Sam, Service Dog in Training

[alligande]

Thank you for sharing your journey with Sam, it is amazing that one of your dogs was able to be the dog you need to support you. Wishing you both the best.

[bn_here_b4]

It is interesting to read about what you are training Sam to do. Thank you for sharing.

 

Cherrie J

[Liz P]

That is really interesting about the seizure alert dogs not alerting after awhile. I never thought about them becoming used to it. If trained to do a specific task to keep their owner safe, do they continue alerting or do some still stop?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Yes, they continue to respond to the signs they've been picking up on previously. Now it is reinforced. The question is whether the dog had a work ethic, and also had the temperamental stability to do it whenever, wherever needed, and the focus and initiative to do it independently of the handler is unresponsive. Plus, if the dog is needed outside the home in non-dog-friendly areas, the task and manners training is very intense (though rewarding for this kind of dog!

 

It's a bit like being struck by lightning to find all that in one dog, and have it be YOUR dog coincidentally.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

You know what dogs do well at this? Those "bad" dogs that end up in rescue or even on death row, because they started making up random rules about who was allowed in the house, where they could be touched, what the other pets were allowed to do.

 

I have another dog who is in line to start training as my backup SD once Sam is well settled in his job. She has just the above type of personality though I raised her, so not much of it has come out.

 

Lynn has some real advantages San lacks. She's taller and stronger so she can work as a real mobility dog. She is also properly single handler focused when out. Sam has a lot of initiative but Lynn has it out the wahoo.

 

Once I was not frsonding to my meds alarm. Sam just kept pushing and licking at me. I was on my mat bed outside, so Lynn simply rolled me out of bed. I laughed when I figured out what happened, but I still didn't move, so she rolled poor Jetta out of bed too.