Category Archives: Anxiety

Anxiety, Medical Alert, Mobility, PTSD, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Updates from Candace

From our dear trainer, Candace, who recently obtained a new job in her specialty, but still finds time to train and loves it!

She writes:

Victoria her SDIT, Great Dane Anika

My first client, Victoria, suffers from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, mobility and related issues. She and her SDIT, Great Dane Anika, are on a trial period for the next 6 weeks, as her Anika had an adverse response to getting her paws grabbed. I’ve informed Victoria as to what she needs to do to socialize her dog, and how to reinforce a more appropriate response. She will keep me updated and I will reassess the team at a different time.

My second client, Kay, suffers from left hemiparesis. Her left leg if functional enough for her to walk with assistance, but her left arm is completely non-functional. Her right arm only has about 45% range of motion, and her right shoulder has had to be replaced twice. She has also had to have both knees replaced. I am working with their Golden Retriever, “Lady”, who will start training in 6 weeks because Lady was slightly skittish around traffic and I did not feel comfortable with her response to a noise distraction. However, Kay and her husband, Jim, had just gotten Lady, and I felt like they could do some basic training and socialize her. Lady is a really sweet dog, and I’ll keep in contact with this very determined couple.

Sherry and SDIT, “Rapturebuggy”

My third client is Sherry, who suffers from anxiety and PTSD. Sherry’s SDIT, “Rapturebuggy” passed his initial assessment with flying colors! I set Sherry up with a starting plan and have an appointment to meet with them in April to see how it goes. I reviewed the Public Access Test with them, and went over how to order a vest and other general information. I gave them some homework on basic command work. Rapturebuggy picks commands up very quickly. I think they will turn out to be a great team!

LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer

My fourth client, LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer, went through a mock Public Access Test today. LaCretia has adrenal failure and takes hydrocortisone daily for life. Currently, there are no tools to help her control the disease as there are no tests available to tell her when her cortisone is low. Boomer did fairly well with the mock PAT, but this was really to outline the team’s weak spots. Some of the things they need to work on are promptness of response to commands, not going after food, and staying in a down/sit position. The team was strong in the entry/exit of a vehicle, and they maneuver well together through the mall. From a Medical Alert standpoint, LaCretia reports that Boomer is doing well on his alerts to her cortisol levels, and we talked about what behaviors to reinforce and when.

Anxiety, Experience, Medical Alert, Military, Mobility, Navy, Panic Attack, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Denise and SDiT Sandy

From our trainer, Brenda, who is a paraplegic in a wheelchair and specializes in working with our other clients in wheelchairs, who has been working with Denise and her SDIT, Sandy!

Brenda writes:

“After several training sessions, I went through a mock Public Access Test to show me that Sandy was ready for her formal test. We did the following:

1) Sandy “loaded” onto the bus perfectly. I had also observed her loading into Denise’s provider’s truck Friday without hesitation.
2) Sandy “unloaded” off the bus perfectly.
3) Denise demonstrated “sit” and “stay” without a problem. Sandy did not pay attention to the food on the floor at McDonald’s and has never had an issue at home when Denise eats. We did not go to the grocery store, but I have seen in the past that Sandy has no issues with shopping carts in the store. Denise does not want anyone petting Sandy.
4) Denise demonstrated “down” with little problem. At 1st, Sandy was very excited and wasn’t focused, but Denise quickly got her full attention when she brought out the can of Pet Corrector! Sandy then laid down right away and stayed. Sandy laid right down in McDonald’s, too, and did not bother with food that was already on the floor. She did not break the down position when people walked by.
5) Denise and Sandy went through the door at her apartment and at McDonald’s with Sandy heeling just in front of her chair, out of the way of it and not too far ahead. Sandy also demonstrated that she knows her directions.
6) When we were going to and from the bus stop and restaurant, I observed that Sandy heeled perfectly next to Denise’s chair (or just in front of as needed), and there was slack in the leash so I know she wasn’t pulling. Traffic and noise do not bother Sandy. She stops when Denise stops.
7) Sandy executed “go through” perfectly and waits for Denise once she is through.
8) Sandy stays right next to Denise at all times.
9 & 10) For safety reasons, I did not have her demonstrate these; I feel more comfortable waiting to do these with someone who can walk just in case things go wrong. However, Denise told me of a situation last week where when they were getting dropped off by ViaTrans. Sandy saw a cat when the door opened, and Denise did not have good hold of the leash. Sandy took off after the cat and Denise said “NO Sandy! Come back here!” Sandy stopped right away and went back to Denise. Sandy did the “sit/stay/come” combo perfectly in the house.
11) I have done this in the past without Sandy even flinching, and she wasn’t distracted by noise or people on our outing today – so I didn’t drop anything. It also wasn’t feasible to do this rolling on the sidewalk. We only went to McDonald’s and not HEB too, as this would have been too much for Denise today and I didn’t want to be redundant on things I know that Sandy is perfect with and will pass on her official test.

