#training question

Hi Anon!

Wow! That’s so cool that he naturally alerts like that! I’d wait a few weeks and see if you can get a solid alert on him. You can also begin heavily focusing on his socialization and obedience training during this time. Train for the AKC Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine, and Canine Good Citizen Urban exams. If he does well and shows promise as a service dog prospect, tell your doctor this! Bring in some information about service dogs and medical alert dogs in particular, and discuss your options. If she was supportive of at home alert training, she may be supportive of service training! 

Good luck! Let me know if you have any further questions <3

Hi! If your dog has the necessary skills and socialization needed for service work, then her breed and age should be of no bearing.  The best thing to do would be to find a professional trainer to evaluate her. Not many dogs have what it takes to become a service dog, so working with a professional trainer from the very beginning can help save you the heartbreak of having to wash her out in the end. 

For tasks, I always recommend writing a list of all the ways your disability limits your life. Next to that list, try to brainstorm a task that a dog can be trained to perform to help mitigate it. If you are having trouble, here’s a brief list of things service dogs can be trained to do which help mitigate the effects of autism:

Medication reminder at a certain time of day

Bring medication to alleviate symptoms

Bring a beverage so human partner can swallow medication

Bring the emergency phone during a crisis

Provide tactile stimulation to disrupt emotional overload (face licking, nudging, rubbing up against handler, etc)

Provide deep pressure for calming effect

Assist handler to leave an area by finding exit

Crowd control (body blocking, “guarding,” reverse heeling, etc)

Good question! IMO, this depends on the individual dog, as well as the problems (and severity of such problems) the dog is experiencing. If you have concerns about your SD prospect, contacting a professional trainer and/or certified behaviorist will be your best bet. 

For example, Faith had issues with resource guarding when she was younger. It was never directed towards other humans, but she would growl and possibly snap if another dog got too close to something she considered “hers”. Obviously this caused great concern for me and I did worry that I’d have to wash her out. However, I pulled her from public access and contacted a behaviorist right away. Less than 3 months later, the issue was completely resolved. She now willingly and enthusiastically shares her toys, chews, and even food bowl with other dogs that come into my home. 

So I guess my best advice is to treat behavior problems on a case-by-case basis because no two dogs are exactly alike. Things such as excessive shyness, aggression, inappropriate marking, etc may be very easy to correct with one dog, but impossible to correct with another. Discussing your options with a professional trainer is the best way to go about things. 

Hi Anon! 

For scent articles, saliva samples are best. Whenever you get a migraine, take a cotton ball and place it in your mouth to soak up some saliva. If possible, make sure you wait at least an hour or two after eating or brushing your teeth. You can freeze these samples for training at a later date. Samples last up to 3 months when frozen, but I don’t like to keep mine longer than a month if possible. 

Good luck with the training process! If you have any questions, feel free to ask :)

Hi! Not all dogs are able to pick up on the scent of migraines unfortunately. In that case, you can try to play scent games with stronger scent articles (such as tea bags) to see if you can get your dog to learn how to use his nose… and then go back to your migraine scent articles later. However, unfortunately not all dogs are wired to be alert dogs. I’ve seen several programs wash out dogs who just don’t like scent work. 

If your dog really isn’t getting it and you need a dog who is able to alert you, then it might be time to search for a new prospect :\

Hi Anon! So long as the sample is kept in an airtight sterile container, it doesn’t have to be put in the freezer right away. The freezer is just for long-term storage :) 

Hi! If he is neutered and has a clean bill of health, then IMO it is time to start giving him a quick pop with the leash and a firm “AH!” whenever he marks inappropriately. Be consistent about this! Only allow him to mark in appropriate locations and surfaces.

You can also teach him to potty on command which can help too. To do this, take him outside and wait for him to pee. When he does pee (in an appropriate place– grass, dirt, gravel, etc), give him a command such as “go potty,” “hurry up,” or “do your thing.”  Eventually, he will begin to associate the action of peeing with the command. Faith is trained so that whenever we get out of the car, I’ll tell her, “do your thing,” and she’ll squat to pee. This has been a tremendous help because I no longer have to walk around waiting for her to pee, and worrying about when I need to take her out if she didn’t pee beforehand.

I hope this helps! My male (Sterling) was never a marker, so I don’t have much more advice other than this. Maybe people could reblog/comment with more advice? I feel bad. I feel like I didn’t help much haha. Good luck!