Surprise!

I had this cute idea for a blog post all ready to go for tonight.  It was going to be 'Twas the night before the Public Access Test and I was going to write a poem about getting ready for our PAT tomorrow.  However, Owen and I don't get to write that tonight because...

WE PASSED OUR TEST TODAY!

Darcie came over in the morning and we ran through all of Owen's words that are applicable for him to use at home (which was a lot).  He was perfect and did almost everything just right.  We have some homework to do tonight though, and tomorrow we will do "over" and "rest" for Darcie again.  Owen got a little too carried away with his kisses during the "over", so we have been working today on putting my face right next to his, but not letting him lick.  He is okay to lick when he is working (as long as I don't mind), but it got excessive today so he is on "licking probation" for a little while.  His "rest" (resting his head on my leg) was a little rusty today.  He acted confused during it and kept trying to do a "paws up" instead.  Darcie thinks it may be because we keep doing the two commands in rapid succession, and the position he is in for them looks identical, it's just that rest is without his paws in my lap.  And in Owen's world, it's always better to be in his person's lap.  So we are going to practice those things tonight, and even though we passed, we're going to do them again tomorrow.

snuggles after our "over"

We took a break after running through all of his commands (he did an hour of solid work) and then we went to the grocery store again.  The plan was to take a pretend PAT so we knew what to work on tomorrow, so Darcie walked around with her clipboard having us run through each of the items.  It was pretty easy stuff; mainly just about my handling abilities.  Owen didn't have to be perfect on everything, but I had to be able to correct him when appropriate and get him to perform the task correctly.  We had to do things like demonstrate we could load up and get out of the car safely, walk past traffic, go through doors in a safe manner, walk with a shopping cart, etc.  Owen was absolutely perfect.

"stay" in the middle of a Safeway aisle

The test scores items two different ways; some items are "yes" or "no" things and you have to get all "yes" to pass.  Other items get scored on an "always", "most of the time", "sometimes", "never" scale and you have to have all "always" or "most" to pass ("most of the time" meaning more than 50%).

Owen and I had all "yes" and "always" except for one item (which we scored a "most of the time" on).  It was "ignores the public".  Whoops.  Owen is just not one of those dogs who is going to ignore everybody.  If somebody so much as looks like they might come over and give him pets or talk to him, he hones in on them.  He knows he has a job to do, and he does it spectacularly, but it would be stupid for me to expect that he would always ignore everybody.  Darcie said he gets a lot more attention than a lot of the other dogs because he is really handsome and has that huge blocky head that makes people wonder what he is (he's a Labrador...) so we tend to get a lot of attention out.

My favorite was the Safeway employee who came over, got on his level, and was like (in a super high-pitched voice), "Oh, what a good doggie!  Good doggie!  Oh no, you can't touch me.  You're working!"...  I didn't say anything because Owen was doing a really good job ignoring her (he was interested, but not pulling or looking like he was going to do anything) and what I had to say to her would not have been nice.  Especially after I told her he was my service dog, giving no illusions of him being in training or anything.

Unlike the man who we asked to be the stranger who had to greet Owen for the test; he was awesome!  He was hesitant to come greet Owen, even after we asked him to "because he knew he wasn't supposed to pet working dogs".  Thank you!  He was super nice and kept the interaction really brief; just the way it was supposed to be!

Owen also got tested on all of his out-in-public tasks while we were at Safeway; he did a perfect "switch", "cover", and "front".  We also did "leave it" practice at the Starbucks in Safeway; we got his kibble out and put it on the floor next to him when he was in both a sit-stay and down-stay.  Darcie also had to take Owen and walk him out of my sight and back again, to prove that if we were in an emergency situation, a first responder could take Owen and he wouldn't react poorly.

Celebratory Starbucks drink!

On our way out, we walked by the Salvation Army volunteer who was singing Christmas carols; Owen was pretty sure that the singing was for him and we had to stop to listen for a minute before continuing.  We went on our way to go to a pet store; one of the items on the test was that Owen had to remain in the car under my control with an open door while another dog walked past.  We found a dog in the parking lot with some very nice people who agreed to walk by my truck for us.  Check!

