" />Due to a flare in my disability I was unable to keep up with the business blog. This does not mean I stopped working with clients, just that I was unable to keep up the information on how those client are doing. I will give you a quick update on each client that I met between our last update and this one.
Dakota came for a 4 day stay while her handler was attending personal needs. Unlike Dakota's last visit in which we needed to work on handling, this visit required working on leash manners. I worked on Dakota walking on a loose lead and not lunging at passing cars. Dakota did improve and was walking on a loose lead by the end of her stay, but without consistency she will be unable to maintain the habit of keeping her lead loose.
We also worked on Level 1 behaviors. Dakota is able to do Sit and Down on cue and has some level of Zen, though she needs to practice more. Her recall is in need of work, so we played recall games and improved that also. We also played the name game with her.
Dakota is scheduled for another stay at the end of the month.
Minnie enjoyed a park walk in Riverfront Park and did very well. Though worried about people, her trust in her owners is strong and she does a great job of checking in with them. Minnie was scheduled for a 11 day stay with me while her owners went on a trip.
Minnie spent the 11 days meeting one or two new people per day. She also went on field trips where we played LAT when we saw people or heard weird noises. She was introduced to several new dogs and learned to recall when I worked with her in my yard.
Her confidence did improve during the stay and her trust in my grew daily. By the end of her stay she was choosing to curl up with me and sought my attention on a regular basis. I noted some separation anxiety, so when her owners are ready to begin working on that we will start Minnie's story again. Minnie will be taking classes at Diamonds in the Ruff this fall.
Coco's confidence has greatly improved and she's enjoying her walks with her owner. This coming winter we hope to work on her resource guarding and helping her settle into her new home. Her owner had to move and they are now in a new home. Coco will be continuing her story when her owner is ready to help her settle into her new living environment.
Buddy was adopted by a loving family who desire to have him as a beloved pet dog. Buddy's story with Tao Service Dogs is over. We wish Buddy all the best.
We continued to work on Spirit's ability to live with her feline companion, work on a leash without pulling and enjoy her crate. Spirit spent 10 days at Northern Tails Dog Training. Lisa Lucas, the owner, was able to get Spirit to walk nice on a lead. Our biggest problem was getting Spirit's attention on a walk and her overpowering me with my balance issues. Lisa was able to manage her pulling better than I could and did a great job of getting Spirit to understand how to walk nice on a lead.
Spirit will return to training to improve her confidence, loose lead walking and focus.
We were donated two new puppies. Bear (male) and Kaylee (female) German Shepherd/Border Collie mixes. I picked them up and took them to Kaylee's puppy raiser, my Mom. Mom keep both puppies until August 21st, 2014. Bear and Kaylee decided to play Tug-O-Dog with one of Mom's Pomeranians and she feared Shorty would be hurt. Bear has moved into Tao Service Dog's facility for continued puppy raising.
Bear and Kaylee worked on crate training, house breaking, leash training and Level 1 behaviors while living with my Mom.
Current Events:
On August 21st, 2014 Bear moved in. He's a 11 week old GSD/BC cross. He is bold and outgoing. Bear and Malcolm took to each other and played most of the day. I watched to see what Bear needed most for settling into the household.
Bear has some resource guarding already. I am crating him when he eats and no dog is closer than 4 feet from him when he's eating, but he's growling and barking over his bowl when he can see Max. We'll work on making him feel secure about his meals around the other dogs.
He also snaps and bites the other dogs over toys. We will make him feel secure with his toys.
He is peeing a lot, so we'll start him on cranberry capsules to clear up a mild bladder infection.
Leash work and basic impulse control need work. Bear will spend the rest of this week settling into the household.
Bear did visit a friend's home on Saturday and another on Sunday for socialization with people and dogs.
Kaylee is doing lovely on her leash work. She is also good on her other basic behaviors, but displays some resource guarding. We'll see if it continues after being separated from her brother.
Kaylee's biggest problem is confidence. We are doing confidence building games with Kaylee at this time. Kaylee spent time learning the big dogs in my yard are safe and gaining confidence by playing LAT and doing Counter Conditioning.
I worked with Spirit on walking on a loose lead. Spirit worked on a loose lead from the start, THANK YOU LISA! She was curious about her environment and we managed to walk 4 blocks away from home for the first time. She noted changes in her environment, but trusted she was safe with me and accepted praise and sniffing as rewards for good behavior.
I worked with her owner on proper leash handling and how to keep Spirit feeling safe. They will continue to work on loose leash walking and counter conditioning to environmental changes.
Murphy is now retrieving most items his handler needs. She is now working on directed retrieves and taking the already known and most needed items out to new surfaces to improve his retrieve skills.
A new dog moved into the apartment complex and Murphy is barking at him. Murphy has been attacked twice by big dogs and this dog is a big dog. We worked on LAT and Counter Conditioning with the new dog. Murphy did well. I showed his handler how to feed him through the new dog passing them and how to make Murphy feel safe when he must pass the big dog.
