Ramblings and Thoughts

Once again has been a long time since I last posted. As usual I have had a lot of busyness in my life and I have just started to get out of the winter blues. I have so much running through my head right now that I would like to share that I just don’t know where to begin.

I have been busy with Widget and the training, specifically my training and organizing my apartment… I should actually say continuing to organize my apartment.

I know I personally don’t enjoy it when I’m following a blog and I don’t get as many as I would like to see. And I want to apologize again to everyone who follows this blog because I have not been as adequate as I could be. There are many things that come up in life in which we do not expect, and even if we think we have everything perfectly planned life throws a curve ball and we miss.

As someone who suffers with PTSD, general anxiety disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome I often get distracted when these curveballs come my way. If throws me off my routine and not only that but my mental state and my physical health decline as a result.

If I could handle all the little bumps and curveballs that life gives me I would not have a disability and I would not need a service dog.

My hopes and goals has always been to be able to keep up with this blog. But as you are well aware this is not been the case. I have wanted to be able to post an entry every time I saw Widget. But this has not been the case due to so many different factors.

I had taken several pictures of him and I hope to put up a page of pics that will show you his growth as well as some significant moments in his life as well as mine.

 

Now that I have a lot of my apartment organized I’m hoping that I will be able to post more. But I also understand that life happens and we need to adapt – I need to adapt or find a way to adapt to minimize anxieties around me.

I will leave you with a picture of Widget and I and I will see about logging more in the future.

 

Chow for Now!

 

ON THE FRONT PAGE!!

Wow!

A friend of mine called me today to tell me that Widget is on the front page of today’s newspaper.  Being myself as I always am, I grabbed my keys, and slippers and raced down all the stairs of my apartment into the lobby to check this paper out.  Turns out she’s right!  This dynamite dog hit the front page news!  It’s exciting!  You can see for yourself if/when you click the picture below!

Chow for Now!

 

 

Please Don’t Pet My Dog!

I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks, and I apologize for that.  I have been under the whether emotionally and physically, and the new bus system is wearing me down.  I do have my new glasses and I LOVE them!  Widget  has intestinal problems again (nothing serious, but a chronic issue) So I haven’t been out with him much.

I will be blogging at some point about when I’ll be getting him full time when I’m feeling better, but for now, here is a link and photo about service dog etiquette and how to be respectful.  I think the pic is self explanatory,  however, if you want to know more you can click on the picture and it will take you to a page which will help you understand the dos and donts when you see a service dog.

 

 

As for me, if my dog is working and you distract him, you could potentially cause me to go into an anxiety attack that could take me weeks to recover from.  My service dog is trained specifically to understand when my emotional stability is unstable and when I need to leave or change what I am doing.  If you distract him in any way – you are taking his mind off of his work and potentially putting me in harms way.

Now, what if you did that with someone that has a dog for medical alert like low or high blood sugar? Or someone with epilepsy? You could potentially be harming the handler and sending them to the hospital because their dog was distracted.

Yes service dogs are trained to ignore distractions, but if you call their name or get up in their face or pet them you are going to distract them from working.

If you already know the dos and donts with service dogs thank you so much for respecting us and our dogs.

If you didn’t realize it was an issue and you are now going to improve yourself in this area, thank you very much for understanding and changing your ways.

If you are just some ignorant person and you don’t care and just want to pet the cute dog, well just remember this – in some states it’s a felony to distract a service dog from working.  And would you want to end up in the hospital or dead because of some ignorant person that is distracting you and your medical aid?

Chow for Now

 

New Eye Glasses Coming!

(Please note that the lenses in the picture are the show lenses and the actual lenses will be glare free. The frames are the ones I'm getting.

As the title of my post states, I am anticipating my new eyeglasses to arrive any time today!  I generally don’t make off topic posts, and this is no exception to that rule.  For those of you who don’t know me, and are just stumbling along reading different blogs or surfing the net – you are probably a intrigued on how I am going to keep this on the topic of service dogs.  And for those that know me well, know that my brain is extremely creative and I can make just about any random thing part of a conversation and have some sense to it.

