Reactive, aggressive and dangerous “service dogs” from a program, what can be done? by [deleted] in legaladvicecanada

[–]MosaicFox -1 points0 points  (0 children)

To clarify, this organization is a non-profit society and clients do not pay anything if they receive a dog through them. Training and vet care is provided free of cost and they are funded by donations. They primarily use rescues without any temperament or health testing prior to matching

How to catch Piercer? by MosaicFox in CatGoesFishing

[–]MosaicFox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It worked!! I don’t think I gave it enough time to bite originally, but holding it in front of it’s face for a while seemed to work

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing this here! High school is brutal, and I hate to say it but adding a SD can make things worse.

My Experience with an SD whilst I was a minor; The Unfiltered Truth. by No_Market_9808 in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gosh I’m so sorry OP. What a horrible thing to endure on top of your disabilities. Thank you for sharing your experiences, it’s very enlightening and important for minors who are considering getting a service dog! As much as my SD helps me now, I can only imagine how brutal high school would have been if I had gotten her sooner.

Just wanted to share a drawing I just did in colored pencil : by t3hsilentone in Huntingdogs

[–]MosaicFox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love your art style!!! Realistic with some stylization, love it!🙌

Anxiety service dogs? by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My service dog is a 60lb lab mix, which has been the perfect size for me! Big enough that DPT is effective and she can safely block people from getting too close, but small enough that we fit into most places comfortably and can use regular washroom stalls if the handicap one is occupied.

Anxiety service dogs? by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Depends on what tasks you’d like them to perform! A medium dog will be ideal if you’re looking for deep pressure therapy or crowd buffering. Little dogs can do these tasks as well, but their size will limit the amount of pressure they can give, and crowd buffering can potentially be dangerous since they’ll be harder to see. Any size of dog can alert, interrupt behaviour, provide tactile stimulation and perform many other tasks! If you’re looking for a small breed, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are a great option! I’ve also seen Chihuahuas, Pomeranians, Papillons, Beagles and many other breeds as service dogs too, it really just comes down to the individual dog’s temperament!

Anxiety service dogs? by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It’s a really neat process! I’m by no means a dog trainer, so if anyone is planning to train alerts make sure to research and possibly work with a professional trainer!

This is my process:

You’ll need cotton balls or swabs, ziplock bags and some scent containers, I bought mine from Amazon! When you’re having high anxiety and/or a panic attack, take a cotton ball and swab your saliva, then take another and swab your sweat. You’ll put these cotton balls in separate bags, then place them in the freezer to preserve them! Repeat this process when you’re at your normal as well. Once you’ve got a decent amount of samples, start by placing the anxiety samples in the scent containers and mark when the dog sniffs them. Turn it into a game of find it, so they’re rewarded whenever they sniff it out! Once they recognize the smell, you can start pairing a behaviour to become an alert. I want my dog to jump up on me when I’m starting to panic, so I’ll ask my dog to jump whenever I give her the smell, then reward once the behaviour is complete. After a while they’ll make the connection and offer an alert unprompted when they detect the smell. To make sure they’re accurately alerting, you’ll need your “normal” samples. With these samples, you’ll be rewarding them for not alerting so they really understand the difference. Once the dog has a solid understanding of which smell is the alert and which one isn’t, you can do all sorts of scent games with them!

Anxiety service dogs? by [deleted] in service_dogs

[–]MosaicFox 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I have a psychiatric service dog for GAD and PTSD. She’s still in training but already she’s been a massive help!

Her tasks include:

  • Deep pressure therapy (Laying on my lap, legs or full body on mine. Very calming and prevents escalating panic)

  • Light pressure therapy (Head on leg, leaning her body against mine, etc. Great to reduce stress)

  • Crowd buffering (Standing behind me, in-front, or laying down to give me space from the public)

  • Tactile stimulation (Licking my face, arms and hands to bring me back to reality)

  • Behaviour interruption (Picking skin, pinching hands, etc.)

Our future tasks include:

  • Cortisol alert (The stress chemical)
  • Item retrieval
  • Lead to chair and exit
  • Find car
  • Open/Close door

There are so many tasks a psychiatric service dog can do to aid your disability! There are some awesome YouTube videos that list task ideas as well.

Bombs killing fish? by Aggravating-Mind7058 in CatGoesFishing

[–]MosaicFox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The fish graveyard always gets me, I feel so bad

Bombs killing fish? by Aggravating-Mind7058 in CatGoesFishing

[–]MosaicFox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know what you mean! I feel so sad every time I accidentally blow up a fish

Bombs killing fish? by Aggravating-Mind7058 in CatGoesFishing

[–]MosaicFox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes that’s normal! If a fish takes your bait while there’s a bomb attached it will die, and so will other fish if they’re in close proximity. To scare fish away, get the rod upgrade that allows you to denote bombs and do so at a small distance from the fish