It's Carnival! Let's Party!

Well, here it is . . . Sharon over at After Gadget is sponsoring the first Assistance Dog Blog Carnival and here is my entry! The plan is that the Carnival will take place quarterly with a different theme each time. The theme for this 'edition' is Firsts. My first thought was to tap imto one of the many 'firsts' that I have written about in the past -- there have been a ton of them. But, after what happened the other day, I decided to go ahead and write something just for the Carnival.

Why? You may ask . . . well it is because Saturday we experienced a first in a series of firsts and all of them had to do with Hot Air Balloons. Cura does not really like Hot Air Balloons. Not only does she not like the noise made by the burners, but she does not like seeing them floating in the sky -- near or far. Now, this would not be a problem in many places, but here in New Mexico it is a bit of an issue, especially this time of year with the Balloon Fiesta which just took place.

For those of you who are new to Cura's Corner, Cura is an owner trained Service Dog. Well, owner trained with professional guidance. She came home in March of 2009 and worked very hard together to become the team that we are today. But this is not about Cura's first days with me, it is about her changing attitude toward balloons.

Because she spent so much time in a shelter before being adopted, she had not been socialized to a number of things. The first time we went for a walk when there were balloons in the air, I thought I was going to lose her. She pretty much paniced and it was all I could do to get her home. She literally couldn't think -- all she wanted to do was get away -- to anywhere! She was panting, tail between her legs, ears back, head frantically swiveling from side to side . . . Obviously, this was something that needed some work!

Fast forward several months and we had another balloon first! It was the first time we went for a walk with balloons in the air where she was able to think. She was still not happy, but less frantic. She walked by my side in the proper place and listened to and performed the tasks that I asked of her. But her posture was unchanged . . . still panting, tail between the legs, ears back . . . but not so much head swivelling.

Finally, she got to the point where she could walk down the street with a bit more confidence when the balloons were out. Her tail was still down, but not tucked between her legs, and her body posture was better, but still not happy. Her solution was to go out, do what she had to do, and get back home as quickly as possible. No dallying, doing everything that was asked of her, not rushing, but no messing about. I can't tell you how pleased I was the first time I realized she was becoming better able to cope when there were balloons in the air. I respected her discomfort with the balloons and usually let her choose to walk the short route rather than the longer one on those mornings that they were out.

Then, there came the First that prompted this post. This morning there were several balloons in the air when we went out for our morning walk. Although she was aware of them, she was in quite a perky mood. The entire walk her tail and head were held high and she was obviously having a great time. We came to the point in our walk where, if we were taking the shorter route, she would turn to go home and she just kept on going! For the first time, she wanted to be out and about while the balloons were up in the air! It was a wonderful walk! All of that perseverence seems to have paid off!

So, that is the story of our Balloon firsts . . . like all of our challenges, it looks like one more has been overcome through dedication and perseverence. Having a Service Dog may not be a walk in the park but I think all the hard work is worth it. Cura has changed my life. She is my first Service Dog and I frequently wonder how I managed without her. Before her, so much energy went toward managing my life and now it goes toward living it!

Another Milestone!

Well, Cura and I are officially Alumni of A Fresh Perspective Dog Training's Service Dog program!  WhoooHooo!  It was a wonderful evening.  We were fortunate enough to have several people come and help us to celebrate our success.  So many people have come together to create our Service Dog Team and all of them were thrilled that Cura and I were graduating.

We received a framed diploma and Rick and Heather had Service Dog patches made -- I can't WAIT to switch them out on Cura's gear.  The wording of the diploma is great -- with any form of the word 'certified' conspicuously absent!  Yay!  (where do you think I get my healthy distain for the whole 'certified Service Dog' myth?)

One of the talented Service Dog Teams in the program presented us with a beautiful painting -- I have no idea how she managed it (the idea -- not the actual painting), but the imagery was perfect and the colors she used were amazing.  She is so talented and it was an honor to be gifted with one of her creations. 

