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.
“We had our second training session today at Lowe’s. We specifically trained Shaggy’s now quick response to “sit, stay, down” from a walking position. We also worked on extended “down/stay” and “sit/stay” for 6ft+ (I like to challenge the team to do beyond what is nece
Another TREMENDOUS training session with dear 24 year-old Alissa, and her SD, Greta!!! Despite all the physical problems Alissa has been going through, Greta is right by her side, comforting her, and conducting herself PERFECTLY in public.
leave it, load and unload – it’s like they are tied together by an invisible “love” bond. Greta is not phased by any distractions I tried to create, and the ONLY thing we need to work on is that at home, when Alissa is feeling ill, it comforts her when big Greta gently wraps her front arms and paws around Alissa. The hugs make her feel wonderful. When we are doing meet and greets, Greta, who loves everyone (but Alissa the most), will do a gentle meet and greet and take treats gently, but as people (mostly children) want to keep petting her, she does a little “bunny hop” because she wants to wrap her arms around them, too. So that is what we will be working on. It’s a tricky one – because we want Greta to continue doing it with Alissa – but not to anyone else. So, teaching her where and when it’s appropriate without dampening her enthusiasm at home is a thinker.
On a side note, you’ll notice a woman in a wheelchair in the picture to the right. When this woman first saw Greta, Greta instantly went up to her and laid her head on this woman’s chest. The woman started crying, and petting gentle Greta. We asked her if she was OK – and it turns out, this woman had literally been diagnosed with lung cancer at the very spot where Greta laid her head. She just cradled Greta’s head and neck in her arms and cried. It was literally something out of a storybook. Greta instinctively knew where this woman was hurting, and brought so much happiness so this woman who said that just meeting Greta brought her out of her despair for several wonderful moments.
“Sunday, we had our first group class with LaCretia and her SDIT Boomer and the Kelli and her family and SDIT Buddy. Kelly’s son is a ten year-old with Asperger’s, dyslexia, dys
picnic tables and benches. The second hour we spent in the mall, just walking and getting the dogs public exposure. They did really fantastic! We walked around the mall and in several stores – one of which was filled with children. We still have some kinks to work out, but all in all, we have some pretty spectacular and hard working families!”