Autism Service Dogs

Yesterday was a bones-only day for the dogs. While they get plenty of raw meaty bones such as chicken backs, lamb riblets, and ox tails, they don't spend as much time with recreational bones as I would like.

To make up for that, once every week or two I buy a package of beef soup bones. These are big knuckle and marrow bones that have just a touch of meat and fat left on them--enough to add a bit of flavor, but not enough to be a meal--that can stand up to hours of gnawing.

Instead of breakfast, I feed the dogs a tiny snack--usually just the size of a training treat or two. This is mostly to make sure that Spencer has something in his tummy, because he's prone to bilious vomiting syndrome when his stomach is completely empty.

Around mid-morning, I toss the dogs outside, and give each one a soup bone. They spend the rest of the day gnawing and stealing each other's bones, and then taking turns burying and excavating the bones all around the yard.

My back yard may look like the site of an archaeological dig, but the dogs' teeth are clean, and it keeps them occupied all day long. So, everybody wins--including the landscapers I pay to fill all the holes back in. :)

Glindy surprised me the other day. I was wandering out to the garage to clean out the car, and all three dogs came thundering towards me so as not to be left behind. However, while Spencer and Benny crowded the door in order to be first to wriggle through when it opened, Glindy patiently sat about two feet away, waiting to be invited even once the door was opened.

It's always amazing when a training task just clicks into place like that. Good girl, Glindy!

Glindy and I went to our second CGC training class with Greg on Tuesday. As before, we flew through the exercises, with only her hand-shyness around strangers as a potential issue.

Greg and I discussed the matter, and think her behavior still meets the qualification criteria of the test. So, unless Glindy has a melt-down on the actual day of testing, I think we're pretty much a shoe-in.

We spent a little extra practice on paw-handling, to see if we could get Glindy to relax more during the examination phase of the test. Greg wanted to see my technique, so I showed him my method for clicker-training this sort of behavior with her.

1. I gently pick up Glindy's paw.
2. Glindy will sometimes try to pull the paw away; I keep my hand in contact throughout.
3. As soon as she relaxes the paw, I click.
4. I then deliver the treat from an open bag in my lap, within a few seconds of the click.

With this method, I'm reinforcing the relaxation. It's really all in the timing, and a few minutes a day of that should really help.

This brief clicker workout led us into a long, two-hour discussion of the pros and cons of various training methods, the possibility of converting the clicker into a primary reinforcer instead of an event marker, and various esoteric discussions on the dividing line between operant conditioning and classical conditioning in lure/reward training.

The details of the discussion aren't really the point, though, other than to say that Greg really knows his stuff. What's really worth noting is that Greg (and Robin, too) are both extremely passionate about what they do, and are often willing to go above and beyond the call of duty in providing services and information. I'm really enjoying working with them, and my only regret is keeping Greg from his dinner for two extra hours.

At any rate, we're on track. Just a few more weeks before the test, so keep your paws crossed for us!

Glindy almost went for an unintended swim the other day. We were in a small neighborhood park, and there were some ducks in the pond. As she often does with other animals around, Glindy went on high alert and then went bounding to the very end of the leash in an attempt to chase the ducks.

Before I knew it, her back legs were straining against the raised concrete ledge of the walkway, and her front feet were pawing the air directly over the water. Had there been even just a tiny fraction of an inch more slack in that leash, she would have been in the drink.

As it was, I used my body weight to haul her back to safety, and then continued dragging her along behind me until she decided to catch back up with me.

*sigh* It would have been a lot funnier if situations like this weren't so common.

Glindy and I are making some progress with our heel work. She's usually fabulous at work or in stores, but she begins straining at the leash the moment we're outside in the fresh air, or when there are other animals around.

I did a bit of soul-searching this week, and realized that the problem is largely me. I do not correct Glindy as consistently as I should when we're out for a walk, largely because I'm not sure how to differentiate "roaming time" with "walking with a purpose." And, of course, a large part of the outside walks is to give her a chance to eliminate, so I'm somewhat reluctant to discourage her from sniffing the grass and small bushes she's so fond of watering.

So, I made a few choices. First, except in the middle of the street, I will correct Glindy each and every time she pulls on the leash from now on. I do this by "making like a tree," and then adding "penalty yards" if that doesn't work by itself. We don't move forward again until her shoulders are in line with my knees.