We received many wonderful gifts and, thanks to the generosity of many of the guests, Cura and I were able to present Paws and Stripes with a small donation to help their cause!  (I posted about this great new organization a little over a month ago -- if you are interested in learning more about it, check out the website).  The founders are involved in the same Service Dog program as Cura and I so it was a pleasure to be able to donate to a good cause and help a few friends at the same time.

Well, that is the quick and dirty version of graduation . . . I think it will take some time to figure out exactly how I feel about no longer being in training.  I imagine it will gradually start to sink in as the weeks pass.  Don't worry, I will keep sharing our journey -- after all, it is still ongoing even though we are not 'in training' any longer.  Cura and I will still be going to classes -- to keep us from getting lazy -- and I will keep teaching Cura new skills -- to keep her mind working.  Plus, there will be the everyday experiences of being a partnership and moving through the world.

Stay tuned for our adventures!

Black Friday Adventure

I guess I should begin by confessing that, for as long as I can remember, I have been very uncomfortable in crowds.  I have never been officially diagnosed, but I figure I have some form or combination of demophobia/agoraphobia/claustrophobia because my anxiety tends to flare when I am feeling physically constrained, either by people or space.  For example, I can be in a very large room with few people in it, but if they are all clustered by the only door in such a way that I would be unable to exit easily, my anxiety increases.  Elevators themselves are not really a problem -- but, if given the chance I will never enter a crowded elevator and I have been known to exit one if it got too full, especially if I got stuck in the back away from the door and had several floors to travel.  When my medical issues required that I have an MRI, not only was Valium required to get me into the darn machine, but I also needed a person to stay with me just outside, touching me and speaking to me to get me through the whole process without flipping out.  Even then, it was a pretty close call.  All of the above described situations were before I had spent any time as a person with a physical disability.  Things only got worse when I was injured.

Now, fortunately, I never got to the point where I never left the house, but I have had periods where my anxiety levels (read panic attacks) were unmanageable for periods of time.  Even when my anxiety was not unmanageable, for years now I have tended not to go out much unless absolutely necessary and usually not unless I was with another person, meeting another person, or had some kind meeting/class/job to go to.  At some points, I did my best to insure that I limited such "commitments" so that I did not have to go out on my own.

So, with that (very) cursory background information, you will hopefully understand the significance of my Black Friday Adventure.  I imagine the only reason I actually stepped up and did it AND got through the whole thing relatively unscathed is because it was "training for Cura."  Yeah, right -- more like therapy for me!  Funny how so much of Cura's training is actually addressing my personal challenges . . .

Originally, the plan was to go shopping with Nonna Ear Rubs with the intention of scoping out a Christmas present for Fuzzy Face.  But, due to scheduling issues, Nonna Ear Rubs couldn't go.  YIKES!!  Well, let me tell you, that was almost the end of the Black Friday Adventure right there!  At the very least, the adventure was going to be postponed until Sunday when Nonna Ear Rubs could make it.  No way in ____ was I going to face the insane post-Thanksgiving crowds on my own . . . oh, wait . . . I would not BE on my own.  Cura would be with me . . .

So, we went -- though I managed to accumulate several errands in addition to "Mall Cruising."  For some reason, this helped me to prepare for tackling the insanity of the Mall.  Maybe because we were able to do some "normal, everyday" things first . . . who knows!  All I know is that it helped me get into a good state of mind before actually stepping foot in the Mall.

For the most part, we did great!  Cura was not overly thrilled with the crowds (especially the free-range, loud, rambunctious children that were naturally attracted to her lovely -- frequently curved -- tail . . . a part of me thinks this attraction may sometimes play a part in her lowering her tail when in stressful situations -- maybe not every time, but sometimes) but she stuck close and did everything that I asked her too.  Besides, it isn't as if I was thrilled about the crowds, either!  I did a bit of shopping for myself and scoped out some things to purchase later for Christmas gifts.