I did do some wheelchair troubleshooting. There was an issue as far as the bus one time; Sandy did not have a place to sit in front of Denise’s chair, out of the aisle. I saw this in the past, and had been thinking of what we could do. I suggested that Denise make sure her chair was as far back as possible and to swing out the leg rest that was on the window side, put her foot on the floor to give Sandy more room to sit for the ride, and also to swing out the leg rest on the aisle side like a door when Sandy gets in and out to make it easier on her. Denise didn’t even know that her leg rests COULD swing out and I’m not sure that you would have known either or how to do it. Sandy was still hesitant to get into that spot, but I think it’s just from her past experience of having no room and being uncomfortable, so I advised Denise to be ready with treats to coax her there in the future until Sandy catches on that it is easier and she now has more room to sit comfortably. I made it clear to Denise that I am still here for her if she has problems and to call me so I can do more troubleshooting. I believe that once Sandy realizes that adjustments have been made and she has a big enough spot to sit every time, Sandy will go right into her spot without hesitation and it will be a faster process!

They are ready for their Public Access Test next session!

Anxiety, Mobility, San Antonio, Texas

YAY TO NETTE AND SD ELLA

YAY TO NETTE AND HER NOW SERVICE DOG, ELLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nette, who has had a stroke due to an inherited condition and has anxiety and mobility issues, has done AMAZING work with Ella! Laurie remembers first meeting them many months ago, and Ella was just a huge ball of all over the place energy. Well, not anymore! Even though she is only 1 ½ and a Labrador, Nette and Ella and Laurie have trained continuously in many different places, and Ella did every command perfectly during our Public Access Test (PAT) at Bass Pro Shop! (the workers there are so used to Laurie bringing dogs in there for the PAT, they know what parts of the test they will be asked to participate in!) Ella unloaded, waited in a perfect sit until Letty was ready, did a wonderful controlled entry, always stayed in heel position, kept her focus on Nette despite all the many distractions at the Shop, we did turns and fast-pace and slow-paced walking, did steps one at a time (step-wait, step-wait) because Nette has difficulty on steps, rode in the elevator where Nette did the proper holding of the door to let Nette go in and out first, met children (Ella LOVES children – and especially loved a little 2 year-old whose parents agreed to the meet and greet and whose name was also Ella!), met adult strangers, did controlled exits, controlled load into vehicle – everything. We even could put her favorite treats on her paw and she would “leave it” until Nette gave her the command that it was ok. Ella heeled perfectly next to a shopping cart, let me take her and walk with her (looking back to make sure “mom” was following and ok), did not react to any loud distractions, etc. She received SO many compliments from people who came up and said “I wish my Labrador could act like your dog!” She did a perfect down/stay, and sit/stay – even when Nette disappeared out of sight a bit still saying the command stay!

