For all of you suffering from panic attacks and anxiety – this program WORKS. I went through it and I never had a panic attack again. I was actually so healed that they flew us out and I was on one of their commercials. I know there are naysayers, but I can personally say it works.
The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety – The Most Effective Drug-Free Anxiety and Depression Program
From our trainer Beverli, who had her fifth training session with Alex and his SDIT, Rottweiler “Meadow”. Alex suffers from anxiety and Multiple Sclerosis.
Beverli writes:
“At this session, we worked at home doing intensive work on “give”, “pull”, (Alex needs assistance with his wheelchair at times) and some outdoor heeling with many neighborhood distractions. Meadow’s focus and ability to stay calm in stressful environmental situations has greatly improved! We encountered a hostile Rottweiler while on our walk who charged us barking, and Meadow stayed put and did not react at all. Homework given for the next session was to continue working on “give” and “pull”.”
From our trainer, Jackie, who is working with Wounded Warrior Jimmy, and their Dachshund, “Sweetie”. Jimmy suffers from Asperger’s, Hearing Loss, and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. The first session was an initial evaluation of the family and Sweetie. They reviewed all required training aids, how to get the vest and ID, went over the training manual in detail, and discussed Jimmy’s special needs. Jackie also watched how Jimmy and Sweetie interacted and how strong their bond was. Jimmy trained Sweetie to “sit” easily. They also did interaction with other dogs – initially, Sweetie did some protective barking, but Jackie explained to them how to approach new dogs – and after about 15 minutes, Sweetie was socializing perfectly!
They are going to work on Sweetie’s “sit/stay” and keep on having her socialize with other dogs in a calm and positive way. They will also be working on “heeling” without any pulling, loading and unloading. They will keep reviewing the manual, and will be working with Sweetie 30 minutes twice a day.
From our dear client and friend, Christina, whose husband, a district attorney who helps sexual assault victims like Christina, organized this walk to raise money for other victims! She writes:
“Thank you to everyone who donated to raise funds for Eric’s Walk A Mile In Her Shoes! Eric and Scott you are my heroes! We were in some of the photos that the Palestine Herald – Press posted! A special thank you to Roxy, my forever companion and source of comfort! Your loyalty amazes me!!”
Roxy, her Service Dog, even did the walk!!
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Greg and his now Service Dog, Missy!!! This absolutely remarkable team passed their Public Access Test flawlessly – and even went above and beyond by learning tasks and commands that were not even on the Public Access Test!
Greg’s compassionate, intelligent, and dedicated commitment to working with Missy, along with Missy’s remarkable ability to be trained and her remarkable, gentle temperament as a formerly neglected shelter dog have made this process so incredibly easy. Each training session is a joy for all three of us!!
The Public Access Test was done at North Star Mall. Missy took the bus for the first time (Greg does not drive), and she was a pro. We went into tons of stores and explored all kinds of distractions – but nothing fazed Missy. We performed each and every command in the Public Access Test, and she received a 100% PLUS. The most amazing thing is to watch how much people gravitate toward her. There is a softness in her eyes and in her demeanor that just draw people – from very young children to very elderly adults to want to meet her. She is loving and gracious toward everyone. She listens to every command that Greg gives her, without hesitation. Even the elevator ride was fun for her!! That tail is always wagging!
Missy had a lot of fun in the Disney store, at Spencer’s trying on eyeglasses, and going in shoe stores – she just LOVES the smell of sneakers! Especially blue ones!! (But none of them fit).
Greg has also noticed that now that she has switched foods to Evolve, Missy’s digestive system and appetite are working much better than the food she was originally on. I plan on maintaining a life-long friendship with these two – they have both significantly impacted my life. And Greg has been able to decrease his anxiety medications, get out and exercise more because of Missy, which has helped with his weight and diabetes, and he is much more socially engaged!
I also know that Missy would do amazing Therapy Dog work. Greg would love to try that with her.
What a blessing it has been to work with these two. Words cannot express.
CONGRATULATIONS TO SHELIA AND NOW SERVICE DOG, “CECE”! Our delightful trainer, Pat, had the Public Access Test with Shelia and her now Service Dog, Boston Terrier/Boxer mix “Cece”. Shelia suffers from anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, severe pain, and needs medical alerts.
Pat writes:
“Shelia and Cece have done well with their obedience training! Cece is a happy and playful little girl who learned quickly that wearing her Service Dog vest means it’s “work time”. She learned her lessons through lots of good practice and public outings with her handler, Shelia. Her Public Access Test was finalized at Walmart in Helotes, demonstrating her willingness to keep her Boxer/Terrier personality in check with children, adults, noisy shoppers and carts. She even had the opportunity during her training to go to Laredo and watch a Cowboy Parade, with all the horses, crowds and chaos that goes with it. Cece was OK with all of it, and Shelia feels much more relaxed with her along.