We used the escalators (up and down), wandered in crowded, tight spaces where Cura had to follow me rather than be beside me, stood in lines, and browsed the various counters.  With the volume of people, we still managed to either get jostled or "trapped."  Still, the jostling I received was drastically reduced -- hardly a brush -- AND I got an apology rather than the person(s) pretending that it didn't happen!  As far as getting boxed in . . . it did happen several times -- and I did start to get anxious every time.  When I did . . . Cura became VERY deliberate in her motion and, while slowly moving forward, also leaned against me slightly (just brushing my leg).  In hindsight, it was as if she was reminding me that she was there with me.  Regardless of her intention, the result was that my anxiety remained at manageable levels and we were able to spend a little over an hour in the Mall on Black Friday!

Was there room for improvement . . . of course!  But we managed to tackle a difficult situation together -- at the very least it strengthened our bond even more.  In reality, Cura managed to help me through a situation that would have been virtually impossible for me (especially in the past seven-plus years) before she came into my life.  I would have never contemplated attempting it.  Instead, I would have found a perfectly logical and acceptable reason for avoiding it completely.  Progress . . . I LOVE it!

Our next private training session is scheduled to take place in the Mall -- a wonderful opportunity for fine tuning!  I can't wait!

Things Floating in the Air

Successful trip to the Aquarium! You may ask why the excitement over such a simple thing . . . after all, it is just a matter of walking around and looking in the tanks, right? It is, in fact, just wandering around and looking at all the different fish swimming around in their tanks -- and I if I had not been accompanied by my trusty sidekick, you would be correct in thinking that this was no big deal -- just another touristy event to take the visiting relative to for one of the many tastes of New Mexico.

But, let us take a step back for a moment and try to see this lovely excursion from Cura's perspective . . .

First, there are quite a large number of people milling around. After all, it is still summer and parents are desperately trying to find things to occupy their, by now, bored youngsters in the few days left before they return to days filled with lessons and homework. Ah, wait! Not just people, but little people . . . not just little people, but little people who spontaneously decide that the walking is not a fast enough way to get from A to B and that said travel must be accompanied by high pitched screeches or other similar sound effects. Now from our perspective, this is SOP for places of this nature. Children are understandably excited about what they are seeing and thrilled to be sharing these experiences with one or both parents -- naturally there will be the appropriate movements and sounds. But remember, dogs naturally have a prey drive -- if it runs, it not only usually attracts the dog's attention, but also sparks a merry game of chase (hence the reason that a great way to get your dog to 'come' is to run away from it). On top of that, as a rule, they have much better hearing than we do -- in fact, the only sense that is stronger in a dog is their sense of smell. So you can bet your bottom dollar that if that screaming and chatter is getting to be a bit much for your ears -- they have long passed the point of comfort for a dog. On top of that, since they can hear in frequencies that humans can not, Cura was likely dealing with additional sounds from machinery and possibly even the creatures in the tanks! (though I didn't see any whales or dolphins, so who knows.)

Puppy perspective number two: the smell! Naturally, an aquarium smells a bit like . . . well . . . fish. Not in a 'sitting out on the counter for three days' kind of way, but any of you who have owned an aquarium in your home or has known someone with one are very aware that fish tanks have a particular odor no matter how well they are maintained. It is not necessarily an unpleasant smell -- just a fishy one. My brother had an aquarium in his bedroom for several years when he was younger and when you entered his room, there was a decidedly damp and organic smell to everything -- think of freshly tilled earth or freshly cut grass and translate that into aquatic fragrances and that is what an aquarium smells like to me. Well, let's look at this from a doggie perspective, shall we? Dogs have 220 million olfactory receptors in their nose and we inferior humans have only 5 million! So, if I can register the smells of an aquarium can you imagine what smells Cura was identifying (even if she may not really know WHAT they are, she certainly recognizes that they are there!)?