Second, maybe I'm making too much of my inability to distinguish potty time from other walking time. Even if I can't articulate the difference in a way that would make sense to a dog, Glindy is exceptionally bright, and very sensitive to context. I decided to leave it up to her to sort out which is which. While this may create some initial confusion, I imagine that over time Glindy will figure out what's expected, through signals I'm not even aware that I'm giving off.

So far, the heeling practice is bearing fruit. While Glindy still tends to forge ahead, she'll usually walk beside me for at least a little while after suffering a few penalty yards. Perhaps all we need is consistency and time.

As for the other, only time will tell. If it causes more problems than it solves--say, an accident because she's not getting to potty when she needs it--then I suppose I'll revisit the issue again. After all, if my new approach doesn't work, I can always try something else. Meanwhile, at least there's a plan!

Glindy and I are in California again. On the way here, we once again took Southwest. This time, though, the gate agent gave me some mild grief.

When I handed him my blue pre-boarding ticket jacket, he looked at Glindy and asked me if she was a Seeing Eye dog. I told him she was a service dog, at which point he asked to see my dog's "papers." I told him that the Air Carrier Access Act does not require me to show any kind of documentation for a service dog, but he remained unconvinced.

He told me that he'd allow me onto the plane, but would check out my assertion and come fetch me from the cabin if he needed more "proof" from me. At that point, I firmly told him that he'd better come with a Complaint Resolution Officer in tow if he did that, and strode off down the jetway.

A minute or two later, I was politely greeted by the cabin crew, who remembered us from a previous flight. They welcomed us aboard, helped Glindy and me settle into our bulkhead seats, and that was the end of our minor drama.

In a previous post, I mentioned the calorie counts for several Wysong foods. Just for the sake of completeness, I thought I'd also pass along the caloric information for some of the Wysong food additives I use, since this information isn't listed on the product labels for some reason.

    7.75 Kcal per teaspoon (Addlife)
      12 Kcal per teaspoon (Dentatreat)

If you're trying to slim down your dogs, knowing how much they're really eating is important. As you can see, though, the additives don't add that much to the daily calorie counts, but may be significant when used in the volumes suggested for a larger dog.

I just ordered a pair of ClickStick II collapsible target sticks from Karen Pryor's website. Basically, it's a target stick with a built-in clicker on the handle.

It extends out to the full length of a standard target stick (~26"), and actually collapses a bit shorter (~7") than the typical folding stick (~9.5"). The fact that the clicker is built into the handle is a terrific reason to try this stick; anyone who's tried to juggle clicker, target stick, and treats all at the same time knows how difficult this can be.

I wouldn't exactly call the ClickStick II a pocket-sized tool, but then neither is a standard target stick. The ClickStick II does come with a handy plastic belt clip built into the handle, though, which is another good reason to prefer it.

Anyway, I'll be working with the new stick over the next few weeks. I hope the new ease of use will translate to more efficient training.

I write a lot about Glindy, Spencer, and Benny in this journal, and thought that others might be interested to see what my lovable dog pack looks like. Enjoy!

Glindy and I went to our first CGC training class last night in preparation for the Canine Good Citizenship test next month. The instructor had us go through a practice test to see what needed work. There are ten sections to the test; we passed 8/10 with flying colors, and passed the other two with some room for additional work.

The first section that needs work is "Test 3: Appearance and grooming." Glindy is reluctant to have her paws handled, so we're going to spend some time working on that. She'd still pass that portion of the test anyway--the test criteria don't require that she put up with the examination with good grace--but I'd definitely like her to get more comfortable with the process.

The second area for improvement is "Test 8: Reaction to another dog." Actually, she did great last night, considering this has been a problem area for her in the past. Throughout the test, she looked at me, stayed focused, and behaved wonderfully. Of course, since it was a practice class, we got to "cheat" and use the clicker and a ton of Buffalo Bites; that's not allowed during the actual test, though. So, we're going to continue practicing her watch command until we have it down pat.

The instructor was impressed that we had such a solid foundation, and mentioned that most people beginning training for the CGC are doing well to meet 5/10 by the skin of their (canine) teeth. Hearing that we're already a solid team is a truly wonderful feeling.

