Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Christmas day was wonderful. Jonathan has discovered presents...and for the first time, he stayed in the room while we all opened gifts, and he opened all of his...and mine...and Dave's..and a couple of Aaron's. (Aaron was the only one who minded.) It was the best gift to see Jonathan participating!
Dave has saved up some vacation time, so he was able to take off the majority of the school break to spend with the family. We are making a point to spend a portion of each day playing games with the boys. They love it, and we are seeing a closeness in our family because of it.
I hope you are able to spend time with friends and family this holiday season, and to remember the One who is the reason for the celebration.
Merry Christmas to all,
Heather
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
November 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
October Update
Friday, July 31, 2009
July Update
Buddy has become a member of our family. We love him so much. He is calming down and growing out of his puppy stage little by little. I have to say, that even during the puppy phase, he has always known that it was time to work when his harness is put on. Buddy and Jonathan and I go on walks several times a week to make sure that tethering skills are maintained. It's so amazing to be able to take Jonathan for a walk! He's so happy, and loves the wind in his face. I have to watch out because he often closes his eyes when we're walking, and once he walked into the side mirror of a parked car because I was looking the other direction and his eyes were closed! Live and learn!!!
Tracking practices are going well. I'm still not completely confident, and it's a challenge to carve out the time to practice, but we try to do them as often as possible. Buddy definitely knows his boy. Often, I will look up to find he is across the room sitting by Jonathan. He just seems to know. Jonathan is bonding very slowly, but I do see progress. Every once in a while he'll reach out and touch Buddy. One day Jonathan walked into a room where the rest of us were watching TV, grabbed Buddy by the collar and walked out of the room with him. That was a huge moment because he actually wanted Buddy with him!
In a few weeks Buddy will start school with Jonathan. The main goal for our first year is to get Jonathan bonded. We want Jonathan to understand that wherever he goes, Buddy goes. So, that's what will happen at school. They will be tethered in the hallways, and Buddy will have a "place" in the classroom next to Jonathan's work area. Our hope is that eventually Jonathan will see Buddy as a constant stable source of support for him. The other day, I took them to Walmart for the first time by myself. It was kind of a big milestone for me. When we got to the check-out lanes, I couldn't find one with fewer than 3 people in line. I thought, 'this is where the melt-down is going to happen for sure', because Jonathan hates to have to stop moving. Well, I put Buddy in a "down" in front of me while we waited and said, "Jonathan, sit down next to your Buddy." ...AND HE DID!!! No melt-down! I couldn't believe it.
As I re-read this post, it seems like the changes are so trivial. But our lives are so much better since we've gotten our Buddy. He lives to please and is so happy to get love and attention. We are going to the park tomorrow, and a parade the following day. These are things I wouldn't have considered 3 months ago. Life is getting better. We're so thankful to 4Paws for our wonderful service dog.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June Update
I've given myself a major pep-talk about taking things a day at a time and continuing to breathe...summers in the past have been a very difficult time for all of us. Routine is a big part of Jonathan's life, and it's very hard to keep to a routine in the summer. I have goals for all the boys, but for Jonathan I especially want to concentrate on bonding with Buddy and potty-training. We're off to a good start. It's exhausting, and discouraging, but I'm also seeing lots of progress...so we continue forward...taking one day at a time and continuing to breathe!
Buddy is doing great! His bond with me is very strong, and I see him growing each day. He seems to understand that he has an important job. When he's working, he is such a great dog! When he's not working, he's such a great puppy! I will be happy when the puppy stage is over, as many things have become chew-toys!!! On the other hand, Buddy has never had an accident in my house...so I will take the chewing! :)
I will try to update more often. Thanks for caring and for praying.
Heather
Friday, May 22, 2009
Already seeing improvement!
Just taking a minute to check in and update you on recent events. Buddy is a wonderful addition to our family. He is going pretty much everywhere with Jonathan except school right now (we're waiting until the beginning of next school year to start him). Jonathan is continuing to bond, and Buddy is even sleeping on his bed now! (That means Jonathan is not in my bed...Yay!)
I brought Buddy with me to work a couple of days ago. My students LOVED that! Buddy stayed the entire day. We went to 13 classes and a sr. citizens luncheon. He showed his obedience, behavior disruption commands and even some of his tricks for each one. His behavior was perfect. It showed me that he understands when it's time to work and when it's okay to be a puppy. I am so pleased with how he's doing!
Jonathan's teacher reports that she sees great progress with Jonathan since we've been back home. He is identifying classmates and family in pictures, recognizes about 5 sight words and is copying written sentences. The only change is Buddy...and we've only had him for four weeks! I can't wait to see what else continues to happen!
Everyone has been very supportive when they've seen us out and about with Buddy. It's been quite an adjustment for me. I appreciate being able to go more places, and I'm thrilled that Jonathan doesn't mind being tethered!!! I'm still adjusting to the fact that I feel like a 3-ring circus and draw a lot of attention wherever we go...but I'm hoping I'll get used to that eventually.
