Service Dog Teams & Corona Virus

Hi my long Time Readers.
The majority of us partner with services dogs are considered at higher risk for contracting the Corona Virus/ COVID 19 by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
and as such we must practice self isolation and distance behaviors to protect ourselves. The American Veterinary Association page on COVID-19/ Corona Virus states " If you have a service animal or you must care for your pet, then wear a facemask; don’t share food, kiss, or hug them; and wash your hands before and after any contact with them." this also means that your service animal and you should practice some social distancing by enacting the following:
These easily accomplished if you have maintained kenneling, tie down and/ or go to place/mat behaviors. If you have not maintained these behaviors it is likely you will experience protesting behaviors in the possible forms of vocalizations, digging/scratching, trying to join you, pacing, restlessness; please stand your ground these will pass. You can also help you dog see the change in patterns as a good/fun thing by offering meals, chews or food puzzle toys in these spaces.

• Not sleeping in the same bed.
• Not allowing your dog on furniture with you.
• Refraining from kissing your dog and/or allowing them to kiss you (hard one I know)
• Wash your hands/sanitized your hands frequently. Especially before and after touching your dog.
• Groom your dog after coming inside by wiping down with antiseptic/ antibacterial wipes.

Per a study in the Whole Dog Journal "
“This innovation of cleaning the dogs so they don’t become a vector for transmission is really important,” says Dr. Nyquist. “For humans, it’s washing your hands. This is a way of washing the dogs and making them as safe as possible in a very vulnerable population.”
Reviews/ Ratings Top 5 best antiseptic wipes for dogs

• Practice Social distance with/ and for your service dog. If you must go out (and your service dog must go with you to accomplish that), do not allow others to touch/pet/kiss your service dog. Use this time to reinforce behaviors many teams let slide over time  such as: staying with in arms length of you when walking; not investigating things around with nose/tongues while waiting; resting under tables/chairs completely out of paths, settling and not fussing with you/ or you with them; not socializing with other animals while out; relieving on-leash in a designated area.
• Clean your Dog's stuff:

1. Bowl/ Treat pouches/ food toys Daily -with hot water and dish soap well rinse and dried or put in hot cycle in dish washer.
2. Bedding -Weekly Hot water and completely dried before replacing. Don't forget to wipe down kennels/crates with a pet safe cleaner (if the dog has been ill or had and accident) or hot water and soap, well rinse and dried.
3. Toys- these can go into the top shelf of the Dishwasher on sanitizer cycle
4. Leashes/ Collars/Vests (Non-Leather) These can go through the Washer machine in a laundry bag or (again in the Dishwasher on the sanitize cycle)
5. Brushes/ combs- clean out hair and put in dishwasher

If you are sick and quarantining, or social distancing  you can set up an indoor/ patio or balcony potty area for your service dog using a an artificial turf potty station, dog litter box, real grass or potty training pads- Here's a link to the top5 best rated ones. I personally used and recommend artificial grass system for service with catch trays as it has the ability to be cleaned easily, doesn't require buying a ton of supplies over and over, and keeps my dog ready for the indoor service animal rest areas when traveling.Teams who have maintained their dog's potty habits training including-
1.Potty on cue
2.Potty on leash
3.Potty where handler identifies (i.e. place and surface)
4.Potty when handler identifies/says
5. Pottying quickly = access to longer break or fun
Are likely to have an easier time with their dogs, and experience less stress over unusual bathroom routines. If you have not maintained these skills or never taught your dog to relieve on cue, on-leash and where you say, then you will need to treat this as you did housebreaking in the beginning. Be aware many adult dogs can and will hold it for a long time when you are trying to change relieving  habits keep to a schedule, offer extra opportunities, don't let them unsupervised if they have relieved, be patient, and reward heavily when they do, finally go where you need them too!

Fading Prompts and lures in training

Whole Dog  Journal unearthed this from their archives this morning. https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_5/features/Dog-Training-Tips_5629-1.html?s=FB&medium=soc_082117A
This article includes self assessment  to see which lures/ prompts you and your dog are stuck on and how to fade out needing them.

