He Just Knows

Yesterday, my son's service provider was coming to take him out to do some personal shopping. I had put together a list, with the help of my son, of the items he needed to buy, the brands and scents he uses and prefers.

Before she arrived, I handed him the list to put in his waist-pack, but he put his money and the list on the couch cushion instead.

When his 'Habilitation Aide' arrived, she sat on the loveseat across the room from where I and my son were sitting. When my son got up to collect the rest of the things he needed from his room, Kodiak stood and went to the couch, where he carefully picked up the list and walked across the room to my son's 'Hab Aide' and handed it to her.

She thanked him and sat there with her mouth hanging open, in awe of him, as no one asked him to do that, no one told him what to get or to whom he should take it. When she looked at me puzzled, he used his nose to push it at her, as if to say 'you're supposed to read it.'

The only thing she could say was "He's amazing. You're such an amazing dog." She puzzled over how he knew what to do. I told her I stopped trying to figure it out a long time ago. He just seems to know.

Typically, he brings things to me that he retrieves off the floor, as I've trained him to be my service dog and pick things up for me. Occasionally, I'll ask him to get something from someone else or take something to someone else, but in this instance, he knew the list was for the 'Hab Aide', how he knew that is a mystery.

He is such an incredible dog, his intelligence and intuitiveness are sometimes unbelievable. Other people who don't know him as well are stunned by the things he does, but I'm at a point where nothing surprises me about Kodiak anymore.

"Molly" Moved

"Molly", the Giant Schnauzer/English Springer Spaniel mix who lived adjacent to Kodi's backyard for the past year has moved away.

He spent a lot of time running up and down the length of the fence that separated them, playing with her. She was the sole canine socialization Kodi got to experience regularly, as he felt comfortable with her, seeing as how she was on the other side of the fence, he didn't have to fear being attacked and she was a puppy, so she was always in the mood to 'play'.

"Molly" broke our hearts whenever we were in the backyard with Kodi. She would watch us playing with him, clapping our hands and calling out to him, chasing him around the yard, as she spent all day, nearly every day, in her backyard without so much as a toy to amuse herself.

We often wondered if she were able to speak to us, if she would ask why her human family didn't play with her, why they provided her with no toys, why they left her outside all day and most of the evening until late at night in the bitter cold of Winter and the horrendous heat and humidity of Summer, while Kodi was always accompanied by his humans, provided with no less than 13 toys to keep him busy, enjoyed interaction multiple times a day on a daily basis.

Many of "Molly's" neighbors talked about reporting her family for neglect, as they provided no dog house or adequate shelter for her or the older female Beagle who lives with Molly. They allowed her to get into the trash and chew on tin cans and plastic soda bottles, often her only toys and source of amusement. Neighbors talked about reporting, but didn't want to cause upset in the neighborhood, didn't want to fight with the neighbor or have to fear some sort of retaliation.

Now, we understand "Molly" will be living with her family in a 'country' setting. We don't know if she will have a fenced in yard, if she will have a dog house or a place to escape the cold and heat. We don't know if she'll have toys to play with or fresh water to drink.

Being in the position of disagreeing with the way she was cared for, but having to live next door to her family was difficult, but the neighbors who discussed reporting her family for neglect should have done so, as now she will be living in a more remote setting where others may not be aware of how little is provided for her.

Kodi isn't sure what to think about why "Molly" isn't outside, why when he calls to her she doesn't bound down off the back stairs like she used to and meet him at the fence. He looks for her, calls to her and sits patiently waiting to see her again. It will be a hard adjustment to make, reaching the understanding that she's not there anymore. It will be hard for all of us to adjust.

Big Changes

For a little while now, Kodi and I haven't been seeing eye to eye. He's been crabby, growling, moody.

I consulted someone who trains dogs and they suggested that my female problems, the menopause, the changes in my body, emotions, etc. can be sensed by Kodiak. She said, "you probably seem like a whole different person to him."

She also suggested that since I clip his toenails and trim the hair on his feet while on the bed, and the bed seemed to be the place where we were most at odds, perhaps he felt threatened by me on the bed. She thought maybe he was claiming the bed as his.

Since then, some of my female issues are more under control. Kodiak got pretty aggressive on the bed this past week, growling and nipping at me. I'd had it. I snapped and gently swatted him on the side of his muzzle telling him "No!"

He lay there, still, then I told him to get down off the bed. He did. He walked around the bed and came back up on the bed, his head down, snuggled up against me and licked my face.

Since that day, he's been amazing. There's been no more odd behavior on the bed, no more grumpiness, no more growling, he's not jumping off the bed as soon as I come close to it. We're playing multiple times a day on the living room floor, because it's still too hot and humid to be outside playing.

I would never advocate hitting a dog, I felt terrible about having swatted him, it was a knee-jerk reaction out of frustration, but it appears he was claiming the bed as his and threatened in some way by me being on the bed. I claimed the bed, dominated him on the bed and the issue is gone.

I've had a couple people also suggest that for whatever reason he was viewing me as weak, inferior, because of my illnesses and health problems, that he thought he could dominate me.

Again, I feel terrible about swatting him, I didn't use any force, just made contact, but it was enough for him to understand the severity of his mistake and make corrections.

At Odds

It seems that Kodiak and I are a bit at odds lately.

