Teaching a puppy to listen in public takes time. It also takes training, patience, and reinforcement. Rogan is slated to be a service dog when he grows up. If you’ve ever seen a service dog working with his parter, you may have remarked “He’s so calm!” Or “”Nothing fazes him.” That’s because from puppyhood, that […]
Introducing Service Puppy in-Training, Rogan
Introducing Service Puppy in-Training, Rogan Welcome, Rogan! We’re back in the world of raising service puppies again! I promised our seniors (Nemo, Lily, and Tango — service dog dropouts themselves) that as they entered their “golden years,” they could retire from helping us raise service puppies. Levi was the last service dog we raised. We […]
Ren: Temporary Service Pup In-Training
Ren: Temporary Service Pup In-Training So you’re finding out about this little gem right before I have to turn him back over to the service dog organization. We were on a long break from raising service dogs. The older dogs, two of which are now gone, sadly, just didn’t enjoy having a new pup every single […]
The Results are In! Schooner’s Veterinary Visit…
Schooner’s Veterinary Visit Not long after we brought Schooner back home (he was gone at service dog training camp for 15 months), I took him on a field trip to our veterinarian. At that visit, I realized that Schoons was a little scared at the vet. He didn’t want to wag his tail, he stayed […]
Service Dogs Need Vacation, Too!
If you’ve ever wondered if service dogs get a vacation, the answer is yes! Our door is always open for service dog puppies that we’ve raised. We love the chance to get to know their new families and to have a little piece of our life back with the dog that we raised. It’s fun […]
Life Without A Service Dog (Empty Nesting)
Since 2001, we’ve had a puppy in the house every single year. 14 years later, life is really different as we’ve taken a temporary break from raising service dogs. It’s not better or worse, but definitely different. It’s certainly less work, that’s for sure. No house training, no all-day trips to check in with the service […]
Service Dog Training: Schooner’s Adjustment to Career Change
Changing careers is hard, for people as well as dogs. Schooner, the Great Dane pup we raised for service work was recently released from service dog training. The transition has taken some time, but I think Schooner is settling into the new lifestyle of stay-at-home dog. Big changes. Service dogs in training get to go […]
For the Love of an Old Dog
I’ll do almost anything for the sake of my dogs. This year, I’m giving up something I love dearly: raising service dogs. When we started raising puppies for service work back in 2001, I was a newlywed. I’d never owned a puppy ever and was a relative newcomer to the organized, specific training required of […]
Service Dog Training: He’s Baaaack!
We have added a fourth dog. And it’s not a service puppy in training. It’s Schooner! We raised this guy two years ago with the expectation that he’d be a brace (balance) dog for someone. He went through his puppy training with us quickly. We had him a mere ten months before he went into […]
Service Dog Training: Turn-In Day for Levi
Dreaded turn-in day. The minute you get your new charge, that lovely and naughty little pup, you know — KNOW — the countdown to turn-in day starts. I’ve done this more times than I can remember and I’m still surprised how hard it is — and how the date sneaks up on me — even […]
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