I was laying in bed this morning and with my phone next to me, I quickly grabbed it and dialed Hakim Optical and asked when the glasses are normally shipped in.  I gave her my name, and she mentioned that my glasses weren’t in yet, but they should be arriving in today’s later shipment!  I am so excited for so many reasons!  I get a new pair of glasses that look amazing on me (my old frames i’ve had since 2004) and I’ll be able to see and read better than I have been the last little while! YAY!

So I am really writing this blog to help pass the time until I get the most important phone call of the day!  But, I will not leave you hanging as my brain has been busy thinking about how these new glasses will affect the service dog training and my training for when Widget comes to stay at my place.

I have many thoughts running through my head all at once, and I am trying extremely hard to filter what’s most important but my brain doesn’t always prioritize things neatly as the average person.  Right now my brain is saying all of it is important and I find myself babbling on and on and almost going off topic, but I’m not completely off topic as this does link into my Asperger’s Syndrome and how I take in information and process things, which leads me to one of the benefits of my new glasses.

1.  My eyes will obviously be able to process words much clearer and I am hoping that my brain will be able to register things a bit quicker.

2. Because my eyes won’t be straining as much I won’t be as mentally exhausted and I’ll be more alert than I have in the past year.

3. When in a group and asked to read I won’t get as anxious because I’ll be able to see the words on the page!

4.Photo-phobia won’t be affecting me as much because of the anti-glare coating on the glasses.

5. I may have less headaches from the lack of eyestrain and mental processing.

So these are obviously the non-dog stuff, but it is linked in how I will be able to work with Widget and take in more information.  For starters, I am a visual person.  If I don’t see something or visualize something I’m more likely to forget it.  Having my new glasses will help me with the classes and training sessions with Widget because I’ll be able to take in information and process it at a reasonably regular level for myself without the added anxiety.

I will be able to see more clearly where Widget is and what he is doing, and as I mentioned it will be so much easier for me to take in information I won’t be as overwhelmed with being over stimulated.  Right now, I still have anxiety issues and really rough times, and that’s basically because it’s a disability.  If I was able to control it – it wouldn’t be disabling me would it?  If I am over stimulated in any way, I can’t process information as easy.  So when my vision is clearer, and I don’t have headaches and I don’t need to guess at what I am reading or what is around me I am able to filter out information that I don’t need and take in the information that is important.

With the photo-phobia that I have, I won’t have to wear hats with peaks in them as much, because I will be able to see better and my eyes won’t get sore from the light.  Wearing a peaked hat sometimes causes problems for the dog because it’s hard for them to see where your eyes are due to the shadow.

Anyway, I still haven’t gotten the call yet, but I hope to get it soon.

Chow for Now!

 

Stupid Things People Say

As I have been on this journey of getting a service dog and talking about this service dog I’m getting,the following video really hits home for me.  A lot of people understand not to pet the dog, but then people do anyways.  And then there are the people that follow you around and just watch.  There are those people who try to distract the dog – and then there are the people who think you are being cruel to the dog because it’s working!  An the other people that ask me if I’m going blind, and others that tell me I don’t have a disability.

Please watch this, and DO NOT do or say what this girl is saying! It’s so annoying!!!

Anyway, here is a video someone compiled of stupid people say to service dog handlers.

Chow for Now!

 

What’s On My Plate?!??

On Wednesday we had Service Dog Club.  I knew today would be more of the human sides of things, but I didn’t expect it to be so simple.  I am relieved in many ways as it’s a new approach to goal setting that I haven’t looked at before.  I arrived late so I didn’t have to handle Widget, as he was still in his crate, and after we shared our highs and lows of the week we got down to business.  When Paula mentioned to us that we were going to do some goal setting; I did not think it would be so simplistic.  As many of you know, I have a complicated brain, and my form of thinking is often very complicated and confusing for myself and those around me.  It’s refreshing to learn about goal setting in simple ways.

To get you a bit more familiar with how I normally do my goal setting, I think of something big and huge that I want to do, generally because it helps motivate me.  For example, I’ll use getting a service dog as it fits well into  my blogs topic.  So I start by researching as much as I can about the topic, and then some more – write about it, talk with as many people as possible about the subject, getting as many tips, feedback comments you name it – I want and expect it.  Then, I break it down into chunks.  I’m going to fast forward just a bit to save your time and my fingers from typing too much!