Upcoming series on Retirement

Shilo retired on August 17th after five years, 10 months and 2 days of partnership with me. Making the decision to retire a service dog is never easy even if there is an undeniable reason such as failing health driving the human partner to the decision. I am working on a series of post about Shilo's retirement to help people understand this all too little discussed inevitable phase of life with service dogs which will include topics:

1. Timeline to Retirement
2. Signs a Service Dog Needs to Retire
3. Preparing for Your Dog's Retirement
4. Celebrating your Partnership
5. To Re-Partner or Not? Deciding whether a Service Dog is still right for you.

Also in the series will be stories from Shilo's retirement:

• Shilo's Last Trip- Vegas Baby!
• Shilo's Retirement Party
• Shilo's Last Day Working
• Shilo's Retired Life

All work and No Play- Work Life Balance in Teams

Members of the public often have the idea that service dogs never get to "just be dogs". This assumption couldn't be farther from the truth, especially if a team plans to function for many years to come.The balance between working together and playing together is one that begins to be established as soon as you and your SD (or potential SD when owner training) enter into each others' lives beginning with the definition of play  for each.

 Common Dog Definitions of Play

1. Play is mutual. I want to play with you!
2. Favorite dog games include Tag, Chase, Keep Away, Sharable toys, Hide and Seek.
3. Play is enjoyable for both of us, if you are not having fun it lessens my fun.

Common Human Definitions of Play

1. Playing with your dog means toys and other dogs.
2. Play is fetch and tug.

The real definition of play of course is any activity that gets both you and your SD smiling, laughing, enjoying each others company, and leaves you both feeling recharged and connected. Teams that play together everyday strengthen their bond, lessen the effects of a stressful world, maintain training, gain insights into each others personalities, improve team members health both physically and mentally. I seem to get partnered with dogs whose sense of play requires me to "lighten up" and be able to take a well timed joke. --Yes, dogs can be practical jokers, especially those clever enough to be service dogs.-- Both Bastien and Shilo's sense of humor spanned the spectrum from out right goofiness to well time jokes including hiding right behind me, to the ever popular squeal inducing goose and sneak slurp.

Learn More About the Importance of Play for People and Dogs

1. Play and kids- http://udel.edu/~roberta/play/
2. Play, Creativity, and Lifelong Learning: WHY PLAY MATTERS FOR BOTH KIDS AND ADULTS-http://www.helpguide.org/life/creative_play_fun_games.htm 
3. Autism and Play (Book) http://books.google.com/books?id=ujE6lxdMG5IC&printsec=frontcover&dq=play+autism&source=bll&ots=574regUp8o&sig=V45TmR1psFmAAHoMHOcEpiZ3bp0&hl=en&ei=QO69TLl8kPazA_LmoMQM&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=15&sqi=2&ved=0CG4Q6AEwDg#v=onepage&q&f=false 
4. Dog Play & Exercise: Tips on what type of exercise/ play and how much is appropriate-http://hssv.convio.net/site/DocServer/dog_playandexercise.pdf?docID=1117 
5. Play with your Dog by Pat Miller http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=dtb1011 
6. Play Together - Soft Cover Book-HAPPY AND HEALTHY PLAY BETWEEN PEOPLE AND DOGS: Play is fun and frolicsome, but it is powerful stuff! Learn how to use it to enhance your relationship with your dog. http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/product/play-together-stay-together

7. Dog Games You Can Play if You are Physically Impaired-http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/16_6/features/dog-games-physically-impared_20758-1.html

    

May: Better Speech and Hearing Month; Hearing Dogs Lend an Ear

Hearing dogs alert people who are Deaf or severely hearing impaired to sounds in their environment that the human partners needs to know about for safety and to better function in the world. Hearing dogs can be trained to alert to everything from doorbells, alarm clocks, babies crying, home appliance noises, someone calling the handlers name,  and more. Hearing dogs unique in the service dog world as they are often both rescued/shelter dogs and small dog breeds. Historically Hearing dogs rearly worked outside the home, so issues that might have prevent a rescued dog from becoming a service dog weren't as big a concern. Today, you will still find that hearing dogs are still on the smaller side many hearing dogs are specifically breed for the work with known histories and temperaments that can handle a public life.

