Service Dog Training- First Couple Days
About a year and a half ago, I went to a Disabilities Expo in Dulles. I had no idea that it would change my life. I saw a service dog demonstration and was amazed at the things the dog could do. It could differentiate between objects and pick them up, hold objects in his mouth (including an iPhone), and alert to medical conditions. The dog was from Canine Partners for Life, and after careful consideration, I decided to apply for a dog. I was matched with a 2-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever named Chadds a couple months ago and began a 3-week training on Saturday. Canine Partners for Life is located in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, so I'm staying in an apartment near the facility for the duration of the training. My parents are splitting the time, so right now my mom and I have the whole place to ourselves. My life is about to change for the better!
Training has been fantastic so far. There was a welcome dinner on Saturday and right away, Chadds gave me unconditional love. He is so affectionate and tries to get as close to me as possible. One time he jumped onto my lap and when I hugged him, he put his head on my shoulder and returned the hug. His eyes are absolutely beautiful- when he looks at me, it's hard to resist giving him a treat! There are nine other people getting service dogs in this training and they're all super nice. Yesterday was the first day of actual training. We got a lot of equipment and talked about what the next three weeks will look like. We'll do a lot of field trips throughout the training to get used to taking our dog into public places. Sadly, Chadds can't come back to the apartment with me until Friday!
Today we started actually doing obedience activities with our dogs. Chadds is learning how to walk nicely next to my wheelchair. I know he's not scared of my chair; he curls up in the most random places, always with his body somehow on my chair. I feel so bad when I run over his feet, but I guess it'll help him learn how to walk with me. Chadds listens to me overall and is very dedicated to his work. We took him on a car ride today and he rested his head in my lap the whole time. It was adorable! We're still working on going through doors. He has a tendency to try to race ahead of me. Hopefully soon we'll start working on service skills such as picking things up and retrieving things. I'm so excited to bond with him more and improve our partnership! I'll update you all on our progress later in the week.