We Did It!-Graduation, Day 11

It seems going through the posts that I was at Ultimate Fighting Championship Camp or something...not Service Dog Training! I promise, this is not the norm. No one else had issues, I must be super special!

Brian took the Public Access test since I was on the injured roster. He and Slugger passed! The only worry was the food distraction test and Slugger almost gave in to temptation. However, he must have known that he was doing something important and resisted. Hooray!

Later that afternoon we all went back to 4 Paws and filled out the paperwork to take Slugger home with us. We promised to take good care of him. Then we had graduation! It was so crowded and noisy that I was sure Cole was going to have a melt down. Some of the other kids in the class just couldn't handle it.

This was our attempt at trying to get a picture of all of the dogs.Our dear friend Paula drove 4 hours just to be with us on this special day! We have not seen her since the Dravet conference last year and it was so nice to be able to hug each other. She also brought her lovely daughter. She kept Cole entertained during the madness with a new iPad app called "Paint My Wings". We were so grateful to her for coming. That is something that I love about my Dravet family, we truly share each other's victories and sorrows. We may not be able to physically be there in times of need, but I know that they are rooting for us...always! It was so, SO nice of Paula to come and spend time with us.We waited patiently and we were last to graduate! They finally presented Slugger and Cole as a certified working team. We got a fancy certificate and everything!Plus, we got to sign Cole and Slugger's names on the Wall of Fame!There are a lot of lives changed here.We were so sad to say good-bye to the staff at 4 Paws For Ability. There were many tears.

Here is Slugger with his first "Mom". She will always be a part of our family.Along with some special other people who will also be family. If you haven't guessed, we are always willing to adopt.Speaking of family, here are Slugger's litter mates that were in the class. We are so excited that his sister Samba and his brother Shaggy live close to us!If you have ever doubted that this is something you could undertake, I will just say to you-If I can do it, you can do it too! Contact 4 Paws today, or if you have the chance, help someone with their fundraiser. Our lives will be forever changed because of these people and their mission...and by Slugger, of course.

Last Day, and Another One Bites The Dust-Training, Day 10

You can play this in the background and imagine a montage America's Funniest Home Videos style of me falling on my face. Well, actually on my hands.

I went on my first long blind track with Slugger today. I had no idea where Cole and Brian were, just the direction they headed in the beginning. Something that would be more along the lines of a typical life situation. I knew the last place Cole was, but not where he went. Slugger took off like lightning, as usual. We were doing great. I was slowing him down, putting pressure on the Flexi line and we were going more at my pace than him dragging me around like he wants to. He was running so hard though that all of his legs left the ground and he jumped over the line and got hung up in it. I had to stop him (which he didn't like) and untangle the line from in between his legs. After I got him loose, there was slack in the line and he caught the scent again before I was ready. Remember when I said you have to have perfect body position if you are a little whipersnapper like me? Well, my knees were not bent, my heels not dug in and my arms not braced. So-with that incredible force he has, when he snapped into the scent after that slack, it was like being hooked to a race car. He literally pulled me down, and almost got the Flexi out of my hands. I heard the trainer yell to me to just let go, so I did before I was dragged to kingdom come. I landed directly on my hand and heard an audible crunch. After he asked if I was okay, I waved the trainer on and told him that I was certain Slugger would just go and find Cole. So, I rolled around on the ground for a minute and then cowboyed up and walked to where "Super Tracker" had already found the boys. My hand started to swell as we walked back to the car and hurt like the dickens. I put an ice pack on it (I had one in the car already) and we went to get lunch.

