Most of the U.S. is battling a heat wave as I write this. My dogs go out early in the morning for a romp, then we head back out after the sun has gone down for another play session. At 100 degrees and 85% humidity, it’s simply too miserable to spend any time outside. Even […]
Caysun’s Next Journey to Becoming A Service Dog
The Dreaded Day: Turn-In Day. It vexes all puppy raisers, but I’m especially traumatized by turn-ins. You’d think that with enough experience, I’d get better at it. Have fewer tears. Hurt a little less. Nah. It’s always the same: the day is filled with dread, I wish that time would stop (and I could run […]
The Perfect Age to Start Puppy Training?
Puppies don’t come with instructions. There isn’t an Owner’s Manual. From the minute you bring your puppy home, he’s learning. Your pup will develop habits whether you teach him or not. It’s much easier to instill good habits from the beginning, than to try to undo bad habits later. Confused about when to start your […]
Teaching is Time Well Spent
I'm sitting in a wheelchair, Ike faithfully by my side. I cue "let's go" and Ike moves forward with me. Going straight is pretty easy for Ike, he learns quickly to keep his feet out of the way and settles at an even pace. We're at Harris Teeter grocery store, doing a training field trip […]
A Day in the Life of a Dog Trainer’s Dog
What's it like to be a dog trainer's dog? Well, you've gotta work for one thing. Tango, that handsome dude on the left, earns his keep from time to time, going to work with me. You've got to know something right up front: Tango is my favorite dog. Ever. For all time. He's my guy. […]
Grilled Pork + Feta = Easy Subway Trip for Ike
Part of becoming a service dog involves getting used to a lot of different sights and sounds. Ike had a field trip today to our local commuter train station. It's highly likely that in his lifetime as a service dog, Ike and his partner will need to take public transportation. It's crucial to make these […]
Different Dogs, Different Rules
If you live with more than one dog, do the same rules apply to both? I suppose in most homes, the dogs have the same rules. But in our house, different dogs have different rules. Ike, the service pup in training, has the most rules to follow. His life is relatively structured, as he's going […]
Not Tango’s Fault, Handler Error
Tango and I have been practicing Nose Work. It's a relatively new sport, and for the first time on the East Coast, the Odor Recognition Trial (ORT) was offered. This was a little bit of a big deal. First time it's been offered waaaay over here on the East coast. It's been a West coast […]
Go, Go, Go and Slow, Slow, Slow
Teddy's public debut focused mainly on getting in and getting out of locations and situations rather quickly. We stayed just long enough to expose Teddy to a new situation, make it fun, and then we're outta there. Today, we worked on settle-in-and-relax scenarios. The life of a service dog is varied – there are times […]
Baby Steps
There are lots of ways a pup can get his food. He can work for it. He can eat it out of a food stuffed toy. He can find it scattered about the patio. One thing this little guy won't be doing is eating food out of a bowl. That's way too easy. Teddy needs […]