Standards for Hearing Dogs

Training Standards for Hearing Dogs

What Can Hearing Dogs do for their Owners?

Hearing Dogs Task List (Scroll half way down the page)

Programs Training Hearing Dogs

Dogs for the Deaf- Oregon Based places Nationwide

 The Hearing Dog Program- California based appears to place in western U.S.

Canine Companions for Independence- several regional facilities places Nationwide 

Golden Ears- Tandem Training Program Washington based (What is Tandem Training?)

Resources on Training Hearing Dogs

Book: Lend Me an Ear

Summary: An exciting book on a fascinating subject! Includes Hearing Dog Basics, Behind the Hearing Dog Temperament, Testing Potential Hearing Dogs, and Training Basics. More about Martha Hoffman the author.

When puppies have other plans - Spot Magazine

Sometimes despite the best breeding, all the testing it the world, all the resources, and a loving dedicate raiser some puppies just aren't cut out to be service dogs. Spot Magazine featured the story of Lowell, a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy who didn't make the cut in "When Puppies Have other Plans"

Lend Me an Ear is back!

One of the quintessential  resources in hearing dog and service dog training is back after many, many years out print. I, myself, have been hunting high and low in used bookstores hoping to find a copy. Alas, I never did because no one who had copy was giving up this treasured volume  LEND ME AN EAR: TEMPERAMENT, SELECTION AND TRAINING OF THE HEARING EAR DOG- 

http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB1316

My Favorite Harness is Back!

My absolute favorite multi-functional service dog harness is back on the market! I bought this harness for my first service dog, Bastien, used it until he retired then transferred it to Shilo and used it until it literally died from use. I was saddened to discover the woman who made each harness by hand had passed away and the harness it seemed would not be made anymore. I decided to see if I could find someone to fix or re-create my harness to no avail. Non of the fixes or remakes would as well as the original. The Freedom Design harness is designed with service dog partners using wheelchairs in mind, but I have seen this versatile harness used for partners needing guiding, and light counter balance as well. I cannot say enough good things about this harness! If you are looking for a haness that is:

• Multi-funtional
• designed for use by people with extremely limited hand function
• designed to allow the dog freedom of movement
• designed to allow for a flexible and angle variable connection between dog and partner ( this is how I was able to have a wheelchair pulling dog who did not have to lean sideways to pull from along side the wheelchair)
• attractive
• light weight
• machine washable
• durable (at least I hope it still) I had mine for 12 years before it died.
• Reasonably priced at $85

This post is peppered with pictures of both my dogs in the same Freedom Design harness (that's right, the one I bough and used for 12 years)! Before you ask, none is paying me for this post. I just like to sing the praises of a quality product when I find one!

Free Audio Excerpt Exploring Shaping Available

 Recently, I stumbled across this audio excerpt from one of my favorite books on clicker training, Don't Shoot the Dog, by Karen Pryor. Since finding dog training books in any format other than print is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, I had to share! Never stop learning!
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3596?source=mnl_01_1208

Therapy Dog and Person with a disability Communicate through iPad

You don't need to be able to speak to communicate with a service dog. Dogs will accept anything as a cue as long as it is consistent and the dog is rewarded for responding.What I like most about this video is near the end the young women chooses to pet the dog as well as give her a treat!

News: Service Dog Seminar 2013 May 2013

Service Dog Seminar 2013 

Friday, May 31, 2013 9:00 AM -
Sunday, June 02, 2013 5:00 PM (Eastern Time)

Dogs In The Park Training Hall
519-826-5315
582 Massey Road
Unit B
Guelph , Ontario N1K 1B4
Canada
Map and Directions

Dogs in the Park is pleased to announce the 6TH Annual Service Dog Seminar! 
Registration is $375 and will include lunch and refreshments for all three days.