We walked around the pet store with a shopping cart, steering clear of all the unruly dogs in the store (I'm not just being stuck-up about my super dog; there was a dog in the cart howling when we walked past and then again when his person stopped to look at the cats in the adoption center, and a very skittish looking herding dog who we encountered on our way out).  Owen was super interested in the very cute puppy who we saw (but so was I!), and there were a lot of interesting smells and things in the store, but he did really really good.  Darcie and I tormented him with reindeer antlers that lit up, but he would not oblige us with a good picture.  He slunk backwards into a display nearby because he was so embarrassed!

doggie heaven

We came home and Owen got a celebratory peanut-butter Kong; wow, was that a jackpot treat.  He licked and chewed on the Kong forever, long after the peanut butter was gone.  Finally, he gave up and fell asleep, which is what he is doing right now!  Tomorrow, we get to take it easy.  In the morning I have a nail appointment that Owen gets to go to, and then after that Owen and I will show Darcie the two tasks we need to do again and after that, who knows?

busy busy busy

Busy busy busy today!

Darcie and I moved up the date of our public access tests to Thursday morning; the pass might be closed Saturday - the day Darcie was initially going to back to Seattle - and to make sure that we finish everything in time, Owen and I will be doing our public access test Thursday instead of Friday.  I hope Darcie gets to stay in Spokane through Friday, but I've driven to Seattle in bad weather, so I totally understand. 

In fact...  we passed one item on the public access test tonight!  One of the things we have to do is have a child greet Owen while he is in a "sit"; which is difficult since most of my friends are all my age (i.e. no kids).  At the vet tonight, there was a very sweet little boy who was enamored with Owen ("doggie doggie doggie"), so we let him greet Owen to check that item off our list.

 

 

 

 

Owen loves everybody, but kids are the best!

Owen and I started off our day by going to Gonzaga; Owen already loves Gonzaga and we've only been there three times!  He's pretty sure everybody there is there to see him, and he tries to solicit as many looks (and he hopes pets!) as possible.  He did so great at school; we worked in the computer lab for a while (he did a perfect "under" as soon as we walked in without being asked) and had a lot of practice opening doors to go talk to people - opening a door with a dog can be pretty difficult. :)  He also got to show off some of his tasks to my friends; I think he knew he was showing off too!

We went home for a quick nap, and then met up with Darcie for our afternoon training session.  Poor Owen; we worked on his "leave it" command with his food.  He is highly food motivated so it's something we have to practice a lot.  First we did it where he was in a down-stay on the floor and I placed food next to him; then he had to walk around the apartment with me while I dropped food...  Then he had to be in a down-stay while I dropped food around him.  You would think it couldn't get worse... until this.

Can you spot the kibble?

Poor Owen!  I felt really bad for him, but he did awesome.  (And he got to eat the kibble afterwards for a good job, just not off the floor or his paws; I had to pick it up first.)
We then went to Target because I needed some things and we needed to practice walking with a cart.  We weaved in and out of the aisles so that Owen learned how to adjust to my pace.  He did really really great and by the time we left there were very few reminders needed.  Owen was very pleased with this trip because I finally remembered to buy him peanut butter (I don't eat it), so now we can do peanut-butter Kongs.

 After leaving Target, we went across the street to Safeway to practice walking around food and to remind Owen that he needs to "leave it" when we are at the store (he needed a reminder in the meat department!).  Darcie says we will go back tomorrow to practice walking in the grocery store with a cart.

The bread smells really tempting to both me and Owen!

We then went to lunch (both Owen and I were pretty tired at this point!); Owen was pretty stoked to get to nap under the table.  There were so many crumbs under the table, and he ignored all of them to sleep.  We had to eat quick though, because then we were off to the vet.  Owen and I will be going to Texas Monday, and he needs to be on heartworm preventatives before we go.  I know the risk is pretty low in the wintertime, but the medication we got also works for fleas and internal parasites so it's just easier to put him on it and know he is protected.  I am planning to keep him on these medications because we will likely hopefully be moving to Texas this summer, and I can get some of the medications free with an IAADP membership (which I need to remember to file for).

A perfect "under" - he was ready for a nap!