I was sure that I had at least broken my pinkie, so everyone at the center convinced me to go in and get it looked at since I was feeling pain up the side of my hand and in my palm. Well, I have a soft-tissue injury aka a really bad sprain. At least my hand is not broken, but I have this nice little ace bandage :)Now I don't want anyone who is getting a tracking dog to be freaked out by all of my random injuries. This is not typical. 1. I am not really the most coordinated person on the planet. 2. I weigh around 110 pounds, Slugger weighs almost 80. 3. My shoulders and arms are not that strong since I do not have enough cartilage around my rotator cuffs. This will not happen to you. Or at least I hope it won't. Seriously, I laughed when it happened. First I sucked in my breath and said/yelled "Aahh!" and then I started to silently giggle. I was glad that Slugger was doing his job. It was me that wasn't ready, not him. I told the trainer, worse things have happened than a broken finger. So, we got to go to the hospital twice this trip...nothing was emergent and we never had to stay. I guess it is just part of taking in the scenery when we travel :)

I can't believe that today was our last day of class. Tomorrow is our big test and then-hopefully-our graduation! I just hope that Slugger passes the food distraction part. Too bad that tracking isn't part of the the test. The trainer said that Slugger is like the kid in Little League that is certain he should be on the Varsity team, and he probably should, but he isn't old enough yet. I am positive that we have a Varsity tracker on our hands. I just have to get used to it.

We talked today about taking our dogs home and continuing our training. Here is Slugger doing lap.After class, Captain Fuzzypants got a bath. Plus a professional blow dry. On the list of must haves when we get home, dog blow dryer :)I am so grateful to the staff at 4 Paws and to anyone who even donated a dollar to make this happen for Cole. Slugger is his perfect match and I am sure that he will prove his worth time and time again. He has already made such a difference in just a few weeks, I can't imagine what it will be like a year from now. Everyone that has made an effort to mold him into the amazing dog that he already is will forever be a part of our little family.

Cole will miss socializing with every adult in sight. He could care less about the other kids, but that is nothing new.It is time though to get back to our routine and our beds. Cole's nap today is still going strong after 2 hours. He is so tired. He keeps saying that he wants to go home. I admit, I also want to...but I want to take all of the amazing people that we have met with us.

Proud Mama-Training, Day 8

It is day 8, right?

Today was great. We took Slugger on some difficult tracks through the woods and tall grass. He even went on one where Cole and I back tracked, which is difficult to follow. He did awesome. Brian was totally confused as to why he was going a different way, when he could see Cole and I in the trees, but he went with it and was glad when I told him after they found us that Slugger followed our trail exactly. The trainers said that he will be able to distinguish more between fresh and old scent as he matures. Regardless, he followed the track perfectly and found us! Plus, I did a better job handling him when it was my turn and did not have any injury to add to my growing list. Including the broken nose...which Cole, not Slugger, inflicted. It might not be totally broken, but there is a big red bump and it is super tender. That pirate sword can inflict some damage!

We worked on some more tricks in class and also off leash commands. We did a little tethering and Cole showed Slugger how he goes out at the knees and then tries to get away. Slugger stayed put-awesome.We also worked more on just hand signals, or just voice commands. Slugger did well. He needs a lot of encouragement for roll over, but he performs just like a circus act when it comes to shake, high-five, bang and give five! I think that we are going to try and turn bang into the force, so Cole doesn't run around pretending to shoot people all of the time.

