Category Archives: PTSD

Anxiety, El Paso, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Welcome Wounded Warrior Ethan and SDiT Shae’mus

From our trainer Terry, in El Paso, who did an initial assessment on new client Wounded Warrior Ethan, and his SDIT, “Shae’mus”. Ethan suffers from severe PTSD, anxiety, and a TBI. Ethan’s wife wrote that since Ethan has been home, Shae’mus already seems to know there is something wrong, and helps my husband when he is sleeping if he’s having nightmares by coming and lying half his body on my Ethan. If they are out in public, Ethan has severe anxiety. Terry writes:

“I performed an assessment on 4 year-old Mastiff mix, Shae’mus for trainability and temperament. Shae’mus passed the assessment perfectly. Shae’mus has some knowledge of basic obedience commands, and executed them to a good degree of accuracy. From observation, I could detect a very strong bond between owner Ethan and Shae’mus, and the dog’s willingness to assist and please the owner. Shae’mus is a fairly large dog, and the living arrangement with another dog in a house was good, as it provided a large backyard for exercising. In addition, the owners take Shae’mus out for walks to allow him some other means to relax and exercise. Shae’mus is excellent with the children inside the home, as well as with the other dog in the family. I checked Shae’mus for any skin discoloration, scars, protruding bones, teeth decay, and any other sign that might indicate a pending health risk; there was none found. However, I did note that the Shae’mus has a slight limp, and the owners have agreed to take the dog to the vet for further observation. I would highly recommend Ethan and his dog Shae’mus for training in the Service Dog Express Program.

Depression, El Paso, Military, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Rudy and SDiT Jenny = Part II

From our trainer, Terry, in El Paso, who is working with Wounded Warrior Rudy, and his SDIT, Jenny.

“Good day to all,

Another good training session with Rudy and SDIT, Jenny. This time, we went to one of our largest shopping centers “Cielo Vista Mall”. Here, we practiced entering and exiting the elevator, avoiding noise distractions, socializing with other people as well as children, and last – food distraction! In all tests, Rudy and Jenny did very well with no problems. If you train hard, you should enjoy the fruits of your labor, so we engaged ourselves with our spouses in a little socializing as well! Shortly, Rudy and Jenny will be taking their Public Access Test! Well done, team!”

Depression, El Paso, Military, PTSD, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Rudy and SDiT Jenny

From our super trainer, Terry, who is in El Paso, and is working with Rudy, who is a Wounded Warrior suffering from PTSD, TBI, Depression, hyper-vigilance, sleep apnea, and nightmares, and his SDIT, “Jenny”.

Terry writes:

“We had a great outing and exposure to the mall, and all of its many distractions! Rudy and Jenny did exceptionally well on their first outing in the mall. We practiced and mastered the proper procedures of entering and exiting the mall, as it has double doors, and requires some skill level to get in and out successfully. We visited a couple of stores; some crowed with people, some crowed with merchandise, some empty with people, merchandise, and some with confined space for maneuvering. Rudy and Jenny performed exceptionally well in all situations presented!! We also made use of the elevator, and again, both parties performed so well! What a wonderful outing!”

Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATS TO FRANK AND SD NICHOLS

From our brilliant trainer Pat, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Frank, and his now Service Dog, Springer Spaniel Mix, “Nichols”! CONGRATULATIONS TO FRANK AND NICHOLS!!! Frank suffers from anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Pat writes:

“Frank, Nichols and I performed the Public Access Test at crowded HEB! CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE was fine, but Nichols got a bit distracted when another dog was walked past. APPROACHING THE BUILDING was perfect, as was CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY. HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING was mostly perfect, but Nichols had a bit of a struggle readily adjusting to speed changes. SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD was brilliant, and SITS ON COMMAND was just fine. Nichols took a few prompts to “sit” with all the distractions, but he eventually got it down, with the same responses to DOWNS ON COMMAND. NOISE DISTRACTIONS were not a problem at all for Nichols, and he performed wonderfully in the restaurant. OFF LEAD work, DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON, CONTROLLED EXIT, and CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE were flawless. I encouraged Frank to praise Nichols a bit more when he did his commands well.”

WELL DONE, PAT AND TEAM!!!!

