CSDT vs CPDT

Posted on February 6, 2009
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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?

Elitist

Posted on January 30, 2009
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yesterday i went to the dog park and met the regional guide dog coordinator for the seattle area. it was nice getting to talk with her about service dogs and how they are raised. she brought her guide dog puppy drop out to the dog park for some socialization and running around. apparently she doesnt like the guide dog organization forbidding them to bring their puppies to the dog park either. i ended our talk by handing her my card and maybe she will contact me. in all honesty i wont hold my breath though. most people who have service dogs from the big organizations dont think that dogs that were not trained by their organizations can be service dogs. personally i think this is a somewhat of an elitist philosophy but i can understand why they might have this view. i cant tell you how many times ive been into a store and had my dog aggressed at by an unmarked “service dog”. there is part of me that wished there was an official national organization that certified service dogs by access and task testing and proof of medical documentation. even though i took advantage of the loop hole in the law that allowed me to train jasper as my service dog, i think it would be beneficial for all legitimate service dog teams to be guaranteed safe access to public environments. it only takes one bite from an aggressive dog to ruin a service dogs career, the life of the person who uses it and years of training.

To Puppy Park Or Not?

Posted on January 25, 2009
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we went to the dog park today and something kind of frightening happened. liame almost got attacked a couple of times by three different dogs. once while we were walking towards the water, once while we were at the water and once as we were walking back towards the car. we have never had a day like this before. it was like every dog in that place was out to get my little boy. guide dogs for the blind doenst allow their puppies to go to dog parks. i think its because they can get attacked and can be scarred for the rest of their life. i have been pretty lucky in that liame has never been bit at the dog park. i specifically did not take him to the dog park while he was still a little pup because every single time another dog got rough with him in his puppy classes it was always a dog that had been to a dog park or a dog daycare and had been in an altercation with another dog. todays incidents are making me rethink my decision to go to the dog park with liame. maybe i should take the advice of the guide dog organizations and keep liame away from uncontrolled doggie interactions.

Meeting A Hero and Trying To Become A Real Life Hero Myself

Posted on December 6, 2008
Filed Under Care, Clubs And Organizations, Firsts, Major Steps, Things That Make Me Smile | Leave a Comment

today i went to the Epilepsy Advocate conference with liame and met Greg Grunberg from Heroes, Alias and Felicity. who knew 10 years ago while watching felicity with my college friends i would eventually be able to meet one of the cast members. anyway, enough fangirling, back to the conference.

in the last couple of weeks i have decided to expand my services to helping people train all types of service dogs. i heard greg was going to be there and that it would be an intro to epilepsy. not knowing much about epilepsy or seizures except from what i had seen on episodes of House, i decided to attend to educate myself on this condition so that i could help someone train their dog to detect them. i met a number of people at the conference who were interested in my services. it was so energizing to talk to people about dog training. i now know that i was put on this earth to help others with service dogs. and although it will never make me monetarily rich, it will make me spiritually rich, the type of rich i so desperately long for.

Bowling Alley As Training Opportunity

Posted on October 26, 2008
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today we went bowling with the university of michigan alumni club. neil asked me to not make him go because he wasnt feeling good but i told him that i couldnt bowl without him since i needed someone to watch liame while i threw the ball. i was absolutely flabberghasted at liames behavior. he was friendly, wasnt afraid of the loud noises and (this is what was amazing to me) “stayed” as instructed while i went up to the lane, grabbed a ball and threw it down the lane. a retriever did not go after the ball, now thats a small miracle in and of itself. i guess those sessions i have been having in the parking lot with him working on his distance stays are paying off. the only real thing we had a problem with was liame stealing food wrappers off a table at his level. he has SUCH a problem with trying to eat everything in his line of sight. i need to figure out a way to be more proactive rather than reactive when it comes to this eating things off the ground, tables, chairs, etc. so as it turned out, i really didnt need neil after all. both neil and i wore our michigan shirts and as we arrived at the alley i realized that we had a u of m bandana from neils mom we could have put on liame. darn it, that would have made him an even more popular attraction at the bowling alley. i wish a few more drunk and stumbley people would have approached him, it would have turned this into one of the best training opportunities we have ever had.

Another Sign?

Posted on September 26, 2008
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations, Mitigating Symptoms, Service Dog Laws, Things That Make Me Smile | Leave a Comment

here was the fortune of the second fortune cookie of the two ones i received today. this one states “you could prosper in the field of medicine”. OMG! even though I am training dogs it still falls within the field of medicine because I will be helping people attain a dog to assist them with their medical disability. spooky.

The Sign

Posted on September 26, 2008
Filed Under Clubs And Organizations, Major Steps, Service Dog Laws, Things That Make Me Smile | Leave a Comment

last night i took my canine studies exam. im pretty sure i passed.
i had a very interesting thing happen yesterday and today that leaves me excited about what could be. my mother in law sent me a link to googles 10 to the 100th contest where you can win money to start a business. i was instantly interested and started thinking about how money could turn this simple one person business idea into a full blow non profit with a puppy raising program, dog rescue, multiple trainers, advocacy, couseling and legal support for those who receive the dogs.
so here is where it got weird. not that i believe in fortune cookies but today i got chinese food for lunch and my fortune stated “an important business venture may soon develop for you”. i wonder could this be THE SIGN?

Going Clothing Shopping With A Service Dog In Training Puppy

Posted on August 24, 2008
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went to the service dog club meeting yesterday. i was again amazed at how well liame ignored the other dogs.

we also went to the mall and i tried on some clothes at a clothing store. when you go to try on clothes with a young pup make sure you get a big wheelchair access room, the floor is clean (unless you want your dog to clean it for you and swallow pins), and your dog cant dart under the door. it takes me 3 times as long to try clothes on with liame than it does with jasper. jasper would just sit there and wait until i was done, liame can only sit for a minute or so and then has to try to clean the floor, pull the tags off the garments and lick my shoes. sometimes i cant help but laugh at his antics but other times they drive me crazy!!!

Going To See The Specialist

Posted on July 15, 2008
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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
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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.

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