Because Shelia has stability challenges sometimes when walking, particularly navigating stairs, Cece is continuing her training to learn how to retrieve a cell phone in the event Shelia falls. We are using the “Mark & Reward” technique to teach Cece to pick up and take an object to Shelia. Shelia is not getting in quality practice time on the retrieve training. Granted, it is precise and tedious work. Over the many weeks we have touched on it in sessions, and with the work I’ve personally done with Cece, I’m not seeing improvement in her retrieving behavior, so we will keep on working with that.
CONGRATULATIONS DENISE AND SANDY!!!!!
From our super trainer, Brenda, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Denise and her now Service Dog, lab mix Sandy!!! Denise suffers from diabetes, PTSD, and needs medical alerts due to her struggles with the wheelchair and resulting difficulties.
“We performed the Public Access Test at Denise’s home, the supermarket, and Church’s Chicken. Denise and Sandy performed “controlled load and unload into a vehicle”, “approaching the building”, “controlled entry through a doorway”, “heeling through the building”, “six foot recall on lead”, “sitting on command” (mostly), “downing on command” (mostly), “ignoring noise distractions”, “restaurant etiquette”, “off-lead leash drop”, “dog taken by another person”, and “controlled exit” (mostly).
There was a bit missing during the “Team Relationship”, because Sandy received a grade of mostly for being completely relaxed and confident, and completely under control, but otherwise they did fine in this category.
Due to the fact that both Brenda and Denise use wheelchairs, they did not load into/out of a traditional vehicle; they took the bus. However, Brenda has seen Denise load/unload with her provider’s truck and the VIA Bus where Sandy performed the tasks perfectly!
Awesome job guys!!!!!
From our wonderful trainer, Kendra, who is working with Marissa and her SDIT, Xena. Marissa suffers from mobility issues and anxiety.
“I met with Marissa and Xena at Petsmart on Sunday. Marissa was babysitting a small baby at the time. Xena waited inside the car while the door was open for Marissa to unload the baby and get him in the stroller. Once Marissa gave Xena the ok to get “unload”, Xena was a little nervous because it is her very first time in public, but she did unload. We went inside Petsmart and it quickly became apparent that Marissa and Xena were feeding off each other’s nervous energy and it was not looking good. I knew something was off because Xena knows her commands, and when she did not want to obey, I knew we had to re-evaluate the situation and take a few steps back. Marissa was becoming frustrated and it showed in her tone of voice, then Xena started ignoring her. So we walked back to the front door, placed Xena in a down, and had a conversation. As a trainer, it’s my job to have open communication with my clients, so we I explained how frustration on the part of a handler impacts a dog. I told her of a situation I was in to help her understand to help empathize. I told her that sometimes I get so frustrated at home because no one ever helps with the chores and we have a family of 6, so it can be taxing. When I start getting frustrated and getting on to my husband to help me, then he tunes me out. But when I talk calm and nice he listens. Then, later on as a he does a load of dishes, he texts me to say that he did one load of dishes. He is looking for a “thank you, I appreciate that” and since we are creatures of habit, I know if I give my husband what he is looking for, then he will continue to help. But if I were to ignore his message and say “well that’s not good enough”, then he would stop helping altogether.
A dog is the same way; if you are ignoring them when they are doing what’s expected, and only giving them “attention” when they are misbehaving, then you are inadvertently praising the bad behavior and ignoring the good. That the total opposite of what is needed in dog training. I went on to explain that they are a team; they have to learn to use and trust eachother and work together. When Xena didn’t obey the first time, Marissa would get upset, then Xena would stop listening and focusing. So we tried again, and I asked Marissa to learn how to get Xena to focus on her first. There was too many distractions inside. We walked outside and quickly learned that when Xena is praised, it motives Xena more than treats! So every single time Xena looked at Marissa, she lavished her with praise. Soon Xena was excited to be out and Marissa had her confidence back! At that moment I knew they were a team!
We worked right outside the door of the pet store first; we had Xena practice sits and downs while people walked by. Then we worked on sitting and waiting before entering the store. We went right inside the first double doors where the shopping carts are. I made a loud noise and pushed the cart right next to Xena while she was in a down. Anytime Xena was starting to lose focus, I had Marissa get it back by waiting for Xena to look her way, then lavishing Xena with praise again. It worked like a charm! Soon Xena was ready go into in the store. We walked down isles, practiced sit, down, stay, heel, leave it, and meet and greets.
