Our First Trained Service Dog Task
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 12:56Cody has been doing wonderfully as a service dog. I take him with me almost everywhere I go now and it’s absolutely SO MUCH EASIER to go out with him. It makes getting out less of a source of anxiety.
A month ago, I would avoid going to the bank. Today, I’m going with nary a second thought. yesterday, we needed hamburger buns in the middle of the day, a time that I stay clear of stores, and I took Cody and got through it great!
I still can’t take him anywhere with shiny floors because it freaks him out but for short trips to a place with shiny floors, he can sit in the car. I saw a great dog whisperer episode that gave some REALLY great tips and I realize how I reinforced the shiny floor behavior now. I’m going to try to arrange an after hours training session with the pet store to get him to walk on shiny floors.
However, that isn’t the point of posting. The point is, our first service dog task is trained! Cody has learned to be attentive during periods of sadness and tearfulness. He senses it, knows it is abnormal and coaxes me into hugs and kisses. He sits patiently and attentively while I sob all over him and it helps! It’s better than a person because I don’t feel judgment or like I’m being watched. AND he’s with me all the time, whereas, I might not have a person around.
I feel like we’ve had a success!
Also may have been crossposted to my Asperger's Syndrome blog on Trusera.com, a site where people show health related stories. Check it out!
Lynsie says:
June 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Why can’t people (namely teens and adults) with high functioning autism/aspergers can not use a dog if it is not specifically task trained to help with thing the hanler CAN NOT do? I have aupergers, and I get very nervious in public situations where I do not know anyone and it is crowded. I have trouble making friends because I don’t know how to start a conversation. I CAN start a conversation and speak to people I don’t know, but it is EXTREAMLY hard for me. I feel that I would greatly benefit from having a dog with me when I go into these types of situations. She would give me a sense of security for one, and she could be a conversation starter, allowing me to interact a lot more with others. But I can not legally have a “service dog” because she would not be “task trained” to do anything specific for me. I have her trained to greet people who want it by nicely “shaking” their hand. But that alone is not enough for her to be considered a “service dog”. I understand why a dog solely for the use of comfort isn’t legally a service animal becaue then almost anyone could just take their dog with them anywhere, but I do legally have a disability and would greatly benefit from the companionship of a dog. So why is it that if a 17 year old teenager with Aspergers who doen’t know how to interact properly in public situations can not have a dog to help them do so, just because it is not a “trained task” for the dog? If anyone has any coments or suggestions for me how I could go about legally getting her to be able to go with me places, PLEASE tell me. I really want this to happen, but I have to do it legally and I am not sure how to go about it…
Kris says:
July 6th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I’d really like to hear how it’s working out with Cory as a service dog. I’d like to train my dog to someday be a service dog as I have mild Asperger’s (but more just panic, anxiety and depressiony things in general.)
Darla says:
September 3rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
I have just completed training my first service dog for a client of mine. I have always trained basic dog obedience in the past and now am going more towards service training and behavior training, which involves Cesar Millans methods and I just love them. It just makes sense to the dog. It’s wonderful that Cody is helping you live your life and be such a great companion to you! : )