First let me say I never meant to go this long without posting and I did have every intention of blogging through team training. But to be honest I wasn’t prepared for the emotional or physical exhaustion that comes along with receiving the dog that had waited and planned for, for so long. I have a lot to say about the process but I’m going to start with what’s been going on since we came home. Because when I talk about training I want to get it right so I’m going to start with how I’m feeling and how Scout is adjusting to being a working dog 24/7. It’s been just a few days over a month since we came home. When I met Scout during my meet the dogs back in September of last year, I was really set on him. You can ask anyone with whom I was sharing details (those people were few). But they would tell you that when I came back from that meet the dogs with all kinds of emotions about Scout. The first thing I remember noticing is that he was huge. I’ve never really had a big dog before. He had the biggest feet and the softest fur. For his part, the first thing that he did when he saw me was roll over so I could give him belly rubs. His tail going a mile a minute. He had laid down just a little bit too far from me, for me to reach and so one of the staff slid him a little closer and whole time his tail was going as though he’d never been happier in life. Right then I was hooked on this dog and even though I met several others that day and said any of them would be great, if I was being honest all I really thought about was his sweet face. Of course I couldn’t know time that he had also decided on me.
One of the things SSD emphasizes is the bonding process and so I really wanted things to go well and honestly I wasn’t sure he wanted to be around me or wanted me to touch him during training I was actually pretty sure he hated me. Unless I had food. (Hint I really needed to relax). More on that later There was so much going on and so much to do and to learn that I sort of forgot that for awhile.Staff kept telling me they could see how much he wanted to be around me and how closely he would watch me or wait for me. But it took me a few days before I could see it too.
So here’s what I’ve learned about my buddy and my partner in crime. He is the goofiest most about relaxed and gentle creature I’ve ever met. He’s very serious about his job but also willing to go at my pace. He is 67 lbs of snuggles. He wants to be as close to me as he can get almost all the time. He loves belly rubs and peanut butter. He’s a people dog and especially loves an audience when we are out and about living the service dog partners life. I worried in the first few days that he woulsn’t be able to relax. After all I was asking him to come and live with me and leave everyone he knew. I worried that I and he would forget everything we’d learned Because I worried I woulsb’t praxtice with him enough or too much. He came in here and just accepted that this is home. No worries no issues. My roommate has a dog who was less sure about him. But now they are buddies . So my biggest lesson in all of this has been to Chill the heck out. In other words take a page from dear sweet Scout and relax a bit. As soon as I relaxed about things we started to click.. Understand that if you are in the process of a journey to a service dog, the dog you will find will steal your heart and will be well trained and well mannered but it takes time for you to get used to each other even when the connection is there. It’s like getting a new roommate. You may feel like it will work well and you will get a long great but there is still an adjustment period. We;’ve been together about 2 months in total and just in the last 2 weeks or so we’re starting to read each other. Know that it is always going to be a work in progress But I knew it would be worth back in September when we first met. More to come next week 💚🐾💜😊
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