***EARLY BIRD PRICING IS AVAILABLE BUT ENDS May 1st 2013**

CEUs for IAABC & CCPDT are Pending!Learn about the world of service dogs and how they help people with disabilities. Whether you are already partnered with a dog, looking for a promising prospect or interested in how service dogs are trained, everyone will take something new away from this seminar! Core sessions include preparing for a service dog, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and people training. 2013 will have exciting events such as Sports with your service dog, Successful Access and much more.


TRAINING LABS and GUEST SPEAKERS including Sue Alexander CPDT-KSA CDBC CBCC-KA, John Alexander "The Puppy Guy" BA CPDT-KA, Sharon Palmer, Pete Woolley and Melanie Woolley RVT; speakers & agenda to be firmed up by February 2013

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
       Anyone who shares their lives with a service dog or who is interested in sharing their life with a service dog; partners, trainers and family members of service dog users!
***Please advise us if you require CEUs for OAVT, NYSAVT or MAVT.

*Service Dogs are Encouraged to attend, friendly service dog candidates are welcome*
This is a Fragrance Free Event

REGISTRATION CLOSES MAY 24^TH 2013

ENROLL NOW!!!http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1158765

Upcoming Teleconference: No pets allowed: Service Animals and Post Secondary Institutions

March 20, 2012»No pets allowed: Service Animals and Post Secondary Institutions

Time: 11:00a.m. -12:30p.m. PST

Recent revisions to the regulations implementing Title II and III of the ADA have raised increased focus on the issue of service animals in a variety of settings. Post secondary institutions face unique challenges around these issues when it comes to their policies and procedures regarding service animals in student housing, classroom and public spaces. This session will explore the different scenarios that often play out in post secondary education and discuss the interplay between laws governing non-discrimination in housing versus equal access to programs and services. Join this panel of presenters for a discussion of the issues and engage with them in an interactive question and answer period.

Certificate of Attendance/ CEUs offered for those participating in the live teleconference for the following fees: 

For-Profit Entities

Single Session

• Teleconference: $40.00
• Real-time Text Captioning (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
• Real-time Streaming Audio (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free

Not-for-Profit Entities

The non-profit discount is available to education, government and service agencies operating on a not-for-profit status.

Single Session

• Teleconference: $25.00
• Real-time Text Captioning (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free
• Real-time Streaming Audio (via Elluminate Live Platform): Free

News: Puppies too frisky for ADA shelter - Lexology

A Burger King franchise was sued recently for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when an owner and his service dog-in-training were asked to leave the restaurant. A federal district court in California sided with Burger King and dismissed the case in the last few weeks. The court focused on whether the puppy, a 13-week-old Great Dane named Barack, was actually a service dog under the ADA. [ . . . Section Explaining what a service dog is under the law. . . ]
The restaurant asserted that Barack the Great Dane puppy was not fully trained as a service animal and only had basic obedience training. His owner, who was training the puppy to assist him with walking and balancing, countered that the puppy had a service dog tag from the county that was issued prior to the restaurant visit. The restaurant provided expert testimony that the puppy still had a “playful streak” and was too young to have complete control over its bladder and bowels for extended training periods.
However, the court focused on the fact that although the owner stated that the puppy was being trained to assist him with walking and balance, the puppy was not large enough at that point to assist with walking and balancing. According to the restaurant’s expert, the owner could have actually injured himself and the puppy if he had leaned on the puppy for balance. The court found that the puppy was not a service dog, because it had not been trained to perform tasks for the benefit of the individual with a disability, and the work or tasks performed by a service dog must be directly related to the individual’s disability. . . Although the Burger King case is an example that hospitality providers do not have to give unfettered access to customers with animals represented as service animals, they should exercise caution and common sense when encountering individuals with service animals. Read full Article Puppies too frisky for ADA shelter - Lexology

Upcoming Service Dog Training Seminars

PREVENTING PROBLEMS in Puppyhood: a 3-day seminar

Preventing Problems in Puppyhood 2011

A three day seminar for Puppy Class Instructors & Service Puppy Raisers

November 11, 12, 13, 2011



www.regonline.com/preventingproblemsinpuppyhood2011
<http://www.regonline.com/preventingproblemsinpuppyhood2011>

The majority of behaviour problems that are seen in adult dogs can be
easily prevented during puppyhood. Understanding the developmental
stages that pups go through and what they need in each stage will help
you to understand and address puppy needs to prevent problems in adult
dogs. We will discuss the pros and cons of puppy play, how to structure
object play to get the best results for individual pups, scheduling of
the puppy's day and week and spay and neuter. We will even have live
puppies on site for you to interact with during our socialization lab.
Join us this fall to get your puppy fix!


