Service dog and anxiety connection

[FindingMyself88]

I would not go with the abused dog. For dogs with that background, it can be really hard to get over fears and hard to cope with the various situations they will be put in doing SD work. Me and Bristol had an incident Thursday with a little kid running up to her out of no where screaming. We are now going to have to work on desensitizing her to kids and she has no prior background of abuse.. I would go with another prospect!

 

[FabulousEnding]

That's what I thought. I asked a huge list of questions about what behaviors has she showed. They think because of my condition we'd probably bond more, and while her story really gets to me... I don't think I have the energy to work with those kind of behavioral issues. I need to be able to lean on the dog and not the other way around! The SD trainer who is helping me try to find a dog said the same thing you did, and that the rescue can get her in with another rescue somewhere else so don't feel bad for saying no.

I've already started scratching the shit out of my arms so I don't dissociate. :( At first my boyfriend was really iffy on the whole adding a 2nd dog thing, but after he saw me dissociate with almost no memory of what I said or did (and seeing my arms... and how impressed he was with my dog training skills)... He's now like yea it's a good idea. Our little dog isn't heavy enough to wake me up. I desperately need an SD.

 

[FindingMyself88]

You can bond just as well with a non traumatized dog and even more so because the dog will have the ability to be calm for you. Yes, Bristol has her issue with dogs and now kids (because of parents not controlling their kids!), but she has already well proved she has the ability to do this, loves the work, and knows her tasks. The dog issue is she just wants to meet and play, but it comes out in frustration when she can't get to the dogs. I firmly believe with age and impulse control training, this will improve. As far as the kids, it was my fault for continuing our day after the one incident, therefore putting her into more situations where she was over stimulated. So this weekend we are taking a break, staying at the house. I will slowly reintroduce her to kids, so she knows they aren't a threat.

My opinion would be to either find a reputable breeder who has either bred good Service/working dogs before, or find an older puppy (8 months to 2 years) that has the SD temperament (make sure you get it tested by a trainer who has worked with SDs before) and you bond well with. You want one that isn't overly hyper, but not lazy. You want one that wants to pay you attention and responds to you. I picked Bristol myself from the SPCA, but she had been fostered well and I got her for a "few week trial" first and had someone who has trained SDs and therapy dogs before temperament test her and try training her to sit. Within 10 minutes Bristol could reliably sit and lay down, even with another dog around!

Just be patient and you will find the right dog. I'm sorry you are having difficulties right now, try to continue to use Jersey at home for now. My two chihuahuas were/are GREAT emotional support animals and helped me get by until I got Bristol.

 

[FabulousEnding]

The abused dog they are bringing from TN, and the lady said she will temperament test her for me. Also said if she's not the right dog, she'll be happy to help me find one.

Unfortunately, the two SD trainers I know are a pretty far drive away. She's narrowed it down to 3 different dogs. Patience is not my strength lol.

Training Jersey for SD at least gave me an idea of what I personally need in a dog. Hard to find!

This is the abused dog. So hard to say no to her face but I must! :(

 

[FindingMyself88]

I personally would shy away. The lady is personally invested (with due reason) in finding this dog a home, so her judgement might not be true. The first dog I tried wasn't abused, was raised by her breeder. I trusted someone close to the family's opinion because they were a trainer. This dog was great with me but was quick to become too protective and aggressive when I got nervous or had an attack. Trust me, giving back the dog is 10x harder than saying no in the beginning!

Even though they are far away, it still might be worth it, especially if they are a SD trainer.

 

[FabulousEnding]

Have you seen the documentary "Through a Dog's Eyes" about physical service dogs? It was fascinating how these perfectly trained dogs would suddenly develop behavioral problems if they didn't only have eyes for their human. If the dog didn't feel a strong bond with the person, all their training went out the window. What was also interesting to see is that even though these dogs were perfectly trained, it still took 2 weeks of boot camp to get the dog adjusted to the person and even more time to work on commands when they got home. Definitely makes me think training a SD yourself is a better way to go. If you have amazon prime, it's free for prime on there.

 

[JustBe]

A hands free leash works for us when I don't want to vest my SD.

@FabulousEnding

BTW, you are not required to show any ID or Doctor's note in the USA.

 

[FindingMyself88]

@FabulousEnding No i haven't see that one. I don't have amazon prime, but I believe it! While Bristol is DEFINITELY my dog and prefers me over anyone, we are still working on her wanting to greet other people. She does great until someone talks to her or makes eye contact.

@JustBe I have a hands free leash, but I need that sign on there! People always want to talk to her and that gets her excited, especially since she is still in training! A lot of times I find myself saying "Ignore!" loud enough to her so that they hear it and get the hint!

 

[FabulousEnding]

Ooh where did you get that hands free leash? I can imagine trying to hold onto a dog leash while grocery shopping takes a very well coordinated person... which I am now. :)

Haha! Bristol is just so full of love to give. ;)

 

[FindingMyself88]

I don't know where she got that one with the sign on it, but I got my hands free leash from amazon. It comes in GREAT handy and I will not go back to a regular leash ever, probably not even for my other dogs!

 

[FabulousEnding]

My boyfriend ended up being passionate about the same program at college and signed up with me, so we put him in all the same classes with me. Technically, I can only take a dog into the lectures and not the lab rooms. Since my boyfriend is in class with me, the joke with us and one of my professors is that he's my service boyfriend lol.

However, he works 40 hours a week and is an assistant coach for his kid's soccer thing. Which means all day monday and monday evening until 7pm, I'm by myself. Tuesdays and Fridays I'm by myself from 10am - nearly midnight. Wednesday and Thursday I spend most of my day with him. Saturday I'm buy myself all day long and see him in the evening. Sunday he's around.

So I'm wondering if it's still worth it to get a service dog. I mean, right now my answer to when he's not around is don't leave the house. I don't walk alone, I only go to target by myself because it's all women and gay men lol, and I won't go anywhere else by myself... except maybe the dollar store. If I go up to the college alone, I put my hair up in a messy ponytail and wear huge hipster looking fake glasses so I'll get left alone 75% less than I do normally.

I have 3 cats and a small dog already, so adding extra fur and food cost will make things a bit more tight. I really don't know. My boyfriend and I have gone back on the whole dog thing a bunch since we started college. The dog would only be left alone about 24-28 hours per week when I'm in class.