Getting A Service Dog.

[blackemerald1]

We've survived the first night. B. was fine. He went to his crate with a chewy and killed and ate it and then had a bit of a hissy fit. I guess why not... ? I ignored him completely and he stopped it and spread out & went to sleep. lol

The crate is in my bedroom. He loves his crate... it's his time out, rest & relax space. It's also where he's going to be sleeping for the first few months till he is thoroughly settled in. Then the door will be left ajar and so on... till he just uses for an indoor kennel whenever he or I, need it.

So this morning I've been up at daybreak :wtf: and B. went out and re-investigated every single inch of my very large backyard - again. That nose was working overtime. The neighbours cat has had the biggest scare ever - laughing! :oops:

I have this amazing shadow now. It's a very strange thing to suddenly have. He's so obedient.

Today the trainer returns and we visit the vet, the dog shops and a few other places. We also learn some more commands for a couple of sessions. Well I do... B. must be thinking I'm a dumb human. It's all so new for us both.

 

[bellbird]

I have this amazing shadow now.

I love this! B and b ... what a team you will grow to become :hug:

 

[Friday]

So. Happy. For. You. :D

I remember the beginning, years ago, now.... seriously, so damn happy for you!

 

[Sideways]

Up at day daybreak! I love this so much, because even the annoying stuff sounds like it's that special kind of awesomeness:hug:

 

[LuckiLee]

Congrats! So happy for both of you.

 

[MrMoonlight]

So happy for you! what an amazing day for you and your service dog. Congratulations!

 

[blackemerald1]

Amazing... it's blowing a gale, rain, hail and freezing cold.. so we've been practicing the harness & walking stuff inside the house. It's supposed to be nice weather tomorrow? So many clips, buckles and loops. I'm all over the place and he's sitting placidly while I tie him and them ...into a knot lol... :oops:

He's alerted me to the phone, fire alarm, knock at the door and I've learned to do a whole series of new commands too.

Seriously smart dog - has picked up some new things immediately or with no prompting. He's ahead of the game before I even know we are doing it.

I'm getting tired though. The trainer told me I would and she's so right! B. is sleeping at my feet getting some z's in for the afternoon session - which is travel by car, put on full service dog stuff and go into the government offices to register him. That's going to be a challenge so I'm so glad I have Laura my very patient trainer with me.

She brought up the subject of media. I was waiting for this. I told her I couldn't do it but B can and I promise I will send pics. She put the media release forms away and said it was not a problem at all. Whew! Hopefully she will tell the other lady to settle down too.

Going to have a rest in preparation for this afternoon. It's all kind of fun but serious too. :)

 

[bellbird]

So many clips, buckles and loops. I'm all over the place and he's sitting placidly while I tie him and them ...into a knot lol... :oops:

Won't be long before it's all second nature I'm sure :happy:

I told her I couldn't do it but B can and I promise I will send pics. She put the media release forms away and said it was not a problem at all. Whew!

That's excellent! Good on you for standing your ground, and great that Laura responded so well.

 

[Freida]

I am so very, very happy for you!!! They are such a game changer.
And ya, the buckles and ties thing --- I had some hysterically funny ones in the first few weeks.

I love, love, love that he makes you laugh :hug:

 

[Sideways]

which is travel by car, put on full service dog stuff and go into the government offices to register him.

I don't know how it is for you, but I still have moments like when we went in to update my driver's license, and I'm like "Good lord, look at me doing all this functional stuff with this dog!" in a like, how did this happen!? kinda way.

It sounds like your world is fast becoming a very different place. So yeah, that's gonna be exhausting. But now you and B can decide to be exhausted together!

 

[blackemerald1]

Well I am exhausted. Tomorrow is the second last day of my intensive training. We've been here, there and everywhere. My trainer has been sick so we (as in B and I) took her to the gp & then the pharmacy. We called it an impromptu late night outside training excursion. 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? Err no... but you gave any other kind of dog every reason to! Fortunately this dog seems to have nerves of steel and remained sitting. I on the other hand had to be peeled off the ceiling. Never mind... silly doctor.

We have been reinforcing commands and picking up on my errors and trying to fix them. Trying to focus on getting things right. I don't want to ruin a perfectly trained dog.. :oops:

B's. hissy fit in the crate only went for one minute last night. He just wants to sleep in my bed :rolleyes: He'll get over himself I'm sure.

Naughty things he's done is... finishing off at least two and I suspect maybe more cups of tea I made and absently left on my coffee table. Umm... standing on his hind legs to see if he can hoover anything off my kitchen benches - fortunately that has left him disappointed so far. Him making fun of me whilst I showered. Barking at the hair dryer. Barking at the neighbour. Sitting on the couch when I'm here at my laptop. Going schizo around the house and using my bed as a trampoline or shimmying under it.

All minor infractions thus far - he pulls the saddest face when told off or banished to his bed.

Why am I sooo exhausted?? I'm not used to looking after anything much except myself. He demands that I love him even when I am crawling up the wall. I've not been outside my home (except for nursing dad earlier this year) so often for so long. I have to be organised. :rolleyes:

We went to book my flights to go see my son at Christmas. This I have huge reservations about but still I did promise. Anyway the airline has got itself into a major flap. It's an international airline. We've shown them all of B's qualifications but it took two and a half hours and still I've not been confirmed a booking. They're going to ring tomorrow when their problems are resolved.

My son is livid, the trainer is horrified and I'm soo tired and bewildered by it all. I still don't know what the problem is but they have been told it is an act of discrimination to bar B. lol...

To be frank, B's more qualified to fly than me. If only they knew.

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. He is unflappable but I'm not used to speaking to strangers anymore or being looked at. The trainer has been telling me who I need to explain things to and who I can smile and look where I am going... read politely ignore. B's jacket says what he is.

So question for you SD handlers. How did you go when you first left home with your SD and found the inquisitive public spiking your ptsd? Are you an introvert like me...? How did you manage/cope?

 

[Sideways]

How did you manage/cope?

Yeah, my dog being cute? Doesn't mean I'm friendly.

I still handle it very differently depending on how well I am at the time. But mostly these days I put my hand out and say "He's working", and just keep going. Almost irrespective of what the question is! I do that just because at 6kg and not looking anything like any kind of working dog, most people haven't registered he's even wearing a jacket, let alone what it says. They see 'super cute' and that's all they seem to register (which I do kinda understand - I'm a dog lover too).

On a very rare occasion, someone will strike a particular cord in the way they approach me, and I'm well enough to answer a few questions. Rarely.

Especially here in hospital, every other person wants to know how to get one. If they're for realsies? They can start with some research same as me, because I'm too often just not in the state of mind to be explaining to complete strangers how to obtain necessary medical aids they may or may not need.

His jacket has the name of the organisation I went through. Google can answer their questions as well as I can, and without requiring a valium afterwards.

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...).

I get people in my training group to consciously start practicing finding their own way to communicate where their (and their dog's) boundaries need to be. That includes some reeeeeally tough love conversations with significant people in your life - yes he's cute, but still No, he's working. People you are close too? Are often the hardest to make and keep firm boundaries with.

ETA Good grief, you must be exhausted!