As usual, Owen was spectacular today.  There were a few times he was a "butthead" (as Darcie put it), but he's not perfect and he is allowed a few moments like that because he is such a good boy most of the time.  Tomorrow we are going to practice the items on the public access test so that on Thursday we are ready for everything (and so if there is something we need to work on, Owen and I can practice!).  It feels like we just started, and now Owen is almost here to stay!

Let's go to the mall!

A billion imaginary bonus points if you recognize that reference. :)

Another photo-less blog tonight; Darcie has been taking pictures with her phone but I need to remember to ask her to send them to me. 

And for that matter, another short blog tonight.  I still have papers to grade that are due back to the professor tomorrow morning. 

Today Owen and I went to the mall.  I don't remember the last time I set foot in a mall of my own volition; it is not somewhere I would go willingly.  Ever.  But today, Owen and I went and it wasn't a negative experience.  We walked around and went in some stores to practice both commands and navigating through tight spaces.  We also got to ride a rickety elevator; Owen wasn't a huge fan (he didn't do anything bad) but for that matter I didn't like it either.  My tics went a little haywire in the mall, so I got to use the mobility harness for real for the first time.

Wow, what a difference it made.  I can't wait to see the difference my new one makes.  But even with our make-do harness, I was able to keep walking at a normal pace regardless of what my legs were doing.  Owen was, as always, a rock star at the mall.  We got to practice 'front', 'cover', and 'switch' and he did them all flawlessly.

Front is where he stands horizontally in front of me (Owen has also been conditioned to lean into my legs when he does tasks or we are just standing still).  Cover is where he stands horizontally behind me.  And switch is where he switches sides he is heeling on. 

Owen and I also practice 'under' under different surfaces and we practiced what to do at airport security with the metal detectors.  He has to be in a down-stay while I walk through, wait, and then come when called.  We also practiced randomly dropping the leash and telling him to "stay". 

People pretty much stopped and stared everywhere we went; a few people came up to talk to us, but Darcie fielded those questions.  The funniest was probably when we went to Walmart though after the mall.  I had to get more holiday cards, but the person running the photo station was busy, so Owen stayed in a 'front' for a long time while we waited our turn.  There was a mom with two little boys (maybe around 6-years-old) who was using the photo kiosk and one of the boys was spinning in circles and singing and would randomly point to Owen and make comments about the "doggie".  Owen though they were soooo interesting, but he never moved from where he was supposed to be.

We went home where Darcie showed me the importance of practicing 'leave-it' with food for Owen; food is his kryptonite and we have to practice regularly 'leaving-it' so that I know he is solid if we are out in public.  It isn't just to leave food on floor alone, I also don't want him to accept food from people I don't know because it may not be safe.  Toby was not helpful during this training as he decided whatever Owen was being told to leave alone, he wanted.  Poor Owen had to watch as the cat tried to steal his kibble on the floor.

My homework with Owen is to practice his 'paws up' task as we were having trouble finding our sync with it this afternoon and to work on making my commands more light and friendly while still carrying my voice and meaning business.  We practiced a lot of Owen's basic commands tonight, using a bone as reinforcement, and now that I know what to listen for, it makes a big difference.

Tomorrow we are off to school in the morning to get some work done, and the in the afternoon we are meeting up for Darcie for more public access training and then we are going to the vet to get Owen set up on heartworm medication for our Texas trip.  We are almost there!

Hi ho... Hi ho... It's off to work we go.

Today Owen and I went to work.  I teach Sunday School and today was our holiday party right before the winter break.  It was probably a good week for Owen to come for the first time; we had about a third of the kids we normally do (the roads were really snowy this morning and it's highly likely a lot of families already left for vacation) and we were doing center-based learning so we ended up only getting two groups of students (instead of the usual four).  Owen and I had a lot of downtime at work, and got to do some deep pressure tasks after cleaning up our center before rejoining the rest of the kids.  I also introduced Owen to the kids who were at school today and we went over the rules for Owen (don't talk to him or pet him when his harness is on because that means he is working).