It's been terribly hot and humid outside. We are experiencing sustained temperatures in the upper 80 and 90 degree range with humidity above 84%. Our nighttime temperatures are in the mid to upper 70's, so it's terribly uncomfortable outside.

I'm trying to walk Kodiak in the mornings when it's cooler, but we don't go out in the yard to play much at all during the day. On several occasions he's vomited when we've been walking, drooling excessively, panting so hard, I knew he was minding the heat. I don't want to risk heat stroke.

We play inside, in the air conditioning, the best we can. That typically means bouncing a tennis ball for him to catch, playing tug-0-war with his stuffed animal. It's just not the same.

It's as if he translates the lack of walking and playing as me punishing him. He acts like he's afraid of me, ducks when I reach to pet him, growls at me whenever he's on the bed and I'm near the bed, as if I'm threatening him somehow. I'm really stumped about what's going on with him.

I've talked to a number of other friends who have dogs, service dogs, and they've told me they are experiencing something similar right now too. Their dogs are 'off', 'odd', not quite themselves.

I can think of no injury to his head, no symptoms of seizures, etc. I can think of no physical reason why he would have such a change in personality.

What is so puzzling, is that he's inconsistent. For several days, he's a doll, obedient, compliant, willing to do whatever task put before him, then he will take a sharp left turn and suddenly require a great deal of prompting, convincing and cajoling to get him to even 'come' when called.

I know that huskies, by nature, are stubborn dogs. They are very headstrong and have a reputation for being obedient, even for years, then suddenly behaving as if they've never heard their name before, don't know you, etc. I'm sure some of his behavior can be explained by his breed characteristics, but some of it certainly has to do with lack of exercise, boredom. Huskies can be very difficult, destructive, when they are bored. They need to be stimulated constantly, whether through interaction with humans, other dogs or toys that cause them to problem solve. They need to have a 'job' to do, something that challenges them.

Unfortunately, right now, my power chair is in the shop and I don't know when I could get it back, a motor seized up. We aren't even able to walk right now, it's been 6 days since our last walk. I don't know what else I can do to keep him active, keep him from being bored and crabby.

Right now, I guess we'll be at odds.... it's almost like he has a 'time of the month' when he's crabby and irritable. Is there such a thing as 'male doggy pms'? LOL

"Pick it up" in Public

Took Kodi for a walk Saturday morning. He was such a good boy. We had a great opportunity to see if he could perform a simple task with his Halti and gear on.

You might remember that we had a problem in the past with him performing a simple 'pick it up' task when he was wearing his walking gear. We had worked and worked on it, following the directions of a Service Dog training organization, but it didn't go well at all.

Saturday, while walking we passed by an empty coffee cup, laying the middle of the road. It had a plastic lid on it and was a pretty large cup.

I decided to stop and ask him if he could pick it up. I asked him twice, as he nosed it, rolled it around a bit, seeming to assess how heavy it was. He tried to put his mouth around it, but it was pretty wide and smooth, so he had some trouble picking it up that way, so after mouthing it and figuring out the best way to pick it up, he gently took the edge of the cup lid in his mouth and picked up the cup.

He offered it to me, high enough so I could reach it. I took it from him and praised him over and over. What a good boy he was, picking up something that wasn't mine, that I hadn't dropped, something awkward, and with full gear on, handing it to me, rather than picking it up and dropping it again, which is something he sometimes does.

We have progressed in steps, as he's refused to pick something up at all for me, picked things up and dropped them again refusing to pick them up a second time and now he's picked up an item and handed it to me, while out in a public setting. I'm so proud of him!!!

We had walked to an outdoor flea market near home and mingled with people between the tables and displays. He had done okay, but was pretty skittish, not sure about all the people moving so close to me and the chair. Overall he had done well in an exercise meant to socialize him a bit.

As long as we are able to make a little progress, I'm happy. We do have some setbacks from time to time when I'm not so sure we'll ever be able to 'proof' in a public setting, but then he'll make a bit of progress and my confidence is renewed.

Skills Are Locked In

I determined previously that Kodi had become comfortable with learning certain skills in a specific environment and had some trouble translating those skills to new environments. An example being that we learned 'pick it up' in the house, without his vest or lead on and he had trouble performing the same skill outdoors.

Recently he's begun to respond to those same cues outdoors and at times performing those skills without a command. Just the other day he went into the yard and picked up the outdoor spigot cover from the grass and handed it to me.

Kodi has been helping me get ready for bed for many months now, probably a year. When I come into the bedroom at night and approach my side of the bed he gets down on the floor beside me, waiting for me to get undressed. When I sit on the edge of the bed, he takes my socks off and hands them to me, if I kick my shoes off he'll pick them up and hand them to me. He waits for me to get my legs into bed, then comes up and lays down beside me.

He would only get up on the bed, on my side of the bed and would only wait on my side for me.

We changed our furniture around in the bedroom yesterday which put my side of the bed on the other side of the room, near the dresser, creating a narrow pathway for me to navigate. I was concerned as to whether he would be uncomfortable completing his tasks in that small tight space.

He was very helpful while we were moving furniture. He picked the 'moving men' up off the floor and brought them to me, picked up anything that fell while I was going through things and tossing things out. He was such an incredible help throughout the whole process.

Last night he came to my side of the room, sat on the floor and waited for me to get myself ready for bed. He took my socks off and handed them to me, he picked up my sneakers and handed them to me. He waited, as he always does, for me to get into bed and jumped up on my side of the bed, just like always.

