[Guest]

Hello!
I've recently acquired a Standard Poodle puppy to train as my Hearing Dog (you guessed it, I'm a deaf guy).
He's only little, barely over ten weeks, but he's brilliant and after only two weeks and a handful of days I feel like we'll never be able to live without him. I named him Marlowe.
He is already doing a fabulous job learning his basic puppy things, and at six months I'll start him on his deeper training.
Won't be anything serious; for instance, I don't need him to alert me to the doorbell nor timers, we've plenty of electronics, cameras, and SOME hired help... the MAIN THING is that I'm needing him for independence when I don't WANT to be accompanied and want to take a stroll alone.
He will alert me when I DROP THINGS more than anything else. I've lost KEYS, glasses, sunglasses, on and on, because I simply don't hear them hit the ground.
It's truly embarrassing to have to walk accompanied because I feel restless, or be driven just to the corner store for a candy bar like I require a body guard or something, and Marlowe will solve every bit of this for me.
I will be FREE of this estate, whenever I choose. No longer what is for all intents and purposes a prisoner will I be.
There's also the fact that -well, he IS a Standard Poodle, and he's black, and I wear all black leather nearly all of the time to prevent personal injury (I am epileptic also), so we are going to look EXTREMELY COOL TOGETHER haha. He will be kept groomed basically "nude" to accommodate the Service Dog vest without discomfort, and I'll have his head Mohawked like I always did with all of my Poodles all of my life, it makes them look either silly or threatening, strangers can never be QUITE certain. haha
He will be trained to also sit with me and "snarl" should I have an episode whilst we are out and about. My epilepsy is very mild (if you can call ANY epilepsy "mild", it STILL forced me into retirement) and my Support Group recommends a Service Dog for me to just sit there for the few seconds it takes for me to regain control of my body because no scumbag will approach a snarling large Dog of ANY breed to get close enough to me, to nick my wallet whilst I cannot move. Even if the Dog doesn't know what the "snarl" actually MEANS.
Anyway. I just wanted to introduce myself and Marlowe. Nice meeting you all.

 

[DaySleepers]

He's such a sweetie! Sounds like he's going to be a really great dog for you. Not that I'm biased or anything!

The only thing I do want to point out is really think about the "snarl" idea, for several reasons. One is that bystanders who see you seizing with a snarling dog over you may be more likely to call a police or ambulance because they don't feel safe approaching. The second is that police can and will act with deadly force if they think an 'aggressive' dog is preventing them from getting to you in a presumed medical emergency, either in a situation where they happen to be nearby or if someone calls them in. Then there's the image - service dog handlers already face a lot of scrutiny from the public, because they don't "look" blind/disabled, because their dog is the "wrong" breed, because it's not from a program, because they've heard about "fakers" and think they're being allies to the disabled by being suspicious of every dog with a vest or SD harness. By training a service dog to do a behavior that can be read by the non dog-savvy public as "aggressive", you could be leaving people with the impression that service dogs are aggressive, or potentially dangerous. That could work towards making your life and the life of other SD handlers more difficult.

You might want to look into body block or cover training instead, where the dog passively puts themselves between you and anyone nearby, or having him retrieve a card of some kind that explains you're epileptic and please don't call the ambulance unless XYZ (it goes on too long, you've hit your head, etc.).

 

[frrich]

Hello!
I've recently acquired a Standard Poodle puppy to train as my Hearing Dog (you guessed it, I'm a deaf guy).
He's only little, barely over ten weeks, but he's brilliant and after only two weeks and a handful of days I feel like we'll never be able to live without him. I named him Marlowe.
He is already doing a fabulous job learning his basic puppy things, and at six months I'll start him on his deeper training.
Won't be anything serious; for instance, I don't need him to alert me to the doorbell nor timers, we've plenty of electronics, cameras, and SOME hired help... the MAIN THING is that I'm needing him for independence when I don't WANT to be accompanied and want to take a stroll alone.
He will alert me when I DROP THINGS more than anything else. I've lost KEYS, glasses, sunglasses, on and on, because I simply don't hear them hit the ground.
It's truly embarrassing to have to walk accompanied because I feel restless, or be driven just to the corner store for a candy bar like I require a body guard or something, and Marlowe will solve every bit of this for me.
I will be FREE of this estate, whenever I choose. No longer what is for all intents and purposes a prisoner will I be.
There's also the fact that -well, he IS a Standard Poodle, and he's black, and I wear all black leather nearly all of the time to prevent personal injury (I am epileptic also), so we are going to look EXTREMELY COOL TOGETHER haha. He will be kept groomed basically "nude" to accommodate the Service Dog vest without discomfort, and I'll have his head Mohawked like I always did with all of my Poodles all of my life, it makes them look either silly or threatening, strangers can never be QUITE certain. haha
He will be trained to also sit with me and "snarl" should I have an episode whilst we are out and about. My epilepsy is very mild (if you can call ANY epilepsy "mild", it STILL forced me into retirement) and my Support Group recommends a Service Dog for me to just sit there for the few seconds it takes for me to regain control of my body because no scumbag will approach a snarling large Dog of ANY breed to get close enough to me https://melway.in best online casino in india, to nick my wallet whilst I cannot move. Even if the Dog doesn't know what the "snarl" actually MEANS.
Anyway. I just wanted to introduce myself and Marlowe. Nice meeting you all.
View attachment 264398

What a boy! Welcome to the forum!

 

[3GSD4IPO]

My "other favorite breed" is the Standard Poodle. Welcome!

 

[Guest]

He's such a sweetie! Sounds like he's going to be a really great dog for you. Not that I'm biased or anything!

