Automated Car Washes - A Training Opportunity

Posted on July 29, 2008
Filed Under Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

went to the costco car wash yesterday with liame in the car, although he didnt get freaked out too much, i sure did. i didnt occur to me to take him early on in those crucial developmental first weeks but i would suggest that you take your dog through the car wash with you and allow him to experience brushes coming at him fully knowing that they wont really hurt him. give him treats and lavish him with praise. make it the fun for him. im sure he will have to go through the car wash once or twice in his life and you dont want a panting drooling dog trying to crawl its way out of your car while you are stuck on a conveyer belt.

A Photo Show

Posted on July 26, 2008
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i apologize in advance for ignoring this blog for the next couple of days. i am having a photo show in a coffee shop in west seattle and its really cutting into my spare time.

A More Confident Puppy

Posted on July 23, 2008
Filed Under Class, Firsts, Things That Make Me Smile, Todays Mood | Leave a Comment

we skipped the last canine good citizen class tonight due to the fact that i was really really really sick. he was supposed to take the cgc test today but heh, its not like he was going to pass it anyway - the little guy cant be alone without me for more than 30 seconds without freaking out. he did something very interesting today too. while i was in the bathroom at work someone knocked on the door and he sprang up into the air and started alert barking. i cant tell if he learned this behavior on his own or has learned it from jasper. alarm barking means that my baby is growing up and feeling more confident in himself. awe, theres part of me that wants him to stay the cute little fuzzy puppy he was, but then theres part of me that is so tired of pulling garbage out of his little puppy mouth.

This Is A Test, Only A Test

Posted on July 21, 2008
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we went out for lunch today and stopped off at a store where there were 2 company dogs. the owner was taking them out for their potty break and we encountered them inside the store. they were barking and pulling on their leashes trying to get to liame. i place liame in a sit and he watched as they walked around him barking and pulling and pulling and barking. it was an amazing site to see. after the owner brought them in and put them away she said that she felt embarrassed about how they acted. i told them not to worry about it and that it was a great training opportunity for liame. you cant expect perfection out of dogs that havent been properly socialized and worked on a continual and intense basis since puppyhood.

More Details About The Diagnosis

Posted on July 18, 2008
Filed Under Care, Things That Make Me Want To Cry | Leave a Comment

apparently there is sclerotic bone on the MCP and a step (where the coronoid process is higher than normal). the doctor recommended rest, low impact exercise (swimming), keeping giving him the glucosamine chondroitin i currently have him on and to keep him slim. i asked about flax seed oils and he said it sounded OK. im thinking i might give him coconut oil too because it has been shown to reduce inflammation. infact i am thinking about changing his entire diet to a raw only diet. ive heard that in general they are very good for dogs but know nothing about how it might affect his FCP. this is the raw diet i will be feeding him

Weve Been Dealt A Devastating Blow

Posted on July 17, 2008
Filed Under Care, Mistakes, Things That Make Me Want To Cry | Leave a Comment

weve been dealt a devastating blow. quote from the note the doctor says “his elbow films are suggestive of some mild elbow dysplasia.” personally i wouldnt call limping after a 15 minute walk “mild,” the doctor didnt have time to talk with me about the diagnosis and a treatment plan because he had to head into surgery but from what i could get out of the nurse the type of dysplasia was FCP (fragmented medial coronoid process). i spent a good hour in the car crying yesterday.

Going To See The Specialist

Posted on July 15, 2008
Filed Under Care, Clubs And Organizations, Things That Make Me Want To Cry, Todays Mood | Leave a Comment

tomorrow i take liame in to be evaluated by a specialist about his leg. he is still limping on despite large bouts of rest and crating. it seems to act up after exercise and when first rising. he will limp for a few seconds and then be back to his old puppy self jumping at jasper, play bowing and leaping down the stairs. his foot turns out like a duck, which i hear isnt a good sign. i was going to go back to my vet to get evaluated and then go to a specialist but decided to head straight for the specialist. i didnt want to have to put liame out for 2 sets of xrays because my normal vet didnt get the right angle needed or have to put him out for xrays at the normal vet and then mris at the specialist. since i am not dealing with insurance i might as well go right to the head honcho who can tell me what is going on immediately. i hear the service dog club i am interested in joining wont certify dogs with hip or elbow problems. man, thats going to really suck if i cant get the paperwork to certify my little guy. i want liame to be official with real licensed paperwork. ive sort of been having anxiety attacks over this entire situation (money for the surgery, not getting official paperwork and the possibility i wont get 10 good years out of this guy). im trying to tell myself that its all going to work out OK, but each time i see him set down with his paw turned out i get another reminder about the reality of the situation i am about to get myself into. im in love with this guy and i hope they can do something for him.