Owen was spectacular, he slept on his mat the whole time I was with kids and tagged along with me when we were done with centers.  I have to admit though; most of the time I prefer having my kids in the classroom to doing center-based learning days.  I am excited to have Owen in my classroom with me at Sunday School where we can take things at our own pace (which is slow because I teach the little ones) and where I can work with Owen to be with me at work and help me, instead of putting him in a down-stay in the corner because I don't trust him not to get trampled - which he almost did until Darcie moved him!  Yikes!

On our way home, Owen and I had to run a quick errand (picking up stamps - which unfortunately, I still need more... but I digress).  He was a rock star in the store, and we were able to accomplish the task quickly without me feeling like it would be quicker without him (which is what I was feeling at the start of the week about some errands).

doing and "over" for me

We got home, and unfortunately I had to get some work done.  I didn't get nearly enough done (there were too many snuggles with Owen), but it was a start.  Owen and I got lots of good snuggles in today; he did an over with me this afternoon and it was fantastic.  I am loving the deep pressure tasks, and I think I will love them even more when this cold goes away and I can actually breathe.  Owen is such a sweetheart, he tries to give lots of kisses during his tasks, but he will always give kisses when you tell him "all done".  He also is the master of the sad-puppy-dog-eyes that he tried to employ last night when he decided he wanted to sleep in bed with me instead of on his own bed.  Whoops!  That was my fault because I let him up on the couch earlier in the day which blurred the lines of where he is and is not allowed.  He is allowed on surfaces, just only when I say so.  Which is not right now.  Our "pack" needs to be more clearly defined before he can do that, and as I discovered last night, Owen can be very stubborn and tenacious when he wants to be.

Toby almost played with Owen today; he was racing back and forth in the apartment and hiding in his cat furniture while Owen looked on.  Then Owen would get up, perk his ears, and trot over to where Toby is.  Toby would stop playing for a while and look unsure.  And then repeat.  They were so close to playing that they both got fired up so Owen started furiously chewing on a bone and Toby came over to attack me.  Oy.  They need to figure out how to play together soon.  Afterwards this is what we did for the rest of the night.

Work.  What work?

My shadow

Owen has turned into my shadow overnight.  Even in my teeny tiny apartment, if I get up and go somewhere, Owen gets up and goes somewhere.  If I go to the bathroom, Owen goes too.  If I go to cook in the kitchen, Owen flops down behind me with a big sigh.  If I go sit on the couch... Owen thinks he should come too. :)  Once he realizes that big sad puppy-dog eyes won't work, he lays down on his bed and falls asleep.  (He did get up on the couch this afternoon when we were napping, but he got down on his own after a while - I guess I wasn't a good napping companion!)  He isn't supposed to be on the couch or bed without me asking him up, and I am being careful to not set a precedent on his first day here that he is always allowed up when I am.

He was pretty convinced that he was allowed in bed last night.  He sat by the side of the bed and rested his head on the mattress and stared at me.  Once he realized it was a "no" and I gave him lots of pets and praise for being on his bed, he settled in for the night.  Poor Toby had this look on his face that said something along the lines of "I thought the dog was just visiting!"  But he seems to be over it today.

Owen is a great sleeping companion, he slept all the way until my alarm went off, and then was perfectly happy to go sleep in the living room while I got ready this morning.  He was also very good at napping this afternoon; we both were.

Today was our day by ourselves and it went really well.  I'm exhausted.  Owen is exhausted.  But it went really well.  First thing this morning, the maintenance guy came to the apartment to fix my washing machine so Owen and I got to practice his down-stay while the guy was working on the machine.  After that we got ready to go.

First, we went to Hobby Lobby (I needed something for holiday gifts).  It was really busy and we pretty much got stared at by everybody we ran into, but Owen was a pro.  He naturally did a "front" for me when I stopped to look at things (front being where he stands in front of me horizontally) and did very good heeling throughout the store.  As we were trying to go to the checkout though, a woman came barreling down an aisle with a cart and didn't see us until she was practically on top of us.  Owen didn't startle or anything, but he did try to sniff her cart while I was trying to keep walking.  I'll talk with Darcie on how best to handle things like that tomorrow.

