, like almost all Golden Retrievers, Caesar lives to please and love his family. I would never use anything except verbal cues and positive reinforcement to get Caesar to do anything. In fact, he is so eager to please, that when he was off colour last summer, I had to work out ways of stopping him working, and persuade him to rest.

Q. Does Caesar ever meet any other assistance dogs?
A. Yes. Occasionally we happen to be in the same place as someone with a Guide Dog or a Hearing Dog. Also, Caesar meets up with other Dogs for the Disabled dogs at various events throughout the year.

Q. Does Caesar have any toys? If so, what's his favourite?
A. Caesar has lots and lots of toys! He will often amuse himself with them when I am busy. We also have at least one play session every day.
His favourite soft toy is a monkey that squeaks and wails when it is squeezed, closely followed by his croaking mallard duck.
Outdoors he loves to play with Kongs, tennis balls and frisbees.

Q. Do you ever train him to do new things?
A. Yes. Occasionally, I develop a new need or think of a way Caesar can help me further, and after advice from his Dogs for the Disabled trainer, I teach him. We use clicker training.

Q. What is clicker training?
A. Clicker Training is a great way to build communication with your dog, because it focuses on letting your dog know precisely what it is you want him to do. Unlike some training methods which focus on correcting behaviors not desired, clicker training involves training a dog (or other animals) using rewards and non-rewards. The clicker produces a sound that is able to mark (the clicker) the exact time that a behavior is performed and it's sound and response is much quicker than the human voice. Because the achieving the desired response is such a positive experience in communicating with your dog, through marking the desired response (the clicker) and rewarding that response, both canines and humans alike have fun while training! Clicker training is a proven effective training method, as well as a having the capacity to build and repair relationships.

Q. Do you ever experience any trouble with trains, taxis, hotels, shops, pubs or restaurants refusing Caesar access?
A. Another good question. Generally speaking, no. As Caesar is a registered assistance dog he is allowed access almost anywhere. Occasionally, I get asked if he is registered, and am happy to show his I.D. card if necessary. Of course, there are times when it is unsuitable for Caesar to accompany me, for example, some shows and concerts I attend would be too loud for him. See our London by Night page for details of how we cope with this.

Any other questions? Please E-mail us and ask!