#training question

[trainingfaith]

Hi Lex and Faith! I have debilitating auras and about 15 minutes before it strikes my dog naturally alerts and if I take my prescription then the effects are much less. I've told my doctor about these alerts and shes fully supportive of me listening to my dog and taking the meds when she alerts. My issue is that I don't know how to bring up to my doctor that I'd like to try to train my dog to be my SD. I have no idea how she feels about them, so I'm a kinda nervous. Any advice? Thanks!

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

~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

Can I train my year and a half old beagle mix to be my service dog? She hasn't been socialized but I'm planning on doing so soon. I don't know what task she would provide for me (I'm autistic) other than to prevent sensory overload. And even then I don't specifically know what she could do to prevent a sensory overload. Thanks!

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)

I hope this helps!~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

My boyfriend is considering self training a service dog, and I was just wondering at what point one would know a SDiT needs to be washed out? As opposed to just needing lots more work or a change in how training is approached.

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. 

I hope this helps!~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

Hi there! I suffer from severe migraines, cluster headaches, and neck pain. My triggers could be anything from a slight change in the weather to stress or loud noises, but not always does any one thing trigger a full blown migraine. I read your page about the scents, but I'm not sure what exactly that means? Are you talking about using a sample of saliva ? or sweat? I would like to train my dog how to recognize when I'm about to have a migraine. Both for her and for me, she's 4 months old.

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 :)

~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

I have Chronic severe Migraines but it cant be scent trained can I still have a service dog? My neurologist gave me a note but i'm still unsure. What exactly can she do if she is unable to scent my migraines?

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 :\

~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

For training alerts: how soon does a sample need to be put in the freezer? For example, could I collect a sample while I'm out and about (like running errands or going to class) and then put the sample in the freezer a few hours later? Would the scent of my bag contaminate the jar?

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 :) 

~ Lex (& Faith)

[trainingfaith]

Hi! I'm sorry to bother. I have a question if I may. I'm in the process of attempting to train my dog to be my medical alert service dog. However I'm having trouble with him always stopping every few seconds to mark his territory. He's neutered and has a clean bill of health. Do you have any advice you can share to help me break him of this habit? Many thanks :)

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!

~ Lex (& Faith)

[blackberryvulpine]

Anyone have any tips for teaching new commands using toy rewards? Maki works way harder and happier for a toy but I’m not used to training with one so we only use it to practice stuff that she already knows.

^Maki with her prize