After Hobby Lobby, we went grocery shopping.  I know that eventually Owen will make errands like this easier, but it was very mentally taxing trying to hold a list, push a cart, and worry about Owen while navigating the store.  Thankfully, there was one of those mini-carts available.  I really don't know how I would have managed a big cart and Owen.  One of those things I'll ask Darcie's opinion on tomorrow.  I think a lot of this will get easier with time though.  Owen did great at the grocery store, he tried to sniff some produce and I think I had him totally confused while shopping because I kept backtracking and turning around (something I do anyway when I shop - I'm just not used to having a dog follow me around while I do it!). 

Owen was fired up when we got home and decided to try and play with Toby again.  Toby was not expecting Owen to chase him (and as much as I love my cat, he isn't very graceful) and somehow they managed to slam an end table into the wall at just the right angle to break an outlet cover.  Luckily my dad is visiting next weekend, I normally leave projects like that for him to worry about when he gets here.  After chasing the cat, Owen and I both settled in for a very long, very much needed, nap.

Eventually though, dinners needed to be eaten, so Owen and I both got up so I could fix both of us food.  After he ate his dinner though, I eventually relegated him to his bed because he kept following me around the apartment, even though I wouldn't stay anywhere more than a few minutes, and I could tell he really just wanted to sleep in his bed.  We did some cuddling in the form of deep pressure, and we are about to go out for the last time tonight before everybody in my apartment turns in for the night.  I have some very tired and over-stimulated animals.

Owen and I have an early morning tomorrow, he and Darcie are coming to work with me.  Should be fun!  I hope...

Sorry for the lack of pictures today, that was too much to worry about while we were out.  I'll try and take more pictures tomorrow.

In which we practice more tasks...

Right now I want to do what Owen is doing (snoring on his bed), so this will be brief.  Today Owen and I started work on his deep pressure tasks.  All I can say is WOW.  The amount of pressure he exudes is unbelievable; it is going to make such a huge difference in staying in control of my body.  I'm making sure to stay very still right now while he gets used to my body and me while doing these tasks, but next week I will start ticcing while he does these tasks.  If I move underneath him, he is supposed to sink in and give more pressure.  He totally loves doing it too; he kept falling asleep on me (we practice each task for a long time so that he knows when I ask him to do a deep pressure task it will be for a long time) and didn't want to get up when I said "all done".  Though he consistently gives kisses when you tell him all done, as if to say "I did a good job!"  It's totally sweet and endearing.

Here's some photos of him doing an "over" in various positions.

Owen, Darcie, and I finished our day by going to Hannukah services at my synagogue.  Owen did SO GOOD.  It's in all caps because I otherwise it wouldn't express how good he did.  There was a music group that I was not anticipating and Owen was mildly interested in their music at first, but after he heard it for a little bit, he didn't care.  There were a lot of different sounds and the whole service was just loud, too loud for me, but he didn't even bat an eye.  He just slept on his mat by my feet the whole time, and had lots of giant twitchy dreams!

He did try to solicit attention from people while we were there, so we will be working on not paying attention to other people when he is working.  So if you see us out and about in Spokane, please don't make goo-goo-eyes at my dog!  Owen tries to make eyes at everyone and wags his tail and looks so handsome that people can't help but talk to him, but it really doesn't help me any.  I'm also not being rude when I don't answer your questions, but if I have to choose between answering a question and focusing on correcting/rewarding my dog, I'm picking my dog.

Here's a picture of super-dog Owen at the synagogue.  He was a rock star.  If you look closely at his harness you can see the doubled-up fleece padding underneath the handle and the fleece strips on the top of it, those are my additions to his harness and they worked really well.  Not so well that I would feel 100% confident relying on it for support if my tics got really bad, but supportive enough to use for balance work and to steady myself when I get dizzy.  It is just tall enough that I can reach down and grab the handle; I have to say I really really like walking around holding onto the handle because it makes me feel much more stable than before. 

Tonight Owen is spending the night for the first time and tomorrow we are on our own all day.  Wish us luck!

Classrooms and shopping and giant dogs, oh my!

Today was another crazy day.  It's starting to wear on me a bit, I had an almost-cold last week and last night I started in with the yucky dry hacking cough.  I don't think I'm contagious or anything...  But it is still not fun.  I'm so so so tired, I guess the plus-side is that I'm sleeping really really well!  My head feels really good though (or as good as it ever does) and I don't feel like I'm going to get a migraine anytime soon (hopefully).  My anxiety is doing really well too, I did get a little over-anxious yesterday morning while I was on campus waiting for Darcie and Owen, but in general it is very mild.

I feel really really good about this.  Darcie keeps checking in on me to make sure I'm feeling okay, but the truth is I really do feel pretty good.  I feel more at peace and I love having snuggle time with Owen.  My tics seem to be diminished when I get to snuggle with him, and I am noticing that out in public I have so much to focus on that my tics have to take a back seat.  All of this and I haven't even had him do any tasks yet!

Tomorrow we will get to do some of his pressure tasks.  Owen really seems to love doing these with Darcie, in fact he tries to do them without her asking a lot of the time.  I haven't gotten to do any of them with me because we were waiting until our "pack" was established.  Having a dog lay on top of you to apply pressure is putting them in a position of dominance, but even though Owen is helping me I am the alpha in the relationship.  Owen is doing really well heeling next to me and listening to me for commands (he even stayed in a down-stay today while Darcie played with the cat toys, Owen's toys, and Toby - he really really wanted to get up, but he didn't), so because he is listening to me and respecting me, we get to start with deep pressure tasks tomorrow.

This morning Darcie and Owen came over to my apartment and we worked on having Owen do more basic obedience tasks for me.  Toby is getting more and more interested in playing with Owen as time goes on, a few times today he almost initiated play with him!  Darcie and I also outlined the next week today; tomorrow night Owen will start staying with me all the time which means anywhere I go, he goes too.  We will get to be on our own from Friday night until Sunday morning, so we will get to do things by ourselves (kind of like a test to flush out any problems we are having).  So far, I think the plan will be to go places I normally go - the grocery store, hobby lobby, and perhaps out to lunch or dinner somewhere - and just take it easy and go at a very slow pace without any expectations or pressure.  We also decided - tentatively - that I am going to take my public access tests a week from tomorrow (scary!).

Snoozing in the computer lab

I had a meeting this afternoon, but afterwards Darcie, Owen, and I met up at Gonzaga to do some work around campus.  We walked around the education building and then went into various classrooms so that I could see where Darcie recommends placing Owen depending on the type of desks in the room.  I got to practice placing Owen in and under under some of the desks and we got lots of good practice heeling.  We also started to practice with the mobility harness which was... very short lived.  I'm about two inches too tall for the height his harness is at, and because it is such an important piece of equipment, it really has to be just right.  So tonight, we measured Owen and I ordered my very own (very very expensive) Bold Lead Designs mobility harness.  It is totally beautiful and is the best harness available right now.  Darcie was telling me that even with the harness that Owen has now (which was the best one available at the time they bought it), dogs can still physically break down using it.  Whereas the BLD harness (while albeit very expensive) is much better because was designed by service dog handlers with veterinarian input to make sure it is as safe as possible for the dog.  They are also custom-made for each dog/handler partnership so it will take approximately four weeks to get it.  In the mean-time I'm going to use my super-crafting skills to jerry-rig a fleece insert of sorts that should raise the handle height enough that I can use the harness to stabilize myself (but not brace or anything heavy-duty) while I wait for my state-of-the-art, did I mention very expensive, harness to arrive.  I will also have Owen's handsome Heeling Allies vest to use if I want to.

(Probably) The biggest dog in the world!

So... in order to get the fleece to jerry-rig the harness we all traipsed to a feed store (there is a thing they use for horses that would have been the perfect size/material, but they didn't have it). On our way into the store we encountered a huge dog.  A giant dog.  Probably the biggest dog Owen had ever seen.  It was the second time I'd heard Owen vocalize (the first being when he tried to get Toby to play with him yesterday).  Once Owen figured out it wasn't anything to worry about, he thought Darcie and I were pretty silly making a big deal out of "What a good boy" he was for going near the big dog without worrying.

From there we went to Walgreens to pick some things up, a super quick in and out trip, and then we went home.  Thankfully.  I think both Owen and I were pretty wiped out by the end of the day.