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Coach/Friend/Assistance Doggies.
Does anyone have any experience with these, with RSD?
I have RSD, TOS, TBI, unrelenting Depression, and, la la la.... I would love to have a Dog. But, I don't know if I'm "Uptight" or what. It would have to be a Siberian Husky. They seem to be the only Dogs that are intelligent enough for me. (My IQ, is very high), as are SHusky's). It's probably need an obedience collar. (they tend to run). But, they'r'e incredibly smart dogs. And, I have a very soft spot in my heart for them! They're gorgeous, and, I used to race mine, when I was in my very early teens. (won every race), then, my children got one. Beautiful Dogs. Yes, in the summer, they need a "Flowbee". I'm just wondering, if anyone has any experience? It seems to me, that.It might be a good thing in the future, if I can find a way to get my house back.... love to all... Pete |
We had a husky mix that was an awesome dog {male/neutered} yes he did like to run.
Oh before you even pick a dog or puppy you should get this video and watch it a couple of times - this guy "uncle Matty" tells how to pick a trainable temperament pup/dog by doing a few tests. He breaks down training and problem solving into simple steps that anyone can learn. "Woof" is the title of one of his videos {he has books also}- I found it in our local libraries so yours might have it too. or search for him by name - Matthew "Uncle Matty" Margolis On our pets forum there are some training tips and info on "helper" pets too- http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum62.html |
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Hi Pete,
I hope you retain your home first of all. Getting a puppy-dog sounds like a wonderful idea. We have always had a cat, but in my childhood, we had a retriever, that lived on my grandparents farm. I also had a horse, and loved to ride on the 100 acre farm, Rode in the rodeo as Adam of Bonanza. Then we had a Cocker Spaniel at our home. Then a Minature Poodle. Now we have a Main Coon Cat for 9 years and our daughter and son in law moved back from Chicago and moved in with us with a Min Pin. My husband and I are so attached to the Min Pin. We live in a two story, our cat doesn't like Roxy, but Roxy would love to play with our cat. They them to be getting a little acquainted, but not ready to play. Sabrina, our cat, loves to sleep with me. Main Coons are a one person cat. Pets are such a comfort. They bring laughter and companionship into a home. I hope everything settles for you soon! Let us know when you get your puppy. Take care, loretta |
Thanks, everyone!
I re-read my post, and didn't mean to infer that I'm super intelligent, it should have come out super hard headed! (Which Husky's are too, they set their mind to something.. watch out)! Sorry for the misunderstanding! That's why I said [it'd] need one of those electronic collars.... I can't imagine chasing the Pup like I did when I was younger... It's just a thought that's crossing my mind... pete |
hey pete,
huskies like to run,not a good in side dog,,could be but high maintence,,my advice[ i love animals and was raised on a farm] either get a rescue,animal,,but best case is to get him/her as a pup and train them,,have her/him fixed[they live longer and arent so aggressive and are better pets,,spend alot of time alone with the animal so it will listen to you even when you have company,,if not they wont listen, exspecially when you have company,,,my dad trained his dogs well,,they listen and did whhat he asked by both vocally and with hand signals,,amazing,,he worked them on the farm to herd cattle and they did a goog job. and they love haveing a job,,all animals do, if not they go into depression,exspecially when they get older and areb neglected,,,,,,if you want a husky,,go get you a husky pete,,,,,me and my wife want a female rottweller,she will get fixed and be a pup,,its better to start them out early,,,,but i would for the sake of the matter , get a rescue too,, , hopefully soon,,well diciplined animals are very plesant,,good pets and friends,,,enjoy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,bobber p.s pete,,,train them right ,,there'd be no need for a shock collar,,its kind of like poor parenting,,if you train a child well,,they will listen,,train an animal right,,and they will listen,,remember,,its not "just an animal" he ;s you buddy and your friend,,,,,,,,,,, |
I am running short on time right now, getting ready to go take my own new pup for a walk....