Although we have had many training sessions, Laurie has to give all the credit to Nette, who is extremely intelligent and compassionate and consistently has been training with Nette at home and in public. She has done an amazing job, and Laurie is SO proud of her. They have developed a friendship that will last for life!!

Of course, Ella received tons of praise when she was done, and you could tell Ella knew she did a great job. She’s got a little bit of sassiness to her that makes her all the more adorable! She was rewarded with her favorite treat by Nette afterward – a vanilla ice cream cone!

Anxiety, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth and SD Zoe

CONGRATULATIONS to client Elizabeth, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety, and her now Service Dog, ZOE!!!!!

Laurie has been training with Elizabeth and Zoe for some time now, and they passed their Public Access Test at Laurie’s favorite place to give the test, the Bass Pro Shop! They went through each and every command, and received outstanding results on every part! The only one that needs a little more work is the six foot on leash sit/stay. Zoe is able to do it when Elizabeth is at work, and Zoe is tied to her desk when Elizabeth walks away to go to the water fountain or supervise someone at their desk, but in crowded places, Zoe is so incredibly bonded to Elizabeth that she can stay for about three feet and then doesn’t want Elizabeth too far away. Zoe is extremely attentive to Elizabeth and seems to understand her moods and need for Zoe to be near – she follows Elizabeth everywhere at home, too. These two have worked extremely hard at all commands, and Zoe does them all without treats needed – she just seems to know when she has done something well because Elizabeth is so proud of her. Elizabeth says that now if they are at home and Zoe does something she shouldn’t, Zoe wraps herself up in her blanket and looks at Elizabeth as if to say “I’m sorry, mom!”

We ended up the successful test (she will continue to work on the six foot on leash sit/stay) with a score of 95% by behaving perfectly as Elizabeth and I had a sit-down lunch in a very busy restaurant with food on the floors – and Zoey did not need extra corrections if Elizabeth said to “leave it”. Zoey just laid down near Elizabeth’s feet the entire 45 minutes, drank some water, and watched the scenery – but did not once try to get at the food even when a delicious hot pizza was brought to our table! Elizabeth takes Zoe to work at the call center every day, where Zoe is accepted and behaves perfectly.

I am so very proud of Elizabeth, who takes wonderful care of Zoe along with her fiancé, and we plan to keep our friendship going!

YAY FOR ELIZABETH AND ZOE!!!

Anxiety, Fibromyalgia, Lupus, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

Lori and SDiT Abbie

Laurie had a beautiful training session with Lori, who unfortunately suffers from anxiety, depression, PTSD due to a recent sexual assault, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia. She initially asked if I would like assess her 2 year-old rescue Boston Terrier for possible training as a Service Dog. Lori rescued her about a year and a half ago, and said that “Abbie” has basic training, is totally housebroken, knows basic commands and tries very hard to do what Lori requests of her. Abigail is very good with people, totally non-aggressive with other people and dogs, and up to date on shots and takes her heart worm preventative. Lori explained that she finds it difficult to go into public places (like a store, etc.) due to anxiety and hypervigilance. She sadly stated that she has lost all of her friends due to her disability, but Abbie’s socialization skills make it easier for Lori to interact with everyone. Lori has to take her extremely supportive and brilliant husband or another housemate with her to most shops and restaurants because of her anxiety. She would really like to honor her Marine uncle by visiting him at the Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery, but she has been unable to do so because cemeteries are a trigger for her. She explained that “Abbie’s presence would make me less reliant on her medications, as Abbie is a calming, protective force in her environment. She simply stated, “We are in love!”