The only thing I do want to point out is really think about the "snarl" idea, for several reasons. One is that bystanders who see you seizing with a snarling dog over you may be more likely to call a police or ambulance because they don't feel safe approaching. The second is that police can and will act with deadly force if they think an 'aggressive' dog is preventing them from getting to you in a presumed medical emergency, either in a situation where they happen to be nearby or if someone calls them in. Then there's the image - service dog handlers already face a lot of scrutiny from the public, because they don't "look" blind/disabled, because their dog is the "wrong" breed, because it's not from a program, because they've heard about "fakers" and think they're being allies to the disabled by being suspicious of every dog with a vest or SD harness. By training a service dog to do a behavior that can be read by the non dog-savvy public as "aggressive", you could be leaving people with the impression that service dogs are aggressive, or potentially dangerous. That could work towards making your life and the life of other SD handlers more difficult.

You might want to look into body block or cover training instead, where the dog passively puts themselves between you and anyone nearby, or having him retrieve a card of some kind that explains you're epileptic and please don't call the ambulance unless XYZ (it goes on too long, you've hit your head, etc.).

Nononono, it's a "fake" snarl, it's for SHOW. Service Dogs aren't allowed to be trained to attack or anything like that. He will just be sitting there, showing teeth. And by the time anyone got to the scene, police or anyone else, I will be cognizant again so it will be a non-issue anyway. But thanks hugely for the suggestion.

 

[BKaymuttleycrew]

Nononono, it's a "fake" snarl, it's for SHOW. Service Dogs aren't allowed to be trained to attack or anything like that. He will just be sitting there, showing teeth. And by the time anyone got to the scene, police or anyone else, I will be cognizant again so it will be a non-issue anyway. But thanks hugely for the suggestion.

Quite frankly, I strongly agree with Daysleepers on this point. A dog sitting & showing teeth (even if it's just been trained as a 'trick', since no one witnessing the situation could possibly know that) could cause a lot of issues for himself & you. You have no way of knowing that every single time you would be cognizant before medical help or police officers arrive. Do you really want to take the chance that your dog be labeled as 'aggressive'? I'd teach him to lay down on top of you in the event of a seizure. It will still keep pick pockets from approaching but not be construed as aggressive.

 

[DaySleepers]

I understood that it's a trained trick and not related to any protection training or actual aggression, but the general non-dog-savvy public isn't great at understanding the difference. If it's convincing enough to discourage people from approaching, it'll be convincing enough for someone to think that a 'scary, aggressive dog' is keeping you from getting medical attention and doing something that escalates the situation. I've honestly seen people who have no dog experience get scared because an over-enthusiastic large dog is bouncing and play-bowing+, so the combination of something that looks like a medical emergency (a situation where it's normal for people to panic and have trouble staying calm and rational at the best of times) combined with a dog displaying an 'aggressive' behavior seems like a big risk.

Another thing to consider is that aggressive behavior is one of the top reasons gatekeepers (managers/owners of stores, restaurants, etc.) are legally allowed to ban a service dog from entry - or ask you to remove them if they're already inside - so if it happens in a store you may have to deal with that. Not all managers are going to accept the explanation of it being a trained behavior if they believe the dog could be a threat to other customers or employees - wrongly in this case, but it's a reasonable judgement call to make from their perspective.

I just want to encourage you to consider this task carefully, since it can have fallout, especially since there are other crowd control tasks that aren't as easy to misinterpret as threatening. It might be worth asking experienced service dog handlers about - especially if they need similar tasks from their dogs - to see what they think, based on their first-hand experience navigating interactions with the public, police/emergency workers, and gatekeepers as a service dog team.

 

[LeoRose]

Nononono, it's a "fake" snarl, it's for SHOW. Service Dogs aren't allowed to be trained to attack or anything like that. He will just be sitting there, showing teeth. And by the time anyone got to the scene, police or anyone else, I will be cognizant again so it will be a non-issue anyway. But thanks hugely for the suggestion.

While some programs may not allow their dogs to be trained for it, there are no rules or laws preventing a service dog from being trained in protection and/or bite sports. I personally know of two medical alert service dogs who had some bite sport training. Both dogs will absolutely allow a stranger to help their humans if they need it.

And honestly, a big back dog who is showing their teeth at people in public is in danger of being killed or injured first and questions asked later if someone comes across them and their unconscious and/or seizing owner. In some states, gun ownership and carrying guns in public is common practice, and someone who doesn't know that the dog is doing something it's trained to do can think that they are "saving" you from a dog attack.

On to other matters, that puppy needs to get out and see the world. Socialization is critical for a service dog expected to work in public. It does NOT mean he needs to greet and interact with every single person and/or dog he meets. It means that he needs to see things, and learn that they aren't scary, and can be ignored. Sitting in the car at a store and watching things happening, sitting on a bench and watching kids playing on a playground and the like are what he needs. If someone asks to pet him, or want him to play with their dog, you are free to say no if you think he doesn't want to.

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much. Nice meeting you.

 

[Guest]

What a boy! Welcome to the forum!

Thank you very much! Nice to meet you!

 

[Guest]

Quite frankly, I strongly agree with Daysleepers on this point. A dog sitting & showing teeth (even if it's just been trained as a 'trick', since no one witnessing the situation could possibly know that) could cause a lot of issues for himself & you. You have no way of knowing that every single time you would be cognizant before medical help or police officers arrive. Do you really want to take the chance that your dog be labeled as 'aggressive'? I'd teach him to lay down on top of you in the event of a seizure. It will still keep pick pockets from approaching but not be construed as aggressive.

Thanks very much. Nice meeting you.

 

[Kyllobernese]

What are you going to do if he is like most Poodles and smiles? Gypsy grins showing all her teeth when someone comes up to her. Always have to tell people that she is just smiling not snarling.