Featured speakers include: Sue Alexander CPDT CDBC, John Alexander "The
Puppy Guy" BA CPDT.

For more information or to register:

www.regonline.com/preventingproblemsinpuppyhood2011
<http://www.regonline.com/preventingproblemsinpuppyhood2011>


EARLY BIRD pricing available
Bring a friend and you get a $25 Discount (some conditions apply)
All three days include lunch and refreshments.
IAABC and CPDT CEUs pending!

This is a fragrance free event, held in beautiful Guelph, Ontario,
CANADA
________________________________________

SERVICE DOG SEMINAR 2012

Come join in North America's only 5th Annual SERVICE DOG SEMINAR.

June 1, 2 & 3, 2012

www.regonline.com/servicedogseminar2012
<http://www.regonline.com/servicedogseminar2012>



Learn about the world of service dogs and how they help people with
disabilities. Whether you are already partnered with a dog, looking for
a promising prospect or interested in how service dogs are trained,
everyone will take something new away from this seminar! Core sessions
include preparing for a service dog, operant conditioning, classical
conditioning, and people training. 2012 includes Carting with your
service dog, Successful Access and much more.



Service Dogs are encouraged to attend; friendly service dog candidates
are welcome.

TRAINING LABS and GUEST SPEAKERS including Sue Alexander CPDT CDBC, John
Alexander "The Puppy Guy" BA CPDT, Linda Alberda MBA, Brent Alberda MA,
Sharon Palmer, Melanie Woolley RVT


For more information or to register:

www.regonline.com/servicedogseminar2012
<http://www.regonline.com/servicedogseminar2012>


EARLY BIRD pricing available
Bring a friend and you get a $25 Discount (some conditions apply)
All three days include lunch and refreshments.
IAABC and CPDT CEUs pending!

This is a fragrance free event, held in beautiful Guelph, Ontario,
CANADA
________________________________________

Good Dog Seminar 2012

A three day seminar to help you meet the needs of your client's Good
Dogs with Big Problems!

Fall 2012 (Date to be determined)



Sue Alexander, CPDT, CDBC (featured speaker at the 2009 Canadian
Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers conference) will be sharing
information about learning theory, canine aggression, fear, reactivity,
adaptive and mal-adaptive behaviours, working co-operatively with the
veterinary and training communities, building support groups and
ensuring the safety of those who participate in a GOOD DOG program.



For more information or to register:

Email jen at dogsinthepark dot ca



EARLY BIRD pricing available

Bring a friend and you get a $25 Discount (some conditions apply)

All three days include lunch and refreshments.

IAABC and CPDT CEUs pending!



This is a fragrance free event, held in beautiful Guelph, Ontario,
CANADA

Shilo and Cammy Meet Ian Dunbar!

The girls scramble to get to Ian!

I was very lucky to be able to scrape together enough money to attend one day of a three day lecture series put on by Dr. Ian Dunbar called "Science Based Dog Training with Feeling." While I would have loved to go to all three days, it just wasn't in the budget. Therefore I chose the day focused on Lure & Reward training. I learned and was reminded of a lot, so let me see if I can boil down some top points from the lecture.
Keys to Lure and Reward Based Training
1. Lure and Reward Training allows the Training to attach verbal cues immediately (1st trial) to a  behavior
2. The food Lure should be  gone (in other words the dog can see and smell the food while they are doing the behavior) in 6-12 trials for a given new behavior. Note that you continue to reward behaviors you want.
3. Allows the Trainer to immediately select and reward for the best performances of the behavior.
4. When phasing out food ask  more for less and replace with other reinforce like praise and life rewards.
5. The games Tug,  Fetch, and chase are intrinsically rewarding for dogs and can/should be used as rewards in training.
6. Train opposites

I could go one for days with what I learned about lure and reward training, instead visit Dog Star Daily read more about this training technique.