I had to admit that prior to going to my first session with beautiful, compassionate, and highly intelligent Lori, I was doubtful about how much we could accomplish with a Boston Terrier, as they are usually a bit difficult to train and have traits that are not what you would automatically associate with difficult Service Dog work. BOY, was I WRONG!!!! From the first meeting with Lori and Abbie, I was simply blown away by how incredibly smart Abbie is, and how much training work Lori had done with her! I could not say whether Abbie was just an extraordinary Boston Terrier or if it was the brilliance and attention to detail that Lori had working with Abbie, but walking into that house was like walking into a calm, beautiful, serene environment that simply emanated from every part of the home and from Lori, Abbie, Lori’s husband, and their housemate. Even in the midst of renovating their home, their experience with interior decorating, the soothing colors they chose for their rooms, and their amazing energy in the home was riveting. Abbie reflected this very same demeanor. She knew to wait at the door, obeyed gentle commands, had an unbelievably loving bond with Lori, made superior eye contact, and could perform so many commands already that I think I wanted to go out and pair up every client with a Boston Terrier!

Lori, her husband and I talked a lot about Lori’s experiences, and all the terribly unfortunate experiences they had encountered despite their desire and passion to help others where they used to live (and where the sexual assault occurred). Lori had a beautiful room for her office where she had so many computer monitors set up for her extensive knowledge about technology, and her husband, a professor of Art History and Philosophy, shared how difficult it was for them when they moved away from San Antonio down to south Texas to try and work with the people there spreading their knowledge in such a charitable way. After the assault, they had to move back to San Antonio.

Lori put Abbie’s beautiful vest on, which had all the appropriate patches, her ID with medical information on the back, and Abbie went straight into “working” mode. Abbie thrived on Lori’s love, so constant treats were not necessary (although she didn’t mind the few I gave her!). We easily went over all the basic commands in the house, and Abbie maintained constant eye contact with Lori when she gave commands. She was rewarded with hugs and kisses that she reciprocated and obviously brought tremendous joy to Lori.

At our next session, we will venture out into public. I have no doubt that they will do spectacularly as a team. It was humbling to say the least to see someone who had been through so much show so much determination and dedication to making the Service Dog process work. I am truly honored to have met this amazing family!

Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes

Amazing session with Greg

Laurie had an amazing session with Greg, who suffers with bipolar disorder, severe anxiety, and severe depression. Greg also has diabetes. He is training with beautiful rescue, SDIT “Missy”. Laurie was simply stunned when she had her first session with Greg and Missy. Greg has an uncanny ability with dogs, and had read the training manual so carefully that he knew every command he needed to teach her. Greg truly has a brilliant mind. When he opened the door, he already had Missy in a sit/stay position when he let me in the door. I walked in, and Missy delicately accepted a treat, did not jump at all although her tail was wagging! It was extremely apparent that they had already developed a very close bond in the few weeks they had been together. Greg is a very, very kind, compassionate, loving person, and it showed by how Missy always wanted to be by his side, made excellent eye contact with him, and seemed happy, healthy, and content.

We went over basic commands such as “sit”, “wait”, “stay”, “down”, “watch me”, etc, and Missy and Greg were perfect. Next, we decided to go on a walk to the park area across from Greg’s apartment. Missy eagerly but calmly put on her vest and leash – with just a regular collar – and when we exited, Greg had Missy wait at the door until he gave her the command to “go through”. Missy stayed in an absolutely perfect heel alongside Greg at all times – no pulling whatsoever – even when people passed by or a cat appeared. She was focused on Greg. We walked around the apartment complex a bit, and then had to cross a very busy street to get to the park. When we got to the curb, Greg did not even have to give Missy a command – she immediately sat and waited until it was clear to cross!

When we got to the park, Greg explained that Missy had certain areas where she regularly eliminated, and we walked through the grass with Missy doing normal sniffing but absolutely no pulling. There was no time when Greg had to tell her to “leave it”. When we arrived at her “spot”, she promptly eliminated, and Greg reinforced this with “go potty”. Greg uses very little treats to motivate Missy – she seems to thrive on his love and the affection and positive reinforcement he gives her for being such a good girl. We passed by some children, and I asked Greg if he and Missy had encountered children before and how she reacted. Greg has a very large extended family with many children that visit or that he visits, and he said that Missy just loves children and is gentle and snuggly with them. We met a woman who asked if she could pet Missy, and Greg gave permission – and Missy was a perfect lady – first sniffing the woman’s hand and then accepting her pets. She even commented that she wished “all dogs were like that”.

