What’s the Issue?

The problem is that the service dog team isn’t a natural partnership. It’s not easy. And it’s one of the things that, most of the time, people who get into the service dog journey don’t think about. They know “I need a service dog,” or “I need a guide dog,” “I need a hearing dog.” They don’t think ahead enough to realize, “I am not getting a pet dog. I’m getting a canine partner. And I’m going to be a human partner. I’m gonna need to keep an eye on two beings as much as they are. I’m no longer responsible for only myself. I am now responsible–at any given moment–for the way two living creatures act.”

A handler can’t ignore the dog as they’re out in public. They have to be on the watch for them. Everyone has at least one ’embarrassing service dog’ story. They may have accidents or do something they’re not supposed to. They will have days when they don’t want to work.

One of my Embarrassing Service Dog Stories

(I have several of these.) One time when Cor and I were working on his off-leash heel in Michael’s–a craft store I frequent.

Side note. Another thing you either know or will learn about this service dog doula? I heavily suggest you work with a service dog trainer. There’s a difference between a good dog trainer and a good service dog trainer. This is one of the reasons. I never would’ve thought to practice heeling off leash. It simply never would’ve occurred to me. But it is a good skill for them to know. (And an impressive trick, if I’m being honest.) This is a service dog team. That doesn’t mean it’s a team of just the handler and the dog.

Anyway. We were in Michael’s working on an off-leash heel. I could see the moment Cor realized nothing was attaching us, and he didn’t have to listen to me.

…I spent a good ten minutes (and help from an employee) catching him.

Service dog? I’m guessing there were a few people there that night that doubted that claim… if they were being generous.

The Point?

A service dog team is exactly that–a team. When you get a service dog, your life is not YOUR life. It’s Y’ALL’S life.

How do You Strengthen the Service Dog Team?

The main goal in dog training is to make the tricks and tasks fun for the dog. Service dog training is no exception. You can fight a dog all you want. The trick to that? A dog that’s excited to do something will do it much better and quicker than a dog that doesn’t want to.

A good service dog trainer? Good training classes with someone who knows how to train what you’re looking for? ‘Good things’ is an understatement, my friend.

The dog wanting to do the thing makes training much easier. That’s true whether it’s basic commands, task training, or a dog’s behavior. And it can strengthen the bond of the service dog team, too.

Do you want to be a team with someone that’s always correcting you? How eager are you to ‘bond with’ the boss that keeps piling work on you? More or less eager than the boss who, while still your boss, keeps the work environment fun?

How a service animal behaves in public places tells you how excited they are to do their job and be in this place. There are stores Cor doesn’t like very much. I try to make that more fun with higher-value treats. And more of them. With what might be over-praising in a different environment. What does your dog like? Toys? Treats? Petting and praise? Find out what their reward language is, and don’t be afraid to use it. How much more eager would you be to go to work if you got chocolate for the tasks you accomplished?

Quality Time with Your Dog

Service dogs are dogs. (A third thing you’ll see me say, a lot.) They’re medical equipment but they’re still an animal. Don’t let the only time you spend with them be when you’re in a public place or training.

Instead, play with them as much as you can. If you have mobility impairments, it’ll be difficult to get down on the floor and wrestle. People with multiple sclerosis, or cerebral palsy, for example. But that doesn’t mean you can’t spend quality time with them doing other things.

Snuggle

It sounds simple, and like a hand-wave thing, but it’s not. Some studies show the act of sleeping with someone else in the bed increases oxytocin. Oxytocin, in its turn, grows feelings of trust and reduced anxiety.

Cor and I will snuggle, most of the time, with one of us laying on the other. He’ll lay across my legs in bed, or my feet when we’re sitting somewhere. When he’s curled up on the couch, I’ll go and lie down with my head on top of him.

Dogs are pack animals that often sleep in a pile (have you ever seen a picture of a litter of puppies? All on top of each other and their mother.) This is a natural behavior for them, and when you do it with each other, it has benefits for you both.

Hide and Seek

This is one of Cor’s favorite games. (Which is a bit odd, because he needs work with recall, at the moment.) And, it can be shaped into some service dog skills some people want to teach, anyway.

