Getting A Service Dog.

[Freida]

Everything was going very well, as in I was sitting quietly in the waiting room with B. but it almost went wrong when a doctor, with a mask, barrelled up to B. clapping her hands excitedly and asking if he bites?

Yep. This is your new life.

He demands that I love him even when I am crawling up the wall.

SD does this -- sometimes it's really hard not to snap at him and to remember he is doing his job.

And... I'm so used to being invisible... moving quietly in and around the physical environment and people. But now they, people all look - first at B then at me.

First thing my trainer told me -- you will never be unseen again. And it's true. I get stopped constantly and asked about SD and it was damn hard to get used to. Part of it is he is big, black and fluffy so people want to know what breed he is. At first I snapped at people because it freaked me out. Now? I've learned to answer with a smile and keep walking. That's the key. keep. walking. Sometimes people will tag along but eventually they lose interest.

She also reminded me that we were ambassadors for the service dog world so try to be nice - but that I didn't have to stop and talk to everyone.

I even thought about buying him a patch for his vest that says "Its a dog not a unicorn!" Those are pretty popular LOL I also like the one that says "My service dog is smarter than your honor student" :laugh:

Its funny though - if I'm in a bad place I must give out "dont f*ck with me" vibes because people will talk to hubby if he's with me but not me. :laugh:

As far as people touching -- the best answer seems to be "I'm sorry he can't have loves, he is working". I think it's because it's non confrontational but still gets the point across? The concept of service dogs is out there way more than it was when we started 5 years ago so that has helped. Especially with kids -- I heart them say to their parents "Mom thats a service dog and we can't touch it" It's really cute. :laugh:

Interestingly? This particular admission, I've also started to stop people from seeing my dog and launching into a loving story about their own dog (or a dog they knew, or a dog who died 20 years ago, or...).

Yep - -just yesterday on the bus.....

Something to think about when you are planning on flying.. My trainer was adamant we not go more than six hours on a plane because it is way too hard on the dog. You have to think you will be at the airport a couple hours on each side of flight so it is much longer than the actual flight time. I can get to besties house on a 2.5 hour fligth, but it turns into almost 5 hours by the time you add check in and security and baggage claim. And if the flight is delayed and you have to go outside for him to potty then you have to go back thru security to get back in. That's going to be tough if you have a long security line - you dont' get to skip it and might miss your flight.

Some airports have potty spots now, but there is nothing available on the plane. And he will be crammed into a pretty small space since he has to stay right in front of your feet for the entire flight. We get the bulkhead, but it's still tough on him because he can't stretch out.

I'm supposed to go to the other coast next year and I'm really debating taking him. It's an 8 hour flight -- with 2 hours on each side so ...that's going to be 12 hours at the very least. I hate the thought of going without him but.....

Also if you are flying international you have to look at the incoming countries rules on dogs. I was surprised to find out that England is the only country in Europe that recognizes service dogs. So while I could fly with him I couldn't bring him into Germany as anything but a pet. That makes the flight challenging -ADA requires the airline to let me on the plane but the country I'm headed to doesn't have to let him in.

Just some long complicated stuff to think about :)

 

[siniang]

"Its a dog not a unicorn!"

OMG I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!

you have to go outside for him to potty then you have to go back thru security to get back in.

I put it in my multi-quote before I saw your comment further down, but yeah, I fly a lot and I increasingly start seeing SD potty spots inside

That's going to be tough if you have a long security line - you dont' get to skip it and might miss your flight.

Let alone the actual stress of going through TSA as is (or maybe that's just me?)

I'm supposed to go to the other coast next year and I'm really debating taking him. It's an 8 hour flight -- with 2 hours on each side so ...that's going to be 12 hours at the very least. I hate the thought of going without him but.....

8hrs coast-to-coast? :eek: The longest I had I think was close to 6? But I get your point -- could you split it up and do it in 2 or 3 increments?

I was surprised to find out that England is the only country in Europe that recognizes service dogs. So while I could fly with him I couldn't bring him into Germany as anything but a pet. That makes the flight challenging -ADA requires the airline to let me on the plane but the country I'm headed to doesn't have to let him in.

