More Practice....

This morning we worked on more distractions for the dogs. They are getting really good at ignoring them. We work really hard to distract them in a controlled environment so we when we are out in public, it is no big deal for them. We throw treats right in front of them or their favorite toy and make them "leave it." Blitzen does pretty good with distractions lay there.
Late morning we played the "seizure game" with the boxes. He did really well with this. We started with two boxes (one with seizure scent and one without). He loves his reward when he "paws" at the scent.

After lunch, we worked on behavior disruption. Blitzen did much better with this today. We practiced "lap" and "nuzzle" and deep pressure. He did all of these today. I practiced "roughing him up" with LOTS of treats. I wanted to imitate some of the behaviors that he may encounter with Hannah. To do this, you have to desensitize him to being pushed, kicked, or even hit..... Again, a great job.....
Late afternoon, we did more seizure work. This time we used four boxes (we will work up to 6 boxes). He alerted each time. The first time, the bags were sealed and he still could smell it!! Good Dog!!!! He is definitely a keeper......

Half way through training

We are officially half way through training!!! In one way, that feels great, but it is also scary sounding!!! Blitzen is still doing very well. I pulled out Hannah's seizure shirt last night in the middle of the night, he alerted to it, but didn't touch. (this was the first time he did it in the night). I tried it 30 minutes later and he immediately "touched." We won't know for sure how he alerts to a real seizure, until she has one!! Sometimes the dogs alert differently than they have been trained in the real life situation. I don't care how he alerts, just so he does. Two of the dogs have already alerted to seizures well before they began. So encouraging!!!

This morning we worked on distracting the dogs. They had to stay in a sit and down while being very distracted. Jeremy would offer them treats or toys and they had to stay where they were. Blitzen did well this. There was one particular treat that he REALLY wanted. I had to correct him a couple times.

After lunch, we headed to the mall. Hannah wasn't in a very good mood and Blitzen definitely sensed this. He fed off of her mood. I took him by myself and he did great. He still gets nervous around loud or alarming sounds. He will get better with this with time.

Tonight, the 4 Paws gang is having a SuperBowl party tonight. It sounds like most everyone is planning to come. It is fun to get the dogs together, but sometimes they forget to behave!!!

Another successful day....

We had another great day. This morning we started out learning behavior disruption. We now use the commands "lap" (he lays his head on Hannah's lap to help her to not melt down), "nuzzle" (goes to her and puts his nose to her for lovin') and deep pressure (he will lay on top of her, either legs, back or stomach). I think this will really be useful to help her before she gets too worked up.

The afternoon was all about health care. We learned how to care for the dogs from head to toe. It was very educational to learn exactly how to meet the dogs needs.

We tried a different harness with Blitzen tonight. We went to the mall to practice and he did fantastic! Hannah is able to walk on the other side of him with a second leash. It is better for her too. He could not have done better at the mall tonight. I was very proud of him!!!

Aunt Bev brought Josiah and Elijah to visit us and meet Blitzen tonight. It was so nice to see them. I know they were counting the days until they could come and see us. They were excited to see all the "tricks" that Blitzen can do!

Tomorrow we have class at the center in the morning and back at the mall in the afternoon....

First day in public....

Blitzen and Hannah had a wonderful night and morning of bonding. He really likes to be with her and will go in to check on her often. It is really a neat thing to watch. Last night we practiced the "seizure game" (alerting to her seizure shirts). He alerted to it right away. Then he got his reward....playing with his plush squeaky toy!!!! He goes nuts!!!

This morning in class we practiced teaching the dogs to go "under" the tables in restaurants. Blitzen did very well with this command. Legally, the dogs don't have to lay under the tables, but it is best to keep them out of the way as much as possible.

We broke for lunch and all met at the mall afterwards for our first outing in public. Blitzen is very alert to everything, so it is difficult to keep him from distractions. He "heeled" better than I expected, but still likes to pull more than he should. We are going to try a new harness tomorrow so Hannah can help walk him better. I think he pulls because she is either in front or behind me and he wants to be with her. I think this new harness will help alleviate that.

The biggest problem we had was the elevator. He is very afraid and unsure of them. He actually panicked so much he pulled me to my knees the first time. Jeremy practiced with us and we went in the elevator with one of the other dogs so Blitzen could feed off his confidence. This really helped, but we will have to practice this quite a bit.

