Untrained dogs and disabled people

[Iloveocean]

Hello,

I was wondering about your opinions about this situation. We have two American Hairless Terriers. They are VERY clean compared to other dogs because there is no hair, no ticks, no fleas, and because they have oily skin the dander is minimal. Also they don't drool because they sweat.

I have three questions.

1) These dogs are not trained as assistance dogs, actually they are not trained much at all. For those of you who have dogs, how do you keep them exercised? I just made an obstacle course in the basement where I take them every day. I also have gazillion toys and have been doing sniffing games with them. Any other ideas?

2) I really want to keep them because they really keep my husband's spirits up. Have you trained your dog to do some specific behavior that has made your life easier?

3) They are not allowed on the bed but at times I do worry about infections and such. What are your thoughts about that?

Thanks!

 

[Katie C]

Sounds like you're doing a good job keeping them busy. I am unfamiliar with the breed.. how large are they, that might help me come up with some other ideas. As long as they know the basics, you should be ok.. I consider the following "life skills" for any dog: a good solid "wait".. not the same as a stay.. just means they wait where they are until told otherwise. No door bolting. A strong "leave it".. I think this is especially important in a household where there is medication that might be dropped! Another one that is helpful is "back up".. just convenient if they get too curious while you're trying to do something. Also, are they crate trained? If not, I would start that immediately. Especially once we started hospice, it was a great help.. we had various people coming in and out, and some were not comfortable around dogs, so I'd give each one a stuffed kong and crate them, and everyone was happy.

As long as they are kept clean and well groomed, I wouldn't worry about infection, etc. But then... my two golden retrievers sleep with me.

The last week when Glen was really ill right before he died, my 8 year old female would not leave him. She slept at his feet when he was sleeping in the recliner. The male, who is two, was extraordinarily gentle and would come and nudge "Dad's" hand periodically, and still has one of Glen's socks that he carries around.

While Glen was still able to go for short walks, he would take both dogs... keep in mind one weighs 65 pounds, the other weighs 100 pounds. I would put their gentle leaders on them and they walked as slowly as he needed to, and never once lunged or pulled. The neighbors still talk about watching the three of them out for their walks.

Good luck, and let me know if I can answer any other questions.

 

[serenade]

I have boxer/pitbull mix 45 lbs. A rescue dog with seperation anxiety issues I have had her 3 years now and she was smart from day one. She has adjusted to my als since I can't speak she comes when I clamp my hands or slap my knee. She also follows hand signals! She listens to me better than my husband and son who are verbal. My dog sleeps with me and is by my side 24/7, I do not worry about infections at all. It is more dangerous to go into a depatment store, public rest room, or be around someone with a cold.
Our yard is fenced and we have a wild rabbit that is the focus of the dog and her source of exercize. She has chased the rabbit for 2 years now and the rabbit always wins but she has got close. lol
I have a little scooter and she walks beside it when we go on adventures up town =)

Dogs will always take time to listen and never argue back!

 

[abbas child]

Oh, I have to say they are adorable. I just looked the breed up and read about them. We inherited a toy (under 12 lbs) Fox Terrier from my in-laws, and while her personality was off the charts, she very much thought she was in charge. Your breed looks identical except for the short hair on Jazzy. Katie's advice about teaching your dogs to "wait" and to "back up" are really important. Your breed, I read, is 5 to 16 pounds. Before my wheelchair, if Jazzy brushed by me, I fell. If I'd ever fallen on her, I would surely have killed her. The wheelchair wouldn't necessarily have scared her, either. She'd have thought it was something to chase. Bottom line from my perspective is to begin training now, for everyone's sake. They'll work either for your approval or for food, unless like Jazzy, food was not an interest. I did read that the American Hairless Terrier NEEDS to have a pack leader (you being the pack leader, of course). They can be taught. Jazzy gave way to me as pack leader when she was 10.

Katie and Judie, I'm so glad you both have your dogs. Have fun! I'm so happy for you all. Oh, and regarding health, I agree with the others, no problem of infection at all.

 

[Miss]

We have 3 shih tzus - Abbey (black and white) is 10, Penny (brindle) is 4, and Bonnie (golden) is 2. They are 13, 12 and 7 lbs (perma puppy) respectively. They bring us nothing but joy. I cannot imagine life without them. They absolutely keep us entertained. As for training, they are constantly having to learn new boundaries as my husband's illness progresses. As the pack leader (a role I have to battle to keep control of), I am the one who sets the rules. They will not accept it from anyone else. We are convinced they understand that my husband is weakening, and will no longer allow him to set the boundaries. They adore him, but they will not follow his rules.

