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Service Dog in Training

Who's the real trainer here?

By Kassie HenryPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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The Great Dyna Glide Davidson, Service Dog (in training) Extraordinaire 

I've helped train quite a few service dogs in my time: A Golden Retriever named Gabby, a Lab mix named Pandi, a German Shepherd named Sera, a Collie mix named Pete, and now a Great Pyrenees puppy named Dyna.

Dyna, pictured above in a few of her adventures so far, is the first puppy I've fostered and trained for an extended period of time, and while she may look adorable, do not question me when I say that she is the most ornery, bratty, spoiled little (or not so little considering she's 40 pounds) puppy on the face of the earth. So far, at four months old and with almost three months of training, she only knows about seven commands and most of the commands she does know, she chooses not to do unless there is food involved.

However, I think the reason she hasn't been learning commands is because she's too busy training me. In her time at my apartment, she has destroyed one blanket, one tire toy, one rope toy, one glass water bowl, one bookshelf, and peed on my floor more times than I can remember; yet somehow I've never loved a dog more. With the mass amount of daily naps she prefers to take instead of working on new commands, she has taught me that naps and cuddles are the best form of therapy. She has helped me, and continues to help me work on my patience, every single day (I already told you how many things she's broken. Need I say more?). She has helped me to open up and talk to people more often; I'm usually talking about her or dogs in general, but it's a start. She's even helped me in my love life. Aka, guys talk to me more because I have an adorable puppy trotting by my side. She's trained me to leave doors open longer (so she can get through), sit places with ample leg room (so she has room to stretch out), take her outside every time she sits by the door but not when she lays (because sitting means it's time to poop and laying means she's messing with me), and to wake up every time her cold, wet nose touches mine (because it's PLAY TIME). It's crazy that all this time I've spent training her to help someone else in the future, she's been training me to help myself. I've never in my life had a more rewarding trainer to trainee bond with a dog, and it's all thanks to the 40-pound bag of fluff who manages to make my life so messy and so amazing all at the same time!

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