#ptsdissues

[sdcora-blog]

Give your partner adequate time to rest. If you are as active as you should be with your dog this will be a common sight. A tired dog is a good dog...

[sdcora-blog]

Stress

Stress is going to manifest itself in many forms while you are training your Service Dog. The key thing to remember is to take a step back from the problem and take a few breaths. Allow yourself some space between you and the issue. Once you've calmed, return and review the situation. Ask yourself, Is this something that must be dealt with now or, can I deal with this later? Once you have answered that then go about dealing with it in a positive productive way. Don't allow the anger to take you over and say or do something you'll later regret. It's better to send your SDIT away for a few minutes and allow yourself that time to cool down. You AND your partner will be better for you learning to handle your anger. No matter how angry you do get when things are going wrong NEVER withhold love or affection from your partner...

[sdcora-blog]

Trust your partner.

If you have anger issues like I do then trust that your partner can calm you down. Today has been particularly rough for me because of past issues I can’t fix. Cora, to my surprise, doesn’t have bald spots from me loving on her to calm me down. She has more of a calming effect than any medication I’ve ever been put on. So, trust that your partner has your back and you’ll spend a whole bunch less time angry or worse possibly hurting yourself, or someone else. I love my Cora!!! I love it when I'm pissed ready to crush something and Cora comes to me with her tail wagging wanting me to calm down. It never fails that I'm calmed down in no time. TRUST YOU PARTNER, they know nothing but unconditional love....

[sdcora-blog]

Train while you walk. It allows you to take advantage of getting your partners attention while they’re distracted. Don’t get upset if they don’t respond at first. Gently lead them where you need them and teach them how they need to alert. Coras alerts are all passive, she will sit close (on my feet even,) or she will attempt to play so she distracts me. These are the alerts I have built into her through many, many hours of training her. AND, even though she is trained, we still train everyday so her skills are fresh. You should never stop training your partner. Train on walks, during play, and even during your down time. The more you train your partner the more reliable they’ll be.