He wasn't phased by the change, he was able to complete his skills regardless of the surrounding layout. He wasn't distracted by the tight space. He made the adjustment to the changes. I couldn't have been more proud of him.

He's been listening so well lately that I've been able to take him out on the deck and down the ramp without a lead on. He goes into the yard to potty and comes right back. He responds when I tell him to 'wait', if he has gotten ahead of me. He stops, turns and waits for me to reach him before starting toward the yard. At the end of the ramp he stops and sits, waiting for me to reach him.

What a great feeling to know that we have made so much progress, that some of our skills are locked in. Now I can feel comfortable about adding some new skills to his repertoire.

Service Dog Teams ~ Not All the Same

Perhaps some people don't know that a service dog and the person accompanied by the service dog are a team.

They develop a bond, become in-tune with one another, as a service dog is asked to be constantly aware of the needs of their human companion, they must be able to respond in any environment, regardless of the many distractions around them.

They must be constantly aware of their partner's mobility apparatus, (if they utilize such) whether it be a power chair, manual wheel chair, walker, cane, etc., so they don't get hurt or cause injury to their partner.

A good rule of thumb I share with others is, if you see a vest, bandanna, or any markings on the lead that indicate you're approaching a service dog, don't approach, talk to or attempt to pet the dog.

Every team is different. One person might allow you to pet their dog if you ask, others may prefer no contact. Some may use specific commands when allowing contact, others may not.

Kodiak and I were confronted tonight by a lady holding a baby in her arms. She asked if they could 'visit' the doggy. I smiled and said, "I'm sorry, when he has his vest on he's working." She sort of sighed and said, "We have a neighbor with a service dog and when he wears his vest he gives him the 'go visit' command and lets us pet him."

I found myself explaining that my dog is in training and I don't allow contact. I shouldn't have had to explain anything, my answer should have been sufficient, not challenged.

I'm always glad to encounter people who understand what the vest means, who know to be respectful of the service dog team, but it's always important to remember that service dogs, service dog teams, breeds used as service dogs and disabilities that may require the assistance of a service dog are NOT 'cookie cutter' by any means. There are many variations in skills, commands, and certainly preferences of people with disabilities.

We did well, Kodiak ignored the woman and child, lying down on the ground by my chair as I spoke with her.

"Door" to Progress

We recently started working on "Kodi's Spot", a place just inside the bedroom doorway where Kodiak goes when someone knocks on the door. He's to go there and lay down waiting for permission to come greet the visitor.

He's been doing well with that. Today we had an opportunity to practice it and he did fine, though he left his spot before being given permission. Later in the day, a neighbor was at the screen door where Kodiak could see him, as the inside door was open. I didn't have a chance to take Kodiak to his spot, but I stood just inside the door as I invited our neighbor inside. Kodiak had to stay back, as I didn't allow him to pass and rush the door.

He stood next to me when I gave the command to sit down, which he did. He faced the door as I instructed him to stay. He did so. I didn't need to hold his collar to 'restrain' him, he obeyed verbal and hand commands.

I sat down in the recliner, between Kodiak and the neighbor and Kodiak shifted so he was sitting between my feet. He waited until I allowed him to greet the neighbor, waiting for him to calm down. When he did greet him, he was a good boy, kept his feet on the floor, didn't bark or howl at him, sniffed his hand appropriately and came back to sit with me.

I was impressed by how easily he controlled himself, how well he listened to me. Again, positive reinforcements and patience prevail!

I'm encouraged at what more we can learn and accomplish.

I Didn't Need to Ask

I recently visited my doctor and returned with some new medications. I've been having some trouble adjusting to the side effects of these new 'meds', feeling severe fatigue, over heating and heavy sweats, some upset stomach and severe muscle cramps.

As is my typical experience, the side effects of the medications are nearly as debilitating as the disabilities.

I was readying to go to sleep the other night, sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling my night gown out from under the pillows, when Kodiak decided to help me with my hair. I had my 'pinch clip' in, rather than my scrunchie, but he bit down on it and tugged it, pulling it gently to the side of my head. He wasn't able to get it out, but he certainly gave it a try.

As I pushed my pants down Kodiak jumped down off the bed and took my pants in his mouth. As I let them fall below my knees he picked them up and handed them to me.

As I put the pants on the night stand next to the bed he placed his paw on the top of my foot, sliding it down over my sock. I lifted my foot slightly as he pulled my sock off my heal, then took the top of the sock in his mouth and pulled it off my foot. He shook it out and handed it to me. As soon as I took it he went to work repeating the same procedure on the other foot, pulling the sock off and shaking it out, handing it to me.

He sat down and waited for me to undress and get into bed. After I was in bed with the covers pulled up he came up on the bed, being careful not to step on my legs, as I'm having a lot of pain in my calves.

He stood between my husband and I, turned around and lay down, draping his chin over my calf, pressing his back and hip against the length of my right leg and hip. The warmth from his body seems to help the muscles relax.

He's been staying with me, at my feet when I'm sitting in the living room, laying against my body when I'm in bed, following me to the bathroom where he either lays on the floor at my feet or on the bed, as in the picture, looking at me, keeping an eye on me.

He's been staying with me when I sleep-in this past week, coming up softly on the bed and gently kissing my face to wake me. He stays with me until I'm dressed and I'm able to make it into the living room.