Slugger also was very obedient with staying on his place during class. I was trying to listen and watch Cole (who kept on trying to leave the building) while Brian was once again trying to have someone resurrect my phone. Yep, it's dead.Here is Cole trying to show Slugger the picture he was coloring, cute! Slugger was an angel as I ran back and forth trying to handle Cole. I would really recommend to anyone coming to training to bring a third person that does not need to learn how to handle the dog. Even with our make-up sessions with each other in the evening, we are still missing things. Bug was great though, he stayed put and only got off of his place once while I was running around. I was a proud mama.We went to the mall to practice after class. Slugger is getting more used to tethering and did great.We shortened the strap and had less tangled mess than last time.It was so great to know that he wasn't going any farther than the tether strap. It was nice to not have to keep my eyes totally peeled for places that Cole could hide.It didn't stop him from taking stuff off of displays, but hey-Slugger is only so incredible!We also did two short tracks just by ourselves without the trainers. Slugger really shined! He was amazing. The first time, I forgot to take off his gentle leader. I wondered why he didn't just bolt and get into it in the beginning, but after I talked him up a little more he took off and found Brian and Cole. It was like he was looking at me to say, Uh...mom, take this thing off! I don't play the game with this thing on! Still, he tracked and found his boy in a really short period of time. It gave me more confidence. The second time, I took it off like a good mom and he found the boys even faster. Once again, proud mama. I was handling him a lot better and wasn't being dragged to and fro. We let Cole play at the play area for a half hour. This was one of the first times that I relaxed a little in that kind of an environment. I knew that if Cole left the area, Slugger could find him. If he had a seizure, Slugger could help me to comfort him. It was a great feeling. Cole kept going up to people and saying, "I'm Cole!" like usual, but then he added, "That's Slugger!" and pointed over to his buddy.After the mall, I took Slugger to Disneyland for pets to really test him. In Petsmart, he was incredible. There were un-trained, yippy dogs everywhere that were totally getting in his face. He stayed by me and didn't break command once. Except for when I put him in a down at the cash register and the lady behind me kept telling him how beautiful he was. The nickname Big Head has lots of meanings :) I was proud of him though. He is my second child. Watch out-I am going to start sending people pictures in the mail and expecting to see him on the refrigerator at my relatives, lol!

True Colors-Training, Day 7

Cole and I actually stayed home this morning. Cole needed some rest and I had to catch up on some insurance, nursing, and other misc stuff. Plus, my whiplash from yesterday's track hurts like %&*#. The whole right side of my neck, shoulder and running down to my sciatic is paying me back for not holding my body the way I should have. A note to all of those getting tracking dogs in the future...hit the gym, NOW! I always knew that I needed to be strong to carry Cole around if he is seizing, but adding a strong tracking dog into the mix just ups the ante.

So, we gave Daddy some one on one training time with Slugger, uninterrupted. It seems every time he went out to practice, Cole would get in the way. They worked on tethering and behavior disruption some more and went on two short tracks. Slugger likes the game so much that he tracked the trainers just fine, even with removing Cole from the equation. That would have confused most dogs. The head trainer said that he is probably in the top 2% for tracking dogs that he has worked with.

We met up at the mall to work on some obedience, the first time tethering with Cole and to do our first indoor tracks. Cole was super overstimulated and had a small partial seizure. Then a couple of meltdowns. Slugger did awesome and started kiss, touch and nuzzle without being prompted. Cole even climbed into a small space where I couldn't fit and Slugger just slid right in there and licked Cole until he stopped and came out. AWESOME! The tethering is going okay. Cole just keeps darting and going back and forth and everyone is getting all tangled up in each other. I think that we are going to shorten the strap. Also, Slugger is a little more slow to obey since we put the gentle leader on for tethering and he is distracted. All he can think about in the beginning is getting it off. Still, I am so excited to be able to use it more.

Off of the tether, Cole showed his true colors. Giving out at the knees and throwing himself on the ground, running away, being obsessed with going on the train instead of trying to track, going into a restaurant and hiding under a table, etc. Brian and I were actually trying to put the tether strap on Slugger when he went into the restaurant and the trainer went in and fetched him out kicking and screaming. My favorite though, he climbed a ladder in the middle of a department store. An employee came up to me and started telling me, "He shouldn't do that, he might get hurt". You think? No offer of assistance or anything. It was obvious that I had a service dog in one hand and was trying to fetch Cole down with the other. Instead, he just tried to tell me what to do. Just another day in paradise :)

We also did 5 shorter inside tracks with Slugger. He got confused a couple of times. Once he got stuck in front of a display of blow-up Christmas lawn decorations. It was almost like he was thinking track, track, track, oh-this is different...what it is? Maybe I should check it out. So I had to take him back to where he left off and start again. As we continued to practice, he would get better and better. Getting to the point that he was back on his A game. However, he would always go up to the parent that was with Cole. We have to encourage him to find Cole and not mom or dad. Food....more food. This dog went through an entire bag of mini-begging strips at the mall just for motivation with tethering, the gentle leader and tracking. I think he is going to have a stomach ache tonight! I was just done by the time we got out of there. Taking Cole to the mall is always an adventure.

