I did some reading today on service dogs. I thought it would be great to be able to take Sammy everywhere. I learned that there are a number of conditions that can be helped by service dogs. There are many conditions that dogs could be trained as a service dog for. One of them was arthritis. When I looked up how service dogs can help with arthritis, google said that they can be trained to do things like brace you if they think you might fall, open doors for you, and even take out the trash. It would be great to add this list to the abilities I am trying to train Sammy for. I hope to add this to our training journey.
I know that my sweet boy is smart but I had never thought he could do all these things. I am hoping to keep his training going so that perhaps he could be good as a service dog as well. He has a sweet temperament and has good self control for a puppy.
For example, I decided that I wanted to try to train him to wipe his mouth after he drinks his water. I put out a towel attached to a paper towel holder. The first time I put it out I wiped his mouth for him with the towel. The second time he drank water he went over to it and wiped his mouth. I thought, “My dog is a genius!” I have not seen him do this again, but I have hope for this. It would sure be nice not to see his little puddles of water everywhere.
As far as training on some of his habits goes, I have had no luck on his eating sticks all over the house. I have to be careful with bare feet because there could be a splinter waiting in the carpet. I read that dogs enter a second teething phase at age 8-10 months, so I am hoping that perhaps after 10 months old he will no longer be interested. Maybe he will tire of this habit, and move onto something else.Â
I have not made much progress regarding his allergies either. His dad wants to know what he is allergic to because he loves to give him a treat with dinner. The vet said that it would be at least 6 months before he could be retested. I am wondering if I should get a second opinion. We are just trying to feed him his special food that only has hydrolyzed protein in it but he does seem to only eat it when he gets hungry enough. I want to keep his skin nice but do feel like I am punishing him somewhat.
Soulful Escapes
Sammy came by work today during the afternoon. He is getting better at playing with the small cockapoo who is here every day. He is probably five times her size so he has to be very gentle and not play too rough with her. He seems to be getting better at just sitting still and being gentle.
I took him for his walk to the grass while he was at work as well. I am continuing to use the two handed leash technique to try to train him to heel recommended by his trainer. I grip the leash with both hands and use my right hand to pull up on the leash when he tries to get ahead. The trainer calls this “popping the leash.” You pull up quick on the leash and then release it. As he gets beyond your feet, his trainer says to pop the leash while saying “chitch and heel.” Sammy usually starts out running ahead and then after about three commands to heel, he seems to get it until we stop and head back, and then the process repeats. Maybe we just keep practicing and it will become second nature to him. That is what I am hoping…
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