I generally set a date for when I want the dog, and work from there.  I set what you call objectives, which are like mini-goals to help me reach my goal of getting that service dog.  And when I see an issue or something else that needs doing, I fit it into my main goal by adding another smaller goal under it – but then this smaller goal also needs objectives.  For example – I feel my apartment is not totally dog friendly, so I am going to renovate and take down some walls, and redo a few things.  I don’t have the money, so I make more lists on how I can do this myself instead of hiring someone to do it.  This involves a lot of time and energy, and mental stamina which I may or may not have given on the day and my anxiety levels.  So I end up with many little projects which I need to do, and an overloaded brain and sometimes more anxiety because I take more than I can chew.  I then realize that and then break it up into smaller items, but then I get lost somewhere in my mind and then take on another “small” project which I somehow manage to convince myself is a good idea, sometimes it ends up ok, other times it doesn’t work out at all.

As you can already see, my brain is on overload (which is sometimes why I haven’t blogged as much as I’d like to!)  And I was almost rolling my eyes when Paula mentioned goal setting.  (at that moment i was thinking about what a pro I was at setting goals, and I’ve taken courses in it and I was going to do better than everyone else.. what was I thinking??)  She then mentioned that this particular goal setting didn’t exactly mention goals and objectives exactly, and it comes from a different angle.  And I LOVE it!

I love it so much that I am taking a moment to explain how it works.  If you like – you can follow along.  Items you need:

1. Paper
2. pen or pencil (any writing utensil will work)

 

For the purpose of my blog I’m going to make it a bit more interesting and add a picture of a plate and place-mat    and my words on top of it.  So on your piece of paper, draw a large circle filling most of the paper.  I originally did this on a regular piece of paper, but as I mentioned, I am doing it a bit different to make it look a bit more interesting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you have drawn your circle as shown above, write out all your obligations or “whats on your plate”  Take as little or as long as you’d like to write out what you are entitled and expected to do for the week.  Below I have a list of things which I need to do and that are bogging me down.  What goes on your plate can be a small or large task – I wasn’t as specific with mine due to privacy reasons – however you can go as detailed as you like.

 

Once you have that completed, take a moment to examine how you feel.  I know I feel overwhelmed by my list. I find it overwhelming just to look and attempt to read the list!  I definitely have far too much on my plate for me to handle.  Maybe you don’t have as much on your plate and you don’t feel so overwhelmed, I congratulate you!  And I would love for you to comment and explain how you do it!  Maybe you are looking to add more because you aren’t doing enough?  Well, this “goal setting” project can help you too!

The plate of things is definitely full for me, and it’s time I move to the next step.  I am going to underline in a different colour (mainly for your benefit), but you can use the same if you like.  The BIGGEST thing you wish you could change right away – whether or not it is possible underline ONE item on the list.  Mine looks like the following:

I didn’t know which was the biggest, or most mind boggling, so I chose one.  I underlined two, because they are so interconnected it’s not funny.  Now, I am sure you are wondering what’s next? I have drawn the silly circle and wrote down an overwhelming amount of tasks I am expected to do this week and underlined one of them? What Gives?  Good question!  The next step is to think of something that you want to change somehow on your list.  This can be EXTREMELY overwhelming, but think of it this way; If someone is going to change their diet in a very simplistic way and not all at once, they might try to add an apple each day instead of eating as much junk food.  You are thinking about changing 1% of ONE item on that list.  I have chosen mine below.  (again in a  different colour!)  This time circle that one thing you are going to try to change.  See below for my example.

I chose stretches for my neck and back as I can do some of them instead of getting overwhelmed with doing 2-3 hours worth.  I can maybe do 10 minutes each day instead, so at least I get the main stretches in to help my back and my neck heal and strengthen from the car accident I was in.  It’s still overwhelming, but I think a bit more manageable than what I was attempting to do before, and not succeeding at.  So far it’s been much better than it has been.  I am doing a few stretches that help, and although I have not seen an improvement yet, I know that my injuries aren’t getting worse! And that alone is EXTREMELY helpful to me.

