Update on the client who was trying to get her Driver’s License test and she couldn’t get a female to administer the test with her SD in the back seat – they did it! The DMV got her a female assessor, our client was comfortable, the SD was perfect in the back, and she PASSED!!! YAY!!!
SDiT Osito
I met with Beto today and his very amazing SDiT Beto. Today we focused on getting his baby’s vest ordered with patches and a few training items from Petsmart. We got training treats and leash (retractable) and worked on sit/down/stay while at petsmart. Osito, is used to being off leash and just walking around with dad. I reminded Beto, that he had to keep him on the leash and work on training him with the Clicker, and both positive and treats. Beto is also going to work with his wife on treats for medicine reminders. (thinking a little peanut butter on a spoon – Osito’s favorite). Beto is also going to start to keep a log to see when Osito begins to lick him, which he will begin checking his sugar levels to find out if he is high or low glucos. Great idea…..
Thank you Petsmart @ Sunland Park (El Paso) for making sure we didnt need any help and were able to find the training treats ok. Especially after a female customer tried telling me that blue buffalo was killing dogs, I kindly told her, that I was a service dog trainer, hence my shirt, and as my dog ate blue buffalo (Grain free) that it was fine. So I appologized to Beto for the interruption, as he was not concerned.
SDiT Jake
I received a wonderful email from SDiT Jake and mom Suzanna, she writes:
I want to wait until he’s older for more hard core training. I bought him a dog shirt and I’m starting to put it on him when I train him. He outgrew Bubba’s old onesies lol. He’s now microchipped also. After he gets neutered in November I want to really start his obedience training. I also want to get his CGC. I’m going to keep him in the puppy play school then the obedience until they say he’s done. I’m not going to mess up with this boy. He’s definitely my dog. He’ll play with Boogaboo (her son) but he lays and sleeps by me. I’ll keep you posted on progress unless I forget. He’s going every where I can legally take him also. So he’s getting socialized in his class and out in public.
Great Job Suzanna, love the idea of the TShirt which will allow him to know that he is working, and when it comes off, he is a puppy still. We will definitely keep in touch, maybe even make a monthly visit to see that he is still on track. Keep up the good work.
Staley and Magnus
Apologies for the lack of pictures…I need to get a spare battery for the phone!
To begin the session, we reviewed his basic commands: sit, down, stay, leave it, etc. Magnus is coming along nicely in the few weeks that they’ve been working together. They tried out a head harness that helped with the pulling that little Magnus had picked up. We also did a mini-workout with some “puppy push-ups” and “puppy burpees,” which are just variations of “sit,” “down,” and “stand.” I had them work on this to focus on Magnus’ precision and response time. He has quite a personality, but he is a very bright pup! I gave the family some homework to work on until I was able to meet with them the following week. Great job, Staley and Magnus!
Joseph and Viva
Here is the PERFECT match – Joseph, a compassionate, gentle, courageous Wounded Warrior who I have been working with for about a month. He saw Viva, who was rescued, fostered, and trained by Cherry Jenkins of In Dog We Trust. The meet and greet went wonderfully, and there was an instant bond between them. Joseph has served 5 years in the Air Force and the last two deployments left him with severe PTSD. Viva has already made a huge difference in his life; he said that she sleeps close to him in the bed and he feels comforted by her when he wakes. He has been working on all the commands with her, most of which she knows well, and he is a lot more comfortable going out into public because of her. He even takes her to work now, where she acts perfectly!! We thank Joseph for his service and wish him and Viva all the very best for the future, and will continue training until she has passed the PAT! Joseph’s goals for the future (he is still active duty but undeployable) is to go to college and work in the field of forestry!
Spaying Katie
Please say prayers for dear 18 month-old husky, Katie, SD for the amazing WW Troy. Don’t worry – last update, she’s doing fine – but Troy had to make the agonizing decision about getting her spayed. As many of you already know, Troy’s life literally depends on Katie now, as she alerts to his seizures 32 minutes before they happen. His doctors have altered his medication based upon the incredible accuracy of Katie’s alerts, so that as soon as she does alert, he takes his medication and it begins working in 20 minutes. Troy has been seizure-free for 7 months now because of this – the longest he has gone since his injuries sustained in the military. Troy was very worried that spaying Katie might have some effect on her alerting abilities. So, I wrote to every ADI-accredited agency across the nation that specializes in epilepsy alert Service Dogs (I believe their were six). Each organization’s director was kind enough to answer my question with their opinion (and all were also amazed to hear Troy and Katie’s system) – and the consensus was overwhelmingly that he should go ahead with the spay. So, Katie was spayed and is healing now – let’s just send best wishes to Troy that the spay will have no effect on Katie’s alerting ability!