Breeds Of Dogs And Discrimination

Posted on July 12, 2008
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations, Mistakes, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment


this is a photo of my first dog, Penny. she was a pure bred german shepherd.

in order for us to attend the party on wednesday we had to skip our canine good citizen class at the humane society. i originally felt bad about it but once at the party, as explained in the previous posting, i used the time to train him to accept the petting of strangers and ignore other dogs while his vest was on.

i also skipped the puget sound assistance dog clubs service dog certification meeting today because i was told by the group that i didnt have access rights to the mall they were testing in. this kind of pissed me off a bit even though it was true. some of the members of the group have been refused rights to access places because of the fact that they dont appear disabled. to tell you the truth, i have never ever, ever, EVER been denied access with liame or jasper. i think part of it has to do with the fact that they are always wearing their vests and they fit the stereotypical description of a service dog (ie labrador retriever). i bet that the members of the group that were denied access did not have a lab. this is important point for all of you out there to remember: if you want as little hassle as possible get a labrador retriever or golden retriever. with these breeds of dogs you will encounter alot less discrimination than someone with a boxer or a mutt. i know its unfortunate situation that there are people out there that discriminate based on breed, but you all need to be aware of the fact that it DOES happen. if you do happen to have a non stereotypical breed for your service dog, you need to be even more prepared to prove that your dog is an official service dog than someone with a lab or a golden. and one more important point about the breed of the dog, if you do happen to choose to go with a non stereotypical breed of service dog, make sure your breed has a reputation as being a friendly breed. the point of having these dogs is to force you to interact with people on a daily basis, not scare them away with your german shepherd or pit bull. please dont spam me with your comments about how german shepherds and pit bulls are good dogs, because i am already aware of it, my first dog was the smartest german shepherd anyone ever knew, never harmed a soul and yet everyone was terrified of her.

An Opportunity For Training

Posted on July 9, 2008
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations, Firsts, Major Steps, Mistakes, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

photo taken at the citydog magazine party at the W hotel in seattle.  photo copyright citydog magazine 2008. 

i think i can safely say we are potty trained.  its been over 3 weeks since the last accident in the house.  the only reason he last incident happened anyway was that the poor guys bladder was so full he started dribbling on the floor.  i didnt think this day would ever arrive.

we went to the city dog magazine bday party this evening at the W hotel.  after initially taking off his vest so that he could mingle with the other dogs i came to the conclusion that this was a great opportunity for him to be around other dogs with his vest on and learn that he has to ignore them.  he did surprisingly well. however, since i need to proof this behavior i should really try to go to more places where he will be more likely to meet other dogs with his vest on.  currently we normally dont encountering dogs in our daily routine.  

an unfortunate issue we did have at the party was that the tables at the hotel were at shin height so liame decided that it was at perfect buffet table height.  oh boy was that embarrassing, thank god he is still wearing his “in training” patch.

i have been allowing liame to jump up and put his paws in my lap and lick my face while at home.  it didnt occur to me to train for this behavior because he offers it on his own all the time.  this behavior came in handy at the party when i got overwhelmed with all the people there.  although i dont think that liame was at all picking up on my mood, all on his own he put his front paws on my lap and try to lick me in the face, something he hasent done outside of my home before.  it was kind of nice to have him want to get my attention even when surrounded by food and other dogs.  i think i will mold this behavior into a service for him since it gets me out of the moment of what i might be experiencing (say for instance anxiety) and back into the real world.

Dont Take Your Service Dog In Training To The Dog Park!

Posted on July 7, 2008
Filed Under Care, Firsts, Jasper, Mistakes, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

i took liame and jasper to the dog park on friday. i made the tactical decision to go to westcrest insead of the unfenced doggie heaven known as marymoore since it was liames first time at a dog park and i wasent 100% positive he would return when called. normally i would not take liame to a dog park because he is training for service work but this was a exception to the rule because i had to make sure he got plenty of exercise and was calm for the night of the 4th. the ONLY reason why i felt it was OK for me to take him was that i am learning doggie body language through classes and reading, i knew what path to take him down so that his contact with other dogs was minimal and knew that the dog park would be relatively empty at the time i went.

if you are trying to train your dog to be a service dog, DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOG TO THE DOG PARK! unlike in a structured puppy play class there is no one there to supervise the interactions your dog has with others. you dont want to ruin your dog for the rest of his or her life by one single dog fight. i have heard of several different guide dogs being taken out of service because they got attacked by another dog at some point in their career and were now too afraid of other dogs to do their jobs properly. none of the guide dog/service dog schools allow you to take their puppys to dog parks for this exact reason. social interaction is crucial for a puppy, but unsupervised social interaction has the possibility of ruining your dog for the rest of its life. all of the problem dogs in the puppy classes i attended were dogs that went to doggie daycares and dog parks. no one wants to go to a dog park more than me but i cant risk my future for a couple of minutes of doggie playtime pleasure. to highlight this point even further, jasper almost got into a fight that day at the park.

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