Three Things That Could Save Your Dog's Life

(Written back in February, thought I'd put it up here)






When people think of the first things they should teach their dogs, they think of things like "sit" and leash walking. While important (at least the leash walking) they aren't the three I consider absolutely essential. If not for the #3 on this list, I might be posting this morning about how my dog died. Instead, he's bouncing a ball off my foot.






#1 Down. Some sort of absolute "hold it right there and absolutely don't change position one bit until I tell you otherwise." I use "wait" for a "freeze" sort of thing. Nibbler's been known to not even put a paw down in this. This is above and beyond any recall because you can always just go get your dog. A dog needs to be able to hold stock still remotely. If they get out of the yard and wander across a busy road, you don't want them coming BACK to you. You want them to stay perfectly still while you go get their dumb little butts. I use it when I'm loading my bike on and off the bus and need Nibbler to hang out on the side of some busy road and wait for me. If you make no other command PERFECT, make it this one. It can also function as #2 and #3, with your dog freezing and you doing the rest.






#2 Recall. Recalls are beautiful, and the foundation for off-leash work. Even if a dog's "never" off-leash, there will be at least one point in their life where you'll need it. It keeps them out of danger and helps build trust. Also, recalls help you control your dog in situations where they'll approach something dangerous.






#3 Leave it. While 1 and 2 can function AS leave its, this tells the dog that the object is permanently off-limits, in a way. Not just that moment, but forever. A dog could come out of their down and go after it again, but this tells them what they need to avoid. Last night, I dropped a shard of broken glass on the floor, and it was covered in chicken grease. Nibbler dove for it (I'm a messy cook) and I screeched a "leave it." If he hadn't stopped with it probably halfway in his mouth, I would've been lucky to spend a thousand dollars at the emergency vet. I can't begin to imagine what it would've done to him, and I could've lost him on the way there.






I can't begin to stress how important these three are. I practice them all the time. Fetch games often have a "down" or "Wait" component to them, and I practice leave its all the time, often with treats. Recalls are trained really intensively as puppies, since our dogs run off-leash with us. I remember going through an entire gentle leader bait pouch of treats PER WALK when Adara was a young puppy. Sophie's recall was good for almost a mile, and saved her life several times.






If anyone I know ever, ever needs help training these things on their dogs, don't hesitate to ask. Anyone at all who can't afford dog training (I offer pretty cheap rates) will get help with these golden 3. All other training is fluff, really.

Some People Just Can't Be Off-Leash...

It was a beautiful day to go to WWU. A day for the dogs to be off-duty, sunny and 70. For those who don't know Bellingham dog culture, it's one of those perfect "dog" towns. Water sources in the summer, outdoor dining for doggies, dog parks, lots of off-leash areas, and the lax leash laws. I've never been asked to leash my dog. I spoke to a city park official once about it, and he said that "no dog" and leash laws are there in case they need to enforce them, but that they prefer to leave responsible owners be.

I saw a few responsible owners at WWU today. Leashed or not, their dogs were under control. However, two oblivious owners stood out to me for two different types of people who can't be off-leash. The dogs would probably be fine, if they were given direction.

Attack-pug, as the first dog became known, attacked our dogs at every chance. The owner didn't show up until I allowed Nibbler to return fire, so to speak. She came out of a crowd that had been watching her dog accost us and ask where the dog's owner was, picked him up, and carried him away. She asked, "What are you doing?" Not really sure if it was to us or her dog, but there was no reprimand for trying to bite Nibbler's face off. No sorry, no notion she'd done anything wrong, but to her credit, she kept him closer to her and moved across the fountain so it wouldn't happen again.

The second sort of owner can be covered by the "my dog is friendly" or MDIF sort... sort of. He was skateboarding around the campus, his dog 100 yards away at times, and he wasn't looking. We had to tell him once that his dog had gotten LOST and needed to be called, since they'd lost sight of their owner and ran down another path. On another pass, this dog came rushing up at us, sniffing our dogs and jumping up on our legs. We screamed at him to leave after gentle nudges didn't work, and finally yelled loudly enough for the man to hear us. He came back and actually got angry at us for having our dogs off-leash, but saying his couldn't be. He left with his dog leashed, muttering about double standards.

These owners both had one thing in common. They didn't understand that part of being off-leash is ensuring that your dog doesn't interfere with others. They ignored their dogs and seem to fall under the sort of person who thinks a dog is trained for off-leash if it won't run off. This sort of training is good enough for people on large properties, but simply not okay for public spaces. Part of being a responsible dog owner is ensuring that you take necessary measures to keep your dog from putting itself in danger as well as not impacting others. Leashes are the most common tool for this, but aren't foolproof. I've had plenty of leashed dogs (don't get me started on flexis) rush my dogs to start something. Nothing is ever a substitute for training a recall, leave-it, and good old fashioned supervision.

