Service dog rollercoaster

[Unhinged]

Happy Birthday, I hope it all works out ok for you guys. Best wishes to you and Abby.

 

[popeye]

Well Abby has adjusted well to life in my mom's house. She likes to lay in the sun right by my feet. She almost has potty training figured out. I think. She will whine at the door when she has to go but last night i forgot to put her in the crate and I woke up put my feet down into a very large pile of something sticky. Apparently in my sleep she tried to get my attention that she had to go but I didn't wake up. Other wise we are doing great.

 

[ISupportHer]

Hmmmm, maybe the smell I referred to in another thread wasn't death after all!

:)

OMG Popeye, I have done that! I won't go into detail about the disgusting feeling of the ooze between the toes. OOPS, guess I did!

:D

 

[popeye]

Well for now I am back at wife's grandma's house. I am doubtful that I will remain here for long but we shall see. Abby's training is going great. She sadly I think is starting to get an infection from her surgery. She found a stitch and has been pulling on it. So I cut off the long end of the stitch so she can't pull on it anymore. We are calling the vet this morning anyway to get her in for some shots. Then this weekend we will be heading to drop her off at the trainers place. I am a bit nervous because she is still learning the house training. but I am confident that since the trainer has 24 hours a day to watch her this will go well. Abby has decided it's her job to watch over me while I sleep and cries when I put her in the crate. If I could trust her completely I would leave her out, but after the play dough poop I really don't want to do that again. Also I learned that she is talkative. If she wants something she doesn't bark really just kind of growls while opening and closing her mouth so it sounds like she is talking. She has met the cat and besides the cat being a butthead things are going well with that too. My cat doesn't like anyone so this is normal for her. She is also declawed so she can't hurt anyone. Abby is my new best friend. Flat out I already feel she is helping me. She wakes me up in the morning when my alarm goes off. Even though I hit the snooze button she will whine and talk until I get out of bed.

 

[Elphaba]

Hi there, Abby sounds lovely. I have a 10 month old puppy (approximately - she was saved from being put down so we won't know for sure how old she is) that we think are part Petit Basset Griffon vendeen. She is lovely but extremely whimsical and sometimes maybe too happy to be a service dog. How do you assess those things? I would love to have her trained if possible, but not sure if this is very common in my country.

 

[popeye]

Well excessive happiness is not really a condition. Some dogs just take more time to calm down a bit and become more relaxed and receptive to training. Like I said before you need a dog that is more or less indifferent to his/her surroundings. One that listens well and is very smart. Alot of the training that goes into being a service dog is basic obedience. Not jumping up on people when they meet someone or any of that kind of thing. Barking and growling at people is an absolute no no. Most of these things can be worked on through training. But if the dog is a biter or aggressive towards children other dogs or people in general that becomes a whole different story. I would check with local trainers that do things such as obedience competition because those trainers can get dogs to do amazing things.

A lot of trainers believe in the Volhard test. Link Removed

This kind of gives you an idea of what the dogs temperament should be like. Some of these can be trained out of a dog but some the dog just must do naturally.

The most important thing when considering training a dog is temperament. The second is your bond with the dog. If you have a dog that follows you everywhere around the house it's usually the right dog. You have to remember you not only pick the dog but the dog picks you as well.

 

[AdamAnt]

Congrats Popeye! Don't you wish they had a PAT test for people? :)

 

[popeye]

Abby is out for training already. She is amazing the trainer on how smart she is. She has learned some tricks already. She knows sit, down, stay, heel and she is working on her tasks already. She has her potty training down to a science already but because of the food change she is having poop issues. So we are going back to her usual food. I have been without her since Saturday and I miss her so much. I have talked to the trainer everyday so far and heard about the things she is doing. Plus the trainer is sending pictures. I am so glad I picked this trainer as she understands my issues and understands that I need to be reassured about my decision to train the dog. Abby is doing wonderful and is already going beyond the trainers expectations as far as how fast she is learning.

Apparently the pink harness I bought her will work as her training vest and that is great. So I will not be out a large amount just for her vest. Also the harness is flexible where many of them are not. Abby is working with 2 much older dogs. One of them named fred is a beagle that my trainer picked up from a shelter after he was left on a 4 foot chain for most of his life and had been shot with a bb gun several times. The other one is a big black dog named buddy.

 

[popeye]

Well gang, The moment is almost upon us. Abby will be coming home soon. The trainer says she has everything she needs and all I have to do is continue training. Basically work her like crazy and she will do fine. Which is cool because I have holiday shopping to do soon. And since it's that time of year it would be nice to have someone with me. My trainer has been working the dog 10 hours a day with many breaks but usually about 15 mins of training and 20 mins of rest. Or an average of 15, 15 minute sessions a day. Sometimes more sometimes less. Most trainers only train a dog about an hour a day because they believe the dog cannot maintain the knowledge if they train longer. but studies have shown through the inmate training programs that a dog can learn all day long. There are some issues with dogs that take much longer, such as aggression or even shyness. A lot of trainers don't work dogs this hard or this long. But I have been researching this for 2 years and I have found that this trainer I picked is definitely one of the best.

Abby has proven herself well at restaurants, gas stations, auto shops, walmart, and many other businesses. i even received an e-mail from the doctors office that my trainer took the dog to stating that Abby was extremely well behaved in the office and even earned herself an honorary nurses badge because while at the doctors office she sat by a child who was getting a shot and Abby calmed the kid enough so the kid didn't even cry. The trainer is even saying that if Abby wasn't being trained for me she would take her on as her own service dog.

So here we are about to go get Abby back from the trainer this saturday already. She has passed her public access test already with only one little slip up with getting her leash caught under a cart. That was mainly handler error though. So this is my friend and savior all dressed up in her harness and service dog training collar.

The dual collar thing will end when she gets her badges for her pink vest there. She just needs to earn them with me. So graduation is coming up fast for my special friend and I. I am hoping to post photos of the 2 of us when I get home with her. I can't wait because after I have some time to spend with her and get her used to working for me again I will be talking to my sons school and seeing if I can try to educate the children a little bit about dogs in general and also service dogs and what they do to help people. I just hope Abby and I are both up to the task.

 

[AdamAnt]

Fantastic Popeye! Look forward to the update!

 

[deer_in_headlights]

Congratulations, Popeye and Abby!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KP the nut]

Best Wishes for your life together. I had to laugh ot loud as my husband brought our 2 dogs ( a Staffordshire terrier cross and a Springer spaniel/Collie cross) back from their walk. I live in England and we've had snow. Max (the sprollie) came down the drive like a snow plough. He is like a child, loves the snow. The only time I went out of the house was to walk them. They help give life purpose.
Enjoy
KP