Military, PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR DONNY & MAX

CONGRATULATIONS TO WOUNDED WARRIOR DONNY, AND HIS NOW SERVICE DOG, BRILLIANT AND BEAUTIFUL SHARPEI-GREAT DANE MIX, “MAX”!!

Donny is an amazingly dedicated, confident dog handler who suffers from PTSD and TBI. He has done so much work with Max on his own, based upon his years of training his own personal dogs. From the first time I met them, I was already blown away by how much work he had done with Max. Donny followed all the training steps in the manual, and added his own training, which just enhanced Max’s already incredible abilities.

We took the Public Access Test at my favorite place to do them – the Bass Pro Shop. By now, I know just about every worker in the store – and they always greet each dog and handler with such compassion and kindness. They know to ask before petting, and all of them willingly participate in parts of the Public Access Test that require interactions with strangers.

We started from “unload”, then went to “controlled entry” (Max wasn’t even fazed by the rolling bars that let you in). We went all over the store, as I followed behind and let Donny know each command I had to see them do. Max scored an “Always” on every single part of the test. He adores children, and was gentle with each one that wanted to greet him as he stayed in a “sit” position. He was the same with male and female adults. I always add in some “extras” to the test, like showing Donny proper elevator entrance and exit with a Service Dog (Max loved the glass windows where he could see all the fish). We did fast heeling and slow heeling around corners and clothes racks, and when we did the “drop leash” command, Max stayed in a perfect heel far beyond what he was required to do! Donny and Max spend all their time together, so there is no doubt about how strong their bond is. Max loved the fish pond, and it was hilarious to see how he constantly cocked his head from side to side while watching the catfish swimming around! He didn’t attempt to jump in the pond, but I bet he would have loved to!

There were SO many people, including workers, who came up to us to express how beautiful Max was – and because he was so well-behaved, they asked for pointers for their own dogs! If the conversation went on a little bit too long, Max just laid down and rested. Max was SO intrigued by all the stuffed wild game they have there – Donny lives in an area where there are always deer in the front yard and even a small fox that visits – so Max would go right up to the huge stuffed deer and elk, sniff them, then look at Donny as if he was saying, “I don’t get it, dad – this LOOKS like a real animal, but it sure doesn’t smell like one!” Max’s face is so full of expression like that. Max didn’t really like the stuffed monkeys, because they are a bit scary looking, so when we went up to them, he did a back “cover” behind Donny as if he was saying “OK, that really freaks me out dad!”

We practiced slow walking on many of the different stair surfaces they have – “step, wait, step, wait”, and Max was perfect on each surface. He could sit/stay and down/stay with ease for as long as Donny wanted him to. Max was not fazed by shopping cars, people in motorized wheelchairs, crying babies (Max actually seems to really want to gravitate toward them as if to comfort them. There was even someone in the store with a very hyper puppy – and both the handler and Donny were hesitant to get them close – but I knew Max’s personality and told them to just relax and let the two dogs try and do a proper meet and greet – and they did! Max was gentle, and the little puppy quickly calmed down and they did the perfect “sniffing” pattern and became fast friends.

I am so, so very proud of this team. Donny said that Max always knows when Donny is having a difficult day, and comes to him instantly to give him comfort. Max’s recall is also profoundly good.

Well done, Donny and Max!!!!

P.S. – Check out Donny’s new Camaro!! A young couple visiting from Italy even came up to Donny and said, “How much for that Camaro? We’ll pay cash right now!” We all laughed and Max stuck his head out and said “No way, people – this is MY fancy car!”

Diabetes, Medical Alert, Mobility, MST, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

CONGRATULATIONS WOUNDED WARRIOR DENISE AND SANDY!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS DENISE AND SANDY!!!!!

From our super trainer, Brenda, who performed the Public Access Test with Wounded Warrior Denise and her now Service Dog, lab mix Sandy!!! Denise suffers from diabetes, PTSD, and needs medical alerts due to her struggles with the wheelchair and resulting difficulties.

“We performed the Public Access Test at Denise’s home, the supermarket, and Church’s Chicken. Denise and Sandy performed “controlled load and unload into a vehicle”, “approaching the building”, “controlled entry through a doorway”, “heeling through the building”, “six foot recall on lead”, “sitting on command” (mostly), “downing on command” (mostly), “ignoring noise distractions”, “restaurant etiquette”, “off-lead leash drop”, “dog taken by another person”, and “controlled exit” (mostly).