We are so connected it scares me sometimes. He knows when I'm not quite feeling right, when I'm a little wobbly.

I find that I often have to ask other humans around me for help, even though they can see or hear me struggling, yet Kodiak doesn't wait nor does he need to be asked. Is there any doubt as to why I love him so?

Unexpected Breakthrough

As I shared in previous blogs, Kodiak has been a quick learner when it comes to performing assistance tasks for me inside the home. He picks up dropped items, things I can't reach, brings me my shoes, takes off my shoes and socks, takes the hair tie-back out of my hair, retrieves the phone, remote control, etc. His skills have helped me complete my weekly household chores and vastly reduced the stress I was experiencing doing things that had become challenging.

Kodiak has accompanied me into the local bank and pharmacy. Though he'd had a bit of trouble in the bank, a tight space with many people, he's done remarkably well, considering how much time we've actually been able to dedicate to attending in public.

Kodiak has had trouble translating what we learned indoors to the outdoors. I realized we trained inside, often without his vest, lead, etc. (as we began training before we had those items). He has been easily distracted when outside. He would often respond to 'pick it up' as if he'd never heard the command before, seeming confused.

I've been unable to take my power chair outside since early December, when the first snow and ice collected on the sidewalks and at the curb cuts. There have been few opportunities to practice.

Yesterday, when we went down the ramp to go out and potty, someone's Styrofoam plate had blown from their garbage can and was in our driveway. Kodiak took notice of it and sniffed it. I thought I would give it a shot, so I gave him the command, "pick it up" in a light, encouraging voice.

He tried to pick it up, but it scooted away from him, so he put his foot on it and pinched it, folding it in half, lifting it up and handing it to me. He had his leash on and there were distractions around us, but he did it!! As he handed it to me, I leaned down to praise him and he offered a kiss.

I put him on his airline cable and he ran out into the yard, enjoying the sunshine.

I had taken the advice of a service dog training organization previously, trying to force him to follow the command outside and it was horrible, for both of us. He just seemed so confused. It wasn't until I realized they didn't understand how we had trained prior to that, so though their advice was well-meaning, it was a bit misdirected.

I decided I would continue working with Kodiak by being loving and patient, rather than trying to force something, knowing that he's incredibly intelligent and intuitive, willing to please and was not just being difficult.

Being patient and allowing him to initiate the act, then praising him for doing the task, certainly had a bigger impact than forcing him to submit to me when he clearly didn't understand and was confused.

We've also had another breakthrough recently.

I've tried in the past to take Kodiak out in the yard off leash, as I was able to do with Echo, but he's bolted three times and run into a neighbor's yard. I know that huskies are, by nature, roamers and it is highly recommended that you don't take them out off leash because they can get hurt, particularly if their prey drive is strong and they encounter a cat, small dog, squirrel, etc.

I've taken him out to potty several times recently and allowed him to be off leash. He obeyed me and stayed in his yard, even going to visit Molly at the neighbor's fence and retrieving a thrown toy. When I told him "come" he's come running to and past me, right up the ramp to the deck.

I'm working on showing him that I trust him outdoors, so that he will trust me outdoors, not to ask anything of him that would hurt him or be unsafe. I don't want him to hesitate when we're outside.

We are a work in progress. As long as we are making progress, I'm happy.

I've had people ask me how long he's been training and express that they think we should be further along than we are, but I believe every dog is different and every team is different. I'm satisfied with the progress we're making and as long as Kodiak is comfortable with the methods we're using, that's what matters to me.

The "Rules" Don't Apply to Friends?

Kodi and I have been working really hard on diminishing the 'puppy' behavior we still struggle with, rushing to greet people at the door, putting his feet up on people in an effort to try to kiss them, barking inside the door, etc.

He's been doing wonderfully. We've established 'Kodi's spot', which, when escorted to his spot, he's able to stay there until released to 'greet' company. He learns so quickly, when we are consistent.

My husband's Uncle has been visiting for Sunday dinners every other weekend, which gives us a great opportunity to practice our manners.

I have a friend who comes to visit about once every week or so. She is of the mind that the 'rules' don't apply to her. In fact, she's said as much. She allows/encourages him to put his feet up on her, to kiss her, to hold her down on the sofa and put his face in her cup, his nose near her food, etc. When I correct him, she always says, "It's okay, he knows I don't mind."

We don't allow him to do those things with us, or anyone else. We correct him, even though she's telling him it's okay. She doesn't understand that she's undermining his training and our efforts to have a well mannered dog.

She seems to think that it should be okay depending on the individual person's preference and somehow Kodi should know which people are 'okay' with being mauled by him and which people aren't.

When we encounter her in public, he gets excited. She coaxes him to put his paws up on her chest, to give kisses, etc. When I correct him she says, "You better not, you have your vest on, you're getting in trouble."

It's hard to expect strangers, who may or may not know better, to respect the vest when friends who do know better don't/can't/won't.

Leave My Dog Alone!

I've been working with Kodi when we're outside, allowing him to be off leash in the yard for brief periods, proofing him on "come". He's been doing fabulously!

Today, I took him out on his 30' leash and my neighbor was out in his yard, with both his dogs (Maggie and Molly) and his oldest daughter.

When Kodi saw Molly in the yard and she was bouncing back and forth along the fence, he wanted to go visit her.

I called out to the neighbor, saying "She's really getting big! She's almost as tall as Kodi!" He called back, "She's 14 weeks old and weighs 34 lbs."