There is one more aspect to this plate that I have not mentioned yet, and it is by far the best part of goal setting for each week or day that I have ever gotten!  On the outside of your circle or “plate” write down the things that you love to do but haven’t been able to do for a while.  It could be something you hope to do in the future to, but something that you take great delight in doing.  Look at my examples below to give you some ideas.

It was fairly easy for me to list the things I enjoy doing, and the list does go on, but I didn’t want to bog down this blog with all my favorite actives.  I also needed to focus more on the act ivies that I LOVE doing and that I live for.

So at this point we are ALMOST done our plate, but we have one more thing to do here.  You can circle, put a star next to it, or underline ONE of your favorite activities which you haven’t done for in a while but would be manageable to add just a smidge to your life.   It was difficult for me to choose because of the car accident I was in, I no longer have a car so I can’t drive out to go horseback riding, and my muscles aren’t strong enough to cycle, and my brain is already fried as it is so writing is out of the question, and as much as I’d like to – the crafts wouldn’t really get done.  Below is what I chose to incorporate into my life just 1%.  Same idea as before.  I had to get extremely creative in my thinking as I’ll explain in a bit, but for now – here is another picture example:

I chose horseback riding – however, I don’t have the means to get out and go horseback riding because I no longer have a car, and I can’t afford a car, but I do have many, many, many pictures of horses and I can look over them and imagine what it was like, in my mind I can go back to those amazing days in which I was riding.

I must admit walking into Service Dog Club I was not really happy, and I didn’t really have anything positive to say.  I was depressed and overwhelmed etc etc.  But when I started talking about horseback riding, my mood changed completely.  I felt a sense of freedom I only feel while horseback riding.   The wind in my hair, and the feeling of running away even for a moment away from all of the crap of life.  Being one with nature and another animal, I feel free and fully in control and a sense of adventure that I can participate in.  Although I cannot go out and saddle up a horse and go riding this very moment, I can take a tiny bit of my overwhelming day and place myself on a horse of my choice and ride into the sunset leaving my burdens behind.

So to answer the title to my blog? What is on my plate? A hell of a lot more than I can handle, but in my mind I can try to hop on a horse and ride away even if for a moment.

Chow for Now!

 

Public Access Training – Class 2

Monday I went to the mall, and had some more public access training.  I was handling D’fer as usual. (As Widget is with a more experienced handler.  That class was about doors and switching the dog to the other side of your body.  I also learned how to stay in a line at the food court and order food while.  I was happy to be able to work with a dog that day, but as I’ve mentioned to you in previous posts last week was hell for me, and today (which happens to be Wednesday) I am still in recovery mode and not fully back to my fully functional self.  I have learned a lot from last weeks episodes, but I will talk about that another day.

Today I want to talk about what I learned on Monday, as an attempt to remember what I learned, but to also share with you this wonderful journey I am on.  First I will explain what I need to do in order to switch the dog to the other side.  Please note this is what you do with a fully trained service dog.

• Step 1: While talking gently pull arm towards your back
• Step 2: Say “Side”
• Step 3: With the same hand as the side you want the dog on, reach for the leash behind you
• Step 4: Adjust leash accordingly
• Step 5: Continue walking normally

It was a bit awkward at first, but I learned how to do it fairly quickly.  I am not at all advanced in dog handling or even in this simple switching of the sides, but I am learning and I am gaining progress with each and every step (literally) that I take!

I did mention that I was learning about how to handle doors with service dogs.  I am learning the basics, as I was not holding any bags and it was just D’fer and myself.  (Well, the head trainer also!)  The following is what I do when approaching and using a door.

• Step 1: Walk casually to the door
• Step 2: As my free hand touches the handle, say “door”
• Step 3: Walk through the door casually

It’s similar if I am going to hold the door open for someone, but I do not say door until I am about to walk through the door.  I have also learned that the automatic door buttons are in the most inconvenient of all places it could be.  One of them is placed on the wall immediately behind the security scanner, and it’s a very narrow space to begin with.

It was here that I bumped into an acquaintance of mine that I have not spent a whole lot of time with, but she was happy to see me, and I was happy to see her also!  She was curious about how to approach someone with a service dog, and it was absolutely amazing  It put a smile on my face.

