long road ahead....

[marcerella02]

i got an email back today from the man in charge of pet therapy here in London and he said there are 53 dogs on a waiting list to be tested and only 36 get tested a year... yikes, but he also included the test and it seems that Layla may need a year or two to work on a few things... which is ok.... i have a few questions
1. They need to be able to drop a metal bowl 6 feet away from her and not have her react... well Layla is afraid when a baggie falls on the floor... any ideas on how i can get her used to this... i'd say it is beyond normal fear... it is something that can affect her whole day.... if we are using a fly swatter to kill a fly.. she is done for the dya... this all started last christmas when we were in Florida and she heard a firecracker.. we were outside peeing (ok SHE was peeing) and she wasnt ready for it.. before this she could care less about thunderstorms... and now... she is a complete mess... anyways.. an ideas on the bowl would be great
2. She needs to be excited and easily calmed.... should i use a key word... like easy??? i am not usre how to teach *be calm*
3. She needs to be comfortable around a wheel chair.. any ideas where i can get her exposed to this??? i don't know anyone in a wheel chair or who owns one.

any help would be so great.. i want to work with her for a few years so we can have this down and pass the test with flying colors... i want so bad to be a therapy dog with her... Thanks!

[Izzy Princess]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

i got an email back today from the man in charge of pet therapy here in London and he said there are 53 dogs on a waiting list to be tested and only 36 get tested a year... yikes, but he also included the test and it seems that Layla may need a year or two to work on a few things... which is ok.... i have a few questions
1. They need to be able to drop a metal bowl 6 feet away from her and not have her react... well Layla is afraid when a baggie falls on the floor... any ideas on how i can get her used to this... i'd say it is beyond normal fear... it is something that can affect her whole day.... if we are using a fly swatter to kill a fly.. she is done for the dya... this all started last christmas when we were in Florida and she heard a firecracker.. we were outside peeing (ok SHE was peeing) and she wasnt ready for it.. before this she could care less about thunderstorms... and now... she is a complete mess... anyways.. an ideas on the bowl would be great
2. She needs to be excited and easily calmed.... should i use a key word... like easy??? i am not usre how to teach *be calm*
3. She needs to be comfortable around a wheel chair.. any ideas where i can get her exposed to this??? i don't know anyone in a wheel chair or who owns one.

any help would be so great.. i want to work with her for a few years so we can have this down and pass the test with flying colors... i want so bad to be a therapy dog with her... Thanks!

1) Is she afraid of the vacuum cleaner? Blender? To get Izzy used to noises I would hold her while I'm running the vacuum, using the blender and she got used to it. So maybe while holding her - stop to drop things and make a silly saying like, "uh-oh - Layla mommy dropped the silly....whatever....make a game out of it. See if that works and take it in small baby steps.

2) We covered this in puppy class....you get them all excited and goofy with your high-pitched voice and silly sounds and start to name fruits and vegetables, then you start to calm them down by starting to speak very softly and say the same fruits/veggies - they do calm down after a minute or two because you are calm and talking softly - trust me this works - we had 8 puppies in our class and all were insane but once you start to talk softly to them they just naturally calm down.

3) Again my trainer is going to have a Good Citizen course and they have wheelchairs, etc., to get them used to it. Check with your PetsMart and see if they offer Good Citizen classes.

That's a start at least.

[Suzy]

1. Try putting her in a sit/stay, and make her stay, and gradually get farther away from her. When she has mastered that, put a treat 6' from her on the floor, and do a sit/stay until you release her to get the treat. During both of these things, have your mom/dad help by "distracting" her by dropping something, making a noise, a squeaky toy, etc. and don't let Layla get up for anything other than your release word. Emma can do this with some amount of distraction, but I'm not sure about the metal bowl. I think you'll need to work up to that!

Don't know how to help you with #2!

