Category Archives: Psychiatric

Anxiety, Military, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Brooklyn and Starlette

From trainer Andrew, who is working with Brooklyn, a Wounded Warrior who suffers from PTSD, flashbacks, nightmares, anger and anxiety outbreaks. Andrew writes:

“I had another session with Brooklyn and his Service Dog in Training, Starlette. We went over what we had previously worked on: basic obedience and loose leash walking and controlled entry into a doorway. We also went over some new homework for them which consists of a food on the floor game to teach Starlette to begin discriminating food not given by her handler and food given by the handler. We worked on a find your spot game, and a restrained recall game so as to build drive and focus on her handler. We talked about finding ways to build toy drive and talked about what is and is not accept able to chase, and what particular dog behaviors that we could use as a reward in times of play so that Starlette could just be a dog.”

ADA Rights, Air Force, Experience, Military, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Dear Friend and Former Trainer

From our dear friend and former trainer, Tony. Thank you, Tony – your words always have and always will mean the world to me and to all of us – and your opinions are very important to me and all of us at SDE:

“As a client and former trainer I have the utmost respect for Laurie and Service Dog Express, She has made my life so much better and I can handle the simple everyday tasks that most take for granted when she paired me with my properly assessed dog Lucy (God bless you Laurie and what you did for me).

As trainers, the client should come first; their needs are off utmost importance.

I think off myself as not only a client but as an ambassador for Service Dog. I try to educate the public as much as I can, but having just one aggressive hyper or skittish dog can make it so much harder for the public to understand what we are doing or what the dog is for, so a properly assessed dog is essential. I know we would like to place all the dogs with homes but they all can’t be a Service Dog!!..

I get so many compliments on how well behaved my dog is in public; it is a proud and calming feeling to me. So thank you so much Laurie for all that you have done to make my life a lot easier..

Tony Cuciniello
( Service Dog Lucy)”

TONY – YOU ARE VERY CORRECT THAT PROPERLY ASSESSED AND TRAINED SDs ONLY SHOULD BE IN THE PUBLIC. IF THERE IS A DOG THAT WE FEEL IS NOT ACTING APPROPRIATELY, WE WILL WORK AS HARD AS WE CAN TO TRY AND TRAIN THE INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR – EVEN IF IT MEANS HAVING TO REMOVE THE DOG AND HANDLER FROM PUBLIC ACCESS FOR A WHILE. IF THE DOG JUST CAN’T BE TRAINED CORRECTLY, WE WILL ALWAYS BE HONEST AND REALIZE THAT THE DOG IS JUST NOT SERVICE DOG MATERIAL. A DOG CAN LEARN THE COMMANDS, BUT ONCE IT BEGINS TRAINING WITH THE HANDLER, DYNAMICS CHANGE. THAT IS WHY CONSISTENCY AND SUPERVISION BY TRAINERS IS PARAMOUNT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT. MANY DOGS THAT PASS ASSESSMENTS ONLY EXHIBIT BEHAVIORS ONCE THEY ARE PUT IN VASTLY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. THEY MUST BEHAVE CORRECTLY – FOR THE SAFETY OF THE CLIENT AND THE DOG.

Agoraphobia, Psychiatric, PTSD

Amber and SD Ezri Update

A wonderful update from Amber, who has struggled for a long time with PTSD, agoraphobia, and flashbacks. She never wavered in her consistent training with SD, beautiful Ezri. Now, Amber is out working, and Ezri is her constant companion! Amber writes:

“They love her where I work, and she is allowed to be off leash and just follow me! I have problems keeping the leash in hand all the time but she never strays from me. She always walks right by my side even when off leash!”

SO PROUD OF HOW FAR AMBER HAS COME WITH THE HELP OF SD, EZRI! ONCE AFRAID OF LEAVING THE HOUSE, NOW OUT AND WORKING WITH HER COMPANION BY HER SIDE!!!

ADA Rights, Anxiety, Depression, Medical Alert, Military, Psychiatric, PTSD, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATULATIONS to Jacqueline, a Vietnam Veteran

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Jacqueline, a Vietnam Veteran in New Hampshire, who has been working with a trainer there and her caseworker, sending me videotapes consistently for almost a year of her now SD, beautiful Aussie “Seeley”, performing each command in the Public Access Test and demonstrating three additional tasks specific to her disabilities. Jacqueline has been absolutely diligent and consistent in her determination to bring Seeley up to perfect par as a Service Dog. She has never waivered in her determination to demand absolute perfection, even despite setbacks in her personal life. I am so proud of her and am SO inspired by all her extremely hard work!  Seeley officially passed two days ago! Jacqueline writes;

“Dear Laurie,

My experience following your personal instruction in training Seeley has been positively rewarding beyond words. You helped me through very challenging times with Seeley when I was almost ready to give up.