I also learned how to handle a dog in the Tim Hortans line at the food court, but before I get into that, I want to share with you my first experience with some ignorant older men.  I’m sure they were just teasing, but it was still quite rude of them and I told them so!

Widget who was being handled by someone with more experience than I went a head of me, and I gave a good amount of distance in between the dogs as they know each other and sometimes want to play.  So, while I was doing some of my door work, Widget was doing some of his work with the handler.  I was walking down the hall of the mall with D’fer to my left, and the wall to my right, and I noticed that  Widget was squatting down.  I was immediately thankful that I was not handling him!  He pooped right in the middle of the mall!  (And we did give him ample time prior to going in the mall to do his business)  Sue Alexander told me to hang on, and so I stopped where I was and asked D’fer to lay down – he did exactly that.  Meanwhile, some older adults came buy and indirectly told me that I was working my dog so hard that I needed to give him a rest.  I immediately responded to them saying that was a rude comment and I was simply waiting on the instructor who was obviously busy up ahead with another dog.  They just walked away.

I must explain, that we did clean up Widget’s mess, and got a mop to clean up after him too.  After this ordeal we decided to take a break, and Sue Alexander and I were going to get the tea and coffees, while the other two looked for a place for all of us to sit.

Sue and I approached the line and once again, I will break it up into steps. (mainly for my own sake so if I need to look back and remember something, I can do that!)

• Step 1: Approach the line casually
• Step 2: Ask the dog to stand behind you
• Step 3: Say “step” as you take one step forward so the dog knows to stay behind you.
• Step 4: Order and step aside if necessary to wait for the food/items.
• Step 5: Tell the dog to swing/back up/ etc until the dog is in the right place
• Step 6: Take order, tell the dog “let’s go”
• Step 7: Walk casually to your seat

That was my Monday!  I didn’t really want to go because my anxiety was so high still, but I did notice that because of D’fer walking next to me, I had my personal space, and it did make things much easier to handle!  Needless to say when I went home, I cuddled with my kitties and had a long nap!

As I said that was my Monday, and today is Wednesday, which means I need to get ready for Service Dog Club  !

Chow for Now!

 

Where Does the Service Dog Fit In?

I am not entirely sure where a service dog fits into my life at the moment.  As you continue to read about my week, and the questions that have come up you may understand a bit more clearly.  Please remember that I am learning as I go and I don’t have all the answers, and part of this journey is to find the right answers.

This past week has been one of many challenges and very productive at the same time.  as i have posted earlier, I went to my public access training, but I also had Service Dog Club and Levels class with Widget.  It’s a lot more than what I am used to.  I can handle the extra classes, but there have been a few surprises this week that I was not expecting; some good and some not so good.

The good events of this week:

• First public access session was a success
• Got my hearing aids fixed
• Had 2 doctors appointments
• Starting to sleep better & I have new glasses on the way
• SDC (Service Dog Club)
• Levels Class with Widget & our weekly walk

Not so good events of the week:

• Getting to know the new bus system & waiting 15-30 min in between each transfer
• Hearing aids stopped working
• Didn’t sleep well
• Had lots of anxiety
• Had a PTSD “episode“

I’ve been thinking a lot about this past week as I said, but mainly how Widget would fit into my daily routine.  I do generally plan many most of the hours of my day with a specific routine, and appointments etc each week – but once in a while the unexpected happens.  Obviously, Widget fits into the public access part, but exactly how would it change how I do things?  i’m going to avoid the issue of Guelph Transit for right now as it’s a pain in the ass, and I just got over a really intense anxiety/PTSD moment/episode.

