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Diary of a Service Dog – Part 4

All work and no play, makes for a long day.

Yes, my work as a trained Service Dog requires constant vigilance and strict attention to detail.
But sometimes my mom and I have fun together.  It’s important to our relationship that we enjoy each other.

Here you can see my friends Wilhelm and Lilly as they hold a sit stay to entertain their trainers on the chess board.  They took the role of the knight which seemed appropriate for these two service dogs who work to protect their partners.

The sit stay behavior is very useful for service dogs and can also be a lot of fun.  We get to sit in the most fun places sometimes.  We get to sit at parks and watch kids and families play.  We get to sit and watch movies with our partners.  We even get to sit and watch as they have friends and family over to their houses for the holidays.  It’s great to be a part of someone’s life and to be responsible for their safety.

Check out our Service Dog Training Program here

Call us for more information 602-237-6775

March 2018 Dog of the Month!!

mach title, agility mach, az dog sportsAZ Dog Sports is extremely proud to announce that one of our own has earned the highest honor an agility dog can achieve … the MACH Title!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JETT COMISE AND HIS HANDLER SANDI!!

This month we celebrate you, Jett!  We are so proud of your achievement!

Let’s hear the story from Sandi’s point of view…

My handsome, wonderful Papillon, Jett; has earned the VERY DIFFICULT to achieve agility title of “MACH” – Master Agility Champion in AKC.  On February 11, 2018 he crossed the finish line and became a MACH Dog!  This has been a very exciting and emotional adventure with my sweet, big boy Jett!  We call him Jumbo Jett because he’s 14 ½” tall, oversize for a Pap.  I also have his Champion mom, dad and sister who are normal size.  He jumps 16”!

The road to a MACH is very challenging.  You could call it the “Agony and the Ecstasy!”  You enter lots and lots of trials, spending lots and lots of $$, but may not always qualify.  In fact, it can be a long dry spell in between “Q’s”.  Your dog is not a robot and you are not always a helpful handler.  But my boy, Jett is a willing team player.  And win or lose, we are both doing what we really enjoy!

When I started this adventure with Jett, I was just having fun with my dog, like I’ve been doing in agility for many years with all my dogs.  Then I began to realize he was getting very consistent.  I’m not a competitive person.  This is just a sport I love to do with my dogs.  But as he earned more QQ’s and points, I thought we might have a chance at a MACH!  As the journey progressed, I sometimes doubted my skills as Jett’s handler, because most mistakes are made by the human!  He probably had the same thoughts (oh boy, she forgot the course!).  I remember having a conversation with myself at a low period in trialing.  “Sandie, if you want Jett to do his best, then YOU better step up to the plate and be as great a handler as you can be for Jett!”.  It’s a TEAM EFFORT.  As I kept telling and pushing myself, things got better!

I’m truly, truly, grateful to my loving, patient boy, Jett for all he has accomplished and taught me along the way!

LOVE THE DOGS YOU TEACH!

TEACH THE DOGS YOU LOVE!

~ Sandie Comise

A Master Agility Champion (MACH) title is something that only dogs who exhibit superior performance on the agility course can earn. In order to achieve this, Jett mastered both speed and consistency in his performances. The requirements for earning this title are a minimum of 750 speed points (by running faster than standard course time) and 20 double qualifying points (by qualifying in the Standard class and the Jumpers With Weaves class on the same day.)

According to akc.com, the first MACH title was earned in 2000 by a Shetland Sheepdog named “Wyatt”. If you see the MACH title followed by a number (i.e. MACH2), the 2 denotes the number of times the dog has earned a MACH.

Diary of a Service Dog – Part 3

Are you patient?

I do a lot of waiting in my job as a service dog.

I don’t mind it though.  There is always a good reason for me to be patient with my partner.

Here you can see my friend Isabel again as she waits patiently in the car for her partner and for her next cue.

service dog, service dog training, diabetic alert dog, assistance dog, dog training

Service dogs should load into a vehicle when cued and wait for their partner to release them from the vehicle when they arrive somewhere new. This training keeps both the service dog and their partner safe while preparing to navigate a parking lot.

This skill of waiting not only keeps both me and my handler safe at times, it also allows us to form a stronger bond.  We rely on each other for cues and for direction.  In the beginning this creates a bond which leads to a wonderful, peaceful relationship between us as we continue to work together.  So, it is not only a necessity to us but patience is also a welcome comfort; knowing that we can rely on each other.

Check out our Service Dog Training Program here

Call us for more information 602-237-6775

 

Diary of a Service Dog – Part 2

“Max”

Diary of a Service Dog – Part 2

Look what my friend Isabel learned today!

service dogs
My friend Isabel, a yellow lab, hands her trainer her leash after it was dropped accidentally.

Most of the time when I am working, people think I am just a calm nice dog who looks just like any other pet.  While this is true about my temperament, it is very important to my mom that I remain calm in all situations.

You see, when I am with my mom, I am working.  I am doing my best at my job and part of that job is keeping my cool.  So though I look like a sweet dog who might just want some love, I am really concentrating and focusing on the job at hand.  So please do not pet me.

We as Service Dogs learn to stay under control and as you can see in the picture of Isabel, we are taught to pay attention to our handlers and retrieve dropped items for them; even when it’s our own leash! This level of focus and control around distractions is very important.

Next week you will get to meet two more of my friends!

Check out our Service Dog Training Program here

Call us for more information 602-237-6775

 

Diary of a Service Dog Part 1

service dog, assistance dog, mobility assistance dog

Diary of a Service Dog

Why we do what we do

Hi I’m Max!

I’m a service dog for my mom. It’s tons of fun to be a working dog, and for the most part I’m just like other dogs except I go everywhere with my mom to help her. I went to special training to learn to focus on helping my mom no matter where we go together.

I love people, and sometimes nice people talk to me, but when I’m working I have to stay focused on my mom. I pick up things she’s dropped, and help her balance when she’s walking. It took lots of practice and learning to become my mom’s mobility assistance service dog, but I love my job!

My mom gets lots and lots of questions about me when we’re working, so we thought it might help for people to hear about my day to day life. My mom asked me if I would explain some things I do to help her, and since I don’t talk, I decided to keep a diary. (See, I’m holding a pen . . . so I can write!)

One question we get is how do we help our handlers when they have to go shopping and how do we do it safely.  I took this picture of my friends who are learning to help others…

Service dogs accompany and assist their handlers throughout daily life, which includes a lot of trips to the grocery store.  In this picture you can see how my friends are being trained to help out in the parking lot of a local store.  We are trained to walk next to our handler behind the cart, which protects us from other passing carts as we move about the lot and inside the store.

service dog

Check out our Service Dog Training Program here

Call us for more information 602-237-6775

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