I got her from a prison dog training program, and I am planning on training her for an assistance dog. I would say not to get a husky or husky mix. Go for the breeds you commonly see in assistance work... labs, goldens, shepherds, border collies, Australian Shepherds. They have a drive to please that a husky does not. You want a dog that wants to please you if you want an assistance dog. If you just want a pet, then get your husky. I joined several assistance dog training groups on Yahoo Groups. They have been invaluable for learning. Look up "clicker training" assistance dogs. If you think you will be moving to an apartment, or renting, you may have problems finding a place that will take a larger dog. No place can turn down an assistance dog though. I trained dogs and showed in obedience competitions in the past. I am able to train my own dog. But, still these last 2 months have been really trying. And, my dog was 5 months old, already house trained, and knew basic commands. She is half Border Collie and half Lab. Should be the perfect combination for a service dog. I'll be back on here when I can in the next couple days to offer more advice but need to get a move on and then get to work.... Jules |
Hi Pete,
We got a Springer Spaniel puppy just under 2 years ago when our old dog, Ben sadly had to be put to sleep due to nasal cancer and don't regret getting him at all!! He has helped me a lot and always seems to know when I am having a bad day as he will come and lay on my bed and give me a kiss as if to say "I hope you feel better soon, Sister"!! It's the sweetest thing ever! When we got our dog (Jack), my arm was in a real tight fist due to my RSD and the Dystonia that I have. Petting Jack somehow allowed my arm to start opening up again. I still have RSD and bad pain in that arm but thankfully, it has never gone back into a fist! I'm lucky that I don't have to walk Jack. I really wish that I could walk him but I don't think i'd be able to cope with him. My mum and dad take him a walk in the morning and on a night when they get back in from work. I'd really recommend getting a dog - they can be so lovely and I think they understand more than humans sometimes when someone is in pain. Just do a LOT of research into it before you decide to get one - make sure you have enough money to buy all the things they'd need, think about whether you'd be able to talk it a walk etc etc. Good Luck in whatever you decide - I hope it all works out well for you! Alison |
back from walk, had lunch and now have a minute to post a little more info before work.
here is the website for Ohio that I looked at to find a prison program. I contacted the officer in charge of several programs and told them what I was looking for - a pup between 4-7 months with definite Border Collie or Australian Shepherd on one side, with a trainable breed on the other, that would have a shorter coat, and be 45-75 lbs. for service work. It took a year, but finally this litter came up and when they were ready to go, I had my pick of 4 pups. Your state's prison system should have a similar list. Prison dog training programs are becoming very popular. I would, however, caution to start with a young dog, or pup, as in researching this, I heard some bad stories about adopting older dogs that have been in the prison system. Seems pups that go through are fine.. but the older dogs are usually the ones that shelters don't think will be adopted otherwise, or have some issue or another that make them unadoptable, so they put them in the prison program to see if they can train them out of it. With a dog like mine, that went in at 10 weeks, it's like puppy basic training and you should be fine. The 5-7 month age seems perfect to adopt. http://www.drc.state.oh.us/WEB/commserv_dogs.htm This is the website for a woman who is on one of the Yahoo groups. She is not handicapped, but runs a place that trains handicapped dogs. These are videos of her training her "demonstration" dog, which came from a shelter. They think she is Border Collie and German Shepherd. She makes training look super simple. It is, if you build a good trusting relationship, and start with a solid foundation so that they understand the clicker training. It also helps A LOT if you have a dog that already has the will to learn and to please - like the dogs I list below... http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=...08&view=videos If you want to learn more about clicker training, or see just how amazing it is... check out this woman's website. She has a ton of videos. Her dog Splash knew more at 4 months than most dogs learn in a lifetime. http://www.youtube.com/user/kikopup I have an older Australian Shepherd.. she is 12. She's a great dog. She blew her shoulder at a very young age and it was either very expensive surgery or make her a house dog and stop walking and frisbee... so she's been a house dog for years. I found, getting Josie, the new dog, has been good for me. She needs walked, and taken out to train. I didn't realize I could walk on my RSD feet like I can. It hurts.. believe me it hurts... but no more than if I wasn't walking on them. I have been a lot happier since going walking with her. Today we went 3-1/2 miles. I am spending the time right now getting her used to going all sorts of places. Several businesses have allowed me to come in and train in them. So she's learned to lay quietly at my feet in the bank, post office, library, an art gallery, she's been in Lowe's, a garden center, all the pet stores in town - places like that. She's learned to heel without pulling AT ALL... and is now learning to heel on both sides of me by me using two different words for it. She's doing great. She's learning to wear a harness, and soon I will order her service vest - they are pricy, so have been waiting till she gets 9 months old so I will only have to order one. I plan on teaching her to pick things up, carry a pack, turn on/off light switches, pull me up, get the phone, and get my Mom. My elderly Mom lives with me, so will teach her to get me, for my Mom, and to get Mom, for me, in case either of us falls. The same with