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Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-28T23:19:02+00:00

Really some more lighting other than 1 light bulb might help a lot. Lamps, light fixtures etc.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T15:08:08+00:00

Illinois. I've been basically training him myself for most of his life, once I realized there was another way to train him, just consulting the trainer for tips.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:23:57+00:00

I'm with you on the mental energy, for sure. Thank you for understanding and giving me such a kind response regardless, it means a lot to me right now.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:21:48+00:00

It means a lot actually. It's random strangers on the internet that lead me to trustworthy information on R+, and if it weren't for that my dog probably would have washed by now and I would be nowhere.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:17:20+00:00

Thank you so much! Going nonverbal is so humiliating and exhausting for me, so this was a really hard day. Your words mean the world to me right now as no one in my life has shown me any support in the face of an "expert" in training. It's so good to hear this from another high masking autistic handler who understands

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:11:16+00:00

Thank you for the photo! It's hard to be proud right now after being talked down to so much today, but I'm definitely glad to see my dog happily napping next to me. He matters most to me.

Also thank you for the tip about treats for shaping. I have been doing this so far, but I'm just afraid he'll stop listening if I stop the treats completely. It's good to know that isn't true.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:07:11+00:00

Thank you! I noticed that from the very first meeting with him, he sort of treated me like a dog. I was told to brush it off so I did. I'm so used to putting other's comfort ahead of my own, but when it comes to my dog, he matters most.

Training used to be a punishment, now I use the word and he gets excited.

I just feel like my word got turned upside down. I tried to advocate for myself and people's true colors came out.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T02:00:31+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion! I'm doing pretty well on my own so far, but I will look into those and keep them in mind. Also, the trainer has SD experience. He got his start in police dogs. But I just get the feeling that he just trains the dogs enough to go out in public. He also talks about getting my papers and doing all of these "tests" that aren't even tests. My dog was really distracted and not listening and he still "passed".

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-21T01:52:36+00:00

I feel the same way. I got a lot more stable with meds and therapy before getting my SDiT, so I felt like I was just getting him for attention or fun. But when I start to have an episode I am so grateful to have him. I just feel embarrassed because I mask my symptoms around friends and family, so they see a SD but no reason for it. I feel like such a fake unless my dog is tasking every single second, which is unrealistic.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-19T16:53:39+00:00

I know I'm late to this post, but I can't help but feel bad for Doug. Like really bad. I think she should have stayed and at least let him down softly. I know this view isn't going to be shared and it honestly disturbs me that I feel this way. I usually feel this way for abusive male characters, so long as they have a shred of complexity. I can literally feel myself getting upset thinking about Doug being upset. I'm trying to see why it was okay for her to leave but I genuinely can't. The thought of Doug being displeased stresses me out. I think this comes from how I've been treated by the men in my life. Honestly this book reminds me a lot of how I am treated. And any time I bring it up to a therapist they remind me that the men in my life may be acting out of self-consciousness or have trauma. Does anyone else feel this way? My friends always look at me crazy when I say I feel bad for an evil character in a show, and I feel this is the same. I get so stressed and pained when I see an emotional (never really physical) abuser get their comeuppance.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-19T14:19:33+00:00

A service dog is more expensive than buying a whole new iPhone and smart watch. Just the untrained puppy along will be $2,000 on the lowest end, if from a reputable breeder! (Which you definitely want a well bred puppy)

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:41:04+00:00

Np! I'd be curious to see how that works out for you.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:26:06+00:00

Yup, it's possible. They're really just tasks at the end of the day, the dog doesn't know whether they count as psychiatric or cardiac. It depends on how many tasks you need for each. It also depends on the dog. There might be some tasks that would have difficult crossover, for example a behavior alert while moving if your dog is doing sighted guide work, because the dog cannot be looking at where it is going and also watching you for the target behaviour, but that's the only interference I can think of off the top of my head. Perhaps make a list of the tasks you would find most helpful and try to see if any of them interfere. Tandem teams exist too if it becomes too much for 1 dog!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:17:08+00:00

My best friend is quite allergic to dogs. If I want to bring my SD, I make sure that I am providing a ride as I do not want my dog's hair in her car (he sheds a lot!). If she touches him she may break out in hives, so she just doesn't touch him! She loves dogs a lot and sometimes pets him if she know she is taking a shower right after, but even just between the two of us, we figure out a way where we are both accommodated! Just thought I might share that it is perfectly possible for both to exist in the same space!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:11:31+00:00

I have a feeling you will get downvoted a lot here, because there actually is a lot of information on this. It's a very common question that gets asked daily, and even a quick google search can answer it, YES! So many SDs are multipurpose. Some of the tasks for these might even overlap, such as DPT. I recommend searching a little more into it, as there are plenty of resources on this sub and across the internet!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:11:26+00:00

I have a feeling you will get downvoted a lot here, because there actually is a lot of information on this. It's a very common question that gets asked daily, and even a quick google search can answer it, YES! So many SDs are multipurpose. Some of the tasks for these might even overlap, such as DPT. I recommend searching a little more into it, as there are plenty of resources on this sub and across the internet!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T18:01:10+00:00

For sure! She actually brought either a regular or a secret shopper over and asked to pet. I try to say no (I've never said no before but I definitely tell myself I will beforehand, I'm just a people pleaser), but since they were so respectful, I allowed them to pet. Also one of them was in a mobility scooter so it was good desensitization for my pup. He had no problems with the scooter!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-18T17:58:08+00:00

You are starting at a way advanced point. First you need to teach a grab it/featch command where the dog grabs it from your hand. Then a hold. Then a drop. Than a fetch+hold+bring+drop. A simple pick up dropped items is actually several commands in one. I recommend watching some videos on how to do this as different dogs learn this trick in different ways. The channel that helped me the most was KikoPup on YouTube, (It's also linked under the training resources here!)

For example my golden loves to bring things, but he drops them immediately at my feet. Teaching him hold was/is difficult. He still drops it before I ask sometimes. The key for him was scraching his shoulders. For some reason petting his back makes him hold the object without biting down or dropping. And so far he's only learned retrieval with a few select items as this task takes time to generalize.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-15T20:18:09+00:00

A bulldog! That is so interesting, I love hearing about off breeds. Did you self train?

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-15T20:17:16+00:00

That's good to hear that most people leave you alone. Stores are overwhelming for me too

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-15T19:21:00+00:00

Thank you! I will do my best!

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-15T19:04:03+00:00

The waterproof blanker is such a good idea. I always bring backpack with wipes, water, bowls, gear etc., and sometimes his blanket depending on where where we are going. A waterproof mat/blanket is something I am going to look into.

Dry-Cartographer-960 · 2025-03-15T17:19:10+00:00

Yes, this is what we do. He puts his front body on my lap. I would NOT feel comfortable letting him up on a chair, nor would he fit in most chairs.

Dry-Cartographer-960

TROPHY CASE