Summer is almost here. We plan to practice, practice, practice with Buddy so that he'll be more than ready for school in the fall.
Heather
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
We're home!
Holly, our other Golden Retriever, has been slow to give up her position as head dog. There were a few days of craziness as the dogs tried to figure out the dominance game. Now they are like siblings...whatever one has, the other wants. It's pretty funny.
Buddy still has stitches, but is doing well. Thanks for all the support while we were away. We are so fortunate to have such a great group of friends and family!
Heather
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Finals tomorrow!
Well, Buddy is a real trooper! He is back to being able to do everything! He doesn't even seem to notice that he has an injury! Goof-ball! We've modified his harness a bit so that it doesn't rub his wound, but other than that, he's been full-speed ahead.
Tomorrow is our public access test. This means the trainer will follow me around the mall for about 20 minutes while I put Buddy through all of his obedience paces in public. He'll have to heel, follow basic commands (sit, down, come), stay while I drop the leash, manage stairs and elevators calmly, and basically show that I can handle him in a public setting. After that he has to stay in down under the table in a restaurant setting. Finally, I have to take him outside and show that I can load him into the car the right way. I'm a little nervous because there's a whole lot of puppy in Buddy still (he's only 15 months old), but we plan to run him before hand so that his excess energy is worn off. I've passed it before with Hans, so I think we'll be okay.
We'll have a graduation at 4Paws in the afternoon and be on the road for home on Saturday.
I can't wait to introduce Buddy to all of you! He's a little embarrassed about the shaved spot on his back, but I've convinced him that people still want to meet him. :)
See you all very soon!
Heather
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Drama and Trauma
Monday, May 4, 2009
Monday, Monday...so good to me...
Our track outside was challenging today due to very high wind. The scent was blown way off the path and hard for Buddy to find initially. (Many of the dogs had trouble with this today). Once he found the scent, he was dead on and pulled HARD!
We also did two indoor tracks at the mall, which he nailed.
It's been a full day. Time for bed!
Heather
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Half way...
We worked on behavior disruption commands this morning. There are five things that the dogs are trained to do to disrupt behaviors of the kids. One is the 'touch' command. This is where the dog touches the child with his paw to get their attention. Jonathan doesn't respond well to any dog's paws, so we probably won't use this technique with him. The second command is the 'lap' command. We WILL use this one. It is where the dog puts his head in the child's lap for comfort. The third is 'nuzzle'. This one is mostly used to distract a crying child. The dog gently bumps the child's hands with his nose. The fourth is 'kisses'-which we might use on Jonathan's feet and hands, but I think it's too overwhelming for his face. The last is 'over'. The dog steps over the child and is put in a down on top of their legs for deep pressure (something a lot of kids with autism need and like).
Then we went tracking again. I hid with Jonathan and Dave found us with Buddy. Tomorrow we track inside the mall. It's different from outside tracking. Much more of a controlled walk instead of all out run.
Tonight was the most exciting time. I called Buddy up on the bed with Jonathan and within 20 minutes this is what happened...let the bonding begin!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Tracking in the Woods
After tracking we spent the afternoon at a busy mall working on heeling Buddy through crowds of people while tethered to Jonathan. We started off by eating lunch at the food court, and Buddy did great in a 'down' under the table. (Although I'm going to have to work with him on ignoring the distration of falling french fries-Jonathan's favorite food!) We walked all over the mall, up and down stairs, riding in elevators, and I even bought something in one of the stores. (Well, we WERE at a mall after all!) Jonathan stayed tethered for and hour and a half! Major accomplishment!!! He was even happy about it unless we stopped moving.
Jonathan is becoming more and more tollerant of Buddy. I've seen him reach out to touch Buddy several times. He enjoys touching him with his feet, and Buddy, being the attention seeking goof-ball that he is, loves it.
Keep the prayers coming-they're helping so much!!!
Heather
Friday, May 1, 2009
Successful Tethering and Sleeping
Thursday, April 30, 2009
It's Raing, It's Pouring...and our dog is Tracking!!!
Well...we got SOAKED while we practiced tracking today, but Buddy found us right away- so it was completely worth it! What a great dog!!! We are so happy with him.
We're already seeing little positive changes in Jonathan. It's amazing to watch him! Today he was very verbal. He tried to repeat everything he heard. He is getting more and more comfortable with Buddy. The only issue we're having with the two of them is that Buddy loves to play and Jonathan can get easily overwhelmed. They both want the ball! :) We bought a 12 pack of tennis balls today just so we MIGHT have enough to go around! LOL!
At the end of a track, when the dog finds the child, we praise the dog like crazy. He gets the best reward saved for this 'game' because we want it to be a highly motivated activity that he wants to do. Most dogs get a handfull of hot dogs as their reward...Buddy gets to play with his tennis ball! It's more fun for him than treats. This is great since Jonathan's favorite thing to do is throw balls.