 

[TedH5]

We have 3 dogs all mixed breed rescue dogs. They add so much love to the house and are part of the family! One is trained pretty well and listens but the other two are lost causes, but behave and all 3 are great dogs. They seem to know when you are done and are more then happy to come give "kisses: or curl up with you on the sofa. There havebeen many studies showing that spending time with dogs can be very theraputic, soothing and even lower your stress and anxiety levels.

 

[irismarie]

only one of my dog wants to get on the bed and I LOVE it. She does not mind being told to get down when I have to struggle a bit then comes back to snuggle. Have to hvae SOME love
As to exercising, i pre"sume you have nowhere you can walk them?
I used to hide carrots all over the house and get them searching them out and give them a bowl of unopened walnuts will keep them occupied for ages. tho you do have a lot of cleaning up to do afterwards
Dogs adapt and in the wild do not exercise except to play and search food.
But like you, i always liked to try to make their lives fun
If I could have beaten mine today I should have done so. They found a rabbit nest or somthing and refused to leave it, digging and digging and eating whatever tiny things they were retrieving. Of course iI cannot shout , had no stick. But they were happy if I was not.
It sounds you are doing wonderful things so keep up the good work. Our dogs are SO important

 

[abbas child]

Iris, I feel for you watching your dog bother the rabbit's nest. It's very upsetting, to say the least. A well behaved dog (well behaved inside, came when called outside other than in two instances) who was my walking partner tore off across the just mown field while we walked along. She never had done that before. In the center of the field, I saw her catch up to a rabbit. The rabbit hopped, and Sheba hopped...many times. Then Sheba caught it and ran to me with the rabbit in her mouth. (Mind you I was yelling the whole time at the top of my lungs.) When she stood in front of me, I told her to "drop it". She did! And it ran away! No doubt Sheba thought I was the craziest pack leader of all time...giving up dinner.

 

[Iloveocean]

Irismarie,

thanks so much for the carrot idea! On another forum someone suggested to have them play finding games but carrots are great because they really don't make that much mess. Also what do they do with the walnuts? I am afraid the older one would break it and get cut. He is an awful chewer. He destroyed a kong....

 

[Katie C]

Did he destroy a black kong or a red one? My brother found with his K-9's that the black ones were more brittle and therefore easier for the shepherds to chew up. Whichever one he chewed up, I'd suggest trying the other. Then, after you've filled it, freeze it. Makes the treats last longer and they are less likely to actually destroy the toy.

 

[Iloveocean]

hello everybody,

thank you for the replies. They are rat terriers with no hair. New breed. I will definitely talk to our dog trainer about some of the issues you have brought up. They both have a really good "leave it" and we decided we would ask the trainer to help us train them to never even get anywhere near a pill (that is on the floor, they sometimes have to be able to take it from us when they are sick).

We just found a new dog trainer and I swear he is just like Cezar Millan. The kid is unbelievable! He walked into our house and within minutes had the dogs under control. Unbelievable. They are OK with crates unless someone else than us enters and then they have a fit. That's one of the things we want to address with this new trainer.

They definitely dissipate a lot of stress and anxiety around here and make us laugh again and again! He destroyed the red kong bone with openings in the end parts. It was filled with his dog food (Honest Kitchen dog food) and frozen. To add insult to injury, this is a dog who had to have dental surgery because he broke some of his teeth so now he has half of his teeth missing and still destroyed the toy! I was in total disbelief

 

[Iloveocean]

Katie,

sorry about losing Glen. Many times at night I stay up watching my husband breathing with his BiPap and thinking, how many more nights do I have before he leaves for Heaven? We are all so finite..... illness just makes it such a glaring reality....

 

[Katie C]

LOL.. ok, I would go with the actual kong shaped toy .. the ends on the bone shaped ones are easier to remove. And if he broke his tooth anyway, I'd go ahead and try the black one. I know my trainer has some good info on avoiding boredom, I'll see what I can find on her web page.

 

[irismarie]

the walnut they crack open and eat the kernels. Spend ages rooting the little bits out. Never had any cuts or injuries