This also keeps changing -- more countries start recognizing actual service dogs, including (and particularly) psychiatric SDs. I know because a friend of mine just recently officially graduated and registered their dog as a psych SD :)

@blackemerald1 lives in Australia so that in itself should reduce a lot of potential problems for international travel re import, but it's also important to keep in mind that some countries and parts of countries exempt SDs from certain privileges they'd usually enjoy. I.E. coming into Hawaii, while SDs are (must be!) allowed in-cabin on the plane (in contrast to pets), they still have to go through the entire process of getting proper documentation/vaccines/waiting times beforehand like any other random pet, or they'll end up in quarantine. Not 1000% sure, but I think in NZ even SDs have to go through quarantine no-matter what.

 

[Freida]

nd I increasingly start seeing SD potty spots inside

Ya..I tried to get SD to use one and he looked at me like I was s smoking crack :laugh:

8hrs coast-to-coast? :eek: The longest I had I think was close to 6? But I get your point -- could you split it up and do it in 2 or 3 increments

Oops. I mean 8 total lol. I'm debating a layover because I would still have to take him outside and then back thru security.

 

[blackemerald1]

Thanks Sideways, Freida & Siniang - all good points.

So far - still have not received confirmation we can fly at all yet. Not sure why yet. Will find out later today. This airline is a international company and I'm sure I'm not the first so I don't know why there is a problem. B is all legal - has the same privileges under the law as guide dogs. But as I've learned many times being legal and in the right affords one no less comfort when dealing with idiots? ..shrug...

I'm leaving from a small regional airport and going to a international airport (destination) - it has a SD area & my trainer told me to take B. there and then go get baggage etc. There's no problem with quarantine for this journey.

When I took his papers into the Vet yesterday - just to lodge and make a record of him - the vet nurse made an ass of herself and the trainer had to repeat everything several times. It seems there is a little resistance to SD's. The trainer told me there is a little of this going on with certain 'professionals' but if it gets too bad I can move him to see another vet. Okaaay...

Today I meet the trainers who will be coming around three times a week for the next twelve weeks to check that he is meeting the required standards and all is going well. whew!

My trainer comes back in six weeks to test us and then we undergo our first annual complete training test at the end of the twelve weeks. That's big! :eeK:

 

[DharmaGirl]

You are doing so well with such a big change! My girl weighed 150 when she was working, and people would always ask to pet her. Jeez, can you not read? My first excursion with her as a service dog was a trip to the therapist. She leapt out of the car and ran down the sidewalk without me. Thank goodness I trained her to sit when she came to a road. She sat, and looked around like - where did you run off to? She came running back, but it spooked me, and we had to walk through a group of about 30 people who were outside smoking. They all wanted to pet her. Go away people! After I came out from the therapist, everyone stopped what they were doing to stare. I know she is an extra large dog, but the attention was way too much for me! I eventually got used to it.

 

[blackemerald1]

My trainer left on Friday. That was a scary feeling but we put on a brave face as she packed the car and drove away. Leaving was hard for her too because she has trained B from a pup. She was very professional about it all. I offered to take some photos of her and B. on her own phone so she's got a permanent record of B with her in it. So we had a short photo session.

We had our first full working excursion a short time later. One woman decided to ignore the jacket - you're right @DharmaGirl reading isn't apparently something people bother to do. Charging in with hands flapping and making cooing noises to an unknown animal is their idea of ok. I told her several times in quick succession "please don't do that, he's working, he's working, he's working!". She expressed frustration that I wasn't happy with her patting him. I just said the same thing again... I was lost for any other words. After that we had a small child who decided B was a jumping castle. Said child's mother was immersed in mobile phone land, another person, not related to the child intervened and led the child away. B. showed a mild interest in respect of both. Again he's seemingly unflappable.

I know it's so early but I'm quite confronted by my disability being so visible now. My trainer, Laura told me that I will become accustomed to this. She said she has got used to people looking and doing silly things... working with the dogs every day and being in the public eye with them - she said after a while it's not a problem. So bearing that in mind we will continue on.

I'm trying hard to stop myself finding excuses and avoiding going out. I've always done this since ptsd etc. This has been my secret weapon against the world. I have developed a tight little circuit of places where I was known, accepted & allowed to be me. Just in my own little world and not being interacted with. But not anymore.