Training ‘Dallas’
What a truly AWESOME session with Wounded Warrior, William, who suffers with PTSD, and his incredible 9 month old “puppy”, Dallas! Dallas, an English Mastiff, has surpassed all expectations since the first time I met him, but this second outing at Walmart showed me just how INCREDIBLE a trainer his dad, William is!! Dallas knows all the basics – sit, down, sit/stay, down/stay, leave it, heel, load, unload, perfect heel, dropped leash walking, loves every child and adult he gently meets, and gets along with big, little, barking, or quiet dogs! I was literally in shock at our last session. While doing the usual things, I noticed William putting Dallas into automatic “covers”. I said, “We haven’t even taught you both that?!” William just grinned and said, “I’ve been doing my homework!” That’s an understatement! Not only can Dallas do covers from the front and sides (we will see about the back cover next time, but I’m sure it will be done before I even meet them again knowing William’s intelligence and diligence”). Dallas even stayed in a stay with William disappearing from view and only hearing his voice. He didn’t move a muscle. And he does it all without treats – even though we sneak them in sometimes. Dallas’ head and throat are so big he tends to spit out the training treats as if to say “Give me something bigger, dang it!” William is definitely getting more comfortable in public, as Dallas is consistently drawing attention everywhere he goes. He gets big hugs from little children, looks of awe from adults, and William is much more prepared for this amount of attention and is getting so much more comfortable interacting with others and explaining about Service Dogs. I tried everything I could to distract Dallas – even getting in a motorized scooter at Walmart and walking next to them to see if it fazed Dallas. I mean – I was RIGHT next to them – and Dallas just looked at it strangely a few times, but then was completely comfortable with it. Created loud noises were nothing to Dallas. I did manage to find ONE thing that challenged this amazing dog – finally!! A HULA HOOP!!! Dallas was a little “spooked” by it at first, so I twirled it all around him (probably making William feel awkward – he’s so kind and patient, though – what a champ) – and finally, we succeeded at Dallas decided to wear the hula hoop himself.
The only thing William and I talked about regarding any possible “issues” with Dallas were how to train when William is out in public with Dallas and William’s wife. We talked about how Dallas has to always take commands from William only when out in public, and Dallas’ watch me’s need to be consistently on William. William said that sometimes, Dallas will focus a bit more on his wife than on William when out, so our next outing will be training with the both of them.
I LOVE THIS DOG, AND I AM BLOWN AWAY BY WILLIAM’S TRAINING INSTINCTS!!!!
Scott met Milo
What a bittersweet day for Wounded Warrior, Scott, and Audrey and Nathan Maurer! Scott met Milo in person for the first time at Laurel Ridge last Saturday, after almost a month of waiting for him to be his new SDIT!! Audrey and Nathan, Milo’s former owners, were there to witness the meeting – and just as we expected, it was love at first sight for Scott, who had been waiting for so long to meet his new battle buddy! Scott had already studied the training manual and knew the commands inside out – and Milo knows them, too – thanks to the amazing work done by Audrey and Nathan! They just knew how special Milo was and felt he was destined for higher things. Their compassion and selflessness defies belief. On Tuesday, we all met at Petsmart – Scott drove down from Austin (where he will be training with our SDE trainer) – and Nathan came with Milo. It was so hard for Nathan and Audrey – they shed tears of sadness but also of joy knowing that they were giving someone else a new lease on life. After Nathan said his goodbyes to Milo, Scott and I shopped in Petsmart and got all the goodies Milo needs – his favorite food, training treats, a training collar, a reflective 4 inch Kong leash and collar (red, of course!), bowls, some toys, and the Maurers gave Scott Milo’s bed – a wonderful thing to use as a transition object to help 
with any separation anxiety. Milo was SO perfectly behaved in Petsmart – Scott was able to get him to sit, down, heel, stay, watch me, leave it, load and unload, and do meet and greets with other dogs and people without a hitch! Words cannot express how much this beautiful exchange means. On her FB site, Audrey wrote, “Sweet baby Milo is moving on to bigger and better things. He will start training as a Service Dog today. Although we will miss him terribly, we know this is the perfect thing for him. Of course we celebrated Milo with a hamburger from McDonalds, his favorite!” Of course, Scott was like a kid in a candy store – he couldn’t stop hugging and giving Milo hugs and rubs and praise – such 
joy!!!!! We can’t wait to see their beautiful future unfold! Scott posted a picture of Milo on FB, with the caption, “Probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Scott is in uniform on the right.
Check up with Maggie and Christopher
From our trainer, Beverly, who is keeping up with Wounded Warrior, Christopher, who suffers from PTSD, and his SD, Maggie.
“We reviewed Maggie’s basic skills since it has been a few months since she passed her PAT and Maggie did great. The bond between Maggie and Christopher is very apparent. She watches him in everything she does and follows his movements. Although she moves slowly (her normal demeanor is very laid back), Christopher says she can get playful at home; she is just not the excitable type. With the birth of their new baby (Piper Willis) last month, Maggie has done a fantastic job adapting to the new addition! Christopher wanted to work on “cover” for his upcoming trip to KS for a VA appointment. He says Maggie does very well at the airport and on the plane, except for take-off when she shows some anxiety and restlessness, but settles once the plane is in the air.
We practiced both front and back cover, as well as having her sit between his legs and look out when he is seated. Maggie picked up the skill fairly quickly and Christopher said he would be practicing with her daily until the trip.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTOPHER AND HIS WIFE ON THE BIRTH OF PIPER!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK WITH MAGGIE!
One more to go – Lee and SDiT Hagger
An update from our trainer in Austin, who trained with the amazing Hagger the Humungous and his dad, Lee, who suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Major Social Anxiety. He also has major hearing loss in his left ear which also causes balance issues. He has scoliosis and chronic right shoulder pain.
“I wanted to let you know on Sunday afternoon, I did a 1/2 hour Mock Public Access Test session with Lee and Hagger. We went to Walmart and went over some all commands for the PAT. Hagger has his commands perfected and is so ready for the test in September! We practiced sit/stays while I rolled by with a shopping cart and worked on down.stays. Hagger has a strong “leave it” when it comes to food and certain things that can distract him. He heels next to Lee with no problems and never once strays from him! They are a great duo!”
WAY TO GO HAGGER AND LEE!!!!! SO PROUD OF BOTH OF YOU!!!