Understanding Pet Professionals & Getting What You Need
1. All pet professionals run their business on the assumption that you dog is both people and dog friendly. If your dog is not good with one of these two expect to be charged more because the work will be harder, take longer and use more staff to get the job done.
2. Don't be surprised if a Trainer fires you, if you don't follow through with exercises and homework. Your dog could be trained by them, yes, but it is your dog and they need to respond to you. The only way that will happen is if you do the work.
3. Don't sign up for group class with specific goals then go in expecting the trainer to throw the whole syllabus out the window because you and you dog aren't ready for it.

Say What? Maintaince Training for Service Dogs

Anniversaries and follow-up visits have a way of showing you how far you have come along with anything you may have let side;however, inadvertently.   We received high praise from Wendy at Summit for how well our public access manners and tasks have been maintained, though, I admitted that the emergency phone retrieve has gotten dropped since we no longer have a land line. I really must work on getting the cue back in use with my cell phone since it is my life and safety on the line. As  teams move through life it is common for things to slip or for things to get dropped because handlers and dogs begin to engage in anticipatory learning where in they put together strings of actions/cues and will perform behaviors without waiting to be asked. Many human partners think this predictive behavior is wonderful, and in some instances it is. However, I have come the conclusion that these short cuts if allowed to develop freely and without thought to possible hazards are very dangerous to our canine partners.

Example1: You and your dog are riding the lift transport service and  your service dog cannot ride the lift with you, so they must wait in the van until you can collect them at the front door. The dog anticipating you to call them begins to come out the door before being called and before you are there to collect them. I will leave the horrid possibilities to your own imagination.

Example 2: Your service dog faithfully retrieves everything you drop and has done this for you so often that the dog comes running whenever it see or hears anything hit the floor in your vicinity.  While this may not seem like a big deal and even helpful, what if you drop something glass and it shatters or the lid goes flying off your med bottle since you where trying to get the lid on when you dropped it.

Now, anticipatory learning does have a place in a service dog partnership, but we humans must be careful about the behavior chains that develop and nip ones that could be dangerous to us and/or our canine partners in the bud before they become habits that are exceeding difficult to break. This is where maintenance training takes center stage. If you regularly practice all your dogs behaviors from basic obedience to elaborate chained behaviors such as tugging open a door or get help, you are much more likely to prevent these short cuts from developing in the first place. You will also want to correct your dog for "blowing" cues (as I and many others call it) straight off by sending them back to the start and having them do it correctly. For dogs having a no reward marker or a cue reminder can help them know when they are about to make a mistake and give them a chance to change their mind before making the mistake.

How do you know if a Behavior needs brushing up?

• You (or someone in your circle) can't remember the last time you used a particular cue
• The dog's response to a cue has become slow or sloppy
• The cue is essential for you/your dogs safety (i.e. come, emergency down, get help, waiting at open doors)
• The dog seems to have stopped paying attention to a given cue altogether (Tip: did you inadvertently change the cue. It happens all the time. It is really easy to change a cue in just a few repetitions of the pattern New Cue + Old Cue= Behavior for the dog to go "oh this =that" and the old cue is no longer needed. Unfortunately, it can take us humans a bit to figure out what is the cue the dog is now responding to)
• You need a particular cue to be reinforced so that you can build a new behavior with it.

Finding Time for Maintenance Training

People often claim they don't do something because they think that it needs a lot of time. The amount of time needed to maintain given depends on several factors: how often it is used and actively reinforced/rewarded, if the dog finds to behavior itself rewarding, and how complicated/difficult the behavior is, and the tendency of the dog in question to assume that a behavior that hasn't been used/reinforced in a certain period of time is just taking up memory needlessly. The more simple, easy to perform and frequently used behaviors can be easily maintained in a few short repetitions,the more complicated the behavior the more you may need to make a specific effort to practice it, especially if it is not something you need the dog to do on a regular basis (say at least a couple of times a week) like getting help or dialing 9-1-1 on speed dial.