Kodi was really intent on Molly and clearly wanted to go visit her, so I asked him, do you want to go say hi? as I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to take the leash off or drop it behind him. Suddenly, my neighbor called out, "Kodi! Come here Kodi!" and he's off like a shot! I had to drop the leash as there was no opportunity to take it off him.

He bounced up and down the fence with Molly, then my neighbor called him to him and reached over the fence, as Kodi stood up momentarily. He grabbed his leash and as I'm standing there, in shock, he's pulling the leash up in the air, trying to get Kodi to stand up against the fence. I can see his chain collar (which is the one he wears inside - as opposed to his nylon collar with tags when he's outside) pulling up above his head, more and more of it showing!

This guy is pulling Kodi up against the fence by pulling his collar tight!!!!

I called Kodi back, he dropped the leash as Kodi looked back at me and ran toward the corner of the fence, as Molly and Maggie were excited and the little girl was calling to him. I called again, repeatedly. He stopped and looked at me, but was so excited and distracted he didn't respond.

I started up the ramp calling him, but my neighbor was still talking to him. Finally, as I came back down the ramp calling out, "Kodi, you've been doing so good, don't spoil it now, Kodi come!" he finally took hold of Molly and his daughter, moving away from the fence.

Kodi saw me again and as I called, "Kodi come!" and started up the ramp he came running across the yard and up the ramp.

This man has no idea how to show the least little bit of respect to me, Kodi or my relationship with him.

Once again, I can't imagine taking a hold of another person's dog (pet) and interfering when they are giving commands. This man does this every single time he's able to have contact with Kodi. He takes him by his collar, pushes him down to the ground, gives him commands, etc., regardless of what I'm saying to Kodi, regardless that I'm there.

I always find that I'm so taken aback, that I draw a blank as to what to say. I know that my husband and he are friendly, so I try not to do anything that will have an impact on their relationship and peace in the neighborhood. I almost feel held hostage.

I was so upset, that I felt tears welling up, seeing someone manhandle Kodi like that, knowing that his collar was tightening around his neck and throat as this man tried to force interaction with him. He was so far away from me that I couldn't have walked that far quickly enough and without endangering myself, to help Kodi.

I've asked my husband to speak to him about handling Kodi. I could just scream!!

Hands Off!

Throughout the time Kodiak has been in my life, I have struggled with others who want to discipline him or take control of him from me. It's bothered me emmensely since the very first time someone tried to assume authority of him.

My neighbor had a habit of coming into our yard, when Kodi was very small. He would walk between the houses, across the yard from where I was located supervising Kodi in the yard. Kodi would run to him and, of course, in true puppy fashion, jump up against him enthusiastically.

My neighbor would grab him by the collar and try to force him down onto the ground. Whether I was giving Kodi a command or not, he would insist on pushing him down to the ground telling him "down".

Another neighbor saw me walking Kodi down the street where she had her motorcycle parked. As we approached the motorcycle, she came to the sidewalk and took hold of the leash. She said, "Let me take him." and snatched the leash from me, walking him on the sidewalk around the cycle, rather than allowing me to walk him past the cycle in the street. To say I was appalled would be an understatement.

Even in my home, as I'm trying to correct Kodi, neighbors and friends will give him commands, as I am doing so. Why they don't understand that it is confusing to him to have two people giving different commands is beyond me, but that's what they do.

I believe in a positive reinforcement method of training. I don't believe in being physical with my pets, but rather rewarding them when they obey a command. I've also chosen to use different commands than some others might, as I've also encorporated specific commands for Assistance training.

I use the commands 'paws up' and 'paws off' asking Kodi to put his feet up on my lap when picking an item up off the floor for me and to take his paws off my lap once I've retrieved the item from him. I only use the command 'down' when I ask him to 'lay down'. "Off" is the command for putting his feet on the floor, getting down off the furniture, etc.

Others come into my home and want to command Kodi, without understanding what commands we use. They take him by his collar and tell him 'down', trying to make him sit.

These folks seem to believe that Kodi's training is lacking. I acknowledge that he requires a lot of repetitive reinforcement, as he's true to his breed's characteristic of being stubborn and willful.

He consistently listens to me, I believe because I am the one person who works with him routinely and we have a bond. I am patient with his progress, as long as we aren't regressing and continue moving forward, because as he's aging and maturing he's also calming down and being more consistent.

I fear that people believe since I'm using a power chair that I'm not capable of controlling such an energetic dog, that they have to do so for me, without knowing me or my relationship with Kodi.

I wish folks would respect not only me, my home and Kodi, but our relationship.

Training Snag ~ Temporary Set Back

Kodi and I have run into a bit of a Service Dog training snag.

Kodi has experienced a number of stressful occurrences since we've started walking in the community. He's been charged at or attacked by other dogs four times, he's had children grab his tail when we're out walking and had groups of people surround him trying to pet and reach at him, people barking at him, etc.

Kodi has also been very sensitive to loud noises. He's not too bad with thunder, but fireworks going off right over the house terrify him. He's sensitive to backfires as well.

His training has been great inside the house. He's able to do most tasks without being given a command and we're always working on new commands, such as "hold", "release", "drop it" and "tug door".

He's getting much better about not vocalizing at the bank, sitting or laying down next to my chair when I stop to chat with someone and not jumping up on people who come into the house. He's very affectionate and wants to give kisses, so we are always working on deterring him from 'molesting' visitors and he's improving.