Now, in some ways, I already covered sight with the flitting little people -- but there is an added visual challenge . . . the actual fish! First and foremost, just a little reminder that Cura is not overly fond of things in the sky/air . . . balloons, clouds, statues, tall signs, ceiling decorations, recessed lighting, smoke detectors -- all of these things and more have triggered a negative response from Cura at some point and some of them still do. Her reaction is increased if the object in question MOVES! Well, when you think about it, that is pretty much the definition of an aquarium -- a place where lots of things move around and float in the air.

On top of all this, Cura's dedicated owner (yes, that would be me) added to her stress in two very distinct ways. First, I made a mistake . . . that morning, we had gone for a run and I had switched Cura's slip collar to reflect the fact that in the run she is on my right instead of my left (most of the time, I don't drive). This allows the collar to release from any correction when she is running instead of pinching her neck (we are trying to reduce her 'enthusiasm' in the beginning of the run since, if I am having a bad day, her exuberance may be too much for me to handle -- I would not be surprised if she has the ability to dislocate a shoulder on some days!). Well, rocket scientist here forgot to switch the slip collar back to reflect the fact that Cura would be walking on her usual left side when we were out and about. So, what do I do? Here we are, going into the Aquarium and, because Cura is out of place, I quickly turn -- tightening the collar. Imagine my surprise (and guilt) when Cura yelps! The collar had tightened and pinched her because I had neglected to switch it after our run. That certainly did not help the situation -- though I waited until she had calmed before actually entering the aquarium.

The other contribution is a little harder to avoid. I have always been claustrophobic. This not only manifests in a discomfort -- that is an understatement -- when in small spaces, but also in tight quarters of any kind. For example, being in a crowded room where my access to an exit is blocked or I feel my movement is restricted is problematic for me. Combine this with an increased nervousness in places where I can be jostled which is a direct result of my disability and you have a person who does not react to crowds well. While I have noticed that, generally, people give me more space since I have Cura with me, I do still get quite nervous in such situations. When I am nervous, Cura reads that and tends to become nervous as well. Substitute pretty much any emotion or state of mind into that sentence and it will be true -- trainers will try to explain this and frequently people don't believe it, but dogs DO pick up on the energy of your emotions and state of mind.

Having grown up with dogs almost all of my life, I 'knew' this on some level, but until I was constantly being accompanied by a dog everywhere I went, I don't think it really sunk in. After all, a pet is not with you 100% of the time. If you are having a stressful day, you don't necessarily have to be around your pet (in fact, I would venture to say that some of the major stresses occur away from pets). But, a service dog is there all the time -- every spike or dip in your energy, they react to. Now, Cura did absolutely brilliantly all the way through the Aquarium despite the smells, floating objects, flitting and exuberant children, etc. She really only started to 'get twitchy' in the last room. This is the room where everyone had congregated because it was the location of one of the larger tanks, had several viewing points, and was the last glimpse of this amazing environment before leaving the aquarium. Naturally, the body density increased and so did both the noise and unpredictable movement. I became very aware of the close quarters.

Regardless of whether Cura was only picking up on my discomfort or if she was experiencing her own discomfort in addition to mine, her solution was just what we (Heather, Rick, and I) are looking for. Cura's flight response is clearly diminishing if not completely disappearing. Eighty to ninety percent of the time, when she is stressed, she moves closer to me rather than trying to bolt and get away from the situation. Even when she does 'bolt', it is usually only far enough to put me in between her and whatever has spooked her. On top of that, even if she is overwhelmed and stressed, she is now able to perform her obedience skills. This is a rather new development -- as little as five or six weeks ago, Cura had trouble performing a sit, down, stay, stand, etc. if she was stressed. Now, she is still stressed, but able to focus on her job despite it. I am sure that as I get better at managing my responses to situations and Cura has more experiences to draw from, she will just keep getting better and better.