B. is supposed to open the world up to me again and give me confidence to do so. But my achilles heel is people... and they really are everywhere. :rolleyes:

Settling in at home is... dynamic? We are learning about each other from one moment to the next. Mentally I'm very tired. I want to go to bed and sleep for a month. But B. needs a walk, training is ongoing and there is stuff to do. I'm hoping this will all settle down. I mean it will... or it better lol... we have only been together six days. B's adoration of me is nice but tiring. I'm now more thoroughly convinced than ever.. that I could never sustain a cohabitation relationship with another human. At least with B. I'm in charge - though an outsider might have a lot of evidence to debate this. :cautious:

I do feel completely out of my depth. I feel this huge responsibility. It's not that before I didn't feel responsible... I mean I did for myself and the few people I interacted with but now... whoa! This is major. Feels like the feeling when I first came home with my babies. B. isn't doing anything untoward but I'm trying to pre-empt danger for him too now. That's not how it's supposed to work. I hope that scary feeling subsides.

B. is convinced the hairdryer is a major enemy - he barks at that. Same attitude towards the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine. God knows how he will respond to the lawn mower. I might have to crate him for that event.

I've learned the miracle of Kong, peanut butter and a portion of his daily food allowance stuffed inside. lol... Liver treats are treats on steroids for him. So I blitzed some up and put the powder in the Kong mix & gave it a shake. He's now addicted to the Kong.

He's destroyed his chew toy which originally was a ball with a very thick, strong synthetic rope threaded through it. Ball is no more, shredded in a couple of sessions of chewing. Gone to the rubbish bin and the rope is virtually in tatters - maybe it's got another half hour session in it. Hmm.. I need to find another chew toy asap.

He's eaten a hole in one of my socks and looked appropriately devastated when I told him he was a bad dog for doing that. It along with its partner was hanging on my clothes stand drying, completely innocent and smelling fresh... so haven't worked out why he targeted that sock. I'll never know I suspect. He's browsed my shoes but I've thus far been able to command that he leave them.

We had a hilarious play session last night. He was upside down, inside out and outside in... such a clown when he gets all worked up... I thoroughly enjoyed myself and if wagging his tail is indicative of a state of happiness he was rolling in it.

I've learned the incredible value of white vinegar to repel him away from my bicycle & trainer. He thought the axle which protrudes a little was an ideal bone substitute. No any more - white vinegar is Kryptonite as far as B. is concerned. That bone look-alike is now disgusting in B's eyes - ...sigh..of...relief...

I should be having a sleep right now. Because he is...

So.. I guess we are getting along ok so far.

If any of SD handlers have some good tips or clues or know of any YT videos that are useful please tell me.

 

[bellbird]

Wowee, so many new experiences in such a short space of time!

I know it probably doesn't feel like it from your perspective, but it sounds as though you are handling all these early challenges like a champ.

It'll get better in time. I know I have no specific experience with SDs, but most things do get better with time. And given your mindset towards these early challenges, I have no doubt this will too.

Sending heaps of hugs to you, b. And some pats for B.
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:

 

[Freida]

arly but I'm quite confronted by my disability being so visible now. M

Yep. And people are damn nosy. It took me a while to work out responses that I'm comfortable with so just keep playing with different answers. I've found that people are most interested in his actions,not my disability. So my current blah blah is "he's an alert dog, he tells me if I need meds". Most people are happy with that and it keeps the attention on HIM rather than me. They may follow up by asking how he alerts "he gives me his paw) but rarely ask anything else about me.

B. is supposed to open the world up to me again and give me confidence to do so. But my achilles heel is people... and they really are everywhere.

Ya this is hard. Trainer said "you will never be unseen again" and she wasn't kidding. I'm guessing your doggo is going to attract the same kind of constant attention. It has forced me to interact but she also stressed that I was in control of the interaction. If I don't want to talk I can say "sorry I'm running late" with a smile and keep walking.