I recently consulted a service dog training organization for some helpful hints and tips as to how I can overcome some of Kodi's fears. They were very helpful in giving me some training ideas.

Because Kodi is stressed in certain public situations, I have a lot of trouble getting him to even 'pick up' dropped items when we are away from the house. They suggested working on it outside when I knew I would have the time to 'out wait' Kodi. I was to give him the command and if he refused, simply give the command again, remain calm and assertive, and just keep giving the command until he did as he was asked.

Yesterday, when our walk started it was cool, overcast and breezy. So, when we came home I decided to try this suggestion. I went to the door and got my keys out of my bag. I dropped the keys and asked him to pick them up. I used the verbal command and hand signal we've been incorporating, over and over, giving him time in between commands to respond.

Kodi sat there, looking at the birds flying over, the people walking by, me, the porch, the keys, the door, etc. He whimpered and shifted around, trying to lay down, sitting up, going closer to the door, but he would not pick up the keys.

We sat there for between an hour and a half and two hours. I offered him a cold drink twice, which he accepted. Finally he was crying, fidgeting and I was hot and sweaty, so we came inside.

Once inside, I dropped the keys to see if he would pick them up. He refused. I took off his vest and leash, put his things away and when I came back into the living room, he picked up the keys and put them on my lap, he picked up the throw pillow that had fallen and handed it to me.

I realized that I trained him inside, with nothing but his collar on. I don't think he's ever completed a task with his vest on and certainly only once maybe, with his leash on.

I felt horrible for putting him and myself through that on the porch.

I decided we will start with his vest on, and relearn these skills, then add his leash when we see how well he does with the vest on. Once we have done so, THEN we will move our training outside.

Kodi is extremely intelligent and intuitive, but in this case, he seems to have learned the skills in one environment, with certain circumstances in place and associates the skills with those circumstances.

He's 21 months old this month. We, as a team, are a work in progress... so we keep working. There is always improvement in some area with Kodi, so there is no reason for feeling badly or as if we've failed. I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished as a team.

New Lead ~ Said Goodbye to the "Halti"

Being a husky and true to his 'husky' nature, Kodi found it difficult to walk using a 'harness' or to even walk with his leash attached to his collar. As soon as he felt the least resistance against his chest or neck he would lean into it, digging in and pulling against the restraint, making it terribly difficult for us to walk him, especially me, sitting in a chair with a low center of gravity and not much leverage.

More than once, I was tugged so hard my shoulder popped. So we had to research, talk to our Veterinarian and we settled on a training device known as a "Halti" head harness, shown on Kodi in the picture.

It was not a muzzle, it slid around his nose and attached behind his head with a small lead under his chin that attached for security to his regular collar. The leash attached to the same ring under his chin that the tiny lead attached to, so when walking him, we were 'leading' him by his nose, rather than restraining him at his neck.

He could still drink, eat, play ball, pant, bark and yes, bite, if necessary, but if he pulled against the Halti it would tighten around his mouth, making it difficult for him to defend himself should he be attacked by another dog (which has happened 4 times when we were out).

To control the Halti I wrapped the leash around my wrist, which meant both hands were occupied when we were out, one hand holding his leash, the other controlling the chair's joystick. This was problematic if I had to get Kodi a drink, use the pooper scooper, or go into the bank and try to handle a check or cash, if Kodi was moving around beside me, pulling my hand away.

I went on a service dog supply site and found a leather leash with brass hardware, used in police, Schutzhund and Service Dog work.

It's 6 ft. long and has a series of rings over its length with a hook on each end. It can be adjusted to 4 different lengths, attached to a wheel chair, used as a temporary tie out. It's very sturdy, being two layers of leather with both stitching and rivets.

I bought one and attached it to the frame of my power chair. Hooking it to Kodi's Halti was problematic, as it was heavy and pulled his head down, putting unnecessary pressure on his nasal passages along the top of his nose. So, I took a chance that he had learned the lesson meant to be taught with the Halti and I hooked the leash to his collar.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Kodi stayed right next to my chair, he didn't pull hard and actually allowed slack in the leash between us. He had an easier time drinking out of his travel water dish and was more eager to put his gear on to go for walks. He certainly experienced a sense of 'freedom' he hadn't been feeling.

My husband can put the leash around his waist and hook it to itself, keeping his hands free and using his body weight to prevent Kodi from pulling him as aggressively as he did when he held the leash in his hand. (He has always seeminly had an understanding that we are a team and he must cooperate with me, therefore responding differently than he does with someone walking upright.)

We have used the new lead when going into the bank. Kodi follows behind me and I'm able to use my hand to control the doors, rather than being tethered to Kodi by my wrist. It actually keeps him closer to me. It provides me with a sense of security as well as freedom.

I'm also secure in the knowledge that with this lead, I could affix it to the seat's support frame, if the chair should ever quit running, and Kodi could pull me home. I would not have to be concerned with being stranded.

We are always learning and progressing as a team.

Adding More Skills

Kodi and I are always working on learning new things and re-enforcing skills we’ve already learned.

Recently, we created a ‘tug’ tool that we affixed to our bedroom door, for training purposes, so Kodi can start working on “Tug Door”.

Thus far, he’s doing great, as we reward his efforts, even if all he does is take the tug tool into his mouth. When he holds it in his mouth and pulls, even the least little bit, we reward with lots of praise and a treat.

