Getting A Service Dog.

[blackemerald1]

I'm not allowed to have K in bed with me.

She's gotta be a dog and I have to be the human. :rolleyes:

It's very tempting to break the rules but I won't bc we've still got many exams & checks ahead. & I don't want to wreck her or maybe lose her.

 

[Rainman8772]

I'm not allowed to have K in bed with me.

She's gotta be a dog and I have to be the human. :rolleeyes:

It's very tempting to break the rules but I won't bc we've still got many exams & checks ahead. & I don't want to wreck her or maybe lose her.

Definitely do not do that. I have had mine from 8 weeks old and trained her from a puppy. She knows her limits when the vest goes on, but in the house she knows that I let her be a dog.

 

[Friday]

She'll never trust me again cos here right now bc of covid19 we have to send them in without going with. ... :cry:

Our Irish Setter loved the vet so hard that whenever a windstorm blew down the fence, or guests forgot to latch it? We’d drive around the neighborhood with the back of the car up shouting “TIME TO GO TO THE VET!” (Then, of course, we had to actually take him, or he’d refuse to get out of the car. Vet now. I was proooooomised a VET! Vet-vet-vet-vet :woot: .)

My Husky in a Labrador Suit, meanwhile? Hated the vet so much he’d become a 150lb boneless fur-noodle 3 feet from the vet door. Nope. Huh-uh. Not gonna do it! Wouldn’t be prudent. >>> But no matter how long it took me to get him in there? (Most often involving a fireman’s carry :banghead: ) The MOMENT we got outside? He seemed to forget all about exactly who drug him in there... literally... and flooooooooded me with love/admiration for “rescuing him” from certain doom and deeeeeestruction. :hilarious: That full wiggle body slurping tackle of thankyou-thankyou-thankyou MY HERO you vanquished them and saved us!!! You wonderful clever thing, you!!!

Dog logic? Always seems to err on the side of YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

Whether it’s taking them somewhere they want to go, or rescuing them from someplace they don’t want to go. You. So. Totally. Rock.

((Hybrid Logic, otoh, is an entirely different creature. The narrowed eye look, that told me I was going to pay for this, later... then bouncing out of the Jeep, tongue lolling, eyes big and happy and dumb, as if he couldn’t be more thrilled & well behaved, collecting WUV from everyone admiring his fine self.... until the moment we got outside. :shifty: Whereupon he would glare at me and attempt to eat my gear shift. Unless he decided to wait until we got home, lulling me into a false sense of security, only to turn on all the faucets while I slept, or unplug the major appliances. Hybrid logic is high on dignity, but all debts must be paid. If I was going to f*ck with his day? He’d get even.))

K is still going to love you, and trust you.

 

[Sideways]

Doggo loves gardening with me. He loves mulch in particular. But getting his lil nose and white paws in some black potting mix is super fun too.

Mostly he just wants to do whatever I'm doing, and I love that about him, so I usually don't hassle him about it, periodically commenting "Gosh, that's really unhelpful, isn't it sweetie!"

Sometimes, for his safety, his nose and lil paws need to stay well outta the way. A very firm "Stop" is something I say in the same tone, always meaning the same thing, in any situation. So, he gets it. Sometimes it involves gently pushing his chest back, because be doesn't always agree with me about whether how helpful he can be when I'm gardening!

You probably already have a word like that which you're using, knowingly or unknowingly? If so, turn it into a set command. "Stop" in my case, means "that may have been fun, but we're done now", and it gets followed up by me gently pushing him back if we're in a garden situation, removing my arms if he's been chasing them and I'm over it, playing tug with the lead briefly, or simply ignoring him if we've been doing any other thing together that I don't want us to do any more.

It's a nuanced version of 'leave it', where you want your dog to leave alone whatever they're smelling/considering eating. But dogs get the nuance if you're consistent.

No need for force (gently pushing the chest is technically force, but really you're just aiming to show him that you need a bit of space, which is something dogs do with each other), just consistent communication.

Probably your trainer is going to tell you to send K to her mat and get her to stay there while you do the gardening. Then tell her to leave it when she goes out and sticks her nose in it. And that would be rock solid advice.

Just with me and my doggo, I love him getting up in my face wanting to do every single activity together. It's part of what keeps me alive, our inseparableness. But for most people, training their dog to use their may for periods while you do certain activities is incredibly helpful, and may be the alternative you go for. Because it means when you're sitting at the table trying to get something done, K can happily chill on her mat, and you don't get bothered by the nose that persists on appearing on your lap as doggo decides that we should be doing this mindfulness colouring in together:facepalm:

So, 2 alternatives to consider. Many more options that your trainer possibly has. A case of choosing what will work best for your relationship.