When we arrived back at Greg’s home, Missy did the exact same sit and wait at the door until he gave her the command to go through. Missy was a bit tired after our long walk, and she laid down and when I went to pet her, she adorably rolled over and I gave her several well-deserved tummy rubs.

I sat with Greg and explained to him that after having done this for many years, I was genuinely astonished at how much self-training he had done with Missy. He even explained that Missy sleeps with him or very close by, and if he has nightmares, she is already alerting to them and will come and lick his face to wake him up. She also seems to be picking up on his sugar levels, because she gets very clingy and licks or paws him when they get too high or too low.

Unfortunately, Greg has to have a quite serious surgery on his foot due to a wound that will not heal due to his diabetes. However, he said that as soon as the surgery is over (it is in about one week), he will be ready to do more training in public. I mentioned that he will probably be in a lot of pain, and not to push it – but he cleverly answered that because he has neuropathy in that leg, he won’t feel the pain! But he promised he will follow doctor’s orders about walking and will take it slow. Of course, I told him that we can always do public training in a place where there are motorized chairs. Greg is also doing a magnificent job of weaning off of some of his many medications under his doctor’s supervision – he is a very, very determined and dedicated person who is ready, with his new beautiful buddy, Missy – to start making significant changes in his life to get out into the world and show them all he has and wants to offer!!! It was truly an honor to meet him. I honestly left with a tear in my eye by his inspiration.

PS Greg has learned a lot of training techniques from a you tube site called “kikopup”.

Anxiety, Bipolar, Dallas-Fort Worth, PTSD, Texas

Staley and SDiT Magnus

From our dear trainer, Candace, in Ft. Worth, who is working with Staley, who is a crime victim suffering from PTSD, extreme anxiety, depression, Dissociation Disorder & Bi-Polar Disorder. His SDIT is “Magnus”. Candace writes:

“Staley and Magnus have their work cut out for them! Magnus is a young boy with a lot of energy. I took my Golden Retriever, Kyna, and my Border Collie mix, Lady, to meet Magnus. My two dogs have two different personalities, but both are relatively calm and well-mannered. Magnus was very excited to meet my girls, and immediately thought it was play-time. I explained to Staley what Magnus’ proper response should look (and sound) like. I gave Staley a few ideas on how to curb his energy (such as utilizing Staley’s children to get Magnus to both run around AND listen), and I gave her some homework to come up with two purely fun “tricks” to teach Magnus. I believe that this will help the team to more closely associate training with fun-happy-time, and bring Staley and Magnus closer together. I will meet with them in a couple of weeks, after they have had a chance to go on a few socialization road trips, and see how things are working out!”

Anxiety, Dallas-Fort Worth, Marine, Military, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Derrick and Anni

From our trainer, Candace, in Ft. Worth, who is working with Wounded Warrior, Derrick, and his SDIT, Anni. Derrick suffers from PTSD from his service in the Marine Corps, has difficulty sleeping, nightmares, and anxiety in large crowds. Candace writes:

“Derrick and Anni’s training session was very straight forward and fruitful. We focused a lot of our time on proper heeling for Anni. We also focused on what was acceptable and not acceptable for Derrick’s specific diagnosis and what he felt was comfortable for him. Anni is a bit of a puller, but also a quick learner. We added some directional vocabulary to her list, including “left,” “right,” and “back.” We also talked a lot about Derrick’s anxiety and how Anni has been responding to him. I wanted to get a better idea of how she reacts when his stress level goes up, so I sent Derrick on a mission as homework of increasing his anxiety level in as safe a situation as possible with his family. He was to note Anni’s reaction and what he would like her to do so that we could work on this for next time. We spend the last bit of the session working on Anni staying under picnic tables so Derrick can go out to eat with his family. She did a great job!”

