#and I know they can train service dogs for that

[the-worms-in-your-bones]

What if I got a service dog, what then (<- guy who definitely can’t afford a service dog)

[mbmbimbo]

my little sisters getting a dog for psychiatric service dog reasons, and i managed to convince her to pick a charles spaniel >:3 like okay im not really a dog person but if we're gonna have a dog its gonna be one of those. im so hyped. even though she wont name him after dark souls characters...

ill post pics when we get him settled in next week. hes so cute i could scream

[sergle]

Honestly I love goldens they are like the white bread of dog breeds. Basic bitch (complimentary)

NO NO, SAY IT, UR NOT WRONG!!! there's a reason why they're literally the Basic Upperclass White People Dog. the Two Kids And An InGround Pool Dog. They're the AP flour of dog. They become the shape of whatever mold you put them in.

[horsesource]

The American service dog and ESA conversations say a lot about this country’s animal/human relations. The dog is medical equipment, regardless of how well-trained she is? Full access. The dog is not medical equipment, regardless of how well-trained she is? Get outta here! Seems to reflect a training crisis too, you see so many people with service dogs decrying Fake Service Dogs

[scandalousscarlet83]

Dumped by phone call out of nowhere after 9 months. I'm completely shocked and absolutely blindsided. I really thought he was the one.

[elvenferretots]

Maybe the problem isn't more places being dog-friendly. Maybe the problem is that American dogs are chronically ungroomed and unexercised. Maybe the problem is that dogs who are brought in public should be kept in training classes or competitions longterm to maintain their training and emotional wellbeing. Maybe the problem is that dogs need to have trained public access skills to be safe and considerate to bring in public.

The problem is not businesses allowing dogs (grocery stores and indoor restaurants can't legally be dog friendly, so that's a straw man argument); but that dog owners have a huge problem with selecting, caring for, and training their dogs to the standards of the society we live in.

[800-dick-pics]

kilos should be 50 bucks in the us too :'c

[fayeandknight]

Took Forte to train outside the Ren Faire today.

He was a little overwhelmed coming right out of the car. Even though we got there a half hour before it opens there were still a ton of people in the lot and half of them were changing into costumes. So I alternated between letting him just take it and rewarding for check ins and simple obedience (I use sit, down, sit, spin, treat a lot) to gauge his readiness to work.

We stayed in the parking lot for about 10 minutes before he was ready. He kept pace with me nicely on the walk from the lot to the actual fair grounds. I was pleased with him ignoring the crowds around us given that we had to pass really close to others at times.

We saw some really cool costumes including a person with a big mushroom hat, someone carrying a prop sword that was bigger than me, and a stroller decked out in bells to look like a fairy wagon.

He alerted to a hr spike and did DPT across the street from the entrance. There was a huge crowd waiting at the entrance and there was a lively opening speech complete with loud cheering. And while he was interested/clearly watching he didn't stop tasking.

At one point a pair of character actors dressed as royal guards, each holding a spear, saw on the ground and approached. They stopped a respectful distance away and asked if I was okay. I thanked them and told them my service dog had it covered.

When I was ready we wandered around the area, went over a wooden bridge that squeaked, and did more simple obedience. Then we went back down the path to the car for a water break. It was more crowded now and we were going against the flow of foot traffic, but he still kept in a loose heel and paid no mind to the people.

After getting water we went back up towards the entrance. I stopped by the trail end and put him in a relaxed down so he could practice being settled near heavy foot traffic. He checked in consistently and was paid for it.

As I was debating going all the way to the entrance or calling it a day, he did get startled. Two people, each pushing a stroller, came down the hill towards us while squealing at the top of their lungs. I don't think they even noticed Forte until he popped up and barked once. They were most likely trying to entertain the kids in said stroller.

He recovered quickly and laid back down on his own but I took that as a sign he about done with the outing. We'd already been out for an hour and a half and it was starting to get too hot out. So we went back to the car. I had another internal debate about putting his cooling vest on and heading back up or just leaving. Part of me didn't want to end on our only bad note and wanted to go back for some pictures.

But ultimately I decided against it. He'd stayed at a calm pace on the walk back and didn't balk at any of the other strollers we passed. So I'm counting it as ending on a good note actually.