Tonight, we went to the home of a family in our class that lives locally. The dogs had a great time playing with each other. They all have been working hard and really haven't been able to run around.Cole stayed back to protect the candy while the other kids went out into the neighborhood to Trick Or Treat.The kids were so cute! It was so great to have some time outside of class to chat.I gave a small shout out on facebook, but I just wanted to thank Lexie, Hobo, Alfie, Starburst, Ani, Krypton, Sushi, Charlotte, Donut and their families for inspiring us-and to everyone else that we know who has gotten a service dog for their child. This experience has been so rewarding already. We hope that Cole has many wonderful years with Slugger.

The Head Snap-Training, Day 6

We were so tired yesterday, that this is a little late!You might have noticed in the tracking videos that the trainer keeps mentioning to look for a head snap...Well, there was a big head snap today-MINE! I was doing fairly well trying to hold on, bend my knees, lean back, etc during my track, but there was one big lunge where I actually heard my neck crack :) Both of my feet left the ground, but thank goodness I didn't faceplant! Don't worry, I'm sure it will happen eventually. Slugger is one strong boy, who loves to track. He did really well on both. Brian has started to learn about slowing down, so that Slugger doesn't overshoot the scent. Um, that won't be a problem for me. When Brian is tracking, they definitely get there faster and in one piece. Hey, I can't be a foot taller, even in my mind!

We learned more about hand signals, commands for behavior disruption (love this) and practiced tethering for the first time.Here is Slugger resisting the pull on the tether and even not going for his favorite treats that I have in my hand. I think that this is one of the skills that I am most excited about! It seems that with one hand on Slugger, I have not been able to get to Cole as fast. He knows this, so he has ran out in the street multiple times in the last few days. I can't wait until we can hook them together, I can put Slugger in a down, and Cole can't really go anywhere while I am trying to do something like pay for groceries, or get something out of the car. Hooray! Cole has started taking to dragging Slugger around (with supervision, so neither of them get hurt).Slugger just complies and follows him! Now, Cole just doesn't know that the tables are going to be turned :) I think he will get used to it eventually, just like his cast.

We talked more about seizure alert. Slugger has a really tough job, since Cole pretty much smells like a seizure all of the time. He has not been sniffing him up and down like he did in the beginning, because he has just started to get used to it. We are in that place where we want him to have as many big ones as possible, so Slugger can tell the difference. It is just going to take time.

Beat Up and Bruised-Training, Day 5

I swear you need a pair of steel toed boots and a hard hat to be around kids with special needs!

Here is the short list from today-Cole kicked me with his cast. A teenage boy was playing with a wheelchair they use for training and ran over my feet, splitting the toenail on my big toe in half (this is on the other foot. The left one was split by a kid in Cole's class crunching it). I have a gigantic burn on my hand from Slugger pulling so hard across it with a leather leash that it took off the skin. My legs are sore after being dragged around by a dog that weighs just about as much as I do. After a week of being on the road, eating bad food, being on antibiotics for a tooth infection and attending training, is it any wonder that I have a massive headache that is threatening to become a migraine? :)

Brian actually got to work with Slugger a little today, after being out yesterday.Cole was always one step behind...or beside, or in front of.