So, now you may understand the excitement that I have because Cura had such a positive and successful experience at what would be a very mundane activity for you or I. She has been with me for just over four months and is constantly reinforcing the fact that all she needed was a job -- she was not unmanageable or untrainable, just bored. Thankfully, Heather and Rick saw her potential and introduced us. I will repeat an observation of another member of our household . . . "What did we do without you?" The training may require dedication from both of us (me especially), but ultimately it is worth it! All concerned benefit -- I see that on the rare occasions that I look at Cura sleeping deeply and contentedly (snoring, by the way) despite the thunder and lightening outside -- or because she has had a busy and challenging day filled with new experiences. I know that I find great comfort in knowing that I have helped to provide a fulfilling and active life for a beautiful and loving creature such as Cura. I hope that she finds a comparable comfort in providing me with a fuller and more independent life. I hope that, from her perspective, I manage to honor our bond as much as I believe that she honors it. Some of you may think that this is giving Cura too much credit. To you I say that, until you have been chosen by such a dedicated creature as my blessed Cura -- one who trusts you completely and is dedicated to, not only following your lead, but insuring you safety above their own -- you should take a step back and reserve judgment. Despite my mistakes and inner demons as well as the sensory challenges the aquarium presented, Cura was with me the entire time -- she did not bolt, instead she stayed by my side. In my opinion, there is no greater praise -- I am not the perfect leader; I have and will continue to make mistakes -- but Cura trusts me to take care of her as I trust her to take care of me. Heather and Rick have taught us that practice and persistence will only increase our success -- I believe that and Cura's progress is a testament to this philosophy.

Keeping up with the Training

I have mentioned that consistency and persistence are important for this whole training process and you would think that such common-sense characteristics would be easy to implement . . . think again! Even though I consider myself a rather well organized and reliable person who (for the most part) is balanced and diligent -- especially when it concerns things that are important to me or close to my heart, it has become clear to me how much I can fluctuate and even 'give up' on a daily basis. When training, letting something 'slide' is not really an option. Well, it is an option, but it means that I have just created additional work for myself because I didn't reinforce the 'rule'.

So, you say, just enforce the rules all the time . . .

Well, that is easier said than done. Let me give you an example . . . Ideally, Cura is to walk beside me (slightly ahead, actually -- essentially the base of her neck/start of her shoulder is at the seam of my trousers -- so her nose is in front of me), looking either straight ahead or at me. No 'foraging', as Rick calls it. This means that, in the event that Cura gets out of place (either to far forward or too far behind) I should correct her, and if her nose/ears are wandering all over the place, I should also correct her.

Challenge #1: My timing -- if it is off at all and I end up letting Cura get too far out of place before correcting her and I am telling her that she needs to reset to a position that is incorrect because she will reset to the position she was at the point where I corrected her. If I correct her when she is too far forward, she will think that she should maintain a position that is forward of the position she should actually be. If I don't correct the wandering attention immediately, she will think that short breaks in focusing on her job are acceptable (definitely NOT good if I happen to fall during one of those lapses of attention!).

Challenge #2: Repetition -- on a good day, how many times do you calmly repeat instructions to someone before you finally give up or blow up??? Well, giving up is counterproductive, so if I chose to give up, I am essentially shooting myself in the foot. Blowing up is at least as counterproductive as giving up and it may be worse! So . . . patience, patience, patience -- that is the key.

Since I have my good days and bad days, there are days that I am better at these things than others. So, what have I learned? Don't take on something that I don't have the ability to follow through on that day. If it is a bad day, I try to limit the amount of 'new' stuff I work on with Cura and concentrate on the skills she is more familiar with. Of course, it is best to practice every day so that Cura can learn the skills faster -- and I pretty much work on everything each day. But, some days we focus on the new skills with less time spent on the skills Cura has been working with longer while other days we concentrate on the older skills and only spend a short time on the new skills. All I do is make sure that we end on a success -- and on a really bad day, that could be a VERY small success indeed!