Prepping for dogs?

[tressa27884]

I also have a service dog. My standard poodle. I love him, and it makes me nuts when people want to "make" their dog a service animal...

 

[tortoise]

Tressa, my miniature poodle was my service dog. I've been in remission though for over 2 years and he is completely retired now. He went off the deep end after he stopped working. He's a useless little sh*t and him when I'm not busy hating him. He picks my berries right off the plants and shreds kale. Rolls in everything dead, and eats out of the barn gutter. He has nominated himself guard dog. One of his tasks was to alert me to anything unusual, but he has run with that to an extreme. He's crazy-smart, I should decide on something to train him. Maybe ratting?

 

[Denim Deb]

Tressa, what exactly do you mean by people wanting to make their dog a service animal? Do you mean a pet that people just want to say is a service dog when it actually isn't, or someone that gets a dog specifically to train it as a service animal, or something else?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

@tressa27884
Let me say ahead of time that I'm not trying to challenge you about your statement. But, I'm curious about why you say that? Is there some negativity associated with people who try to self-train or is it because some folks just want their pet to be allowed everywhere? Again - just curious and definitely not trying to attack you.

I ask because I have a new dog that I am working with to "make" a diabetic detection dog. It's not something we're jumping willy-nilly into. I've done a lot of research and have talked to a professional trainer and I think we're on the right track. The dog is still pretty young so we're not pushing her in any way at this point. If DH has an episode we bring Gracie to him and keep her at his side. If he's able, he gives her treats and attention as a reward for her being attentive to him. We're NOT doing it so she can wear a cute little vest and go everywhere with us. At least not unless and until I know she is steady in her responses.

This is new territory for us personally and we're working diligently to make positive progress.

Oh - and welcome to SS!