I don’t think people realize how much a person’s quality of life is affected with a well-trained Service Dog. Especially, a dog that has bonded and is specifically task trained to help get through both daylight and nighttime disability issues
.
I use the word “issue” reluctantly, because unfortunately making the choice of including a Service Dog as part of my treatment in managing my service connected (100%) disability of PTSD, MST, depression, OCD, etc… has been made an issue at VA facilities – which to this day, I find perplexing. Civilian medical facilities have welcomed Seeley and I as a SDiT team, whereas VA facilities do not allow SDiT teams. Period. And with your help, I have painstakingly raised and trained my own SD because I know that a well trained dog to address specific needs will improve my quality of life. Period.

Know that your dedication is appreciated every time Seeley responds to my specific needs at all hours of the day and night.
Thank you once again.
Sincerely,
Jacqueline”

DEAR JACQUELINE – THE ISSUES YOU HAVE FACED AT THE VA FACILITIES THERE IN NH ARE ALSO PERPLEXING TO ME. BUT YOU HAVE DONE IT!! YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO ME AND I KNOW TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE ALSO STRUGGLING WITH ISSUES REGARDING THEIR SERVICE-RELATED DISABILITIES AND ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU AND SEELEY!!!

Panic Attack, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Christopher and SDIT, Shoeless Joe

A lovely update from trainer Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior Christopher and his awesome SDIT, Shoeless Joe!!

“We met at D&D feed store to review with Chris and Shoeless all the PAT skills to see where Shoeless is and what he needs work on. Since Chris had been heavily involved in his VA appointments and then had some back issues that took him away from working with Shoeless, we wanted to brush them both up on their skills. We trained for about 1 ½ hours reviewing the skills, refreshing his memory and reminding them both of what is required for a SD to pass the PAT. Shoeless picked up on all commands very quickly and did very well on the skills we practiced – sit, down, stay, leave it, heel, watch me, controlled entry and exit into stores and controlled load/unload into a vehicle. We worked heavily on his sit/down stays with distractions, enlisting the help of store employees who happily provided various distractions.

As always, Shoeless was a hit and did a great job not reacting to claps, squeaky toys, people walking by and petting him, stepping over him, etc.

The one area that Chris isn’t as comfortable with is eating out at a restaurant with Shoeless. Next weekend we plan to train again at D&D, then go to Chili’s restaurant to finish the session on restaurant skills. Chris will practice with Shoeless during the week, and I have no doubt that Shoeless will do fabulously next weekend! This picture is of Shoeless Joe doing a perfect down/stay even with his dad out of sight!”

Anxiety, Army, Depression, Equipment, General, Military, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Brian and SDIT Cassie

An update from trainer Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior Brian and his SDIT, Cassie!

” Part 1: Since Brian and his wife are staying at the Fisher House on base to treat his medical issues, we met at the park near SAMMC to work on basic skills. Brian had been spending a lot of time with Cassie for bonding purposes, and they have become very close! Cassie is doing well with “sit”, “down”, and “heel”. We practiced “watch me” and, while she knew what she needed to do, distractions (squirrels and the occasional runner) interrupted her focus a little more than usual. Brian and Cassie will continue to bond and work on these basic skills, especially “leave it” and “watch me”.

Part 2: We tried introducing Cassie properly to another SDIT, who also needs a bit of work on socialization skills, but they’re both young and fed off each other’s energy too much; so we will try introductions with an older, more “seasoned” dog to reassure both dogs and build their confidence, while also teaching Cassie to reign in some of her excitement. We will also be trying the Adaptil DAP collar for calming.

Brian will continue to work on Cassie’s basics and building their bond through more touch and vocal reassurance. Next session, we will work more on “down” and “stay.”

Anxiety, Army, Equipment, Military, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Update on Wounded Warrior DJ

An update from our trainer, Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior DJ, who suffers from PTSD, and SDIT, Tabitha!

“Part 1: Tabitha was able to stay seated to “greet” me without getting overly excited and jumping up for much longer than during previous sessions! We are working on her socializing skills with other dogs, as she tends to get very excited, so at our next session, we will have her meet an older, mellow dog, to build Tabitha’s confidence and teach her proper social skills. DJ is a bit hesitant to take her out with her vest due until she starts to become more comfortable with new dogs and people and stays calmer.