I understand that I will be doing things much more slowly for the first while, and I will be exhausted as there is a lot to take in, and it is hard to properly handle a service dog when you are just learning.  (Very similar to driving a car, and learning how to drive)  So for now I am assuming that I have no issues with Widget getting on and off the bus with me, and I go to my audiologist’s office to get my hearing aids fixed.  The weather was fairly decent so I didn’t need to worry about rain and a wet dog in public – but the problem comes when I am in the office.  I walk up to the desk, tell them I am there, then go sit down.  But before I sit down, I get the dog to sit first.  What if someone around me is afraid of dogs? Or wants to talk to me about my service dog?  Part of my problem is that if someone asks me a question I’ll answer them and then after I’ll realize that it was too personal of a question.  (It’s part of having Asperger’s for me)  What if Widget fidgets? I can no longer just be anonymously waiting for my appointment – Having Widget there will be like having a huge sign above my head saying ” I HAVE A DISABILITY” Most of the time I am happy to talk to people about my life and what goes on, but what happens when I don’t want to talk and I answer their questions even when I don’t want to?  Anxiety happens – that’s what!

Ok, the next stop of that particular day was to my naturopath’s office which was just a block down the street.  I open the door, and I stand and wait for a B12 shot to help with my anxiety and sleep.  I waited for a while, but do I stand and ask Widget to sit down? Lay down?  What if he doesn’t do what he’s told?  What if there is a child that wants to say hello to him?  It can get very distracting in that office for me, and I get carried away with listening to how they all interact together.  (Please note this is a place I feel extremely comfortable in.)  Say everything goes ok, and I continue to walk down the street, and I pass Hakim Optical – the place I buy my glasses and I was just given the OK the week before that I can get my eyes checked.  They don’t take walk ins, but I am very picky about the frames I wear.  (Mainly because I know I am rough on them and it takes a while for me to choose the right frame)  If I have the service dog with me – do i go in or do I continue to go downtown? For the sake of my argument let’s say I go in with the dog.  I am greeted by Kelly and Charlie (sp?) and I look at different frames.  Charlie mentions that there is a half off sale and I am intrigued.  But where would the dog be in all of this?  Would I tell him to lay down and stay? Would I walk slowly around the room looking for the perfect frames? What if his tail knocked some glasses over?  What if they are distracted by the dog and don’t help me find the right pair?  I am told that the sale ends that week.  So I am more rushed than normal, my anxiety rises – does widget notice?  What if he tells me it’s time for me to leave and go home?  I’m saving $400+ on glasses IF I rush – how do i explain that to a dog that is meant to be persistent and keeps bugging me until I leave?  Do I tell him enough and continue?

What about the eye exam, in a tiny room?  Where do I place him so no one steps on him?  Do I get him to lay down the hall out of the way closer to the letter E, or do I have him closer to me?  These are all things I am now starting to realize I need to pay attention to, and one of the MANY reasons I am grateful that this is a slow process and not one of the programs that trains the dog separately then gives you 6 weeks of intense training and then you’re on your way.

I can go on and on about my week, and how it could’ve been “worse” if I had Widget with me, however, right now he is just an adolescent, and not fully trained.  But even if he was a fully trained service dog – what would I do?  I’m new to all of this.

I ended this week with a huge meltdown, one I haven’t had in a long time.  I was stuck, and all I could do was wait it out.  It would’ve been helpful to have a trained service dog to help me cope and to let me know when I am doing to much.  After all, part of his job is to let me know when i’m over doing it.  I understand I have a disability, and I need help to be a bit more independent than I am at the moment -

Chow for now

 

Public Access Training – OFFICAL Class 1

Last night I made sure I had lots of sleep, and that I would be alert enough to take my first public access class with K9 Helpers!  It was a great success, and I will do my best to walk you through the steps I have been learning.  Today was mainly about handling, and there was a lot of information to take in, and other information to ignore (which the average person can do) but all in all it was a great time out.  At first I thought it was just going to be myself and Sue Alexander (the head trainer) but then when I saw other members there waiting with their fully trained service dog, I realized we were going to do this as a group.  I got more excited, but reserved enough to stay focused.  I was expecting only to see D’fer (Sue’s fully trained service dog) but when I saw another person handling Widget I was also extremely excited.  I did an excellent job on ignoring the dogs until I was told what to do.  And before I get into anything else, I must explain that the picture above is a random picture I found, and the way Widget is working – he will be on the OPPOSITE side of the wall, not along the wall like the picture above.