Basically, he was in every one's space...including the already over-crowded cubby under the stairs!We worked on heeling with shopping carts, going up and down stairs and more place.After some class work we went on two tracks. This time, just one parent went with Cole...no trainer. Slugger did okay on his first track without the trainer there. It definitely was not as fast as usual, but we're talking about Slugger here! :) He still packs a punch and bolts really quick. I actually was holding the flexi leash, so sorry...no video. I was holding on for dear life with both hands! The head trainer who was running with me, just kept telling me to act just like I was water skiing. Bend my knees, lean back and put tension on the leash. Um, I was! At least on skis, you can dig you heels into something solid. I am thrilled that I did not face plant! This dog gets SO excited about tracking. He whines and cries, just wanting to play the game. So when he gets a chance, he's off like lightning! I had both hands on the flexi, with them pulled into my stomach, my knees bent and leaning back...and he still was taking me everywhere :) I'm sure it was comical to watch me being flung around. Brian did the next track while I hid with Cole. He came in winded, but said, "That was awesome!" Such a guy. The trainer that was running with him, came in totally breathless a few minutes later. She said that she wished she had longer legs so she could keep up! I reminded Brian that his legs and arms are longer and he weighs more than me (just by a little though). He had an easier time. All in all, Slugger did awesome. King of Tracking!

We went to a restaurant for lunch after and it was night and day with the gentle leader! He hates it, but I think I'm in love! We went back to the center and talked about things like grooming, vet care and appropriate foods and toys. Slugger was quite bored with it all after tracking.A little boy in our class asked me if he could trade dogs. He wants Slugger now :)He was loving the attention from two dogs at once.

We went to the grocery store after class. Once again, the gentle leader had transformed Slugger. He was an angel dog! Here is a closer look at it It's not a muzzle, just a head collar, similar to a horse's halter. It just gives the handler a little bit better control. You actually can barely see it, unless you are really looking for it, because it just blends in with his fur.

We are eating in tonight and hoping for an early bedtime. Brian has to go to the store and try to get my phone resurrected. It has decided to give up, and I have only had it for two weeks! I can't even make a call on it. I'm actually glad that we are not home, it snowed today. Being at camp with our Dravet friends would be awesome, but this is a life-changing experience. Just tiring. We'll send Daddy on errands. Slugger, Cole and I will hang out here and watch Maters Tall Tales for the umpteenth million time :)

Continuation of Craziness-Training, Day 4

We tracked this morning at a different park. Cole was the first one in the first group. Slugger did excellent, especially for his first time tracking more than one person. I went with Cole and the trainer, so there were actually three people to smell instead of the usual one. The head trainer called it a text book track and compared him to a bloodhound! That's our boy! Here is a video. He hesitated just a moment because we were hiding behind an asphalt machine and the head trainer said that all of the chemicals probably confused him-but just for a second.

Hear him whining? He is so excited to play the game!

The reason that we had to be the first ones in the first group is that Cole and Brian actually spent the day in Cincinnati, about an hour away from here. WHY? Well, Cole got his cast wet, again. This is the second time that we have had to re-cast. The children's hospital would not allow us to go to their orthopedics office, stating liability because we were not one of their patients. Huh? We explained our situation, was all ready to fax over records from our ortho, and they still made us go through the ER. So, I stayed with Slugger after the track and Brian took Cole to Cincinnati.It was a long day for everyone.We were actually surprised that Cole did not have a seizure. Today was his first day outside in a long time, plus it was cold. Then he was at a hospital, one of his least favorite places on earth, and in the car for over 3 hours. We also got something that was similar to alert behavior from Slugger. So, for about a half hour, we watched Cole like a hawk. Still, no seizure. We are back in that weird place again. EEG's and training seizure alert dogs are the only reason I can think of as wanting your child to have a seizure. It is the most ironic, strange feeling ever.

Slugger hates his harness and keeps trying to roll to take it off. It's just something that he is going to have to get used to. In his mind, it should only be used for tracking :) Sorry dude, you have to wear the high heels to impress the boss! We have been telling the kids in Cole's class that it is his uniform, just like a fireman has to wear for his job. Slugger had better get used to it quick, so I can show the other kids!

