My Service Dog has greatly eased my symptoms, but she did NOT cure my disability!

Saxon is amazing and everything I could want or need in a service dog. I have had her for just over a year. She came home on October 14th, 2014. Many of the things I could not fathom doing due to my psychiatric conditions and symptoms I have since been able to not only do, but succeed at. Since Saxon's arrival I have been able to: -Start doing paid speaking engagements...

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Physical Fitness and Safety with Mobility Service Dogs

The job description of a mobility dog can include a myriad of things. Wheelchair pulling, button pushing, flipping light switches, counter balance, bracing, item retrieval, door opening and closing and momentum pulling, just to name a few. Whatever mobility tasks a service dog is trained to do are things they should be more than physically competent to perform. For example:...

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Disabled dogs as Service Dogs - Not a good idea!

This is my mom's dog Maddox. He has three legs. He isn't a service dog, even though he is conditioned and takes joint supplements, it wouldn't be fair to work him. After a while he  does get tired of walking. He enjoys running, playing, hiking,  and has a keen nose for sniffing out treats....

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How to handle encountering another service dog team

My service dog and I have been a team for long enough that she is now a natural extension of me. We move together as one. I put on her gear every day and take her out wherever I go. She is just another part of my life. I have normalized life with a dog by my side, so it is just a piece of that norm to have her with me when I shop, when I go to the doctor, and when I eat...

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The power of Stay

Things we should train for but don't for fear of the service dog community, otherwise known as "Why I included both an out of sight stay and a 30 foot down stay on my newest public access test." Recently I've been revamping my public access test. I don't formally take clients for training at the moment, and unless something in my health improves I likely won't for the foreseeable...

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Owner Training - A Novice's View

People seem to think OTing is easy. In reality it's a crapshoot. There are some guide schools that have been breeding dogs from their own stock for 60+ years, yet the percentage of dogs born that go on to be full working guide dogs average at about 50-60%. This is from programs who have puppy breeding, puppy rearing, puppy raising, puppy training and furthered training...

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The Protégé

I suppose I should introduce myself as I plan to be the other half of the literary production team on this blog. I'm Ariel, I'm a 22 year old who, in stark contrast to Jeanene, has only had dogs for a portion of my life. I was always incredibly passionate about animals as I rode horses for over a decade and owned many small animals (including fish, snails, hamsters, guinea...

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