Service dog questions

[already]

Less than 2 months would also be considered a novice.

I would check and make sure that your program was legitimate.

1) How long ago did your doctor prescribe the dog?
2) How long have you handled the dog (you say 2 months).
3) How long was her training before you received her? What type of training was it? Where did she reside?
4) How long did you train with the dog before you took possession of her?
5) Who trained her, what were their credentials, and what was the cost of the dog?

Those might be some things to think about when distinguishing a working dog vs. a dog for "comfort". Those are hard to come by, you have to go to specialized programs, and it is quite an ordeal to both waitlist and obtain one.

According to her posts, she apparently purchased the dog on her own and apparently sent it out for training. Another red flag if it is how I read it.

Still don't know how she would be extremely hard to steal.

OP - read the suggestions of the poster quoted. You said you want help making your trip go smoothly. That is what people are trying to do.

Since one of her jobs is to help me socialize with strangers she is very calm and well mannered in public. She's great in crowds. My trainer knows I don't feel comfortable bringing her into a lot of places. He's told me it's okay. She would be extremely hard to steal. And she actually has been 100% paid for by me and my family. Thousands of dollars for training and to make sure we got a good pup with good breeding so that she had a better chance of not flunking out. If she were to stollen it would only be of mine and my families concern not my trainers. Even though, I know he truly loves and cares for her and all of the dogs he trains.

 

[sookie]

According to her posts, she apparently purchased the dog on her own and apparently sent it out for training. Another red flag if it is how I read it.

Still don't know how she would be extremely hard to steal.

OP - read the suggestions of the poster quoted. You said you want help making your trip go smoothly. That is what people are trying to do.

Buying a puppy of your own choosing and then sending it off sounds like a problem. Real trainers spend time working with dogs and then choosing dogs that have the temperament for service as not all dogs have it.

The poster who discussed working at WDW who stated that he met a person with a PTSD working dog is spot on. Saying the dog circled during fireworks as it was a perceived threat is how these dogs are trained to work. It will try to get between the owner and any perceived threat. That is why the dog was circling. It can appear to be a herding or pushing motion, or the dog will wedge between the owner and other people if that is an issue. That sounds like normal working dog behavior to me.

 

[NewRVLady]

There are scam Dog trainers out there
The one my boss's family fell for is Elder Care Service Dog

In the 2 plus years his parents have "Sunny" he has done none of the list of things he was supposed to do

One of th biggest things he was supposedly trained for is to herd the senile father if he wanders away-the only herding is his poor Mom if Sunny escapes from the house

He has gone back for retraining stints (more $$)
Its a joke-and a HUGE burden to his elderly mom who tells us weekly of the dog's latest adventure

 

[wilkeliza]

Buying a puppy of your own choosing and then sending it off sounds like a problem. Real trainers spend time working with dogs and then choosing dogs that have the temperament for service as not all dogs have it.

The poster who discussed working at WDW who stated that he met a person with a PTSD working dog is spot on. Saying the dog circled during fireworks as it was a perceived threat is how these dogs are trained to work. It will try to get between the owner and any perceived threat. That is why the dog was circling. It can appear to be a herding or pushing motion, or the dog will wedge between the owner and other people if that is an issue. That sounds like normal working dog behavior to me.

I was the CM that mentioned it. Just wanted to clarify the person stated they never stay for fireworka due to the nature of his PTSD and how the dog reacts as well as handler. His dog circled all day at the parks as to create a berrier at all times since the parks are super crowded. He is a war veteran and I enjoyed learning all about his service dog and his service.

 

[already]

Buying a puppy of your own choosing and then sending it off sounds like a problem. Real trainers spend time working with dogs and then choosing dogs that have the temperament for service as not all dogs have it.

The poster who discussed working at WDW who stated that he met a person with a PTSD working dog is spot on. Saying the dog circled during fireworks as it was a perceived threat is how these dogs are trained to work. It will try to get between the owner and any perceived threat. That is why the dog was circling. It can appear to be a herding or pushing motion, or the dog will wedge between the owner and other people if that is an issue. That sounds like normal working dog behavior to me.

Excellent Advice!!!

