The last time I wrote, my job was ending at Cadet Command. My dog was dying, my house was falling apart, and I had no idea what was going to happen.
Since then, I took a 6 month temp to perm position at JFCOM. The 6 months was over in October, but they have made me an offer (finally, that is a completely different story as to why that too so long), and I officially start on Monday). I have a new dog; the bathroom, the furnace and the disposal in my house are fixed; and the HVAC at the rental house is fixed as well.
My new pup is about the most different kind of dog that I could have gotten from my last dog. My last dog – a labrador afraid of water. This dog, a toy being trained as a service dog. I thought I would use this blog as a way to document his training successes; thinking it might encourgage other people with disabilities to attempt to train their own service animal rather than try to find a group that trains them and get on a waiting list.
First, get yourself a puppy. But make sure the breed you choose is a good match for the work you will need your new worker to do. I chose a toy breed because I am not in need of a dog that can pull a wheelchair, or do other heavy work. I need a dog that can remind me to take medication and can recognize the signs of oncoming episodes. A small dog can do that just as easily as a small dog, and a small dog fits my lifestyle right now better than a large dog.
Some people probably are wondering what exactly is my disability. Some people already know (or suspect). That isn’t really the focus of this blog. And it isn’t really relevent. I want this to be applicable to a larger audience. In order to make it applicable to more people, I have to keep this not centered on my own narrow needs.
First step is to foster a strong relationship with your new puppy. Second step is to get into a good basic obedience class. Your pup needs to understand the basic commands or good manners – sit, down, stand, come. All dogs need to understand these commands, and be able to do them on the first request. Find a good trainer, one that understands that you will be taking your dog beyond just basic lessons. It is best if your trainer is one that trains beyond just basic, but all the way to Utility Dog, even Agility and possibly also does training for Show handling. This shows that he/she is a well rounded trainer and has had a lot of experience with many different types of dogs. You also need to feel comfortable with your trainer. He or she is going to be spending a lot of time helping you with your new companion.
The next post will talk about basic training as well as introducing your dog to basic service dog skills.
