Did I Miss A Developmental Window?

Posted on September 14, 2008
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liame went swimming today for the first time ever. in all honesty, i was really quite surprised and bummed by his lack of enthusiasm to get in the water. we were at magnuson park for our canine studies class and my instructor told me that it would be unusual for a lab puppy to just take to the water like a fish (or a lab) the first time in so… i tried to let it go. i want to have that all around stereotypical american lab that is a THE family dog, plays fetch until the cows come home and dives off of docks just to get into the water. maybe with repeated exposure he will eventually learn to enjoy it. i wonder if i missed the developmental window for a lab to love swimming?

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.

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.

Are You OK Mommy?

Posted on June 28, 2008
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today i took a tumble out into the middle of the street right infront of the path of a fire truck. even though i was disoriented, it was noisy and cars were going by while i was sitting down liame looked into my eyes and with his cute puppy face asked me, “are you ok mommy?” there is part of me that cant believe he didnt run away with his tail between his legs but i guess all that walking down 1st ave with semis going by 5 feet from us really paid off.

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

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

Airplane Travel Tips

Posted on April 28, 2008
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days before an airplane trip with a service dog in training:
-send as much food to the location you are going to as you can. the postal service has flat rate boxes that hold at least a week worth of food (for a 70+ lb dog). you dont want to get stuck in your location and not have access to the same type of food that your dog normally eats. besides, i dont know anyone who wants to lug 20 lbs of food through an airport.
-give your dog his sleeping meds several days before the flight to check for adverse reactions. it is imperative that you DO NOT give your dog his sleepy pill for the first time on the flight. adverse reactions at 30,000 feet can kill. remember – pack the sleeping medication on your carry on or you will be up the creek without a paddle.
-pack at least 2 days worth of dog food on your carry on. i know its a lot of food but if you get stuck in an airport (like the delays that recently made headlines) you need to make sure you at least have food for your dog. its not like you can go and buy him a ham sandwich in an airport without nasty consequences (diarrhea/projectile vomiting/etc).
-pack a rawhide and a small container of peanut butter in your carry on. just incase your dog is nervous on the plane you want to make sure that he has something to distract him during take off and landings.
-call the airline in advance and tell them you are traveling with a service dog. now here is the important point to remember. i know you think that the bulkhead seats are great, and they are, but i recommend that you ask for the seat right behind the bulkhead. usually these are premium seats that have more leg room than those in the back plus the dog gets to place some of his body under the seat infront of him. after 18 flights with a 70+ lb lab ive found this to be true for most of the airlines. some operators will release a seat immediately and some wont. unfortunately its a crap shoot. try to be as nice as possible to the operator. remember, most of their day is spent talking with angry passengers.
-go to the vet and get your health certificate. technically they cant deny you boarding without this (unless you are flying to hawaii) but its always great to have it with you.
-make sure your doctors note is as up to date as possible. airline regulations state that it must be less than a year old.

-if you are afraid of being denied boarding make sure you have all your bases covered by having
a letter from your doctor explaining what the dog is for
a health certificate from your vet clearing your dog to fly
your dogs vaccination certificates
a service dog vest with proper identification patches
a dog that has been recently bathed and groomed (including fresh smelling breath)

Snip Snip

Posted on April 19, 2008
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Yesterday Liame got neutered.  Now hopefully he will stop humping his brother and the other puppies in puppy classes.  Although he seemed to be in a bit of pain, today he seems back to his old puppy self.  Darn, I was secretly hoping for at least another couple days of quiet.

Potty Trained

Posted on April 11, 2008
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Today I allowed Liame and Jasper to play together in the dining room while I did the dishes.  Before I even knew Liame was gone, I heard the bells ring from downstairs.  I stopped in my tracks, wondered what was goiing on and then screamed “Im coming Liame!!!!!”  This was the first time in a month or so that Liame rang the poochie bells on his own signaling that he had to go potty.  I let him outside and he ran to his spot and took a big poo.  I was so proud.  My little man is growing up.

 

Uncrated

Posted on April 7, 2008
Filed Under Major Steps | Leave a Comment

 

 

Previously I used to lock Liame in his crate while I couldnt give him my undivided attention due to the fact that he tries to eat everything (socks, woodchips, mail, flowers, cords, his big brother, etc).  Today I decided that I would not lock Liame in his crate while I was watching TV.  So I set up a little barricade in the living room to prevent him from escaping, got the spray bottle and sat down infront of the TV with Jasper and Liame.  Like he does 24 hours a day, Liame of course thought that it was time to play with Jasper.  I tolerated it for a few minutes because Jasper almost never tells Liame to leave him alone.  Instead of biting him he always looks at me with a sad frustrated hound dog puppy face and begs me with his eyes saying “get this fool off of me momma!”.  A few sprays from the squirt bottle fixed the problem with minimal yelling.  Liame went a little stir crazy for a while chasing his tail on and of for a half an hour but ended up settling down like he does at work.  Thank God, I thought I would never get him to stop bugging Jasper without his vest on.  Its amazing what a little spray bottle can do.

 

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