Flat Collars Blow - At Least For Those Of Us With Back Problems

Posted on February 25, 2009
Filed Under Mistakes, Things That Make Me Want To Cry, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

i tried training liame using his flat collar. friends… i really did try but the little knuckle head is so powerful that he really hurts my back when he pulls on his leash. so instead of using the gentle leader head halter we have switched to the gentle leader harness. i made the switch because i am tired of getting approached on the street and getting asked why my dog is wearing a muzzle. it shows you just exactly how clueless the general public is even in seattle when something wraps around the top of the pivot point of a dogs mouth and they are still asking you if its a muzzle. anyway, the gentle leader harness is perfect. it fits under his vest and people never know he has it on. i know in order to be able to pass the service dog exam he has to be able to walk on a flat collar but at this point my back cant take his enthusiasm and his desire to explore everything while my eyes are on something else.

Renewed Sense Of Optimism

Posted on February 17, 2009
Filed Under Things That Make Me Smile, Tips and Tricks, Todays Mood | Leave a Comment

yesterday as i was going through my email i accidentally stumbled upon an email from 2001 responding to a job posting for a assistant training position for paws with a cause. it gave me a renewed sense of optimism that i really am doing what i am supposed to be doing. sometimes i feel very overwhelmed with the idea of opening up a non profit training program and that there is so much to do and never enough time to do it.
in liame raising news it appears that the hours and hours of time we have spent trying to get liame to look at me when he sees food on the floor is starting to pay off. i am now getting this behavior in the grocery store and have started expanding the behavior into just paying him treats for him randomly looking up at me and watching me. it is creating a wonderfully attentive dog when i am paying for the behavior but he goes back to his old self once i am distracted. i really need to learn how to fade out rewards properly or else im going to be stuck walking around with my training belt full of food for the rest of my life!

Yes, I Frequently Give Commands To Random Strangers

Posted on February 13, 2009
Filed Under Mitigating Symptoms, Service Dog Laws, Things That Make Me Smile, Things That Make Me Want To Cry, Todays Mood | Leave a Comment

today i stopped off at home depot and got a few things for the fountain i am making for the back yard. after picking up some office supplies at the office store i dropped into the starbucks world headquarters and had lunch in their cafeteria. liame brought a lot of attention to us and it seems like every single second that i am in a publi place i am not focusing on the moment but my desire to escape the situation. people come up to me all the time at the grocery store, walking down the street, on the bus, etc and i WANT to be able to talk with them but in all honesty all i really want to do is run away. its like this war rages inside of me every time i go out in public. logically i know im not going to get hurt or people are going to make fun of me or anything bad is going to happen but all i want to do is not be there in that moment. i give one or two word answers to their questions and avoid their obvious attempts at conversations. i appear so normal sometimes to those who i have grown accustomed to but in all honesty the social anxiety is always there, under the surface waiting to rear its ugly head while i fight it back tooth and nail. i did have one redeeming moment though. i was in an elevator with a bunch of starbucks employees and told liame to sit. a guy turns around, looks directly at me and genuinely asks if “sit” was meant for him. i chuckle, look down at the dog, look back up at him and say, “yes, i frequently give commands to random strangers” which generates a large laugh in the elevator. i get that response often when giving liame commands and i think i am going to have to use that line again sometime.

CSDT vs CPDT

Posted on February 6, 2009
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations | Leave a Comment

i want to become a CPDT. in order to qualify to even take the certification exam you need at least 300 hours of training under your belt. i added up all the time i spent taking classes with liame, all the time i have spent assisting at seattle dogworks and the few customers i have trained for and have ended up with a little over half of the hours required. i thought i would have had more than that but it aint looking good. unless i start teaching soon i wont be able to take the test until next year rather than in september like i had originally hoped. there is part of me that wonders who except for dog trainers actually knows what a CPDT is? i could give myself the designation of CSDT standing for certified service dog trainer (something i have just made up on the fly as i was typing this) and in all honesty the general public would not know the difference between a CPDT and a CSDT. i wonder, why am i so fixated on this designation?