I also took the suggestion from Laurie at SDE to purchase the Adaptil DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) collar for Tabitha to wear at all times. Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) is a chemical developed to calm dogs suffering from separation anxiety disorder, astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning), fear of fireworks, or those with excessive barking problems. The chemical is a synthetic analogue of a hormone produced by nursing canine mothers that promotes calm and secure behavior and in establishes a bond with the mother. It is absolutely safe, and also comes in a spray form for your dog’s bed and vest, or as a plug-in diffuser. It has come highly recommended by many veterinarians, and can be purchased at amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Adaptil-Appeasing-Pheromone-Collar-Medium/dp/B000HPVH78. Laurie has seen it work wonders on hyperactive, nervous dogs.

Part 2: After Tabitha had worn herself out a bit, she did very well with her “down/stay” and meet and greets with new people. Her energy level, though high, certainly workable, so we will be working on teaching her “self-control” and getting her to engage more with DJ.

We also worked on “leave it” games and “touch” to help her engage in her training and focus on DJ more intently. Tabitha already has a solid “sit”, “down”, “sit/stay”, “heel”, “leave it”, and “watch me”.

We are planning for a weekend intensive session to get Tabitha to a place where DJ feels more comfortable taking her out in public more! Laurie also suggested that DJ reminds himself that the vest gives a dog a sense of security, much like the concept behind the “Thunder Shirt”, available at any pet store – so, if he does not feel comfortable taking her out yet in a vest, he could benefit from getting Tabitha a Thunder Shirt to wear to help her get used to that secure feeling.

Agoraphobia, Anxiety, Army, Experience, General, Military, Panic Attack, Psychiatric, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Wounded Warrior

William and Dallas Were Amazing!

What a WONDERFUL first public session for William, an active duty Wounded Warrior, and his gorgeous dog, Dallas!!  William was a medic for 16 years, and suffers from PTSD as a result.  However, he has chosen to continue working teaching other medics from his vast experience and knowledge base!  What courage and loyalty!  Yes, explaining what he saw in battle is difficult for him when he is teaching, but those he teaches get the extra benefit of being with someone who was actually there.  Sometimes, William has to take some pretty deep breaths talking about his difficult experiences to his men – he pretty much relives those experiences every day.  There is little time for healing when you’re still exposed to the battle wounds every day.  His schedule is erratic, and each day he has to wake up at different times, as early as 4, work long shifts, and the next day, his schedule might be totally different.  Of course, this also affects his natural sleep cycle, giving his mind little respite from having the chance to fight of night terrors.  So this is a particularly interesting challenge – training a Service Dog while the handler is still active duty.  William does an exceptional job at work, but when he comes home, he is plagued by the same PTSD that other Wounded Warriors suffer – fear of crowded places, anxiety with strangers around, loud noises, etc., and this frustrates him.  His beautiful family explained that his frustration often makes him depressed or angry, and keeps him from doing things with the family outside the home.  Well, from what I saw on our first public outing, I don’t think it’s going to be long until he, SDIT Dallas, and William’s family will be out enjoying the world together again!

Of course, I was so excited to see Dallas, as he is a mere 9 month-old Mastiff, now one of my all-time favorite breeds, and is as big as a small horse!  Dallas is full of nothing but gentleness, love, and is smart as a whip.  Seriously – you tell this dog something once, and he LEARNS it.  His eye contact is amazing.  So when I arrived at William’s house, at about the most busy time for a Petsmart visit, I knew William would be a little nervous – but off we went!!

WILLIAM AND DALLAS WERE AMAZING!!!!!  Words can’t even describe how exceptional both of them were at Petsmart – with dogs everywhere, people in awe of Dallas’ beauty crowding around, and strangers approaching us at every turn asking about Dallas’ breed.  We DID manage to find plenty of time to do serious training in quite spots, and spent a long time there, but it was worth it. I had to ask William a few times if he was doing OK, because the amount of attention they received was unbelievable.  There was a woman who worked for dog food company that I have seen at many Petsmarts, and although very friendly, she didn’t quite get the concept of Service Dog training.  For example, she would follow us around  asking if she could watch the training, and we would allow a little bit, but then I would say “Now, we REALLY have to focus on this part, so we will need total privacy”.  She was very kind.  Then, at one point, we turned the corner and there were literally about 6 adults and maybe 8 children that she had “gathered” together to see if we could “educate them” about Service Dogs!!  The look on William’s face was like he had seen a ghost!  So I asked William if he wanted to do this – after all – here we were facing one of his greatest anxiety-provokers – but like the champ he is, he said he might as well start learning!!!