• Before you give your dog anything or answer a request as for a behavior any behavior the dog knows or is working on will due
• While waiting in line, for the bus or whatever
• When your dog seems bored to you
• During your lunch, coffee or other breaks in the day
• When you need a distraction
• During the course of normal day, give cues as you go along to keep your dog engaged
• As a new section to your daily fitness routine. Spice it up for both you and your dog.

Yappy Hour! by Lexi Dog

Are you looking for an event to take your service dog in training for practice with public access and working in public? Just want to hang out with other dog people? This event might be for you!

Join us for an ICE CREAM SOCIAL at this month's Yappy Hour on Sunday, August 1st, where delicious frozen doggie treats will be served to our favorite four-legged pals!
 
Come mingle with other dog lovers, enjoy fine wines and food from LaVelle Bistro & Wine Bar, and spend some time out in the sun with your dogs!
 
Date: Sunday, August 1, 2010

Time: 3-5pm

Place: The patio at LaVelle Bistro & Wine Bar
at 5th Street Market in Eugene

Join us for an ICE CREAM SOCIAL at this month's Yappy Hour on Sunday, August 1st, where delicious frozen doggie treats will be served to our favorite four-legged pals!
 
Come mingle with other dog lovers, enjoy fine wines and food from LaVelle Bistro & Wine Bar, and spend some time out in the sun with your dogs!
 
Date: Sunday, August 1, 2010

Time: 3-5pm

Place: The patio at LaVelle Bistro & Wine Bar
at 5th Street Market in Eugene

Service Dog Handling Tip #1: Out of the Way

Knowing the place where your dog will be most out of the way is one of of the arts of top notch service dog handling.
Moving furniture should be of very last resort and you need to teach your dog curl up. A good way to teach this this to dog not natural curler is to a blanket and teach the dog that it must keep all it's parts on the blanket. You fold the blanket successively smaller over time, still asking the dog to all their appendages with in confines of the blanket.  Your dog should also be trained to go on cue to all the following placements:
-In front
-Left side
-Right Side
-Behind
Furthermore your dog should see your equipment as an extension of you and be more than happy to curl up tight against a wheelchair/scooter/Walker. Which means they have to trust that you will not move without fair warning.
Your dog needs also to be comfortable going under:
Tables, Chairs, Benches, your legs

Common Places a Service dog can be out of the way in a public:
-Under the table
-Under your chair
-Under your legs (usually means you have to scoot your chair back a bit)
-In a corner
-Next to your chair against a wall
-In between your and your table partners chair

Finally your dog should be comfortable with people stepping over them.
Overtime an experienced dog will naturally gravitate to the most out of the way placements, because they do not want to get stepped on!And all working dogs do get stepped on from time to time. A solid dog will take these rare incidents in stride. The most common situations a dog may get stepped on despite the best efforts to be out of path:
-The bus/subway/train
-Movies/theater house (can you say dark)
-Bars (generally not a great place for your dog)

Update on the Power Chair Test

This is an unedited video of the first three minutes or so introducing, Shiloh, my Summit Assistance Dog Service dog of nearly two years to a loaner power chair. I will, hopefully, have a power chair soon. Shiloh shows the expected unsureness about where to be and is also adjusting to working on a flexible length leash. Please note she has been working along side a manual char for nearly two years at this point and has never stained, pull, or bolted on a regular six foot leash. Flexible leashed are for dogs with advanced training who will not take advantage of the added freedom. As you watch the video you will hear me give Shiloh cues and advanced warning of any change in direction. If you don't warn a dog about changes in chair direction and they do get run over:
1: you may hurt the dog
2: you may cause them to believe that they must stay as far away from the chair as their leash will allow.
 The chair was running at its lowest speed to give us both time to react and adjust. This video was shot by Catherine Berger.

Power Chair Test Number 2

So we have the second power chair the DME provider feels is comparable  to tone I originally chose or so long ago, except unlike the first one I get to rode test this one for a whole week! Stayed tuned for some video of the first day Shiloh and I were using this chair and my observations of working a power chair versus a manual chair.