So, all of us have our dogs (No names being said so people can have their privacy)  And I am handed D’fers leash.  It was simple, but at the same time a lot to take in all at once.  I have the wall of stores on my right side and D’fer on my left.  I keep my head and chin up and look to where I want to go.  If I need to slow down or stop, I’ll bring my hand every so slightly behind me so the dog knows to slow down.  I’m walking down the main hallway of the mall, everyone buzzing around me – the dog creates my own personal space, and I felt more confident and peaceful than I have in a while in the mall!  I also walked slower to take everything in so I don’t make any mistakes along the way.  I have to be aware of strollers, other service dogs, children, people walking slowly, wheel chairs all at the same time as walking with the dog, and keeping a connection with him!

I also forgot to mention that I have to pick a spot in which I am going to be walking to and navigate through some of the people and crowds and such.  So today I walked up to the first corner, and I stopped.  Turned to my right and looked for another place to focus my direction on. And told the dog “lets go” and continued.

When I got to another intersection within the mall, I had to stop and see where the best path for the dog and me to go.  I noticed I walked a bit slower than I usually do – but I was processing a lot of information all at once and I was comfortable walking at that pace.  When I needed to turn left, I look to where I want to go, swing my arm back and then continue on route.  If I’m turning right, I look to where I want to go, move my arm forward and then turn.  It’s all about communicating with the dog!

At the end of our lesson I got to practice sitting down with the dog, and I was treated to a booster juice (mango hurricane with NO yogurt)  And we sat and chatted.  It was quite amazing for all of us to be sitting around a table with a bunch of service dogs.

I didn’t notice anyone really paying more attention to me than normal, although I noticed a few people see the dog, and that was about it.  After, I went down to the dollar store and grabbed a few items which I have been collecting to renovate my apartment with!!  I am so pumped!!

Speaking about the apartment, I must be going so my apartment will be ready for company and Widget, for when he comes to visit my place for the first time!!  As always feel free to comment and ask me questions, i’ll answer them as quickly as i can!

Chow for Now

 

Loosing and Losing the Death Grip

Please note that wrapping the leash around your hand is EXTREMELY dangerous! And if the dog bolts on you, you will end up with broken bones.

I have enjoyed working with Widget, and K9 Helpers and using the Dogs in the Park facility to train Widget. I am that those of you who follow my blog, at least when I’ve written something, know that I say that a lot! There are some frustrating things about being trained to handle a service dog and the main thing is CHANGE! Part of having asperger’s syndrome is that my brain doesn’t always like changing from on thing to another. I often super-focus on something that I am doing and oblivious to my surroundings to a certain point.

At the same time I am also hyper-vigilant, and hyper-aware due to my anxiety and the PTSD. This makes it a bit of a challenge for me, to say the least. However, the people that are working with both me and Widget understand the two of us really well, and if one thing doesn’t work we try another method. If I am taught what detail to pay attention I can and EVENTUALLY learn what I need to focus on. It can be a hard and overwhelming process for me, but at the same time I find it rewarding because I enjoy learning.

Since Widget was a young puppy, he and I have been working on loose leash walking. Aparently, not only do I tend to have this death grip on the leash, but my whole body tightens up. The other issue I have is shifting my attention. I need to train my brain to switch from one thing to another quickly. I can do this, as I learned to drive quite well and it became very natural to me, but it can cause a lot of anxiety in the process.

So far I have NOT had a lot of anxiety regarding this, but it does drain my brain some! This past wednesday, we did a different style of loose leash walking. Instead of me holding the leash in my thumb, I attached the leash to my belt loop.  And had some treats in my hand as well as the clicker.  For about an hour I did the following:

1. Looking at Widget, waiting for him to look at me.

2. Widget looks at me.

3. Press the Clicker.

4. Take TWO steps forward.

5. Give ONE treat at the knee. (the side the dog is on)

6. Repeat steps 1-5 Until Sue Alexander gives more directions.

7. Take leash OFF of belt loop and leave it on floor and continue steps 1-5.

Now, this may seem like a simple task, however – it’s not as simple as it may seem.  Widget is still a puppy, and I am still learning how to handle a service dog.  This training is for the both of us so when I am in a complete dissociative state he’ll just follow me around and do his job.

There is a lot for me to take in, and I am enjoying the process.  I still want to grab the leash, but that is slowly getting better and my death grip on the leash is beginning to come to an end

Chow for Now