You hide, or hide a toy, and tell the dog to find it and bring it back to you. If something like ‘find the meds’ is a task you’re wanting to train, this can serve as making that fun. The same applies if it’s not meds, but something else your specific needs dictate. Or other random stuff you use in your daily life. See if they’ll retrieve your cell phone, or the remote.

Remember to keep it a game. Over-praise and give rewards. Let them be at the level they’re at. Let them know what they know–you’re spending playtime together. This isn’t training.

Go Back to the Basics, or Challenge The Service Dog Team with Something New

These are two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, when we just need a win, I’ll ask Cor for a series of sits, downs, and stands. Those are easy for him–he could do it in his sleep. And that’s the point. Go back to basic obedience. What sort of ‘good dog behavior’ do they know? Let them win.

On the flip side, sometimes Cor just needs a challenge, and to try a new thing. Tire his brain out by learning something fresh.

Mixing up your daily routines can bring a bit more interest into working together. Sometimes, learning a new thing can do exactly that. It can tackle your partnership from a position you haven’t tried before.

Going back to the basics can allow the dog to relax in your company. Grow their confidence, making things more fun.

Listen and Communicate

It’s important for a team to be able to communicate effectively. A service dog team is no different, the communication just happens differently. This will happen with time and training, but you can also work on growing it. Working at something will always make it better than just letting it happen. Learn how your dog communicates they’re having fun, or are nervous about a given situation. What’s their body language telling you?

A dog may have public access rights. They may be able to open doors by pushing a button. They may be able to open a cupboard door at home. A dog may be able to handle themselves in a grocery store. They may be able to walk well behind a shopping cart or find the exit when a smoke alarm goes off. But a service dog team is more than the dog’s tasks and socialization skills. The team is the communication between them. It’s the one creature with six legs doing its shopping and hanging out at the library. One insect, rather than two beings in a public place together.

And communication through body language is such an important part of that. The two parts of the insect don’t read each other’s minds, but they know each other so well, it can seem like they do.

Don’t Expect to Be Invisible

Most people aren’t an insect that’s two beings wide. They’re one person–maybe they have one leg, or they might have two, but they don’t have six. That’s what’s normal. Those of us who aren’t one person with only one or two legs aren’t able to be invisible when we’re in public.

And, honestly? That’s more or less something we just get to be okay with. Our dogs have legal rights to be where they are, but that doesn’t mean people see them regularly. This can lead to a lot of staring and whispers–or not whispers. If you’re not okay with being very visible, it can be hard on the team.

It’s a delicate balance. And a hard one to keep calibrated. But it is possible. Ignore the people around you, or invite them to come to talk to you. Offer them a trading card with information about your dog. This can help because it’s redirecting the attention rather than cutting it off, hard-stop. These can also make it easier to excuse yourself.

How to Increase The Insect’s Effectiveness

The service dog life can feel very isolating. This is especially true if you’re one of the owner trainers doing this all on their own. Even if you have a service dog trainer helping you (which you know I recommend.) Whatever path you’re taking, it can be easy to feel like we’re the only ones going through this. Like we’re alone in the world, despite how many assistance dogs there are in the united states, alone.

Sometimes, what you need is a human partner of your own. Someone to tell you you’re not crazy. That owner-trainers can make it through this. That, even if your service animal is smarter than you may be, you can get through this. This is normally the case when someone new to this world buys a fully-trained dog. The dog knows all the basic obedience commands and service dog skills, and you get to play catch-up. It’s all a matter of learning. You can learn what words to use for basic commands, and the way to give them.

Sometimes, you need someone to text after your dog has a moment in the grocery store. A human partner that will hop on a weekly call with you and allow you to air your frustrations. To vent what challenges your dog is causing for your specific needs and help them reorient you. Assistance dogs are just that. An animal. This is true if they’re a hearing dog, therapy dog, or a dog for someone with autism spectrum disorder. Or any other kind of dog.

Or you may need someone to reach out to that understands the joy that comes with getting onto a waiting list. …and the frustration that that waiting list is taking ‘too freaking long!’

Sometimes, you need a service dog doula. Set up a complimentary fifteen-minute session, today!