A 100% Perfect Service Dog Doesnt Exist

Posted on May 31, 2008
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations, Jasper | Leave a Comment

today i went to the assistant dog club of puget sounds yearly conference.  although i had never been to one of their meetings and was not a member i was able to partake in the 8 hours of classes and discussions.  what i found most intreguging was that some of the dogs there acted exactly like jasper does i.e. not a 100% perfect service dog.  i give myself a very hard time whenever he does something a service dog isnt supposed to do (for example pay attention to other dogs rather than me).  now that i know others have had the same experience with their rescues i dont feel so bad.

one of the best parts of the conference was the seminar on how to pick out a good service dog candidate from the humane society.  the handout will be very useful when it comes time to start my non profit training service dogs for psychological disabilities.  i am still debating on raising vs rescuing but after today i am leaning towards rescue due to the statistics presented at the conference.

Yet Another One

Posted on May 29, 2008
Filed Under Mistakes | Leave a Comment

today i made a mistake with liames training.  one of my coworkers had brought in his 8 lb dog and i allowed liame to interact with it while he had his vest on.  i placed him in a sit, waited until i had his complete attention and then told him “OK go play” exactly like i had told to do in my puppy intermediate class.  unfortunately what i forgot was that in class liame doesnt have his vest on and is free to be a normal dog.  when he is “working”, he is not supposed to interact with other dogs.  i let my love and excitement for other dogs override my thinking brain and let them sniff each other.  it took me a few minutes before i realized what was happening before i pulled liame away from the other dog, scolding myself as i walked down the hall.  i know this experience wont harm liame in the long run but i wanted readers to realize how easy it is to slip into normal dog mode when distracted.

New Experiences

Posted on May 25, 2008
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today we did a ton of new things.  neil and i took the water taxi over to pike place market and had breakfast.  here are the new adventures in service dog training we had that day.  i came prepared with my treat pouch and several pieces of string cheese.

first time on a boat - which really didnt mean to much to liame since he couldnt see out the windows

first time on a grate - it was really scary for me and even worse for liame because it was at least 40 feet over the water and very textured. but instead of slowly trying to coax him onto it i just ran for it.  he didnt know what was happening until he was about 1/4 of the way down it.    he quickly starting becoming timid but bringing out the string cheese really helped since he no longer was looking down and instead was focused on the string cheese.

first time on a dock - the dock was swaying back and forth and was tough for me to walk on. liame however didnt seem to mind it that much

Monthly Bath

Posted on May 20, 2008
Filed Under Things That Make Me Smile, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

this evening we took our monthly bath. most people dont wash their dogs but once a year but because liame and jasper are service dogs they must appear clean and well groomed. if you plan on having a service dog, especially in the rainy northwest, plan to wash your dog at least once a month. smelly and dirty service dogs tarnish the reputation of those of us who dont have traditionally trained service animals.
i know its at least 2 hours out of your day but try to think of it as bonding time. massage your dog while you scrub that soap into him. i know jasper loves it when i scrub the top of his back because he will lean into me and communicate in doggie body language saying “more momma more!”. give him a bit of a medical exam while you have your hands on him. take a look at all areas of his body making sure he has no sores or unusual lumps or bumps, that his ears are clean, that his eyes dont have a discharge and that his nails are kept short.
despite bath time being hard on my back i really do enjoy giving my guys their monthly rub down. and speaking of back problems, if you do have back pain, go to a self serve dog wash. my self serve dog wash has raised tubs, soap, ear cleaner, towels, aprons and a dryer. i love the self serve dog wash because i dont have to clean all the hair up, wash the towels, painfully bend over a squirming dog or clog my drains. its so worth the $20.

Stop That Biting Already!

Posted on May 19, 2008
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liame went to puppy class again today. after warning one of the visitors that liame bites at the treats i give him and i havent been able to stop him of this they gave me a great suggestion that seems to have worked. here is what i have already tried:
yelping when he nips me
giving a treat between my index finger and the palm of my hand so that he has to lick it off
neither of these techniques worked for my hungry lab. the girl said she read this tip in one of the monks of new skete books. the momma dog will grab the gingival tissue of the puppy if it bites to hard. i tried this with liame 3 times and he quite biting me right away. holy crap. maybe i should re read those monks books now that i have the puppy. im sure i will pick up different tips now that i have been raising a puppy vs the last time i read it while i was preparing to raise a puppy.

The Limp

Posted on May 14, 2008
Filed Under Mistakes | Leave a Comment

liame has been dealing with a soft tissue injury for well over a month now (yes, we had it xrayed just incase). i dont know exactly how he got it but i blame myself for it. in all honesty i think it was from me jerking his head around while he had his gentle leader on. sometimes i got so frustrated with him pulling me down the street and not paying attention to me that i would practically yank his entire front half of his body back into position beside me. up until a few weeks ago, i didnt realize that you were not supposed to “yank and crank” the leash when a dog is wearing a gentle leader (or halti) because it can cause injury. i stopped doing it after i heard it but it seems like every time i put the gentle leader on and gently guide him into position, it once again aggravates his injury and im left with a limping puppy.

Puppy Junior High

Posted on May 7, 2008
Filed Under Class, Firsts, Mistakes, Things That Make Me Smile | Leave a Comment

liame went to his first puppy junior high class today and was the star pupil. he sat on his mat like he was supposed to, didnt try to play with the other dogs too much and payed attention to me. looks like he is finally learning some self control. i didnt like this teacher as much as i do the puppy kindergarten one. she seems more strict and unwilling to use other teaching methods (that arent 100% positive). not everyone can be positive 100% of the time and not every puppy can be taught using these methods.
i remember when i first got liame and he tried to get push his little puppy head into the fridge EVERY time i opened it up. no matter what positive reinforcement i used he ignored it because he just liked the fridge too much. i ended up screaming at him and even took a swipe at him in utter frustration - something i will regret for the rest of my life. that didnt even work (cuz it wasent that hard and mommy getting mad didnt mean a thing to him at that point). i ended up searching the web for something to use that would get his attention. i used a squirt bottle filled with water. within three trys and three squirts he never stuck his head in the fridge again. so the moral of the story is 100% positive reinforcement 100% of the time is great for some puppys, but not all of them.

Firsts On Our First Airplane Trip

Posted on May 3, 2008
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1sts on our trip
leave alone with a stranger
leaving out of crate in strange environment
spinning automatic doors
fast moving glass elevator (very scary)
slippery floor
being unable to fit completely out of sight under a table in a dining situation
intro to small toddlers
walking long distance to go the the bathroom
squishing inside airplane bathroom
flying
sleeping in a fabric crate
strange sleeping surroundings
getting bathed in a hotel
first movie theater
in a car without a crate
being without his brother
riding a train
riding a bus