Category Archives: Veteran

PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

DJ and Tabitha

From trainer Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior DJ, who suffers from PTSD, and his SDIT, Tabitha:

“We met at the Bluebonnet Bunk n Biscuit and trained inside their store as well as in their small dog park. There was one other dog there initially, and Tabitha barked excitedly. Although it sounds loud, she appears to be just be curious and want to play. Tabitha was corrected and we settled her back down. We worked on distracting her more with yummy treats and trying to get her to understand that “not reacting” will have more reward for her than to react. By the end of the session, she was not reacting to the dogs that were being taken home after day care or dropped off for boarding!

We also worked on Tabitha’s sit-stay and down-stay. Their homework for the week is to practice her stay more and gain more consistency with it and with her recall. To practice this, DJ got a 30’ leash, used to stay and have him walk away with Tabitha in a stay – then call her to COME and use the leash to “reel her in”. Tabitha is doing much better with the new collar as well! Tabitha can still sit, down, stay, leave it, watch me, wait, and heel very well.”

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

Brian and Cassandra

From trainer Andrew, who is working with Wounded Warrior, Brian, who suffers from PTSD, and his dog, Cassandra.

“I had a training session with Brian and his Service Dog in Training Cassandra. We went over ways of handling her hypervigilance in public with people and dogs that come too close to Brian, and how to build toy drive in the dog. We went over the food on the floor game, so Cassandra would only take food given by his handler and not any other food. We also worked on the restrained recall game. The session mostly consisted of focus and drive issues, and how to direct Cassandra’s attention off of the undesired object to the handler.”

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.”

Anxiety, Depression, Houston, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Ronnie and Roxy

A wonderful write-up from Kendra, our trainer in Houston, and her client, Ronnie, who is a Wounded Warrior with PTSD, anxiety and depression, and his SDIT, Roxy.

“I met at the mall with client Ronnie and SDIT Roxy. and as always it was a complete pleasure!!! Roxy entered the mall in a controlled manner and after we entered, we stood at the entrance to allow her to see and hear all the distractions. It was her very first time in the mall! I am amazed at the hard work and dedication that Ronnie puts forth with Roxy. At the entrance she sat and laid down. Once she was focused we continued on. We walked through the mall for an hour. We went into Game Stop and did two meet and greets. We walked on all different floors, hardwood, tile, stone, and carpet. We went into the department store and rode on the elevator for the first time, too! Roxy didn’t hesitate, was not fearful or nervous. She went on that elevator with confidence!

We walked through the bedding aisle, and she was unsure of it, so we continued to walk through there until she was more at ease. Client Ronnie also put her in a sit while we was in the bedding aisle and she did beautifully. We continued to walk the mall and even walked in the food court. We passed right next to a man holding a tray of food and she paid no attention to him; didn’t sniff at him or anything. We also sat at a table and Roxy naturally goes under the table. She was even falling asleep under there! There were TONS of distractions as the mall was very busy (more than normal), and Roxy’s focus always returned to Ronnie. Ronnie is a lot more confident having Roxy with him. We will continue with training in public and next week and will met at the toy store.”

Anxiety, Army, Depression, Military, Mobility, Pain Management, Panic Attack, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Kimberly and Kimmy

GREAT news from Wounded Warrior, dear Kimberly, who met the new love of her life, SDIT, Kimmy! Kimberly and Kimmy met at Laurel Ridge, and the bond was INSTANT! Kimberly, as intelligent and detail-oriented as she is, already had the training manual memorized. Kimmy was beautifully behaved, and started covering for Kimberly the minute they met, as poor Kimberly was shaking with nerves and excitement from this new part of her life! Kimmy heeled perfectly with Kimberly at the hospital as we walked the halls and I showed her how to use the collar properly, would sit, down, stay, and make incredible eye contact. Even the Medical Director at that Laurel Ridge unit popped her head in to see how wonderful everything was going – and she plans on integrating more Service Dogs into other patient’s treatments! Kimberly was given food, bowls, a leash, two collars, and all medical records for Kimmy. You could just see how much even having the presence of Kimmy on the Wounded Warrior ward brightened up everyone there – and the staff was amazing!

Kimberly and I talked regularly after we spent several hours together going over the basics, and have continued to talk almost every day since then. We had developed a trusting bond for several weeks before this day, and I knew a Service Dog would be perfect for Kimberly’s life at this point. The doctors allowed Kimmy to stay with Kimberly the last days she was there, and she had her own room, where they would snuggle and cuddle and were literally inseparable. Kimmy would let Kimberly know when she needed to go potty, and Kimberly enjoyed taking walks on the grounds of Laurel Ridge with Kimmy. Kimberly would let people pet Kimmy ONLY if they asked politely if they could pet her Service Dog, and if Kimberly felt comfortable with the person – and Kimmy would sit on command and allow the petting and treats.

I called the airline prior to Kimberly’s departure back home to Georgia to ensure that she would have no problems boarding with Kimmy at her 6 am flight! She did say that going through the screening was a hassle, because Kimberly is in a full-leg moveable brace and it was hard to manage everything – but she did say that many people offered her help, and for that, she was very grateful. She did remember to give Kimmy her Benadryl 45 minutes prior to the flight, and Kimmy was excellent – just a little anxious on touch-down. But she never barked or did anything inappropriate! Kimberly has worked with dogs all her life, so she and will continue to be an excellent handler.