For dogs that looooove to dig (I'm looking at you, K), it's not a bad idea to set up an allotted dirt/sand pit, with buried toys or whatever in it, and making that an enrichment activity that K gets to do every so often (sand or plastic balls or old socks or anything you can think of in a kids' half shell), so that this activity that she reeeeeally loves? Is something she gets to do, but at a time and in a way that doesn't involve destruction of your garden, or getting filthy right before you need to go somewhere together:)

 

[Friday]

For dogs that looooove to dig (I'm looking at you, K), it's not a bad idea to set up an allotted dirt/sand pit,

We did that. 3 feet deep in cedar chips & shavings. Just dug a 2 meter x 1 meter hole, and filled it with 2 meters of chips delivered by the local tack shop/barn supply, for something like $22? Double bonus, place to dig, and come out smelling lovely. My lab (who thought he was a husky) would dig down 2 feet, and then cover himself, like he was digging a snow hole.

 

[blackemerald1]

Our Irish Setter loved the vet so hard that whenever a windstorm blew down the fence, or guests forgot to latch it? We’d drive around the neighborhood with the back of the car up shouting “TIME TO GO TO THE VET!” (Then, of course, we had to actually take him, or he’d refuse to get out of the car. Vet now. I was proooooomised a VET! Vet-vet-vet-vet :woot: .)

^I love this - laughing loudly to myself. Thanks Friday! :hilarious:

Hated the vet so much he’d become a 150lb boneless fur-noodle 3 feet from the vet door. Nope. Huh-uh. Not gonna do it! Wouldn’t be prudent. >>> But no matter how long it took me to get him in there? (Most often involving a fireman’s carry :banghead: ) The MOMENT we got outside? He seemed to forget all about exactly who drug him in there... literally... and flooooooooded me with love/admiratio

^ God you're funny. :)

I've not been separated from K since she arrived. Partly because I don't want to be, partly because I don't need to be.
I'm sure if I just be myself and march her up at the appointed time... they have chairs outside the clinic where we must wait - until the Vet comes out, has a quick talk and then takes her away for her appointment. So, it'll be strange but ok. And it's a necessity anyway so ..shrug.. gotta be done.

And anyway I'm sure she's seen lots of Vets because she's been de-sexed, tattooed, immunized & all of that before so she'll be fine.
We've been once to hand in her papers & get her file started.

commenting "Gosh, that's really unhelpful, isn't it sweetie!"

^I know! I tell her lots of things in that 'telling a little golden book story tone' lol... That would ordinarily insult. :hilarious:

^I've got a command, 'leave it'. And we practice that with food, toys, stuff - so she's good at that. But that's for important stuff.

^When's she's in the sh*t? Or I discover or she's about to commit an offence... I say 'ack!!". She doesn't like that! lol...
Stops her fast!

But I save that for really important things too though. Like investigating whats on top of my dining table.. pens, pencils???

I try to use my ammo sparingly. :hilarious:

I'm going to make a place for her to dig with wood chips out in the yard. I think that might work. Though I wonder if I let her dig in one place, will she think the world is her oyster & be opportunistic about digging everywhere?

Another question...
I have no front fence. But I intend to get one soon - it's a work in progress - as are all of my projects. ...sigh...

Anyway somebody who has a fairly large dog which I've determined by the size of the doggy doo... regularly and repeatedly lets it do it's 'business' in my front yard. I mean well within what would ordinarily be past the fence line, on my side

Whomever owns and walks this dog obviously would know that they're dog is doing a mighty big sh*t cos well, there's lots?

Does anyone know of anything I can sprinkle on the front perimeters that puts off the dogs? I know vinegar works wonders on 'things' but it probably wouldn't last outside on the ground. I don't want to injure or hurt the dog. Just make it hang on a little longer till either it gets home or does it else where? That sounds terrible but I hope you know what I mean.

 

[Sideways]

Though I wonder if I let her dig in one place, will she think the world is her oyster & be opportunistic about digging everywhere?

Shouldn't do. Once they're past young puppy, they seem to get the difference between things that are theirs to play with (their teddy, v's your couch cushion), things that are okay to shred up (the empty delivery box you just gave them, or their bone v's your homework, or the delivery box that still has your groceries in it), and spaces that are okay and fun to dig in (their dedicated dig pit v's your freshly planted vege patch).

A lot of people will tell you "never let your dog play with a shoe, because they'll end up chewing all of them".

Dog's ain't stoopid!! Doggo has his shoe, which he loves to toss around (especially when I've just dropped some treats in it), and I can safely leave my shoes anywhere I want and they're safe. That kind of issue is more for dogs that are anxious, or haven't got healthy established boundaries with their human. Which K definitely does;)

ETA Most rules are out the window when I take doggo to visit mum and her girlies. He behaves pretty badly all round. Sometimes he decides to go out in the backyard and perimeter check, and inevitably ends up barking at some bird or neighbour or just because. On those occasions, I bring him inside, close the door and tell him he just lost his backyard privileges.

So...it's definitely a matter of boundaries, and asserting them clearly. They're pretty quick on the uptake with what's okay/where's okay to behave like a loon, and where isn't. Doggo knows that when we get in the car, he lies down in the passenger seat and Does.Not.Move.

