Improving every day!

Share your experience and tell us how using positive reinforcement training methods has changed yours and your dogs' lives.

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CharlieBrownMommy
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Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:12 pm

Improving every day!

Post by CharlieBrownMommy »

I am training my dog, Charlie Brown, to be a service dog to assist me with my Autism. Sometimes I think I underestimate him. When I go to a new location I am usually just the slightest bit nervous that he will not do well. And every time, he comes through with flying colors! He is just so amazingly smart and attentive. I am so glad I found the perfect dog and service dog for me! I am flying with him across a few states (I live in the US) in a couple weeks, and I have been really taking advantage of my time to prepare him to go. He is doing so well. Every day that he improves, my confidence builds as well. Aren't dogs just brilliant? :mrgreen:
JudyN
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Re: Improving every day!

Post by JudyN »

He's a cutie, too :D Can I ask what tasks you'll be training him to help you with? Or is the emotional bond you have with him - and the confidence you'll get from discovering your training skills - the main factor?

(Hope this isn't being too nosey - ignore me if it is :oops: )
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
CharlieBrownMommy
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:12 pm

Re: Improving every day!

Post by CharlieBrownMommy »

Oh, no, I am glad to share! Just be prepared to read a very long post! :lol: :D
Right now, it is me training him that is helping me the most. He presence alone is an enormous comfort to me. But his calming presence alone is not enough for him to qualify as a service dog. Service dogs for adults with Autism are very new. So new that I can't find any organizations that train them. So, I am training him myself. I am currently working on building on his already strong obedience skills, as a starter. I take him everywhere I go so that he gets used to as many situations as possible. Because this type of service dog is so new, I had a hard time finding a task list for him. But I finally found one! Many of the tasks I will train him are very similar to tasked trained for individuals with PTSD. The tasks I want to train him for could be classified as "coping with emotional overload". Emotional or sensory overload happens a lot with both PTSD and Autism. I am not very good with wording, so I am going to copy the task list directly from http://www.iaadp.org/psd_tasks.html.



1. Provide Tactile Stimulation to Disrupt the Overload: Tasks that can provide a tactile distraction from a disorder’s symptoms have proven to be quite useful in emotional overload situations. One or more of the tasks listed below may put a stop to unwelcome reactions in the workplace, classroom or out in public. While some dogs may naturally perform a behavior, it takes schooling to transform it into a task the dog will do immediately on command, reliable even in the presence of distractions, at any location where needed.

-Dog is trained to vigorously lick someone’s face (or hands) on command to bring his partner to full awareness, just as seizure response dogs can be trained to do when their partner is extremely groggy after a grand mal, which shortens the recovery time. This unpleasant tactile stimulation also can divert the partner’s attention from something that triggers tears or other inappropriate emotional reactions in school, public, or a workplace. (Because of my autism, I often get emotionally overwhelmed and can often feel like crying when I am in an overstimulating situation. This type of Tactile Stimulation could greatly help me.)

2. Prevent or Combat Emotional Overload in Workplace: These tasks may have an incidental therapeutic benefit, giving a feeling of solace to some handlers, but their primary purpose is to empower the human partner to recover and sustain emotional control in settings where uncontrolled emotional reactions are unacceptable.

-During a business meeting, (a class at school, etc,) a dog can assist his partner by unobtrusively maintaining a Sit Stay without sliding into the Down position, out of reach. The human partner utilizes a relaxation technique such as giving the dog a massage or simply strokes the dog’s fur to calm self, so he or she can to continue to take part in the meeting, class, etc. (I have a very difficult time concentrating when in class, meetings, etc. because my brain is on too many other things and it can be very overstimulating, causing me to have to leave. It is difficult to explain why, but stroking a dog can greatly help me concentrate, relax, and keep on task. I would like Charlie to not only be able to sit next to me, but also to have his head on my lap for easier petting.)

3. Providing an Excuse to Leave Upsetting Situation: The following task may be an effective coping mechanism in the workplace and elsewhere, preventing a loss of self control in front of others. The dog is trained to assist the person to escape from a certain conversation, a room, or a building to earn a reward. In response to a surreptitious hand signal or another cue, the dog performs an attention seeking behavior such as nuzzling and licking the partner’s hand or jumping up to disrupt a query or confrontation that triggers an emotional overload. This provides the human partner with a plausible reason for taking a break from an intolerable situation with a boss, client or co-worker, thus saving face or the job. Some breeds can learn to vocalize on command, whining or “talking” or giving a short yip in response to a surreptitious hand signal, (for example, flexing the first digit of the forefinger on your right hand). This increases the impression that it is urgent for the disabled person to take dog outside before the dog has an accident in the office due to the dog’s alleged stomach or bowel upset.

-Dog trained to “bother” his partner with pawing or a nose nudge, or by jumping up or crawling up into lap on cue, providing a plausible excuse to leave.

-Dog may be trained to vocalize as if urgently needing to go outside, on cue.

