Superstar shih-tzu

[Sideways]

My lil shih-tzu Buddy passed his Public Access Test this morning after less than 4 months of formal classes. What a champion!

We have been working like crazy for this, and being able to go anywhere is going to be pretty life changing. One proud Ragdoll today:)

 

[Deleted member 40995]

Yay! I have one too, love him, shih tzus are great :)

 

[Sideways]

@Rosie11 - yup! People are constantly telling me, "He's too cute to be an Assistance Dog"! He totally is - love him to bits!!

 

[ladee]

Am so happy to hear this, what an awesome little man he is.... and do you ever deserve to have some peace and protection in your life, plus the love given and received...... you have come a long way baby !!!!! and lots of kisses and a little crown for Buddy.... what a great friend he is....and so smart..... love you hon.... so happy you are not alone..... and have love with you all the time now...love you very much....

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Well done and I am so very happy for the both of you. You have come very far and I know that you and Buddy will have many adventures together. It must be so wonderful for the both of you.:happy:

 

[Deleted member 541]

I'm glad @Ragdoll Circus that things have gone well with you and your pup. My sister has a shih-tzu and he's the only dog I've never liked that she has owned. He's awful. Spoiled rotten, demanding, barks non stop, omg I could ring his little neck.... I wouldn't but omg......

 

[LuckiLee]

Congratulations to the both of you!!

Mind if I ask a couple of questions?
(I hope not) ;)

How long have you had him?
Since he was a pup?
How often were the classes?
And were they pricey?

Thanks and well done.

 

[NatBird]

Congratulations and well done:)

 

[provencepearl]

My lil shih-tzu Buddy passed his Public Access Test this morning after less than 4 months of for...

Congratulations! I did not know a dog needed to pass such a test or that there was such a test. I have a letter from T and my dog is registered with the county as a service dog. I am training him myself. We have a long way to go. People are always wanting to pet him and I have a hard time saying no. I have been wanting to train him to wait for a command from me. I just looked up a website on training your own service dog. According to the site, it is a big no-no for a service dog to pay attention to anyone but the disabled person he is helping. Deep down I guess I knew that, but was hoping to learn it is ok if he gets a special command.

I have been working with him on "Quiet!" I had purchased a muzzle and have been using that on him. He does not like it. I do not like punishing him with it. I started rewarding him when quiet and it is working much better. This site says rewards work better than punishments. I got that part right, anyway.

Did you use a website or book to learn how to train your dog? Do you have any tips to share?

 

[Sideways]

@leehalf - I'm on disability, so getting him trained was expensive for me, but not really that expensive all things being equal. The organisation I'm going through is a charity, so they keep their prices low.

I've had my dog since he was a pup, and he's now 1 1/2. To keep it in perspective though, I've been training dogs since I was 13, so I made sure that I was getting him ready from day 1.

@provencepearl - the system in Australia and the US is very different. Here, there's a lot of consistency through the states, you have to be certified as well as having your dog certified. There's a few really good charities here that have a lot of experience helping people train their own dogs. Having a trainer who understands ptsd as well as how to train an Assistance Animal was priceless.

If you can put in the training time yourself, the quality of your trainer is key. Beyond that? I know enough to know that I have only the vaguest notion of the system in the US and it's very different to Australia.

 

[Sideways]

This site says rewards work better than punishments.

This comment seperately, because it was incredibly important to me not to use punishment, or uncomfortable muzzles or buzzing collars, etc.

Dogs respond so well if you simply reward the behaviour you like, and ignore them when they're doing something you dislike. So, it's probably personal preference, and my trauma history is definitely a factor, but I don't punish my dog. Period. He gets tiny fragments of liver treat as reward, and he's my best friend.

Punishing him is unnecessary for his training, and if he's displaying problematic behaviour? It's always (always) because he's trying to tell me something. So, instead of punishing him? I learned how to understand him better.