He’s tugged hard enough to pull the door nearly closed. We work on this skill a couple of times a week, while practicing skills that have been acheived.

One evening, while readying for bed I asked Kodi to take off my pants, after he was on the floor. I asked him to “tug pants” and he took a pants leg in his mouth and pulled on it until he pulled it off. He did this twice and then offered me the pants.

When he got back up on the bed, I asked him to “tug blanket”. I lifted the edge of the quilt and he took it in his mouth, stepping back, as he pulled the quilt and sheet back at an angle.

We practiced “tug blanket” several nights in a row and each time Kodi was able to turn back the bed, pulling the covers at an angle, revealing the sheet enough for me to get into bed without sitting on the quilt.

I’ve been walking Kodi, from time to time, without his Halti, affixing the leash to the heavy ring on the back of his vest. He’s done wonderfully with this change, but I continue to go back to the Halti as a means of re-enforcing ‘not pulling’.

The next skill I plan to introduce, once we have some consistency with “tug door”, will be “Hold”. There are times when Kodi picks up an object for me, but before I can reach for it, he drops it. We need him to hold the item until I can take it from him.

I’m always looking forward to working on new skills with Kodi, he’s so intelligent and quick to respond.

Helping with Household Chores

Last Friday, as I was working around the house, in an effort to get things organized for the long weekend, I found myself a bit of a 'butter fingers', dropping things on the floor or simply needing things out of reach.

Kodi stayed close to me all day, as I moved through the house from room to room.

I started in the bedroom, where I set about folding clothes, as I haven't been able to get my power chair in that room since I got it 2 and 1/2 years ago. (We just had the doorway widened.) I was folding clothes, laying them out on the bed, as Kodi lay on the bed watching me.

When I went around the bed to fix the quilt, I found my husband's dirty clothes on the floor around his hamper, so I asked Kodi to jump down and pick them up for me. He licked my face, then jumped down and picked up two socks, a pair of underwear, a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants, one at a time, and handed them to me.

When I went out to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher, I fumbled a small bowl and dropped it on the floor. Kodi came out and hesitated for a moment, not having picked up dishware for me before and carefully picked it up and put it in my hand.

I gathered the febreze and carpet freshener and headed for the living room, where I set about straightening the slip covers on the sofa and loveseat. As I was doing so, the bottle of febreze fell on the floor. Kodi came over and picked it up, handing it to me carefully, so as not to spray it.

When I put the cleaners and things away, I moved to the desk in the kitchen and straightened there a bit. As I was rearranging things on our 'media center' some business cards fell on the floor. Kodi picked them up and placed them in my hand.

I rewarded him for a day's hard work with a long walk and a romp through the yard to play with his tennis ball.

Yesterday, as I was sitting in the living room relaxing, crocheting, my scissors fell on the floor. Kodi was at my feet, laying down, but he stood, used his paw to move the scissors from the rug onto the floor and picked them up, placing them into my hand. He was rewarded for a job well done.

Later, as I was crocheting away, oblivious to much around me, besides counting stitches, Kodi got up and came over by the far side of my chair, between my chair and the decorative table and proceeded to pick up a skein of my yard that had fallen, unbeknownst to me. He put it on my lap.

Later, when I had placed my things on the arm of the loveseat beside my chair, our oldest cat started pulling apart my yarn, chewing on it. Kodi stood up and watched for a moment, then I said, "take it away from him Kodi" and he DID! He gently reached up and took one end of the skein in his mouth and pulled it away from the cat, handing it to me.

Last night, when readying for bed, I tried adding something new to our routine. I asked Kodi to 'tug blankets' and he turned down the quilt and sheet for me, taking it in his mouth and backing across the bed until he'd turned down the corner making enough room for me to sit down so I wouldn't sit on the quilt.

With some consistent practice, I'm convinced there isn't much Kodi couldn't do to help me.

How Does He Know?

Lately I'm simply astounded by what Kodi does, how he seems to know things, without a word from me or any previous source of reference.

We were walking to the park earlier this week and just before crossing a parking lot to the park, I was forced to take my power chair over an area covered by fallen limbs and sticks.

The clearance on my chair is only 2 inches, so things easily can get stuck, hung up on the under carriage of the chair, caught in the tires. Sure enough, a branch got caught under my chair. I tried to back up, thinking if I did, it would untangle is, push it back out the front of the chair, but it didn't work, I tried to turn, thinking that might break it and free it, but that didn't help.

I stopped for a few moments, trying to figure out how I might free the limb, when Kodi stepped in between the leg rests of my chair and took the stick in his mouth, pulling on it. I moved the chair backwards and the limb was free.

How did he know to take the stick in his mouth and hold on to it like that? How did he understand what I was trying to do was to free the stick? I gave no command and we had no previous source of reference for him to pull from.

Just two nights ago my husband was in bed, I was in the bathroom and Kodi was bringing his toys into bed. My husband kept putting the toys on the floor and he kept retrieving them.

Kodi jumped off the bed and disappeared into the living room, returning with one of my sneakers. He brought it into bed and my husband put it on the floor. Kodi got down and picked it up again and brought it back into bed. My husband put it out of bed again. I asked him to be patient a moment as I asked Kodi to 'go into the living room and get my other sneaker from next to my chair.' He looked at me as I repeated my request, then jumped down off the bed and went into the living room.