There was a bit missing during the “Team Relationship”, because Sandy received a grade of mostly for being completely relaxed and confident, and completely under control, but otherwise they did fine in this category.

Due to the fact that both Brenda and Denise use wheelchairs, they did not load into/out of a traditional vehicle; they took the bus. However, Brenda has seen Denise load/unload with her provider’s truck and the VIA Bus where Sandy performed the tasks perfectly!

Awesome job guys!!!!!

Anxiety, Panic Attack, PTSD, Texas

Carmen and SDIT Ollie

From our trainer Jackie, who is working with Carmen, who suffers from PTSD, anxiety, and panic attacks due to sexual assault, and her SDIT, “Ollie”.

3/8/15
SDIT Ollie recently joined SDE with handler Carmen. Ollie is a 5 year old Lab/Shiba Inu/Shar Pei mix, and yes, he is an interesting blend of stunning. Ollie was assessed for his capability to become a Service Dog for his handler, Carmen, who suffers from PTSD. Ollie already has passed the Canine Good Citizen Test, so has his basic commands down well. Ollie is very in tune with Carmen. The new team will begin working on more public exposure and re-enforcing Ollie’s current training.

3/16/15
Carmen and her SDIT for PTSD Ollie had their first session today. Carmen brought family members that she lives with to the training so that they could learn the do’s and don’ts related to Service Dogs. Additionally, we wanted Ollie to focus solely on Carmen despite distractions and despite the familiarity of others in the home. Carmen worked with Ollie on sitting and waiting at the end of every aisle. The younger children provided various distractions that Ollie had to work on ignoring. We worked on anticipating possible problems. For instance, Ollie is already has previous training and is in sync with Carmen. However, with a new role in her life, I encouraged Carmen to provide more hand signals and verbal feedback in advance regarding what tasks she wanted Ollie to perform. Ollie also worked on “leave it”, “stay”, and “recall.” The new team made great progress!

3/22/15
Carmen and her PTSD SDIT Ollie had their second session today. Again, Carmen brought a family member to continue to educate the family and to continue to work on Ollie’s ability to deal with focus and distractions. This session occurred at a local restaurant, which was only Ollie’s second time in an eating establishment. We continued to work on having Carmen providing continuous feedback to Ollie regarding what she needed from him and letting him know when he was on task. Ollie did great with “leave it.” He was very alert to everyone and everything around him. Carmen will continue to work on recognizing Ollie’s nonverbal communication to her. Ollie already has some natural alerting but will require some redirection in how to perform these tasks, and Carmen will begin working on noticing these behaviors more. Ollie responded very well in the eating establishment although he did get a little antsy when people walked by. Carmen and Ollie will continue to work on re-enforcing his commands in public settings.

PTSD, San Antonio, TBI, Texas, Veteran, Wounded Warrior

Wounded Warrior Donny and SDiT Max

Laurie had a super session with Wounded Warrior, Donny, and his SDIT, Max!!! Max is the most amazing Sharpei mix you could imagine, initially rescued by Cherry Jenkins of In Dog We Trust. Donny suffers from a TBI and PTSD, but takes Max everywhere with him – they have such a strong bond that if Donny even goes outside for 10 minutes to work, Max will just watch him out the window and whine a little bit until he is reunited with Donny!

Laurie writes:

Our first session was at Donny’s home, and Max was already well-trained by Donny using the training manual. This time, we met at Petsmart in New Braunfels, and went through several different commands. Max was perfect, and Donny was so at ease with him! Max is always watching Donny and they have a beautiful bond. We did several meet and greets with adults and children while Max stayed in a perfect sit, met other dogs with whom Max got along easily, and even tied him to the shopping cart with no problems! Max heels beautifully. He always comes when called. We practiced sit/stays, down/stays, and squeezed all kinds of squeaky toys to see which frequencies really got Max’s head to perk up! It was so much fun! Max was not distracted by anything or anyone around him. Donny has done such a wonderful job training beautiful Max. Max received so many compliments from both staff and customers about how well-behaved he was! Donny always gives him lots of praise and love – and they snuggle up together at home and Max sleeps right next to Donny. Next trip – Walmart at a very busy time!!!!!!