Unless my sister is sitting in the passenger seat and he's on her lap, in which case he's allowed to sit up, bark (at people, or just because barking is fun), and if my sister feels like encouraging him, having a good old howl along with the radio.

Boundaries. They get it, as long as you're consistent:)

I don't want to injure or hurt the dog. Just make it hang on a little longer till either it gets home or does it else where?

Bunnings sell a product called something like Get Off My Garden. It's like fluro green jelly crystals, stinks to high heaven. You sprinkle it around the problem area evrry few days for a while. That should do the trick.

Or try and catch the lazy arse owner in the act, in which case eggs maybe? Water balloons? Spray the hose on them? Call the council on them? Loudly denounce their laziness in front of the whole street? Whatever floats your boat. People like that give me a really bad case of the irrates:mad:

 

[Friday]

Does anyone know of anything I can sprinkle on the front perimeters that puts off the dogs?

Cougar or Bear piss.

Spray the hose on them?

:sneaky: 2 birds, 1 stone?

Get the spray bottle, instead of the urine granules.

 

[Friday]

Of course, if you can spy out where they live? You’d be AMAZED how angry people seem to get to find their own dogs poop right back in their own yard. And driveway. And porch. Just scoop it into a special little bin to sprinkle/plonk around like a demented fairy, once you ID them. ?‍ The longer it takes you? The more pixie dust & joy you have to share.

They went To. All. That. Effort. to avoid having to clean up after their dog, by it shitting in your yard... only to have to clean it up, after all.

 

[blackemerald1]

Or try and catch the lazy arse owner in the act, in which case eggs maybe? Water balloons? Spray the hose on them? Call the council on them? Loudly denounce their laziness in front of the whole street? Whatever floats your boat. People like that give me a really bad case of the irrates

^Well I think I've sprung them once already. I turned into my driveway - which is quite long. And came to a sudden stop when I saw her and the dog. I mean really - all that bush land around and it has to happen here?

Dog had assumed the position & she was looking the other way. Unfazed that I had pulled into the drive. I think she thought that I was some random about to do a driveway U turn & go away again.

For pity's sake, the dog has stopped, sniffed & cranked it open & she suddenly find the other side of the road captivating. ??

Anyway, since it was my driveway, my front yard & my time. I sat in my car staring at 'her'. She glanced in my direction a couple of times and then quickly away again. I kept staring and she continued to look away.... I suppose you can picture this. I was getting fairly fed up with her pretense that her dog was continuing to do a big long, gooey dump on my garden. He needed more fibre in his diet too.

When she finally could not resist, she glanced back & I screwed up my nose & pointed at the dog. I had electrocuted her - she gathered up the lead, looked at her dog in a surprised omg it's sh*tting ?? ! & began to pull it down the street while it was still eliminating.

I think it might be the same woman. You know how dogs like to do it around the same spot where they 'like' it?

Get Off My Garden. I

- Onto it! Thank you.

I'd love to catch the woman again & yeah pick it up and throw it at her. But she knows where I live. So no good.

Cougar or Bear piss.

^Koala bears piss? :hilarious: Nah they can get angry but it'd be too hard to catch anyway.
I've been called a Cougar here and there - or told I should be - would mine do? :eek: :hilarious:

^Oh I'd love to pick it up & stalk them back to their house & yeah plop it all around their front door - I'd make a lovely fairy too!

I thought of getting a sign warning of surveillance. I'm getting a security system soon but I don't think it will extend to the yard...

Back to 'get off my garden' Bunnings wins again...

 

[blackemerald1]

On those occasions, I bring him inside, close the door and tell him he just lost his backyard privileges.

^Must be her breed but I think I can count on three fingers how many times she's barked. Twice like ruf, ruf, but once like GGGRUFFFFF! I nearly fell over when she did because she's so quiet. I've still got no idea what prompted her to speak up.

Unless my sister is sitting in the passenger seat and he's on her lap, in which case he's allowed to sit up, bark (at people, or just because barking is fun), and if my sister feels like encouraging him, having a good old howl along with the radio.

^Omg - can you put her in the back or the boot or something - sister I mean? :hilarious:

 

[Freida]

He seemed to forget all about exactly who drug him in there... literally... and flooooooooded me with love/admiration for “rescuing him” from certain doom and deeeeeestruction. :hilarious: That full wiggle body slurping tackle of thankyou-thankyou-thankyou MY HERO you vanquished them and saved us!!! You wonderful clever thing, you!!!

Yep --- this! :laugh:

Sometimes, for his safety, his nose and lil paws need to stay well outta the wa

Nothing (but the vet) scares SD. This can be problematic -- like when hubby is running a band saw in the garage, mowing the lawn, using a propane torch. SD just walks right up and tries to stick his nose into it "Hey Dad - is that a new toy for me?!"
We have to be on constant gaurd so he doesnt get his nose whacked off :laugh: