#45 weeks

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Different types of walks I go on with my SDiT

Regular Harness + Longline // freedom walk aka decompression walk (full autonomy to explore safely, fulfills desire to make choices, sniff, explore, etc and is great for after hard training sessions)

Regular Harness + Waistline Bungee Leash // loose walk, sniffing allowed but she has to follow my lead (good for exercise or short walks in the dark/bad weather)

Martingale Collar + Leash // structured walk in heel position, occasional checkins, no sniffing allowed unless cued to do so (potty breaks or just needing to get somewhere)

SD harness + Head Halter/Martingale backup + over-the-shoulder leash // close heel with frequent checkins (doesn’t have to be a neck breaking heel but no sniffing is allowed at all)

[transscum]

sorry this blog has been Dead im out doing wildland firefighting rn :)

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Another walk to practice our PA skills. She did a pretty good alert on the way back and earned lots of treats along the way. Just waiting for my body to recover a little so I can take her back out for a freedom walk.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Taking advantage of the nice weather today. We practiced a structured walk without the head halter and she did really well. Then we went out for a freedom walk to some places we haven’t been in a while, as well as some new areas.

I let her investigate a dead squirrel and she surprised me. I thought for sure she was going to try to pick it up and play with it but instead she was actually really gentle. She carefully sniffed it for a while, nudged it with her foot a couple times and then slowly wandered off. She almost seemed kind of concerned.

Towards the end of our walk we found a nice grassy area near a beaver pond. I took her shoes off and we rested for a while, investigated the chewed down trees and waited for the train to go by. She’s heard the train from a distance and has seen the tracks before but this was her first time actually seeing the train. She did much better than I had anticipated.

Finally she came home, played with hubbins and had a cold treat. Now she’s happily napping and I’m exhausted. Good day all around 🙂

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Walked to the local shops to practice some PA skills outside. She did great until a lady was pulling out a cart and made a loud crashing sound. Mandana usually doesn’t have problems around carts but it surprised her and she spooked. It caught me off guard too and she managed to pull free from me. She just jumped back a couple feet and then immediately came back into a heel and was ok with the carts after that.

I’m sorry that she spooked but I’m pleased with how she handled it. She knew she was off leash and could have taken off if she wanted too, but didn’t (even though there are restaurants and a doggy daycare/groomer in the same parking lot). There was also a mother and her little kid (about 4 yr) who were walking literally right next to her and she could have knocked into or excitedly greeted them but she didn’t bother them at all. She chose to immediately come back to me and I’m so grateful. The mother and the older lady were both impressed with how well she recovered from her spook and how well mannered she is.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Training in the rain 🌧

[mandana-the-service-pup]

I ran out of pain medicine today so I curled up in bed like a little potato and Mandana took a nap on my back. If that’s not a service pup IDK what is 🥰

[liontigerlittlebear]

45 weeks:

45 weeks: valentines! Delighted by rattling and clapping