getting the phone in case we fall. I am not sure what else I will teach her yet. OH, also pulling up the covers for me when I am in bed. I lay on my good side, and it's very hard and painful for me to pull up the covers with my bad arm. I saw a video of a person's dog pulling up the covers for them. And, the main thing... help me pull off my coat sleeves. I have a terrible time with that, since I my hands don't meet behind my back unless I really strain and it hurts a LOT... so if she would tug on my bad arm's clothing sleeve ... it would make undressing SO much easier! It takes a lot of time to train a dog right to become a service dog. BUT you also end up with one heck of a good companion, also a dog will protect you, alert you to things etc. Here in Ohio, you need an assistance dog to do 3 tasks for you, and be able to pass a canine good citizen test, even though they don't have to take the test, they need to be able to do all the things. That is stuff like heel, sit, down. You also need a prescription from your doctor. The dogs used for depression only need to be well behaved. They don't need to do anything but be a friend. Take into account what problems you have physically when you choose what type of dog you have. What type of exercise can you give your dog? I chose a dog that was a combination of two very high energy breeds -- but I got one that was very very laid back for those breeds. I have RSD in my shoulders, so it is CRITICAL that she does not pull on me. So, I chose a dog that is not a natural puller... like a husky would be... and like a Border Collie can be... but I waited and looked for well over a year till I found just the right temperment dog. The wait will be worth it when the dog will match your purpose and your personality and situation. Even though your heart wants a husky - you may find that a smaller dog, such as a sheltie cross would be the better dog for you. A really small dog that was always top in the obedience ring is a Papillon. Great little dog. I needed a dog that could help pull me up on bad days, so I needed the extra size of the Lab in the mix, or I would have gone with a straight Border Collie, as that is what I am familiar with. When I showed dogs in the past, I either had Borders or Aussies. I did a little search for intelligence by breed. The criteria of the most common sited ranking I saw in my quick search was Understanding new command in 5 repetitions, and will obey first command 95% of the time. 1 Border Collie. 2 Poodle. 3 German Shepherd. 4 Golden Retriever. 5 Doberman 6 Shetland Sheepdog 7 Labrador Retriever 8 Papillon 9 Rottweiler 10 Australian Cattle Dog I think if you could find one of these 10 breeds, or a combination of them, you would find a dog that's easy to train. Being easy to train makes a difference to those of us with some physical challenges. I think all of these dogs have a high level of desire to please. That's where I think your husky breed would fall behind. Try doing a search for the breed, rescue and the state you live in, and generally the rescue groups have mixed breeds on their sites also... Also consider that the bigger the dog, generally the shorter the lifespan. And, like Ali said.. consider the cost. I saved up for mine over the 1-1/2 years I was looking - and still went over budget. She was $125 from shelter, $135 for spay another $75 for shots, heartworm meds, $35 for supply of flea and tick med, $140 for good large crate, $30 for crate mat, a lot in toys till I found some stuff she could not chew up.... collars, leashes, food, etc. Then, she has had chronic loose stools that ended up costing me nearly $400 SO FAR in medications and tests, because she was full of parasites and bacterias. It's been almost 3 months of treatments and she probably has 2 more months of meds before she's clear. Would I do it again? You bet. Does that help? I did a ton of research into this, so hope I can help if you have any questions. |
Hey Pete,
Just a quick response to your question. I was at my therapists yesterday and told her that I talk tomy dog and cats and she told me that that is one the best things to have are pets. It has been scientifically researched and she said just having one and petting it helps decrease depression and anxiety. So it is the best thing that I could have ever done. I agree with everyone else. IF that is what you want it could help you more than you ever know. I know my animals help me sometimes. Take care. Sincerely, Tracy |
I think it is wonderful that people plan on training their dog to help but what about getting a dog that is trained already to aid? Is that possible with this condition? Just a thought cause I can't imagine how much work it takes to train a dog to do like that. I love others animals but not for myself though sometimes the comfort sounds nice. They can be very expensive though and not to be a downer but something to think of. Also if you are not feeling well being able to take care of it. I know for many the love outweighs that. Lastly for me since my rsd is in my legs having a dog like I trained my moms to not jump on me is key. Hey maybe I could train. My moms dog jumps on everyone but not me. It is like he knows. He is 13 I think too so I just trained him 2.5 years ago with this. Anyhow sending thoughts.
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Hi Pete, I'll ask my pet girlfriend about Huskies. She is a cat lover herself. But she will know about your dog I know when my daughter and son in law got their min pin, they bought her at a shop in the mall. They took her to Petsmart for the training program. She is a doll and very obedient. She's my grand doggie. smile My cat brings me so much comfort. She actually is on the internet. I'll check the website and give it to you PM. Take care, loretta
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Yes, I think RSD would qualify for an assistance dog from the places that train them. I didn't look into getting one from a place like that, because I found that a person could train their own and it was legal, and I could do it, so why take one from someone who didn't know how, or was not able.