4. Provide Deep Pressure for Calming Effect: Those who suffer from panic attacks have reported that the pressure of the weight of a medium size dog or a large dog against their abdomen and chest has a significant calming effect. It can shorten the duration of the attack; often prevent the symptoms from escalating. This same task performed by service dogs for its calming benefit for children and adults who are autistic and prone to panic attacks has become known as “deep pressure therapy” in the assistance dog field. One way it is performed is to have a medium size dog lie atop someone who is lying on their back on a floor, bed or sofa, forepaws over the shoulders of the partner. A large dog could be too heavy in that position; also some dogs dislike it. A second way is have the partner sit up in a recliner chair, with the large dog approaching from the side so when he does a “Lap Up” on command, standing on his hind legs, he will be draping most of his body weight across the partner’s abdomen, lying partly on his side, leaning his shoulder into the partner’s torso, his forelegs on the other side of the partner’s lap. Once trained to quietly hold that position for up to five minutes, this same task can be adapted to just about any chair, couch or bench seat his partner sits on. A dog should be given a rest break for at least a minute, back on all four paws, before repeating this task on his hind legs. Similarly, the weight and warmth of a medium to large size dog lying across the partner’s lap, applying pressure to that person’s stomach and chest, may be utilized in a vehicle’s front seat, on the ground or in another location that supports the dog’s entire body in the Down position, for as long as needed during a panic attack.

-Dog is trained to provide deep pressure therapy during a panic attack. Precise behavior at such a time may be dictated by dog’s size, preference and partner’s location. Dog must be trained to promptly get Off the person on command. (this pretty much explains how it helps in public, but I also have a difficult time driving, especially at night, because of over stimulation. If I could get him to lye across my lap safely and calmly while I drive, it would greatly help me.)

5. Crowd Control, Panic Prevention In Public: A number of individuals disabled by PTSD and other psychiatric conditions report one of their difficulties in maintaining employment is the claustrophobic reaction they suffer when a colleague, boss, or customer comes too close to them. The revulsion they experience is not limited to the workplace of course. Avoiding situations where closeness may take place will lead to someone becoming increasingly homebound. Through teamwork with a service dog, some of these individuals have regained the ability to do their own shopping and to ride on public transportation. Such teamwork may also enable them to cope better with the risk of close contact in the workplace or at a Little League game, the polls on Election Day and other places which may draw a crowd, helping the partner to lead a much more normal life. (this mentions PTSD, but it can also apply to autism. Having people too close to me can cause me to become overwhelmed.)

-Dog is first trained on how to brace himself on a Stand Stay so that he cannot be jostled out of position. Technique was developed by service dog trainers to protect patients with Reflex Sympathy Dystrophy from accidental bumps that can trigger an excruciatingly painful RSD flare-up. Same task can prevent or reduce panic by creating enough distance for a situation to become tolerable. A large sturdy dog is schooled to move into Position (front, behind, left or right side) and to brace for possible impact with an innocuous command, such as “Stay Close.” Dog holds his ground, preventing people from making body contact with his partner while in line or on a bus, elevator or in the same room etc. Enhance the effectiveness of this strategy by asking a person to step back, using dog’s alleged fear of having his paws stepped on as a plausible reason for making such a request.

-Dog of any size can be schooled to move fast into requested Position, usually in front of or behind the partner and perform a quick Down Stay. Must learn to drop with his back to the person approaching or persons in line. Should lie flat on his side or at least on one hip, to maximize the distance between the partner and nearest person. If worried a small dog might be stepped, have him do a Stand-Stay instead, with the tail end nearest to the person to be kept at bay so as to maximize the distance this achieves.

All of the tasks I listed above are supposed to be for someone with PTSD, but I know they would help me. I just need to figure out how to train them. :D Another thing that helps me that is not a task is the fact that he is a dog, in public. People will ask me about him, and I will be forced to make small talk, explain to them how he helps me. I have a very difficult time talking to people, but this will force me to learn to explain myself and sometimes stand up for myself about it. Many people are curious about service dogs, especially for autism because it is a very new thing. Just the presence of a service dog will help me become more social. People will no longer see me as the loner, but as the girl with a cute dog, and that will help me meet new people and be a real person rather than just a turtle in my shell.

Sorry, for the length of the post, but I just have to fully explain it, its not as simple as "he would pull my wheelchair" or "he would open doors for me and retreive items that I drop". Hope I didn't bore you.... :|
jacksdad
Posts: 4887
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:48 pm

Re: Improving every day!

Post by jacksdad »

no, that was interesting...dare I say a cool read.

I think your right on for using PTSD as a guide and if there really is no other guide, you get to pioneer some of this, so keep notes about what works and what doesn't. stick around please and keep sharing.
CharlieBrownMommy
Posts: 24
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:12 pm

Re: Improving every day!

Post by CharlieBrownMommy »

:D
JudyN
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Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: Improving every day!

Post by JudyN »

That's really interesting, thanks :D Hopefully awareness of autism support dogs will grow - and I'm sure you'll make a great ambassador for them.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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