On our recent trip to California on Southwest Airlines, Glindy and I had bulkhead seats on both ends of our round-trip flight. Compared to our previous experience of sitting in a standard seat on Horizon Air when we went to Los Angeles, the bulkhead seats made a tremendous difference to us in regards to accommodative seating, even when the row was filled with other passengers.

While many airlines and airplane manufacturers are doing away with bulkhead seating by converting bulkhead rows into exit rows, there are still plenty of planes that offer bulkhead seating. Having flown in both bulkhead and non-bulkhead seating, I can definitively say that I will make the availability of bulkhead seating a priority when selecting future flights, and will begin to steer clear of airlines that cannot provide it.

Today has been a particularly non-festive day. One of the dogs (I'm assuming Glindy) had a bout of explosive diarrhea last night while we were all sleeping, and I've been cleaning the carpets all morning.

The tie-in to training is that all service dog owners fear the inevitable time when their dog has an uncontrollable accident in public. Whether it's an urp from something they ate, to explosive and uncontrollable diarrhea, accidents will happen.

Most of the time, things can be handled with a minimum of fuss. For example, a small puddle of urine on linoleum causes embarrassment, but is not a major crisis. On the other hand, certain types of accidents can be a nightmare even with clean-up supplies on hand; and while I always carry pet waste bags on me, and try to have Kids 'n Pets and some paper towels in the car, there are times when one might certainly get caught unprepared.

Luckily, this hasn't happened to us yet, and I sincerely hope it never will. You'd think someone with Asperger's Syndrome would be less concerned about the potential social embarrassment of such things--but in this case, you'd be wrong.

Glindy and I went to the trainer's again today. On our last few business trips, Glindy has been getting a rambunctious on-leash around other dogs, so I decided to bring in the "big guns" before things got out of hand.

Robin (the trainer) and I both agreed that having Glindy learn to focus on me, even in highly-distracting environments, was likely to be the solution to a number of problems. So, we all worked on that this evening.

Part of my problem in training this behavior on my own is that I don't think my rate of reinforcement has been high enough. Several books recommend that a behavior be reinforced upwards of 40 times per minute in order to really take root. So, Glindy got a ton of Buffalo Bites in tiny, pea-sized portions this evening while Robin and I discussed other training issues.

At one point, Robin brought out a dog named Bob who was very dog-aggressive, but had an exceptionally reliable response to the "watch" command. After a few moments of lunging and growling at Glindy--and Glindy growling right back--Bob turned his back on Glindy to focus on Robin's face and earn his treats. I was very impressed, and felt that if Glindy could master similar behavior, a lot of our on-going issues would go away.

From now on, I'll be carrying a bait bag with me in public, filled with Buffalo Bites. I'll make it a point to reinforce Glindy as often as possible, every time I catch her making eye contact with me.

Maybe next time I go to Petco with Glindy, I'll come home with an empty bait bag instead of a sore shoulder. I'll let you know.

Glindy and I had dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Walnut Creek, CA on Tuesday. We called ahead to ensure we'd get a table in the corner, so that Glindy would be safely out of the way of errant foot traffic, and the restaurant assured me it would be no problem at all.

We arrived in good order. Glindy even went potty on command just before entering the restaurant, which is something we've been working towards.

At the greeting station, though, the host attempted to pet Glindy without asking. I politely but firmly asked him not to distract her while she was working; he apologized, and led us to a table against a corner window.

The staff passed the word that Glindy was not to be distracted (bonus points to the host for that), but they all made a point of coming up to me and complimenting me on Glindy's excellent manners. The restaurant manager even made a point of thanking me for giving them the opportunity to help in my service dog training.

The food service itself was a bit slow and inattentive, possibly due to our location in an inconvenient corner of the restaurant, but the staff attitude was wonderful. I won't forget the warm welcome we received there.

I received a very minor access challenge at the Oakland Airport yesterday. The boarding pass checker at the beginning of the security queue asked me for my dog's boarding pass as well. I told her I didn't need one, and she then asked: "Don't you need a letter or something?"

I brusquely (but politely) explained that the Air Carrier Access Act ensured that my dog could accompany me, and that no boarding pass or other special paperwork was necessary. My no-nonsense attitude convinced her that I knew what I was talking about, and she let me pass without further comment.