There are many places that train assistance dogs. Some the expenses are covered, the dog is donated to you... but I think you have to pay your way to the place where the dog is to pick it up and usually for a couple weeks of time and training with the place. Others, you have to pay for the dog. The prison program I worked with didn't charge any extra for working with Josie than any other shelter dog. They would have kept her an extra month or two - or longer - and worked with her on anything specific if I wanted, for a "donation"... such as extra work on heeling, or retrieving. It is an option for anyone who thinks they would want a dog, but may not be up to dealing with a very young puppy, or all of the training. I know it helped me out a lot to have the housebreaking 99% done and a very good foundation started on the basics of training. I opted not to have them keep her for longer, as she was already so well behaved. Being 5-1/2 months old, she was still in the very formative months, and bonded to us quickly. She was a rather sad pup though, having been through lots of turmoil in her short life. Now that she has been with us 3 months, she's starting to really come out of her shell, and settle in. The saddness is gone and a happy, joyful pup has emerged. I think the prisoner must have been very good with her, but perhaps he wasn't truly loving with his affection... knowing he would have to give her up any day... and so she never knew real love till she came to live with us. |
I never expected this threat to go this long... So, now my thought is, let's not just talk about me, or should I say I'll try to finish that up....
I am Bi Regional. (Is that a word?) I grew up with a S. Husky, and raced her, she was beautiful, had some "red" in her, (Her eyes, and flanks were both red), SO MANY people wanted to breed her, when I was racing her, but too late, she was "fixed, or broken".... I don't know how to think about that? (Grew up, or Older, on top of Mt Pocono. and my Husky had room to run. Lots! But, with RSD, I also like "temperate" climates now. Not so much into the four seasons. More of a Hotel 6er! Hah! Oh say, 6-8 years went by, and my children acquired another, (both were females, "fixed"), and both were beautiful. Sadly, I don't know where the second one is. I'm "estranged" from her as well. But, they're both "singers", with that Whoo Roo Roo Roooooo, kind of voice goin on. I actually called my childrens dog "Rooo". (Sing to the Moon!) (My kids named her "Jezebel", Now, there's a wonderful name to be calling out, when the darn dog runs away....) But, I've been "lightly" searching to see if there's some sort of "miniature" or smaller kind of Siberian Husky. I know the Samoyed's are lovely, and I think there is some sort of miniature Husky, or Alaskan sled dog....? Remember the band "Three Dog Night"? That "name" was based on how cold it got, in the north, and how many dogs you needed in the Igloo, to keep the family warm! Yea. A "Three Dog Night" was considered the coldest! So, these are absolutely loving family animals! Anyway, enough of me. That's just my preference, and I highly doubt that it'll ever happen for me again. We'll see how life goes. But, this thread has turned into something I didn't expect, and I want to cut it loose of myself now.... Because so many of you here seem to have so many great experiences, with pets of all kinds, and let's just go like that, ok? Thanks to all who have replied, keep the thread going, and let's hear all your "Loved One Pet Stories"?? OK? Love to Ya'll, Pete Asb |
Daylilyfan that was a nice story. I think it is amazing and great you trained it. I was just wondering for people who could not. I did not know though that with an assistance dog fees can be paid. So would you be able to bring the dog to a store?
Aintsobad maybe a mix of the husky and a smaller dog. Why do you feel it won't happen? If it would bring you joy and comfort I think you should try to make it happen. It sounds like it would be an amazing thing. |
I think it would be of help to any of us to try to get an assistance dog, if they can possibly do it.
I am sorry if you feel I took this thread over. It is something I have recently done a lot of research on, and thought I could help by sharing. I will bow out now. |
Daylilyfan you helped a lot so thank you. I was telling my mom about this too. I agree it could be a great source of comfort and hope
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Whoa, No!
I was saying anyone took over! What's it matter anyway? I'm in an apartment now, IF (big if) I get my home back, I'll surely get a doggy. But, I've thought I took the thread up, I was so enjoying reading everyone else''s experience's! Keep them going! Woof! pete |
Could you have one in your apt? I think if it is an assistance dog they have no choice. It is your right but I could be wrong.
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Hi Daniella,
I think I just have too much on my plate right now. I'm not even driving. Gotta get this divorce over and done with. Without giving my life away. Thanks! pete |
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