Part of why I take so many photos and videos of Robbie is because at the end of the year, I sit here, writing these posts and think to myself, "yeah, what did we do all year?" A lot of laundry. I have tons of videos and photos of him doing laundry. I promise that's not all we do! Read on to revisit 2019 with me; all our triumphs, training hurdles/challenges, favorite memories, and a few of our goals for 2020.
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Do service dogs get vacation? Yes and also, no. Since a service dog's handler is always going to be disabled (unless there is a miracle cure), that means the dog will always have a job to do. All service dogs do get to have days off and partial off-duty time to play, sleep, bounce, be silly, and just be a dog! It's important for them to have time to shake off the stress of their jobs, and let loose for a bit. But, sometimes it's possible for a handler to be in a place where they don't need the dog to do the same amount of tasks in a day that is normal, or the dog might have seasonal tasks (such as pulling a cart of firewood only in the winter), giving the service dog a bit of a vacation. Examples might be if the handler is in the hospital or at a friend's house. When the handler is in the hospital, the dog might be with them or staying with a friend. Either way, the handler's needs are being met by the hospital staff, for the most part. When the handler is staying at a friend's house, the dog will still be working, but might be at a diminished capacity based on need. This is the type I'll go into more in this post. Robbie's Vacation SpotA few times each year, we house sit for a friend on his horse farm. While we are there, Robbie gets to be part farm dog, part service dog. We romp through pastures, take long walks on gravel roads, play with the other farm dogs, spend time with horses, and run in a sandy arena. He both loves it there and gets tired of life there. When we went on our honeymoon to Colorado, we stayed in a small cabin, which meant no need to help with doors, laundry, firewood, finding help, etc. Robbie's vacation time was split between sleeping in his box and going on very long adventure walks with us. 3 Tasks He Gets a Vacation From When at Friends'/Families' HomesHelping with Laundry: Often people have their laundry rooms up or downstairs which prevent him from being able to help me with the laundry bag easily and safely, or the laundry room is too small for him to maneuver in. For simplicity of packing, we don't have a laundry basket, only a bag. This means he can't really help me sort laundry or pull clothes out of the bag. As a basic fact of needing to put his paws on everything in order to do tasks, Robbie often scratches surfaces or leaves other marks. Since we're in someone else's space, I don't ask him to put his paws on the washer to help load it in case he would mar it a bit. Additionally, other machines can be very slippery and could cause him to hurt himself. Solution: My husband does the laundry washing, I fold it, Robbie gets a vacation from assisting with it. Open/Close Doors: Robbie opens doors by turning lever knobs, pushing with his paws, and tugging on ropes when at home. We have modified our home so that there are ropes always hanging from primary use doors, I don't typically need help with cabinet doors, and we've made our peace with him scratching our outer doors because they are metal and will repaint easily. However, our friends' house doors have not been modified to be used by a dog and they would probably prefer not to have it look like a wild animal has been trying to get inside. As a courtesy to them, Robbie gets a vacation from opening or closing doors at their place. He does, however, maintain those skills by helping me open & close gates in the horse pastures occasionally. Do Cart Work: Bringing his cart with us takes up extra space, and while there he doesn't need to help bring firewood into the house, so there is no need for him to do that task. 4 Tasks He Will Always Do No Matter Our Location
Does He Get "Vacation Brain" & Struggle Once We're Back Home?
In speaking with other handlers, I’ve noticed that some ensure their service dogs follow the same rules and are held to the same standards both at home and at work, while others let their dogs run wild once the gear is taken off. It is my belief as a trainer, (and as someone who used to work with large animals who could seriously hurt me when they were given mixed messages from handlers concerning polite manners) that the best way to handle rules, standards, and expectations for behavior & good manners is to keep as many of them as consistent as possible when switching from work or home in order to avoid confusion and unnecessary corrections. For this reason, Robbie has roughly the same rules & standards both at home/off-duty and on the job. A few things change such as not sniffing merchandise in public; obviously he is allowed to sniff things when off-duty. But he still can’t steal food, beg for scraps, or pull on the leash to sniff things. In this post, I’ll talk about why we insist that Robbie be well-behaved everywhere, a breakdown of rules at home & at work, as well as things that we always encourage Robbie to do when off-duty. It may seem too structured or strict to some, but the caliber at which Robbie behaves works for everyone, including him, and I assure you that he has lots of fun and chances to be goofy. Everybody needs a friend. For service dogs, this is extremely important for several reasons.
In this post, I'll talk about why we are so picky about who Robbie plays with & advice for others choosing doggy friends, some of his friends, how playtime aids in his training overall, and share some photos of him having a good time!
Today is doggy day for Robbie, which means that he gets a break from training and working to just do fun dog things. This afternoon, we played a game that worked on strengthening Robbie's drive and problem solving skills to find and recover 5 peanut butter treats hidden throughout the house. Since everything is training, he was being trained to solve problems using skills he already knows - getting on a table, tugging a rope, jumping into something, and using his mouth & paws to lift a basket off one of his prizes. In this post, I'll give a quick overview of the game, the expectations/rules, and how he did! The GameCommand: "Find Treat"
Objective: Sniff out the treat and eat it once he found it. Solve puzzles to reveal treats in some instances Rules: Must use ropes for tug puzzles, must get on table using ramp, must get inside tub to retrieve that treat Skills Used: Tug, In/Out, Up/Off, Find Treat: Peanut Butter Treat Holders: 4 paper cups with a dollop of peanut butter in each, 1 kong filled with dog treats and peanut butter as final jackpot reward Time Elapsed: 20 minutes Location: In Our House |
My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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