Slugger and I went to the mall with the rest of our class, the first real public place we have been together. I have taken him around the hotel, but this was our maiden voyage outside of the training center.He did reasonably well. He definitely needed more correction than normal. To the point that the trainer wants him to use a gentle leader in public. I thought he hated his harness, it is nothing compared to the gentle leader. He compares it to the cone of shame. Keeps trying to paw it off, rubbing it against my leg, rubbing it against a chair...he hates it. He sure acts better with it on though. Hopefully, we only have to use it for a couple of months until he starts really getting used to public work.We worked on under, sit, down and heel in the mall. I also took Slugger up and down the stairs (he did AWESOME) and in the elevator. What he did not do so great with was the people. I was constantly hearing, What a pretty dog! Oh, look-a dog! He looks like a Slugger, etc." Slugger loves praise and kept trying to go over to people who were talking to him. He also has this new habit of shoving his head and saying hello into someones private area. Yep, that's MY dog. Sorry ma'am. I was standing in line waiting to pay for some soap and he also happened to decide to go in between someones legs, practically lifting her off the floor as he went through. Yep, he's mine! He jumped up on the built in furniture at the play area and ate food off of the floor. He's a lot like Cole, looks cute and innocent, but can be super sneaky and end up getting in trouble. I have the feeling that we are really going to need to practice in the mall a lot before our public access test, since that is where it is given.

We took Slugger to a restaurant with us tonight, to practice distractions and obedience. I chose a place that had peanuts on the floor-dumb move, Nik! He also did his nice hello to our waitress, great. Overall though, the place smelled like steak, had food on the floor and was really loud. He didn't bark or go ballistic, so I consider it great practice.

We'll keep working hard, hopefully tomorrow is a little more quiet.

Track Attack-Training, Day 3

Today we did our first track with Slugger at a park. He only tracked the trainer, since it was cold and raining outside. After yesterday, and last week at school, I didn't want to push my luck on the first time. Taking Cole out would have possibly landed us into the hospital in the next 48 hours. Not worth it.

We will get plenty of other opportunity to work with Slugger and Cole in the next few days. Tomorrow, we will try again with him.

I actually went on a track with another dog in our class, Slugger's sister. Brian went with Slugger and I watched from the car. It was so fascinating to watch how much Slugger loves it.

Going back to what I said yesterday, the dogs do not realize that their child is in danger or missing. Everything is a game. Obviously, Slugger LOVES this game. He gets super excited and antsy before they let him start, and then he just takes off! He's really good at finding the trainer, because that is the only person he has been tracking since the beginning. Slowly, we will wean him off of the trainer to just Cole by having him hide with her. It made me so grateful that when Cole does slip away, as he is prone to doing, we can find him quick...instead of an hour later when Search and Rescue can show up.

We had an incredible lecture on the logistics of tracking. We learned about things like a scent cone, wind direction affecting scent patterns, temperature of skin cells and a bunch of other things that I never thought would have to occupy space in my memory :)

Here is a video of Slugger's track.
He was SO fast!

We also learned about the commands Jump, Place, Lap and Over. We reviewed heel, and everything else we have learned so far. I have gotten to the point with Slugger that I can drop the leash, walk away and he will stay! Impressive :)Really, he is already fully trained, this training is more for me to learn how to use him and for him to get used to my voice and style. He already knows everything, it's just practice for him.Don't you love his "Spread Eagle"?

Cole is getting more and more comfortable in this environment, so he has no qualms with walking right through the middle of the demonstration or going up to people and asking them to do stuff for him. I can't count how many times he interrupted the trainer or others. Good thing all of these people understand that it is not just because I must be a horrible parent. He really does have a disability that affects his attention span and his understanding of social norms.Like this, in the middle of the room, while the training is trying to teach an important concept, bringing his toys out and calling to everyone to "Look at me! This is my truck!"These two are going to get into so much mischief together. Cole has already decided that he likes to feed Slugger out of a bowl with a spoon, like a baby. Oy!Their bond is getting better. It is hard to have Cole by him in class, because there are WAY too many other cool things going on in Cole's mind. At the hotel though, with nothing else around, he is pretty fascinated with him. Now we just need to get Slugger to want to lay with him, and not me. Silly dog kept trying to get in bed with me last night! We'll have to see what happens tonight :)