After the mall, we went back and rested some (we were all exhausted!!). Then we went to Arby's for dinner. He did fantastic. He never got up once. Then we went to Meijer to get some snacks. He was a little unsure of the parking lot, but once inside he was great. he "heeled" right beside the cart. People seemed to clear out of the way when they saw us coming! A couple people asked to pet him, but there was absolutely no negativity. I think we will all sleep well tonight!

Another wonderful day....

Day 3 was long, but extremely productive. We started out class by again, asking questions to Jeremy. We then continued with obedience as we are striving for total respect from the dogs. Blitzen is getting there. He is very sensitive and really wants to please; so therefore, he tends to be submissive most of the time. This makes him a very good alert dog. He doesn't miss a beat!!!

We practiced "heel" while walking with a shopping cart. This is gearing us for our first outing....we hit the mall tomorrow afternoon!!! I am fairly nervous, as he has to notice everything!!! (again, a good thing for detecting her seizures)

The afternoon was mostly dedicated to seizure work. One word....AMAZING!!!!! The trainers demonstrated how they train to alert to seizures. Several boxes (all identical) are put in a big circle. They all have holes cut out in the middle with something inside. One box contained the child's seizure shirt, still in the plastic baggies (these are the shirts she has been wearing for the last 6 months) and the others contained other white shirts in bags. The trainer would lead the dogs around the boxes and command "check." The dog would sniff around the box and when he got to the seizure shirt, he would stop and "paw." Each dog did this wonderfully!!! It was a sight to behold. This is the ultimate game for the dogs and do they ever get excited!!! They sent seizure shirts home with us and we practiced "check" and Blitzen immediately "pawed" me. YAY!!!! They want me to get up in the middle of the night and open the bag to get the sent in the room. He is not used to waking up in the night to alert. We will have to continue to practice with the seizure shirts until we are sure he alerts to Hannah. We are off to an encouraging start!!! Jeremy said today that they have an 85-90% success rate for seizure alerting (before the seizure occurs). He said this is because the kids begin to give off a scent before the seizure is recognizable to us. Therefore, they can tell us it is about to occur!!! How cool is that??? I have included a couple pictures of seizure alert practice.

Day 2 goes very well....

We just completed our second day of training. Blitzen did so good today. I was extremely happy and proud of him. He is really transitioning well and beginning to really show me respect.
Once we all arrived at 4 Paws (the roads were horrible!! It took me an hour just clear the ice off the van) we went around the room and discussed questions or concerns we had from our first night with our dogs. Then we continued with basic obedience.

Blitzen can now stay in a sit or down position with me dropping his leash and walking all around the room. He follows me with his eyes, but will stay. yay!!!
Then we worked really hard on "heal." This is important so he walks with us and doesn't pull or walk ahead of us. He does extremely well with this too.

After lunch we worked on tricks that the dogs can do. We do not want Blitzen to "shake, high five, or give five" because he alerts to seizures by pawing and we don't want this to get confused. But he did roll on command and will learn "play dead" tomorrow.

At break times we have the opportunity to let the dogs off their leashes and run outside. Blitzen loves the snow!!! It is so fun to see the dogs interact.

He is bonding well with Hannah. He checks on her many times a day. He will jump up and lay with her and loves to be stroked. He seems to know that she is "his girl!" This bond will continue to grow every day.

Love At First Sight!!!!!

Today was the day we were united with Blitzen! It was a morning full of nervous excitement and anticipation. The head trainer, Jeremy, brought one dog out at a time, building anticipation even more!!! Blitzen was the 5th dog brought out. He immediately "hugged" Hannah and enjoyed all the affection. He has such a nice personality and is so beautiful. Jeremy told us he chose Blitzen for Hannah because he alerts very well out of sleep. Because Hannah's hard seizures are at night he thought after a long day at school, he would still be able to wake up and alert to her.

Hannah was little overwhelmed at first, but quickly warmed up to him. The morning was filled with getting to know the dogs and for the children to start the bonding process. After lunch, we began to learn basic obedience. He will sit, lay and stay, allowing us to walk away from him. The main idea is for him to learn to take commands from us instead of the trainer.

We brought Blitzen back to the hotel with us. He was nervous at first, but seemed to relax fairly quickly. He is bonding well with Hannah. She is giving commands and he is listening very well to her. All in all, a great first day. We are very encouraged and look forward to training tomorrow.