3. Maybe check in your area and see if there is a nursing home/physical rehab center that allows pets. You could start just making rounds with Layla there to chat with the people, or go in and play games/do puzzles in the lounges with the people there. She would get used to the different sights/smells/sounds and of course the wheelchairs. You might hold Layla or put her in a bag at first. Of course, you couldn't really let her interact too much with the residents since she wouldn't be "certified", but if you told them you were practicing for her test, they might let you explore and help out with what you can!

My grandmother was in a physical rehab center for 3 weeks after knee replacement surgery, and they had a resident therapy dog that came around with a handler and she was really nice, calm, and affectionate. Her name was Jasmine (after the Disney princess) and she was a smaller Corgi. I think she was a nice surprise for many of the people, and she was a really happy dog!

[sassytooyou]

Originally Posted by Izzy Princess

1) Is she afraid of the vacuum cleaner? Blender? To get Izzy used to noises I would hold her while I'm running the vacuum, using the blender and she got used to it. So maybe while holding her - stop to drop things and make a silly saying like, "uh-oh - Layla mommy dropped the silly....whatever....make a game out of it. See if that works and take it in small baby steps.

2) We covered this in puppy class....you get them all excited and goofy with your high-pitched voice and silly sounds and start to name fruits and vegetables, then you start to calm them down by starting to speak very softly and say the same fruits/veggies - they do calm down after a minute or two because you are calm and talking softly - trust me this works - we had 8 puppies in our class and all were insane but once you start to talk softly to them they just naturally calm down.

3) Again my trainer is going to have a Good Citizen course and they have wheelchairs, etc., to get them used to it. Check with your PetsMart and see if they offer Good Citizen classes.

That's a start at least.

i own a used furniture store and people call me with them cleaning out estates. leave you name, they dont want them most of the time. or used medical supply, some of the fair grounds here have them, call for a walk and say you have a friend you want to take for a walk. hospis lets us use them also canes crutchs

[marcerella02]

WONDERFUL WONDERFUL suggestions!! thank you thank you thank you! last night i was so hopeless about this therapy thing... poor Layla... lots of work ahead!! my jumpy little girl is going to get used to noises and i'll be calling around for GOod Citizen Classes!

[crystalsmom]

you've had some great suggestions. you might want to contact the Delta Society or you may have already, they are international.

My first yorkie went through the testing for Children's hospital. The bed pan being dropped didn't bother her and being put up on the child's hospital bed we had to be sure we had a dog that would not go near an IV and grooming had to be perfect. It is such a rewarding experience and well worth the work involved.

[Yorkiekids]

Seems like you got a lot of good info.

[bdbmamaw]

For question #2 you might want to use the word 'settle'. I would finally get Sammie settled and it would last about 2 seconds (if that). But I kept doing it and praising her when she settled, that it didn't take too long for her just to lay there and take the praise. Now she can 'sit', 'down' and 'settle'.

It just takes time. I was told that the dog could be startled by the noise of the metal bowl, but could not react agressively. Sammie will jump and look towards the noise, but she doesn't bark or try to attack it. At first I was right there with her and would immediately kneel down beside her and let her know it was alright. Now she jumps a little, then looks at me to see how I'm reacting. If I'm not upset by the noise, she just continues on as if nothing happened. You find that as you work with her, you two will become a team. It's soooo cool!

Keep on trying and don't give up.

Good luck!

[Yorkiedaze]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

i got an email back today from the man in charge of pet therapy here in London and he said there are 53 dogs on a waiting list to be tested and only 36 get tested a year... yikes, but he also included the test and it seems that Layla may need a year or two to work on a few things... which is ok.... i have a few questions
1. They need to be able to drop a metal bowl 6 feet away from her and not have her react... well Layla is afraid when a baggie falls on the floor... any ideas on how i can get her used to this... i'd say it is beyond normal fear... it is something that can affect her whole day.... if we are using a fly swatter to kill a fly.. she is done for the dya... this all started last christmas when we were in Florida and she heard a firecracker.. we were outside peeing (ok SHE was peeing) and she wasnt ready for it.. before this she could care less about thunderstorms... and now... she is a complete mess... anyways.. an ideas on the bowl would be great
2. She needs to be excited and easily calmed.... should i use a key word... like easy??? i am not usre how to teach *be calm*
3. She needs to be comfortable around a wheel chair.. any ideas where i can get her exposed to this??? i don't know anyone in a wheel chair or who owns one.

any help would be so great.. i want to work with her for a few years so we can have this down and pass the test with flying colors... i want so bad to be a therapy dog with her... Thanks!