Picture of the good boy who is now tired.

[jimmystrudel]

5 year dog plan updates: I think I've identified a breed (and 3 potential breeders), I have more clearly figured out what I don't want and what my life style will not fit and most important I need more experience with dogs in general

[teabookgremlin]

i want a puppy so much

[em0-snail]

Ramblings in tags

[asterdeer]

heres the problem with life: it’s soooo easy to recognize when you done fucked up even in the smallest way but it’s borderline impossible to know when you did something right or good

[nabsthevulture]

Buying dog training books because I want to be as prepared as possible in case I can't find reliable dog training near me

[khazrablood]

Lol idk what to do with one of the shitty roommate's cats. He has allergies that have been acting up so bad that he's been itching at the top and around his eyes to the point of bleeding with pus around his scabs. Roommate hasn't been home and keeps avoiding us to the point where the other day she parked a few houses down and ducked + snuck around our car in the driveway so the front door camera wouldn't pick her up just to grab a package and left.

Anyway, I digress with her clown behavior. I never had a cat so I looked up and have been mixing some vinegar with warm water to help relieve his symptoms. It looks like it has been working for now. Idk if there are any other cat friendly topical home remedies to at least give him relief for the time being. It's not our place to take him to a vet plus it would turn into a massive shit storm of being accused that we're stealing her cats. It's just so fucking infuriating especially when she has always bragged about being a "responsible" pet owner. Responsible my ass.

[innocent-until-proven-geeky]

Listen.

LISTEN.

Sometimes there will be dogs in pet friendly store, even if they aren’t pet stores!

If you are allergic to dogs and you see a dog… just walk away. You don’t have to whine about how the dog is going to kill you. You probably shouldn’t keep walking TOWARD the dog!

Seriously, old white men are SO entitled.

[fayeandknight]

Did another PA training session at the local mini mall with Forte.

This time he gave the elevator banks one glance and then deemed them unworthy of attention.

My plan was to have him do some training in the lobby of the movie theater. My friend is throwing a surprise birthday party for his wife and rented out a theater for it. I'm undecided on whether to bring him so wanted to see how he'd do.

The floor the theater is on was pretty empty when we arrived so I did some warm up/engagement stuff first. Forte took in the environment well and was moving confidently. There was one of those photo booth things with flashing overhead lights and since no one was on that side of the floor I decided to have him try getting in.

I thought it might give him pause but he stepped in without hesitation, sat and happily accepted a cookie, and exited calmly.

I was set to move on to the actual movie theater when a security guard stopped us. The guard wasn't hostile, just super interested in Forte. I politely explained that he's a service dog in training. I hoped he would take the hint but he proceeded to hover over us and make kissy noises.

So I opted to move down a floor and hope we could quietly come back after.

The next floor down has a grocery store and was much busier. We did basic obedience, heeling, and some alerts in motion. Forte did really well and only seemed unsure after the second small dog, in someone's arms, barked at him. (He completely ignored the first small dog that barked at him from a cart.)

I was running low on treats because at this point we were out longer than I anticipated. So we went down another level to grab treats from Target.

In retrospect that wasn't my best idea. Target was super crowded. Several employees started following us cooing about the service dog and I told them, over my shoulder because I didn't want to stop, yup he's working. But they followed us all the way from the entrance to the pet aisle and back to the checkout lanes.

After I checked out a different employee stepped in front of us and loudly exclaimed oh that's a service dog! I don't think anything malicious was meant by it. But unfortunately the way he did so cut off my path out and I could feel myself getting seriously effected.

Gave Forte the exit cue and he navigated his way around people to the exit. I'm so proud of him for this in particular because it's a relatively new task and I've never asked for it with so many people in a limited space.

Had him do DPT once we were clear which and he did it so seriously. But as soon as my hr was at about 80 he got off, rolled onto his back, and demanded belly rubs. I obliged because he worked really hard and I think he was releasing a bit of stress himself.

I called it quits then and we went back up to the level I parked on. I did tell him to find the car and then overruled him when I thought he was going down the wrong aisle. He went by two cars and then made a wide turn and took me back down where he wanted to go initially and led me straight to the car. I have to stop doubting him.

Anyway it was about a two hour outing and, as per usual, Forte exceeded my expectations.