It does get easier once you get a bunch of predetermined answers like that

I do feel completely out of my depth. I feel this huge responsibility. It's not that before I didn't feel responsible... I mean I did for myself and the few people I interacted with but now... whoa! This is major. Feels like the feeling when I first came home with my babies. B. isn't doing anything untoward but I'm trying to pre-empt danger for him too now. That's not how it's supposed to work. I hope that scary feeling subsides.

It will! He well trained, so now it's just about you catching up with him. There will be some hiccups as you try to sort it out but they won't derail you. It might seem like they will (me snapping - loudly -in a grocery store at a gal who wanted more info than she deserved comes to mind :laugh:) but it will all fall into place. And you will get better at knowing when you need to protect him and when you dont.

This is when gurus advice really came in handy. He said....if you think there is a need to protect SD then stop right where you are and do an actual threat assessment. Stand still,look all around you, identify true threats from imagined ones. Then respond appropriately - either accept there is no threat or determine there is one and remove him from the situation

One thing that was super hard for me was sending SD thru doors first. My never ending belief that someone is waiting behind every door to shoot me means he goes first to alert me if someone is on the other side. I panicked at the beginning because that meant he would get shot instead. Then guru pointed it that the shooter would be pointing the gun higher because they would be aiming at my chest. So SD would be safe.

in other words - your nervousness is totally normal!
It does get easier -I promise. :hug:

 

[Sideways]

It gets easier as it becomes more natural. I'm quite convinced that I walk differently these days. Whether that's the case or whether the places I go they're just used to him Idk, but it definitely gets easier. And some places you'll notice the staff are great and have your back and they'll become safe havens again.

Go easy on the peanut butter - I think some people use natural yoghurt as a substitute when their doggo starts to get a bit large in the barge.

Kongs are awesome. The Kong wobbler was one truly brilliant investment (not cheap, and Kong treats are rubbish). You'll find that in quality pet stores, their toys are arranged so that advanced chewers stuff is all together;)

Even with doggo, you're still you. You still have exactly the same condition you had before B arrived. You're still allowed to have those periods where it's just flat out "Nup, I can't, we're doing the curl up and do nothing thing for a while". Doggo will learn sometimes that's what you need - won't stop paying attention, but that becomes incredibly reassuring.

Every now and again, take a moment. This is stress, sure. But it won't take long before it's an entirely different kind of stress, and actually pretty welcome a lot of the time.

This dog has got your back now. Instead of the great big doing everything alone world you had before, there's a team of you. Use that. Oftentimes me and doggo just stop, breathe, focus on each other, and within moments the world is something I can take on again.

 

[blackemerald1]

I took some photos on my mobile phone. Attached it to my computer but it won't transfer some of the pics. I don't know why. Clearly a user error. I'll have a rest and try again when my brain is working. :banghead:

Good news... I took B. down to the pet store again... and I found another Kong chew toy it's shaped like a bowling skittle and I can put some high value treats in it. He's currently been working on it for well over half an hour... hooray...! :) It's got him stumped and addicted and he's throwing it in the air, jumping on it and generally preoccupied with it.

Liver treats are like crack cocaine to this dog. lol...

I've also found a brush/comb thing that cuts through his double coat - which he's shedding atm. Finally one that is working. We've had a 20 minute session on the back porch and he just stood in rapture as I combed him. Even allowed some birds to enter his backyard and hop about without wanting to go rouse them.

Thank you @Freida and @Sideways - thank you for getting what I mean. Having someone here that knows this transition is comforting.
I think too, I exerted so much control over my incredibly small environment and now... I have to release some of that because it's just not possible and I'm freaking out!

Remembering to take a breath and assess my environment is very important because I've been holding my breath and I do that when I'm stressed.
Remembering that I don't have to be an open book to every enquiring mind that steps into my personal space... is very important too because I'm just not used to having to explain anything about myself.

Remembering to smile and be kind to those who don't understand is so important too.

I'm so tired. Got to get some food and rest. Thank you everyone. :hug: :hug:

 

[blackemerald1]

We'll call him Bos...
While he's asleep I can stuff around with my phone and he won't move.
When I become more proficient at taking photos of him or I get out my real camera I'll post a pic of him awake lol...

 

[bellbird]

Ohh, Bos you are just gorgeous!!!