My vet is constantly harping on me about my dogs' weight. Glindy is only about 10 pounds overweight, but Spencer is more than 25% past any reasonable limit. Anyway, they're always telling me to cut down on the meat and fat, and up the veggies, but it doesn't seem like the math really works out. For example, taking some premium freeze-dried and kibbled food from Wysong:

    287 Kcal/cup (Archetype and Archetype Burger)
    376 Kcal/cup (Archetype Buffet)
    452 Kcal/cup (Nurture)

Archetype is a freeze-dried raw diet, containing mostly meat and bone, has only 16.7% carbohydrates, and has no grains as far as I can understand the ingredients (it does contain some sprouts, though). Archetype Buffet, another freeze-dried product, is 56% carbohydrate, including a number of whole grains and starchy vegetables. Nurture, the kibbled food, has even more carbs than the other two.

The point of all this is that my vets, who as a group vehemently object to the raw diet, keep trying to tell me that the weight problem is too much fat in the diet, but it seems like the calorie count of the lower-fat, higher-carb products are much more likely to pack on the pounds.

While I'm a big proponent of high protein, moderate fat, and low carbs, I'd certainly consider alternatives for weight management for the dogs. It just doesn't seem like my vets have it together on this one.

Pet stores continue to be a vexing problem for me and Glindy. She tends to start barking and lunging at other dogs in such places, although she does well in dog parks and at day care. The difference, of course, is the leash.

I strongly suspect that I'm just reinforcing leash aggression, although some of the problem is doubtless the other dogs' body language as well. After all, humans can't always see the signals the pass between dogs, and while Glindy's excitement and possible leash aggression are real, her little status-seeking soul might also be deeply offended by some of these other dogs, who may not be as well-socialized.

The problem is that correction-based training hasn't worked, and it's hard to practice desensitization since she doesn't act this way in controlled (e.g. non-public) training situations. I may need to engage the help of my local trainer to see if she has a poorly-socialized dog we can co-opt for desensitization.

Meanwhile, I was thinking that a *distant* down--far enough away that Glindy's excitement level would be low enough to respond to a command--would be a potential solution, and something we could try the next time we're in Petco. I could C/T to reinforce the down, while Glindy's down itself might lessen the aggressive signals from both dogs even when the other dog gets closer.

My main concern with this approach is safety. If the other dog is not under solid control, or if someone with a shopping cart comes whizzing by while I'm trying to encourage a down, I would be horrified if something happened to Glindy. Still, I can't continue to allow her to continue lunging and barking, so I think I just need to try it and see.

I spoke with the head of the Rehabilitation Department today regarding the requirement for proof mentioned in the state laws. He pointed me to some changes reflected in Senate Bill 36 of the 73rd legislative session.

The major changes I found in the newly-revised law are:

• Equal status for service animals in training prohibits are more explicitly spelled out.
• Places of accommodation are explicitly barred from "requiring proof" that an animal is a service animal, but are allowed to ask about task training.
• An expansion of civil damages, allowing for both actual and punitive damages, recovery of attorney's fees, and injunctive relief in addition to other rights under the law.

While some of the language in the law still skews towards those with obvious physical handicaps, my first impression of the new text is that it has come a long way towards addressing the needs of those of us with invisible disabilities and improving our level of public access.

Laws are tricky things. Government agencies are even trickier. I live in a state that has inconsistent laws regarding service animals, and I've been trying to navigate the system to find out what the real story is.

The Nevada Revised Statutes contain conflicting information about service animals. In particular, the 72nd legislative session revised NRS 426.097 to remove approval by the Rehabilitation Division of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation as part of the definition of "service animal." The revised law brings the definitional criteria of service animal into closer alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

However, NRS 651.075(2) states that places "of public accommodation may require certain proof...[from a school] that is approved by the Rehabilitation Division of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to train a service animal," which clearly goes against the legislative intent of the changes to NRS 426.097.

Several calls to the Department have resulted in a vague understanding that the Department doesn't actually oversee this function, does not maintain a list of "approved schools," and is in fact quite surprised by the question. They are currently looking into the matter, and have promised me a response by the end of the day.

Because police enforcement of access rights for SD/SDIT teams relies on local laws (as opposed to federal laws such as the ADA), clarifying this issue is important. Let's hope the system provides the answers that I need, and that other advocates make similar progress elsewhere.