Anxiety, Medical Alert, Mobility, PTSD, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Updates from Candace

From our dear trainer, Candace, who recently obtained a new job in her specialty, but still finds time to train and loves it!

She writes:

Victoria her SDIT, Great Dane Anika

My first client, Victoria, suffers from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, mobility and related issues. She and her SDIT, Great Dane Anika, are on a trial period for the next 6 weeks, as her Anika had an adverse response to getting her paws grabbed. I’ve informed Victoria as to what she needs to do to socialize her dog, and how to reinforce a more appropriate response. She will keep me updated and I will reassess the team at a different time.

My second client, Kay, suffers from left hemiparesis. Her left leg if functional enough for her to walk with assistance, but her left arm is completely non-functional. Her right arm only has about 45% range of motion, and her right shoulder has had to be replaced twice. She has also had to have both knees replaced. I am working with their Golden Retriever, “Lady”, who will start training in 6 weeks because Lady was slightly skittish around traffic and I did not feel comfortable with her response to a noise distraction. However, Kay and her husband, Jim, had just gotten Lady, and I felt like they could do some basic training and socialize her. Lady is a really sweet dog, and I’ll keep in contact with this very determined couple.

Sherry and SDIT, “Rapturebuggy”

My third client is Sherry, who suffers from anxiety and PTSD. Sherry’s SDIT, “Rapturebuggy” passed his initial assessment with flying colors! I set Sherry up with a starting plan and have an appointment to meet with them in April to see how it goes. I reviewed the Public Access Test with them, and went over how to order a vest and other general information. I gave them some homework on basic command work. Rapturebuggy picks commands up very quickly. I think they will turn out to be a great team!

LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer

My fourth client, LaCretia and her SDIT, Boomer, went through a mock Public Access Test today. LaCretia has adrenal failure and takes hydrocortisone daily for life. Currently, there are no tools to help her control the disease as there are no tests available to tell her when her cortisone is low. Boomer did fairly well with the mock PAT, but this was really to outline the team’s weak spots. Some of the things they need to work on are promptness of response to commands, not going after food, and staying in a down/sit position. The team was strong in the entry/exit of a vehicle, and they maneuver well together through the mall. From a Medical Alert standpoint, LaCretia reports that Boomer is doing well on his alerts to her cortisol levels, and we talked about what behaviors to reinforce and when.

Anxiety, PTSD, San Antonio, Texas

CONGRATULATIONS to Elizabeth and SD Zoe

CONGRATULATIONS to client Elizabeth, who suffers from PTSD and anxiety, and her now Service Dog, ZOE!!!!!

Laurie has been training with Elizabeth and Zoe for some time now, and they passed their Public Access Test at Laurie’s favorite place to give the test, the Bass Pro Shop! They went through each and every command, and received outstanding results on every part! The only one that needs a little more work is the six foot on leash sit/stay. Zoe is able to do it when Elizabeth is at work, and Zoe is tied to her desk when Elizabeth walks away to go to the water fountain or supervise someone at their desk, but in crowded places, Zoe is so incredibly bonded to Elizabeth that she can stay for about three feet and then doesn’t want Elizabeth too far away. Zoe is extremely attentive to Elizabeth and seems to understand her moods and need for Zoe to be near – she follows Elizabeth everywhere at home, too. These two have worked extremely hard at all commands, and Zoe does them all without treats needed – she just seems to know when she has done something well because Elizabeth is so proud of her. Elizabeth says that now if they are at home and Zoe does something she shouldn’t, Zoe wraps herself up in her blanket and looks at Elizabeth as if to say “I’m sorry, mom!”

We ended up the successful test (she will continue to work on the six foot on leash sit/stay) with a score of 95% by behaving perfectly as Elizabeth and I had a sit-down lunch in a very busy restaurant with food on the floors – and Zoey did not need extra corrections if Elizabeth said to “leave it”. Zoey just laid down near Elizabeth’s feet the entire 45 minutes, drank some water, and watched the scenery – but did not once try to get at the food even when a delicious hot pizza was brought to our table! Elizabeth takes Zoe to work at the call center every day, where Zoe is accepted and behaves perfectly.

I am so very proud of Elizabeth, who takes wonderful care of Zoe along with her fiancé, and we plan to keep our friendship going!

YAY FOR ELIZABETH AND ZOE!!!