I’d like to thank everyone for their patience. Sally and I have been working very hard. We’ve had our Manners class Tuesday evenings (and we stay for Manners 2, so that Sally gets more exposure to other dogs than our one other classmate!). Nancy coming once a week on Wednesday, and on Thursday we drive an hour for our Service Dog class (a bit premature, but all agreed so that Sally gets as much exposure to dogs and people as possible). Whenever I have errands to run, the crate goes in the car again (I can’t wait to know for sure, so that I can justify that crash-tested car harness!), and Sally comes along and the bait bag in attached to my side. We walk up and down in front of stores until she can do it calmly.
All agree that if it weren’t for her amazing sound alert ability, she would have washed out the first week. Nancy thinks we should keep trying while she’s recovering from surgery. Our Tuesday classes (that were 30min away) have been shifted to Saturdays with another trainer in Falmouth, ME, an hour drive away (this is paid for through my trainer, who I have already paid). We’ll be able to come early and let Sally watch the dogs and people from a safe distance!
No one is saying she’s vicious or scary or anything like that, don’t worry. She’s just very excited to see people and dogs, and wants very badly to have their attention. This translates to barking, which doesn’t work with public access—the entire reason I need a service dog. It’s a personality thing. If she can learn to control herself a bit, she’ll be excellent.
Sally’s sound alerting is the thing of legends. We’ve only been actively shaping it for a few weeks, and look at how far she’s come!
Remember, this is a 1 year old dog, playing with one of her favorite toys. And this video was made on 27 January. Now she’ll do the same alert from a dead sleep, and doesn’t pause like she did in the video when she’s playing with toys.
I found out that my tea kettle doesn’t whistle (!), so I went to Marshall’s to get a new one. I expected to go through the entire shaping process for the new sound, with the added difficulty of keeping my ‘no kitchen’ boundary up. Imagine my surprise when I tested the kettle to see how it poured when hot, and I got a full alert that stopped right at the kitchen entrance! Since then, she’s done lovely 2-point alerts from wherever I am to in front of the kitchen for the kettle. She’s a natural.
She also alerts to people approaching when she’s on-leash. Two or three steps in the direction they’re coming from, with head turned in the appropriate direction (especially around corners and from behind)—but if they get too close, she starts with the barking with her adorable tail wagging. She usually scares them, even if I’m right there with the treats working to redirect. Her focus is formidable. We’re fairly certain she’s a Dachshund/southern hunting dog cross (given where she came from, her looks, and her behavior).
I plan on keeping up the hard work to try my best for Sally. She’s a love, she’s smart as a whip, and I don’t want to send her back. That may be part of the process, but it’s the most difficult part. No matter how talented a dog is at one thing, if they can’t do the entire job, they just aren’t suited. Sally is sweet and willing and wants so hard to be good! There are just a few personality issues. So I’m doing a lot of driving and hauling the crate, until I’m sure she’s either the one, or we start the process over.
I can’t say I’m not exhausted. About half of me honestly feels Sally should have failed out by now. But her natural talent is unmistakable, and I understand why Nancy wants her to have more time. I wish I hadn’t cried in PetLife after a day of training (Sally had barked at some customers, and they berated me for having her out). We’ll keep on keeping on, regardless.