OP - if you don't care whether people have experience training dogs, know that I have a child with a disability (which is why I am on these boards ) and am around service dogs every day. If what you have posted is true, you do not have a typically trained service dog. Nor have you been properly trained if you have been told it is ok to tie up a service dog.

Please listen to the experienced people like the person I quoted.

 

[nerderella]

edit: I missed a lot of the convo showing questionable training, choosing the dog, etc. So despite my hunches that the dog may need more training and such, I'm going to let the rest of my response stand.

I work with a lot of veterans and active duty service members who have service dogs for combat-related PTSD and other behavioral health issues relating to residual combat/deployment stress. Many of their dogs are trained to work within the specific parameters of the individual's PTSD, including growling/nosing as an alert to the owner when the owner/handler feels threatened or anxious. This isn't for the benefit of protecting the owner/handler by scaring off a bad guy, but to serve as a cue for the owner/handler to find a way out of their situation to not escalate their emotional state any further. I had a few individuals on my case load that needed a visual or audio clue to snap their focus in the middle of an episode-- if they did not get out of the situation, they were likely to go on rampages. For them, the growl and nose nudge worked. Not all PTSD is characterized by depressive symptoms and suicide attempts, so not all PTSD dogs can and will be trained to recognize the same cues if they truly are being molded for their handlers. But I guess where I'm going with this is that my hunch is that OP may have confused the actual intent of the growl being a new handler. It may have been intended as only protective to her-- not a threat to the bad guy (unless it was, and if so, the dog needs a bit more training and isn't ready to be in a crowded place like WDW).

That being said, if you did happen to be at WDW and the dog growled to help you, I don't think many bystanders would be able to discern the difference of a growl to alert the owner and a protective growl, and unfortunately, if your dog did growl or bark at a threat I would expect someone to complain and the park to enforce the rules and ask you to leave. For your own sake, I would start small and then work your way up before the trip. I don't know how many of the people I know with service dogs would want to give Disney a shot as a first exposure to big crowds and potentially threatening animatronics only a few months into handling, but many of them also couldn't be in big crowds so that was another hurdle to cross.

I also have to hop on the train of recommending you NEVER leave your service dog tied up outside and away from you, and it has nothing to do with whether or not he's stolen. The moment your dog puts on his vest, it should be nothing but business. He's working. Strangers don't pet him, he isn't ever out of your sight.

 

[Luvchefmic]

I am going to say something that is bothering me very much. My daughter and my son in law are both US Marines. Both have had many years of deployment Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, to name a few areas.

PTSD has affected my family in personal and professional ways. One of them suffers from PTSD and they both work with the Wounded Warriors Project. Some of our military personnel suffering from PTSD have these service dogs. ( When they can afford them or someone generously helps them )

The dog and the person are a team and together 24/7.

NO PTSD dog growls A PTSD dog will calmly place themselves in front of their person and quietly alert or support. If the perceived threat is behind the person the dog will also alert their person. Silently....

OK my public service announcement is over and I feel better.

 

[sookie]

I was the CM that mentioned it. Just wanted to clarify the person stated they never stay for fireworka due to the nature of his PTSD and how the dog reacts as well as handler. His dog circled all day at the parks as to create a berrier at all times since the parks are super crowded. He is a war veteran and I enjoyed learning all about his service dog and his service.

Thank you for clarifying! This has been quite a thread.

 

[lanejudy]

I'm closing this thread to review.

 

[pigletliz]

I am going to say something that is bothering me very much. My daughter and my son in law are both US Marines. Both have had many years of deployment Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, to name a few areas.

PTSD has affected my family in personal and professional ways. One of them suffers from PTSD and they both work with the Wounded Warriors Project. Some of our military personnel suffering from PTSD have these service dogs. ( When they can afford them or someone generously helps them )

QUOTE]

Please thank them for their service.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Their pleasure and honor but thank YOU

 

[lanejudy]

I have merged both posts started by the OP -- the original post from another forum that was eventually moved to the disABILITIES forum as well as the duplicate post OP started on the disABILITIES forum.

I have reviewed and decided to leave this thread closed as it became too argumentative.

OP - if you use the "Search this forum" feature for "service dog" you will find a lot of information answering most of your questions.

Enjoy your vacation!