He promptly came back with my sneaker in his mouth and jumped back up on the bed.

I had never asked him to go into another room and retrieve something for me before. I didn't even hold the other sneaker in my hand as an example of what I wanted him to get.

How does he know what I need or want from him without even saying a word, giving him a command, providing an example or working on a particular skill?

I have to believe our bond grows ever stronger, connected on a spiritual level.

Practical Training Part 2

Today I needed to go to the local pharmacy to pick up my son's prescription. My husband had my car, so I thought, if the weather was good, I would take Kodi and we would walk.

I called the pharmacy and asked if since Kodi is a Service Dog in training, would they still allow entrance. They told me yes, in training or not, if he's a service dog, he can come in.

I put Kodi's Service Dog Vest on and we walked along the bike path. We took a side street and crossed the main road. When we got to the pharmacy, I stopped near the building, in the shade, and offered Kodi a drink of water, hoping doing so might calm him a bit.

After putting his dish away, I took his lead in hand and we went to the doors. They were automatic, so I gave him the command to go 'behind my chair' and he went there, following me inside.

Once inside, he was curious at all the smells. He sniffed the floor as we went back an aisle, passing a customer who was shopping. We turned and approached the pharmacy counter where two elderly customers were waiting. We stopped to wait our turn.

Kodi sat or stood next to my chair within arm's reach quietly, as the other customers were being waited on. He only made one little sound, one time, otherwise he was a good boy.

When we were waited on, I signed that I picked up the prescription and as I took the bag from the pharmacist Kodi stood up and tried to take the package for me. I reassured him that I had it and we went down an aisle toward the front of the store. We passed another customer and stopped in an open area where I could put the bag into my side pouch.

We started toward the exit. I gave him the command to go 'behind my chair' which he did, as we went back outside.

When we reached the outside of the building, I took him off to the side and gave him a lot of praise, pet him and told him he was a good boy. He rubbed his face against my thigh and hand, licking me.

On the walk home, he had his head up, loping along, enjoying the fresh air, obviously proud of himself.

It felt wonderful to be a successful team!

Practical Training

Recently, I needed to stop at the bank, while I was out with Kodi. I asked my husband to walk with us, so he could stand outside with Kodi while I went into the bank.

It was the first time I would try to take my power chair into the accessible entrance of the bank. They have two sets of doors with a foyer in between. The doors don’t have an automatic opener, so they present a challenge to a person in a wheelchair.

Service Dogs have to be able to enter a business or public area appropriately. They have to walk through the doors, staying out of the way of other patrons and maintain spacial awareness of the power chair. They have to be quiet, refrain from seeking attention and remain within 24 inches of the chair.

I can train Kodi to complete a number of skills at home, but wasn’t sure how I would work on training him in a public setting, as most businesses don’t fully understand the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in regard to Service Dog access, illegally disallowing professionally trained Service Dogs, let alone owner trained dogs.

As I approached the teller in the bank, another employee came out of a nearby office saying to the teller, “There’s a dog outside you would absolutely love.” The teller looked at me and said “I see you going by with your dog all the time. Why didn’t you bring him in?” I explained that he wasn’t adequately trained to behave properly and I didn’t want to make it more difficult for other Service Dog teams in the future. She asked me to bring him inside, so I called out to my husband and he brought Kodi in.

Once inside, they fawned over him, petting him, giving him 6 dog biscuit. I explained that I’m training him to be my Service Dog and anticipate not being able to take him into businesses with me until he’s at least 3 years old, much less a ‘puppy’ than he is now.

The woman offered for us to stop in, any time we walk by the bank, practicing going in and out of the doors, practicing proper behavior indoors, in close quarters with strangers.

The next time we went to the bank, I took Kodi inside. I didn’t have his backpack with his service patches on, but knew the employees were familiar with him, so I didn’t anticipate any problems. An employee from another office came out asking “What’s that dog doing in here? Only Service Dogs are allowed.” A teller spoke up for us saying he is being trained.
To protect Kodi and myself, I ordered a mesh Service Dog vest from a Service Dog Supply Co. They affixed patches to either side of the vest that say “IN TRAINING”. I attached one of his “Please don’t pet me I’m working” patches.

Today, with his vest on, the first time we’ve really been able to go out, as it’s been raining for days, we went to the bank to withdraw some money for Sidney. We were alone, so we had to maneuver the doors ourselves.

Kodi went through the first door ahead of me. He stepped to the side and waited for me, then I opened the second door and he went in ahead of me, stepping to one side. After I was inside, we went to the first teller. He tried to put his paws up on the counter, but I told him paws off and he got down. He did this a couple of times, looking for a treat, before he sat down next to my chair and quietly waited.

He whined once, knowing he would get a dog biscuit, but sat still waiting patiently, even after another customer came in behind him and walked around us.

They gave him a biscuit, which he ate, as I put my things away in my side pouch. We went out the doors in the same way we came in, with him going through first and stepping to one side, waiting on me.

I was so proud of him. He seems to always know when his vest (or backpack) is on, he’s working. He doesn’t pull, is less distracted, more attentive of me – stopping to put his paws up on my lap, kiss me, sniff me, checking on me.

We are well on our way to eventually getting ‘certified’. It’s not required by the ADA, but it helps eliminate any concerns a business establishment might have.

He continues to amaze me with his ability to learn, to serve and to care for me and my needs.