Service Dog Class

[Hydrotroop91]

I'm in the class at college to get a service dog. Today was the first class and last night was my first lab! It was a ton of fun! We had 3 puppies to work with and 2 older dogs! The puppies were fun but took a lot of patience. I was lucky to have puppy play time for the chore!! Learned a great deal and can't wait to finish the course!

I asked the instructor to pair me with one of the older dogs. This way if I work with a dog that may be mine, I'll have a better connection and I think it'll be less stressful. There's plenty of other girls dying to get the cute fluffy little puppies! Once I get good enough with handling I'll be able to start fostering a potential partner at my apartment. I'm looking forward to it and hope I find a great friend! I'm a little nervous because these dogs are amazing and require a lot of training but I know it'll really help me out in the long run.

Anyone else take a course or have a service dog? And what can I expect? The puppies put me in such a great place last night and really cheered me up! Especially since the rest of my classes were such a drag and wore me out.

 

[KwanYingirl]

I think it's amazing you have this opportunity with the dogs. I have a 2 year old Maltepoo named Annie. She has had training with me and she is a PTSD therapy dog. We have more work to do with a trainer because she still pulls on leash. She has to learn to stay in stride with me. The sidewalks are icey here and she hasn't been walked much lately.
She cannot go into restaurants. She can go to Home Depot, but not the grocery store. She can come with me to the doctor/therapist/but not the laboratory. I cannot be prohibited from living somewhere that doesn't allow dogs. I can have her in my hospital room- that hasn't happened. I can take her on trains and subways. But not on the beach. I'm going to

 

[KwanYingirl]

I'm going to challenge that since I now live at the beach and my daughter who works for the MSPCA gave me a beach tent for dogs to keep them safe from the sun.
Having Annie is like living with my best friend. She goes to work with me and is completely trained there. She greets clients, they have play time she goes to her crate and I perform the treatment. We are a fine tuned instrument. She intuited my anxiety but stays calm. She crawls on my lap and just snuggles my neck. She is never far from me. A calm dog with the heart of an angel. I'd like to do more training so she could visit children in the hospital. She LOVES children. All of them-new borns, toddlers, primary school age she loves children. So I have to train her specifically for that.
When I am getting flashbacks she climbs on my lap and licks my face to ground me. She is so much comfort and love.
Unfortunately she has Addisons Disease. She doesn't make cortisol or aldosterone so we make trips to the Vet and she gets shots and blood work. I take her for Reiki treatments when I have money
I am so pleased that you have this opportunity. Pups are pups so there will be days they aren't staying on task. Keep us updated I'd love to share this story with you!