Skippin Class – But For The Greater Good

Posted on June 11, 2008
Filed Under Class, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

we missed class on monday. neil found a stray cat and we had to take it to the emergency animal hospital.

ive been using my lunch breaks to teach liame tricks out of the 101 Dog Tricks book i bough off of amazon (see link above). its a great book because not only does it photographically display step by step on how to guide your dog into doing the tricks but it also has the hand signals for them. we learned “bow” in a single 30 minute session the next day we learned “which hand is the treat in”. some of the tricks in this book are more geared towards adult dogs because they require a great deal of focus, something a 6 month old puppy sorely lacks. unfortunately with most of his training i am still having to lure him into positions because the verbal cue is not enough at this stage (except for sit and down). i know he doesnt have everything down pat yet because sometimes he will go through his repitriore of the tricks he knows until he gets rewarded. its kind of cute to see him try to figure it out and get frustrated.

To Sniff Or Not To Sniff?

Posted on June 4, 2008
Filed Under Mistakes, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

for some arbitrary reason i have decided that liame should no longer be sniffing the floor anywhere outside of my cubicle while his vest is on.  i dont have any idea when service dog organizations start trying to train this behavior out of their dogs but i have decided that in just about every environment it is unacceptable.  whenever i see him sniffing or licking anything i use the “leave it” command or an outright “no”.  after a few days of this, he seems to be getting the picture.  for the last several months i have only been using the leave it command only in the kitchen.  when i started thinking about what i was asking him to do, i decided that it wasent fair for me to ask him to discern whether he is in an environment where he can sniff or not.

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.

Airplane Travel Tips

Posted on April 28, 2008
Filed Under Firsts, Major Steps, Service Dog Laws, Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment

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)

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