Here are some pictures of today. We were able to go to Applebees with Jonathan, and he sat through the whole meal. Huge progress! He wanted to sit on my lap at the training center for a lot of the afternoon session. It was sweet until it was my turn to work with Buddy in front of the whole class...and Jonathan needed to be riding piggy back on me! Oh well...I went with it, and Buddy worked like a pro. He loves attention and is becoming the class clown.
Stay tuned for more soon!
Heather
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
End of Day 2
Today we worked a lot on heeling and extended time in a down with distractions. Buddy was awesome. I can walk to the other side of a large room and he stays right where he's supposed to. I walked around him snapping my fingers, clapping my hands, stepping over the top of him, dropping treats within a foot of his nose...still he was obedient! What a good boy! He also knows the command "go potty" and goes right away like clockwork!
The only problem we had today was when Buddy thought Jonathan running around in a pull-up looked like too much fun and dragged the pull-up right off his butt! Jonathan did not find this as funny as Dave and I did! :)
Jonathan did well at the training center all day today. We bought a new electronic toy called a Leapster and he was facinated with it. Thank you Walmart! It's been raining all week, so he's had to be confined inside.
Tomorrow we track for the first time. With Buddy's energy and the amount of sniffing the ground just when we're going potty...I'm anticipating great things. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week-so we'll probably be soaked! Fun times!
Andrew and Aaron- We miss you very much! Take good care of Holly and tell her all about Buddy for us. We will see you in 10 more days.
Heather
Day 2 - Off to a good start!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Successful First Day!
Monday, April 27, 2009
We made it to Ohio!
Tomorrow is the big day. We meet Buddy at 10:00. We've already met several of the other families and they seem really nice.
Sorry for the short post. I'll try to write more tomorrow when I can focus.
Heather
Saturday, April 18, 2009
It's settled....he will be called "Buddy"
Okay....time to start packing! Oh wait. I still have 9 1/2 more days.
going nuts...going nuts...going nuts...going nuts
Taking a breath...
Friday, April 17, 2009
We found out who our new sevice dog will be!!!
Hey buddy!
Boy am I excited to finally be meeting you. Everyone here has told us all about you and what a cool boy you are! Then I heard Cinnamon (a.k.a.Holly) lives with you and she is a good friend of mine so that is so cool. All my brothers and sisters have graduated and I have been sort of sad because I am left here but I know it is because I was waiting for you and that is the best of all. My name is Dooley and I am a member of the Irish litter born to Mom, Allie and Dad, Norman. Hey, Norman just won the Bissel cleaner contest and $10,000 for 4 Paws. How cool is that to be related to someone famous! You will be able to read about it on the 4 Paws web site. My birthday is 1-18-2008 and I am a year old Golden retriever just like Cinnamon but we are not the same color. I am much lighter than she is. Please hurry up and come to Ohio. Bring toys to play, especially a ball because I love to play! I can't wait to be your bestest buddy!
Friday, April 10, 2009
The wait is killing me!
On April 27, we will drive back to Ohio to train with our new service dog. The last time we went, we brought the whole family, as well as Jonathan's personal aid-Karen, and both sets of grandparents. This time, we are simplifying everything and only bringing Jonathan. We'll be able to focus having the dog and Jonathan bond better this way. The training will take two weeks to complete. Why another two weeks-you ask? Well, the new dog needs to learn Jonathan's scent for tracking, and we need to learn the body language of our new dog while he/she is tracking.
We're ready to go. All the details are finalized. Now we wait...patiently.
-Heather
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
We're Moving On Up!
I still need to work out the details with my job. It's difficult to ask for more time off in the same school year...but I have to do what's best for my son.
We will find out the details of our dog...what kind, name, age...about two weeks before we go to training. We know that he/she will be trained in search and rescue, behavior disruption, tethering, and public access. Until then, I continue to look at the dogs on the 4Paws training pages and wonder which one will be ours.
Heather
Monday, January 5, 2009
We changed her name to Holly!
Our new addtion was a big hit for Christmas! Aaron and Jonathan had trouble pronouncing "Cinnamon" so we changed her name to "Holly" since we got her for Christmas. Andrew has announced that Holly is his best friend and the best Christmas present ever! She follows him everywhere~it's very cool! Aaron has been slower to bond. At first, he wanted us to take her back and go get Hans. He spent a few days missing Hans more, but is starting to take to Holly now. Jonathan loves to be licked awake in the mornings. He has even wandered in to sleep in Andrew/Aaron's bedroom since that is where all the fun is now. The fact that he is aware of that....is HUGE!
We are still waiting for our new service dog to be trained. Our training dates are set for August 4-14. This is great timing, since we will all still be on summer vacation!
Until then, we wait for the next chapter to unfold.
Heather