During the training, Xena was very attentive as Marissa’s pain level increased. Xena alerted multiple times to Marissa, and we went and sat down. At this point, it was too painful for Marissa to walk, so we found a wheelchair and Xena did great heeling next to it. We went into Bed Bath and Beyond and had Xena do some commands while Marissa was in the wheelchair. Xena was very careful when going through tight quarters and let Marissa go first while Xena followed. I gave Marissa the OK to start taking Xena out everywhere, including work.
They will continue to work on commands and also noise distractions. Xena takes a moment to recover from noise, so they will work on this until our next session. I also reminded Marissa to keep her frustration in check and remember when she is starting to get frustrated, it’s because she doesn’t have Xena’s focus before giving a command. So get her focus back, then give the command when out in public. Once Xena was focused, she obeyed flawlessly.
From our super trainer, Beverli, who is working with Client Alex, and his SDIT, Rottweiler “Meadow”. Alex has been diagnosed with spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, spondylitis, sclerosis, depression, and anxiety. He has a permanent brace that he has to wear, and has to walk with a cane or a walker; sometimes when the pain is too much, he has to use a wheelchair. He needs help with balance and mobility and help with picking up items from the ground when he drops them.
Beverli writes:
“On our third session, we covered basic obedience; “sit”, “sit/stay”, “down/stay” (both while Alex was in sight and out of sight), and restaurant etiquette. We also walked through the mall, going into several stores and ate lunch in this very crowded environment. Meadow showed excellent improvement in all areas, especially “watch me”. She broke her “down/stay” while Alex was out of sight only a few times, so they will be working on that. Overall, both Alex and Meadow did a fantastic job in this very distractible environment.
Their homework is to continue working on the slow heel that Alex needs, working on staying under the table at all times while eating, and teaching “fetch” and “give” to help with object pick up for Alex.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO CLIENT MATTHEW, AND HIS NOW SERVICE DOG, TATIANA!!
Training with Pat, Matthew, who suffers from epilepsy, and his Anatolian Shepherd/Lab mix, Tatiana, passed their Public Access Test. Matthew and Tatiana came to Service Dog Express with some Service Dog training and experience under their belt, and wanted to complete the requirements for the Public Access Test. Tatiana is an affectionate, attentive, and brilliant Anatolian Shepherd mix, about 2 years old. Matthew is legally blind; while he retains adequate eyesight to navigate around his environment, he is unable to drive. The reason he acquired Tatiana to be his Service Dog, however, is that he has a neurological disorder that causes him to have seizures without any noticeable warning.
Pat writes about her training and history with Matthew and Tatiana:
“Within three weeks of adopting Tatiana, Matthew had a huge seizure! Tatiana, with hardly any training at the time, knew exactly what to do. She laid down at Matthew’s head, and wrapped her body around his head and cushioned him from injuring himself! She licked his face until he came down from his episode. Thankfully, Matthew’s seizures have been under control in the year and a half since. Tatiana began her training at that time, but sadly it was interrupted, since his former trainer moved from San Antonio, before they could take the Public Access Test.
During one session, we visited the Target where Matthew works. I wanted to personally evaluate the workplace environment, as Matthew had told me it was not safe for the dog to be there during working hours. He works in the back off-loading trucks, handling and trucks, staging boxes of product and large items, and general hands-on product movement. Other employees are driving fork lifts and other powered handling equipment, and distribution product as Matthew does. Aisles are narrow; product is stocked from floor to ceiling in all spaces except for aisles. This would be a scary environment for Tatiana, and not one where she could relax, or even be safe right with Matthew.
Tatiana and Matthew’s mock Public Access Test elements were completed the week before. Later, I observed whether they would be consistent with their training, and they were. Tatiana had developed some ‘lazy’ habits between the stoppage of her previous training and when we started. She would swing around in front to eyeball Matthew when he stopped walking, and lead him so that he was unable to make turns without yanking her back. All that was fixed during our training, along with fine-tuning distance stays and restaurant behavior.
Consistent public etiquette and obedience behaviors were maintained. Also resolved during our sessions was a reliable recall in the back yard; effective sit and down stays in the house; and an alert to let inside people know she wants to come in the house. We taught her to ring a set of bells hung outside near the door. We also discussed options to this, including installing a doorbell outside and transferring her ‘bell-ringing’ skill to the doorbell.
Over the past two months, Matthew and Tatiana have were tenacious about their training and are excellent students, having passed their Public Access Test! Congratulations to Matthew and Tatiana!”
YAY TEAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!