Since Kimberly has arrived home and back to civilian life after 29 days at Laurel Ridge, she has said it’s been a bit of a difficult transition – but we both agreed she should take things slow and it will continue to get easier for her. Kimberly’s fiance is currently deployed in Iraq, but feels so much better knowing Kimmy is there to comfort her! One pleasant surprise – Kimberly has a cat named “Nubbins” (due to the fact that she has a nub for a tail) – and SDIT Kimmy and Nubbins are already best friends!! I am SO proud of Kimberly – she made her first trip out alone with Kimmy to the drugstore to get her medications – and it took a lot longer than expected due to the transferring process – but Kimberly said that having Kimmy there made a world of difference. Baby steps! Kimberly still wants to remain active duty – she loves being a soldier – and her command welcomed both she and Kimmy back onto base with open arms and commented continuously on how well-behaved Kimmy was! They are completely supportive of Kimmy being with Kimberly at work once she is settled back in – and for this, I am so grateful.

Kimberly and I will continuously train via video, Skype, email, and phone as they venture out more and more – but I am SO proud of the two of them!!!!!

Anxiety, Depression, Houston, Marine, Military, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Ronnie and Roxy

From our new wonderful trainer, Kendra, in Houston, who is working with Ronnie, who was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. He served in the Marines for 12 years and has been rated at 60% disabled for various reasons. He has panic attacks when in public or crowded confined spaces, and suffers from depression.“I met with my wonderful client Ronnie and his SDIT Roxy this morning. I did an assessment on Roxy and she did AWESOME! She let me touch all parts of her body and mouth with no problems what so ever. She already knows sit, down, stay, leave it, heel, drop it, and hugs. She is so very smart and catches on very fast! We met at a very busy dog park and she was still was able to follow commands. Wounded warrior Ronnie is excellent at training and working with her!

After the assessment, we did a training session. Roxy does heel with the occasional pull which we will continue to work on that. We greeted some dogs along the way and she said hello perfectly, And was able to come when he called to continue the walk. We passed other people, a stroller with a baby and Roxy didn’t pay no mind to them. We practiced walking and randomly stopping to place Roxy in a sit. This way she can get better at sitting on command. They will continue practicing this. He placed Roxy in a down/stay and walked about 30 feet away and called her. She did wonderfully. We talked about how to do the watch me command and the importance of it. This will be the homework. We also talked about what commands he wants Roxy to perform for him. Roxy has already started to alert him to nightmares. (What a very good girl!!) Roxy also has naturally started to do covers. I shook a mason jar full of coins next to Roxy and she didn’t budge, She was not bothered. She went through the agility course at the park and was great at it.

Her focus is on Ronnie, always looking out for him. Their bond is inseparable!!!! We went over and covered so much! It was and is a absolute joy to work with this team!!! Our next session will be in the mall.”

WONDERFUL, POSITIVE TRAINING FOR RONNIE AND ROXY!!!!

 

General, Military, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior DJ and Tabitha

From trainer Beverly – she’s been hard at work!! A session with Wounded Warrior DJ, who suffers from PTSD, and his SDIT, Tabitha.

“We met at HEB. and had our first public session there to find treats for Tabitha. She did VERY well. She responded to “leave it” if she was getting too interested in others. She laid down at one point while we were looking at treats and DJ was “amazed” at her “non-reaction” to the people who were going by at that time!

Tabitha is proficient at Sit, Down, Stay (short 1-2 mins) Heel position (Walk, return, at stop), Watch Me, Wait, Leave it, Controlled entry (car, building, inside doors), Controlled Exit (car, building, inside door) and Walking in a Public Location. DJ has been doing great work with Tabitha.

We then went across the street to Lowes and practiced walking beside the shopping cart, and practiced remaining seated when being petted. Tabitha did VERY well on all of these new tasks.

DJ will continue to work with her and get her out more. He has her vest ordered and she should have that by next session and will be able to start taking her out all the time now that he is past the “first time” jitters!”

Bipolar, Depression, Military, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Nathan and Owen

An update from Beverly, who is working with Wounded Warrior Nathan, who suffers from PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder due to childhood abuse and deployments, and his SDIT, “Owen”!

“We did our first training session at a public location. Although Nathan and Owen have been practicing, they hadn’t made any serious trips. Now that they have their own vest and ID, we wanted to give them practice. We started in the garden section and practiced basic behaviors and commands. Then, with the assistance of a sales person there, we had Owen practice staying seated while someone petted him. He did well for his first “petting” from a stranger. Then, we found a cart and practiced pushing the cart with Owen heeling right next to the cart through turns, tight spots, other people, etc. Owen did very well!

Owen was a little nervous with all the sounds and people, but he quickly adjusted and recovered very well from loud noises with very little startle. Good boy with heeling, with a cart, with sitting and watching out when we stopped and took a break. Good Boy Owen! Good Job Nathan! Owen brings Nathan a lot of joy.”

Alzheimer's Disease, Army, Diabetes, El Paso, Medical Alert, Military, PTSD, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Beto and Osito

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Another wonderful update from our trainer Michelle, in New Mexico, who is working with Beto, a Wounded Warrior who is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and has diabetes, and his SDIT, Osito!

Michelle writes:

“I met with Beto and SDiT Osito. It was a good visit. However, Beto’s short term memory is quickly fading. He was not able to remember the things we talked about regarding commands. However, he was able to remember to check his blood sugar when Osito began kissing him and alerted to high sugar levels in excess of 250; scary!!! AWESOME JOB OSITO!!!!!!

We also worked on “leave it”, and by the end of the small session OSITO would not take it unless told he could have the treat!!!!!

Beto’s wife, Maribel, was out of town taking care of family, and was unable to help with the training these last 2 weeks. She reassured me these next two weeks she will help more.

We did get SDIT Osito to start wearing his vest, which came in the mail. Maribel will be doing some alterations so that it doesn’t hurt Osito when he wears his vest. The xs is still too large, and patches are being sewn on.

I still have high hopes for this team, they just need reminders. We will work with things like sticky notes, writing pads, etc. Beto loves his Osito SO very much!”