A dog ready to be off-leash in a public area not only needs to be capable of a good recall and leave-it.  Those things can be top-notch and the dog can poop rainbows, but it still won't be ready. The owner has to WATCH their dog. Dogs on leashes longer than 4-6' should be considered off-leash for supervision purposes. Leave it can result in the dog putting the item in an incinerator, but it's not going to do any good unless the owner USES it.

People unwilling to do these things either shouldn't have their dogs out in public or just plain shouldn't own dogs. They require training and attention, especially when they interact with a world outside their home. When I see an out of control dog, I don't get mad at the dog. I just wish they'd put their owner on a leash.

One of those days...

Some days with a SD are better than others. Some days are full of challenges to your rights and dignity, and others are like today. Nibbler's been even less noticeable by others than normal and people have been either properly educated or willing to ask open-minded questions. It seems a local organic market that used to be semi-hostile really has opened up and become more accepting.

I sympathise with people working in no-dog places, but not with the business owners who don't educate. The average clerk or cashier has no idea what to do with a dog in the store, and has to act in the best interest of their job, especially in this economy. That's why I encourage handlers to talk to management about access problems they have with the common worker. These people can actually change things and make policy and education decisions without fear of rocking the whole 'having a job' boat. I talk to the highest up person I can because in another life, I was that poor SOB unable to do anything without management say-so. I had to appeal to my district manager about SD policy when a panicky lower manager got a nasty customer call from small-minded morons who saw our dogs. It worked, and there's another SD-friendly restaurant out there.

This has been a heavy post. Here's a picture of my good boy on the bus.

Whistlers

A problem I often have with service dogs and pets is the whistler. The person who calls your dog and expects them to come to a complete stranger. My dogs have been suspicious of strangers, but many are distracted by it and pet dogs may do as they're told by anyone. I've found a quick solution. Many reactions have to be very short before someone walks away, and while it can seem rude, it gets the point across and can be worded more politely.  I call it the 'that's not your dog.' It can be that, or asking someone why they'd call a strange dog who is obviously not lost or in danger.


Nibbler's vest is in the wash, and as I was writing this, someone came up to pet him. I asked him to please not, and he left. However, someone nearby commented that I should have a vest. I explained it isn't legally required, and people should learn as young children that they aren't entitled to pet strange dogs. He said that it should be required because he's sick of getting yelled at for it. I told him that it' not considered polite or even smart to pet any strange dog without asking, as you could get bit and the dog could be put down. I'm considering asking adults why their mothers never taught them to stay away from strange dogs without permission. All humans and animals involved are put in danger when this happens. The worst, though, is when they 'introduce' our dogs without asking.  My last dog, who was a pet, just didn't do well with other females, and was 90 pounds of  muscle and teeth. She taught people a lesson in a show of force (not harming, just displaying) but my current dog can't defend himself when working, and would lose to an aggressive large dog.

"Mama, I'm bored."

What I'm curious about are other tactics people use to quickly correct people who mess with their dogs and what your biggest issues are.

Introductions...

Hello, my name is Holly and I have a service dog. I've had him since I started training him in February of 2010, and he's pretty incredible. A lot of the issues with service dogs stem from lack of knowledge. I've met people who were told by doctors and other authority figures things about service dogs that are untrue, and I'd like to have a place to talk about the real experience of a service dog handler, and to link information that others can use to help educate people.

One of the major problems I've run into so far is the mental picture people have of service dogs and their handlers. If you don't know me or my dog, I'd bet you have a picture of someone in a wheelchair, with a cane, or with a physical impairment, and with a lab, golden retriever, or maybe a German shepherd.



This is my amazing psychiatric service dog, Nibbler:

The little girl behind him is another service dog named Adara who lives in the same household. They're incredible dogs, and they help us with our various psychiatric problems. They don't need to be big, since their job doesn't have a size requirement. They're enough dog for us, and more portable than larger dogs, not to mention more practical for apartment living. Nibbler's 7.5 pounds, and Adara's trying to hit 5 pounds. I plan on later adding more information, but would LOVE questions in comments or emailed to me. I'll answer just about anything I can, or send the asker to a source if I don't know anything about the subject personally. I trained both dogs here, and learned quite a bit along the way with the help of some of my friends who also have service dogs.