My little Delsi passed her therapy dog test but they never dropped anything close to her. It wouldn't have bothered her if they had.
I would say get a small metal mixing bowl, put it on the bare floor with a couple tiny bits of cheese in it. You sit right beside the bowl. She will have to work at getting the cheese out which will make a noise. Let her get used to that noise completely before helping the noise along by tapping the bowl on the floor just a tiny bit at a time till she gets used to each stage of noise.

[Yorkiedaze]

I forgot to mention that the cheese has to be totally flat sandwich all American cheese.

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Yorkiedaze

My little Delsi passed her therapy dog test but they never dropped anything close to her. It wouldn't have bothered her if they had.
I would say get a small metal mixing bowl, put it on the bare floor with a couple tiny bits of cheese in it. You sit right beside the bowl. She will have to work at getting the cheese out which will make a noise. Let her get used to that noise completely before helping the noise along by tapping the bowl on the floor just a tiny bit at a time till she gets used to each stage of noise.

Donna GREAT idea.. you know Layla will do ANYTHING for cheese!!

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by marcerella02

1. They need to be able to drop a metal bowl 6 feet away from her and not have her react... well Layla is afraid when a baggie falls on the floor... any ideas on how i can get her used to this... i'd say it is beyond normal fear... it is something that can affect her whole day.... if we are using a fly swatter to kill a fly.. she is done for the dya... this all started last christmas when we were in Florida and she heard a firecracker.. we were outside peeing (ok SHE was peeing) and she wasnt ready for it.. before this she could care less about thunderstorms... and now... she is a complete mess... anyways.. an ideas on the bowl would be great

This reminds me EXACTLY of "breaking" a horse (though I hate that term). With Layla, like horses, you want them to learn that in the presence of chosen stimuli, they are safe.

For ex., for a horse, you'd be hanging onto it's rope, take a plastic grocery bag and start introducing it - mildly at first, progressing to waving it all around their ears and face - all in one session often. They simply learn, very quickly, that there is nothing to fear - even though it's a new noise. You're basically extinguishing skittish behavior.

So w/ Layla:

*sit w/ her and bowl in your lap - move bowl around, wave it around
*Layla in lap - start tapping bowl on floor; continue until "flinch" response stops
*make louder, unexpected noises w/ bowl (Layla still in lap); toss bowl etc.
*progress to her out of lap and you making noises w/ bowl

You're truly teaching her that she is safe among this noise.

Good luck!

[marcerella02]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

This reminds me EXACTLY of "breaking" a horse (though I hate that term). With Layla, like horses, you want them to learn that in the presence of chosen stimuli, they are safe.

For ex., for a horse, you'd be hanging onto it's rope, take a plastic grocery bag and start introducing it - mildly at first, progressing to waving it all around their ears and face - all in one session often. They simply learn, very quickly, that there is nothing to fear - even though it's a new noise. You're basically extinguishing skittish behavior.

So w/ Layla:

*sit w/ her and bowl in your lap - move bowl around, wave it around
*Layla in lap - start tapping bowl on floor; continue until "flinch" response stops
*make louder, unexpected noises w/ bowl (Layla still in lap); toss bowl etc.
*progress to her out of lap and you making noises w/ bowl

You're truly teaching her that she is safe among this noise.

Good luck!

GREAT idea... not sure why i didn't think of that.. i've taken tons of psych courses and one way to extinguish a phobia is flooding, which is JUST what you said... thanks! poor Layla.. lots of stress coming her way! but i think this will work so well!!!