Since we were already living in Florida when Mouse came into our lives, visiting Disney parks is ‘just another day’ for her. On her very first visit she was only about 6 months old. Within the first hour of entering, late in the day for a special ticketed event, she had already met multiple characters and experienced her first fireworks show.
Not all service dogs have the same experience. Some of the preparation work that we did with Mouse before that first visit was a direct result of prior experiences.
My first service dog, Tally, HATED Disney. Our ‘vacation’ was her worst nightmare. Problems that we encountered as a result of several trips with her to Disney eventually progressed into issues outside of the parks. We had to retire her early.
Please, always be aware of the mental state of your service dog when in any new environment. If you have any time before your trip, try to work with your trainer to address some of my original mistakes. Some of these issues require ‘finesse’ to acclimatize your dog without traumatizing them.
If you have any concerns that your dog may become overly stressed or aggressive when placed in this kind of situation, wait to visit the parks until those problems have been addressed. Not every service dog is cut out for theme parks, even ‘program’ dogs can have difficulty.
Depending on the task your service dog does, and your dependence on them, some handlers choose to leave their service dog home for their trip.
5 Mistakes I made with my first service dog
Mistake #1 – Fireworks
When I had Tally, we did not live in Florida. Our Disney trips consisted of 1 or 2 weeks each year. At home, we lived in a quiet, nearly rural, suburban neighborhood. Because of our distance from the city center, we rarely encountered fireworks around the 4th of July, let alone any other time of the year. On her very first trip to Disney we stayed at Disney’s Polynesian resort, with a lakeside view. Even if we were not in the park, we had a fantastic view of the fireworks each and every night. Tally had not been properly acclimatized to loud noises and now she was being forced to endure it nightly.
Acclimatizing your dog to loud noises can be difficult and takes finesse. If not done properly you can make the problem worse. This was the biggest issue that resulted in Tally’s retirement. I strongly advise working directly with a trainer, but these are a couple of things that we did with Mouse.
Drop things and then offer a treat. Pop bubble wrap, and eventually packing pillows, right before feeding. If you live in an area where fireworks are regularly available, purchase ‘poppers’ that you throw on the ground. The ‘party poppers’ that throw confetti or streamers are also useful. If you have a child, and can stand the noise, provide them with little drums and other loud toys. Download thunder sounds and play it loudly; raise the bass if possible.
This entire process should be a ‘puppy party’, get excited. Praise the dog profusely. Provide high motivation treats or toys, everything that will connect this process with a strong positive experience.
Most dogs will react with a little fear initially, BUT if your pup is still generally afraid of loud noises the fireworks are the least of your concerns. Disney parks have shows with smaller fireworks scattered throughout the day. Avoiding fireworks and other loud noises will be impossible. A theme park is just a bad idea.
Mistake #2 – Characters
Your service dog may think Donald Duck is a monster!
Everyone I know has probably seen the picture above with Tally and Donald Duck. This was not her first trip, or her first character. What had not occurred to us, before this moment, was that all of the other characters had been human, Mary Poppins, Princesses, and the sort.
A giant duck, mouse, or dog is a completely different class of character.
This is a difficult thing to prepare for ahead of time. While there are a few locations outside of a theme park where you can encounter such characters, they are harder to find. Visit Santa and the Easter Bunny. If you are able, visit Sci-Fi or Comic conventions, places where people dress up in unusual costumes.
If you are not able to prepare in advance, start with a more relaxed meet and greet. In this instance, we were posing for the picture before a character meal. It was set up for a quick picture and then to quickly move on to the next group. Many meet and greets, and the character meals where they visit you at the table, usually allow for more time to talk to the character. Be gentle and allow your service dog to approach on their own. While a character’s ‘mood’ may be a little different with each encounter, generally they love meeting their furry friends and are very gentle.
Mistake #3 – Parades
Parades offer another unusual environment. Multiple things are going on at once. There are large floats, characters, crowds, and a lot of noise. Even if your service dog has met characters in another environment, it may make them nervous if approached during a parade.
My most memorable parade with poor Tally has to be the Main Street Electrical Parade, an event that is no longer offered at Walt Disney World. Tally loved lights and was fascinated for most of the parade …. Until Pete’s Dragon. We had a viewing location just past a turn in the parade route. Pete’s Dragon, like most parade floats, was larger than life. His head moved from side to side and he periodically blew smoke out of his snout. As the dragon came around the corner he essentially turned and looked directly at Tally, blowing smoke in her face.
Despite all of her training and the fact that she was generally a calm dog, she decided “that was it” and backed out of her collar ready to bolt. Fortunately, my husband was behind us and was able to grab her.
Mental note: Even when you do not think you will need it, a body harness or a martingale collar is never a bad idea.
Magic Kingdom’s current daytime parade, Festival of Fantasy, has a large Maleficent dragon that breathes actual fire. She poses a remarkably similar concern for nervous dogs as Pete’s Dragon did for Tally.
Mistake #4 – Shows
Handicapped seating for many theater shows is right up front. While this can be great for the viewers, it may also be difficult for your service dog. For example, Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom has fog effects, dancers, and acrobats, all within very close proximity to the front row. The morning immediately following Tally’s Pete’s Dragon encounter we entered this show thinking it would be a calm way to ease back into a park. We had to leave the show early because she kept backing up under the bench seats and into the row behind her. Fortunately, this was our last day of the trip. We decided we were all tired, left the park, and went back to our room for a nap.
Previously, Tally had not had an issue with other shows. It is possible that the Pete’s Dragon encounter the night before was the main trigger for this problem. However, the first time Mouse viewed the same Festival of the Lion King show she was also somewhat taken aback by the fog effects and a dancer on stilts that got just a little bit too close. If you think your service dog may have difficulty, ask to sit further back. Unless you are in a scooter or wheelchair, and are unable to transfer, there is no reason why your dog cannot accompany you in different seating.
Certain shows have 4D effects which can be an issue. While some will have no more effect on a service dog than a regular movie theater, others may have special floor level features that can scare or even injure your dog. Most cast members are great at answering questions and something like this they will likely be aware of; but remember, they may not always view an attraction from a ‘dog level’ perspective.
Mistake #5 – Rides
Always ask a cast member ahead of time about details of the rides. These can be a combination of every dog trigger. Movement of all kinds, loud noises, strange smells, darkness, flashing lights, etc. If your dog has a trigger, one or more of the rides may trigger them. If they do not have a trigger, the combination may still trigger them.
A dog I know had trouble with Pirates of the Caribbean. The darkness, with a sudden drop, followed by the character’s yelling [at her]. One of these events and she would not be troubled but with everything, in combination, she gets nervous and upset. Another example is Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios. The cars turn quickly and there is little for a dog to hold onto.
Just because it is possible for a service dog to ride does not mean that YOUR dog will be OK with it.
Again, stay aware of your pup’s mental and physical health. The crowds, noise, smells, and distractions are a LOT at once. Leave if your dog is hurt, overheated, stressed, or frightened. Tickets are expensive, and I have seen several service dogs pushed too far by the end of a day at Disney.
The money lost on your ticket is nothing compared to the time and money you have invested in training your service dog. Do not ‘break’ your dog trying to do too much. You do not want to be forced to retire them early like I did Tally.
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