Anxiety, Mobility, Multiple Sclerosis, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS BROOK AND SD TATER

From our wonderful trainer, Pat, who performed the Public Access Test with client Brook and her now SERVICE DOG, TATER!!! CONGRATULATIONS BROOK AND TATER! Pat writes:

“Brook and her SDIT, 7 year-old hound/Boxer, “Tater”, are wonderful students!!! This week, I conducted their Public Access Test and they passed with ease! Brook was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis after over 2 years of evaluations, tests and frustration with the pain and lack of answers. We both knew that Tater’s age would limit his length of service and ability to be a mobility dog. However, Brook hoped he would offer her some assistance – long enough to buy time to find and train another dog. She has rapidly been losing her balance and dexterity, she gets dizziness and weakness, and often drops things.

Our objectives for Tater were for Brook to be able to grab his handle just for some stability, and to teach him to pick up things that she drops, because bending over to do it herself was a risky endeavor. He had never had any formal obedience training, and also had a lifelong playmate that was recently lost, leaving him with a hole in his soul that resulted in sadness and loss of interest in life. He also had never had any interest in retrieving or playing catch or any such thing, so Brook had serious doubts whether we could teach him to pick up items for her.

Brook’s ability to absorb my coaching, her commitment to and quality of practice, and Tater’s willingness to try/do new things, were delightful and rewarding. His obedience training came along smashingly, quickly progressing to almost perfect control on the leash. However, both of us had reservations with his response to click/reward training for the retrieve. He was so keenly motivated by the treats that nothing else, including a toy, existed during the first two weeks of training.

Then, during the third week, the lightbulb suddenly came on! He started picking up a toy and placing it in Brook’s lap on the floor. Then, this progressed to when Brook was seated on a chair! And then, Tater started transferring the knowledge to other toys. WaaHooo!!! He got it! So on the 4th week of retrieve training, we started back on the floor with her keys. That very evening, he began picking up keys dropped on the floor and placing them in her hand while she was standing!

By then we were ready for the PAT, and in Walmart, while performing his new ‘tricks’ (like picking up keys, and “sit-down-stand” in succession on command), I suggested that another important skill would be for him to pick up the leash should she drop it. She agreed, and promptly dropped his leash and told him to ‘get it’. Not only did he get it, but he picked it up by the handle no less, and placed it in her hand! AMAZING! Then, Brook’s husband tossed his wallet on the floor, and on the third try (the first two of which he picked it up), Tater picked it up and gently gave it to her.

Now Tater is a 7 year old pup! He is excited about life, can’t wait to train and do new things, and once and for all puts to rest the ancient adage that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”!!!! Congratulations Brook and Tater! Tater, you have a wonderful career ahead of you!”

 

Anxiety, Austin, Depression, Texas

Kindle and SDiT Bella

From our trainer, Jackie, who is working with client Kindle and her Service Dog in Training, Bella.

Kindle and Bella the Lab Mix had their first training session today. Bella is training to be Kindle’s Service Dog for anxiety and depression. Bella is newly adopted and still adjusting to her new home. Kindle and Bella worked on heeling with distractions. Bella performed this task very well. They also worked on “leave it”, where Bella is trained to ignore whatever it is that she is interested in or to stop doing whatever she is doing. Bella is very treat motivated, so it took her a brief bit to get the hang of this; however she is also very smart. Bella and Kindle worked on trying to keep Bella’s sit for a longer period of time. Bella and Shogun the Mastiff Service Dog (see the earlier post from today) live in the same home. Bella had to go out in public and sit for dinner with the distraction of her playmate while both dogs were working. Both Bella and Shogun did great!