So I talked to the “audience” about how Service Dogs work, how they are very highly-trained dogs, and that anytime you see someone with a dog in a vest like Dallas’, be sure to READ if the vest says “Please ask to pet me” or “Do not pet”.  The children asked, “What does Dallas do for you, sir?”, and I looked at William and asked if he wanted me to answer or if he wanted to answer.  He was taken a bit off guard, so I told the children that Dallas helps his dad with “special medical tasks”.  Then, of course, they all asked, one by one (even the parents), “May we please pet your dog?”  William said yes, and one-by-one, with me making sure they knew to always pet a new dog UNDER the chin, they stepped up and did just that – giggling, loving it, and the parents did the same – in awe of how Dallas was so gentle and stayed in a “sit” position the whole time.  It really was beautiful, and I think William felt very proud – not just of Dallas, but of himself.  I know I was.

Quite training was flawless.  Dallas knows “sit”, “down”, a perfect “heel”, “watch me”, “sit/stay”, “down/stay”, “wait” before entering doors (had to remind William of that), “controlled load and unload”, and even did natural “covers”.  Dallas had no startle response whatsoever to created distractions, and could stay in a “heel” when William dropped the leash.  Dallas did several meet and greets with tiny, barking dogs and big barking dogs, and Dallas just stood there and did his sniffing and carried on.  It was truly remarkable.  I showed William several techniques for carrying out these commands, first doing them myself, and then having William do them.  William learned very easily.  I think he felt a bit unsure that Dallas would perform for him as well as he did with me, but Dallas proved him wrong!!

When we were done, I congratulated William profusely, and asked him when was the last time he had spent that much time (about 2 hours) in a crowded public setting.  He shook his head and said, “I couldn’t even tell you”.  I made sure he realized what a true triumph he had just accomplished – and to focus on that every time he started to feel depressed between sessions – that he CAN do it, and he has the most wonderful, beautiful, slobbery companion at his side that will continue to help him achieve more and more!!!

Cerebral Palsy, Medical Alert, Psychiatric

A Better Training Day

From trainer Letty, who is working very hard with dear Brayton, who has multiple disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, and his SD, Midas. The last session was difficult, but this one went very well! Letty writes:

” We had a great training with Brayton and SD Midas today! We spent half our time at Kohl’s, and then spent a little time at Wendy’s. At Kohl’s, we worked on gait and controlled heeling. Brayton was able to walk between two SDs (my SD, Bentley) while maintaining control over his SD Midas with out stumbling or tripping! While walking slowly, Brayton does a wonderful job!

At Wendy’s, while SD Midas was under the table and Brayton was enjoying a Frosty, I was able to look at a flip book that Brayton’s amazing mom made. In it, she has pictures and an easy explanation of cues and reactions that Brayton uses for SD Midas. This flip folder was created to help Brayton’s teachers easily understand SD Midas and help with Brayton’s daily functioning.”

THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS, BRAYTON AND MIDAS! GREAT TRAINING, LETTY, AND WHAT A WONDERFUL MOTHER BRAYTON HAS!

We are in “conversations” with Brayton’s school, Judson ISD, because, while they are excited to have the “first” SD at their school, they have also written that they feel they should not be expected to give queues to Brayton to help him with Midas. Not only does Brayton have CP, but he has limited vision and some learning disabilities. Of course, Service Dog Express feels that Judson ISD should be able to help Brayton with Midas, especially now that Brayton’s mother has written a detailed description of how to help facilitate this process in the special classes Brayton attends. So far, they have written that they feel they should not have to help with these queues. Well, that doesn’t sit well with Service Dog Express! So, we will be having a meeting on Tuesday with many of the staff at Judson ISD – I will most likely have to be on teleconference, and trainer Letty as well – but if they want the “honor” of having the first Service Dog to attend their school, they MUST be willing to assist Brayton with his queues for Midas. It’s their job. Please wish us luck!!! Brayton deserves this!!!!

Cerebral Palsy, Mobility, Psychiatric, San Antonio, Texas

Difficult training day with Brayton and SD Midas

From trainer Letty, who is working with 16 year-old Brayton. Brayton is intellectually disabled, legally blind, has ataxic cerebral palsy, speech language delay and tends to become anxious with new environments and/or people, causing him to be slightly angry. He is extremely loving and affectionate and seeks physical input to ensure security.

“Today was a difficult training day with Brayton and SD Midas. Brayton was having a very off day, and really wasn’t in the mood to train. We pushed through for about thirty minutes before Brayton’s mood got the better of him. The good thing that came out of all of this is that Brayton turned to Midas for comfort! He laid down on the floor next to him and hugged and loved all over his best friend/ SD. It was truly a beautiful sight!”

IT’S OK, SWEET BRAYTON. WE ALL HAVE OUR “OFF” DAYS! SO GLAD YOU WENT TO MIDAS FOR COMFORT!