Austin Works Bo in Classroom

Bo and Austin attended religion class last Sunday. The three hour class provided many opportunities for boy and pup to work together in a classroom environment. I continue to be the biggest distraction to Bo when Austin is working him. These are some pictures from the evening.

Changing classes.

Entering our classroom.

Leaving large group in the gym.

Navigating the snack line.

Hanging out during large group lecture.

Video: The Wait Command in Action

Helen taught us how to train Bo on the command 'wait' early in our journey. The idea is for the dog to 'hold on for a second.' We use 'wait' many times during the day. For example, we have Bo wait at all doors before we open them. We have Bo wait in the car while before unloading him. Sometimes, we have him wait before we give him food.

When we are take off leash walks we may use wait if he gets ahead of us or if we hear other dogs or people. He has a highly reliable wait. If we give the command, he stops and looks up. I took this video on an off leash walk. You see Bo walking with his head down sniffing and then when he hears the command 'wait,' he stops and looks up. I then give him the 'come' command and he immediately comes to me. His willingness to respond to these commands is especially valuable when he is off leash and we encounter other dogs or people. He will stop and come to me rather than run towards the dogs and people.

Video: Training at Airport

In preparation for our first commercial flight with Bo, we have been training at the airport and simulating placing in small tight spaces. Bo will fly in coach with us and will place on the floor in front of our legs. We will likely be assigned the bulkhead row of seats, which will offer a little more room for Bo to settle. The videos here are from our training session with Helen at our local airport. Austin handled Bo the entire session and Bo alerted to a high while we were walking through the lobby.

In this video, Austin is working Bo through the busy baggage claim area. One thing you will notice is Bo's check-in with me. I'm walking behind them taking the video. As we transition from me handling Bo to Austin handling Bo, we hope to see fewer check-ins with me and more with Austin. You will also notice Bo looks back at luggage on wheels that passes him. While it gets his attention, he is able to re-focus and continue working.

In this video our trainer, Helen, is telling Austin to put Bo in a down. Bo is listening to Austin's commands and staying focused despite the distractions. 

In this video, Austin is practicing taking Bo through the security gate. They pass several TSA employees and Bo remains focused and at Austin's side.


In this video, Austin is walking Bo around the upper level of the airport near the security gate and food kiosks. Austin is very much at ease handling Bo and Bo's tail is high and wagging indicating he is also comfortable. You see a loose leash and Bo staying at Austin's side. Bo does put his nose down to the floor at one point, which is not ideal and something to continue to work on with him.

Riding in the car wheel well is one way we are preparing Bo for the tight space he will need to place in during our three hour flight. He has always rode in the hatch of our vehicles, so the wheel well was a new experience for him. He wasn't comfortable at first but after two weeks of daily training, he is going down on his own and even resting as seen in this video.

Video: Practicing Load Up in Wash Room

Every day I spend time training, exercising and playing with Bo. On the days I don't work, I spend more time doing each of these activities than on days I do work. I'm always trying to find new ways to engage him and keep him busy and interested. Today, we practiced the load up command by having him load up into the bathtub. Usually I'm giving the 'load up' command to prompt him to get into a vehicle or to get on Austin's bed. 

Video: Retrieving a Juice Box on Command

I'm working to train Bo to retrieve a juice box on command. I place a juice box on a shelf in Austin's room and give Bo the command 'get juice.' I was advised early in my journey to use as few words as possible with verbal commands. This stuck with me and whenever I am selecting a verbal command cue, I always try to limit it to as few words as possible. For our command to retrieve a juice box, it's simply 'get juice.' I took these videos of our training session today. I'm not a professional trainer, so I'm nearly certain my sequence is flawed. Lucky for me, I've got two things on my side. First, Bo is highly forgiving of my mistakes and second he is one smart dog. The ultimate goal with this command is to have Bo retrieve a juice box when cued and return it to the hands of the person who gave the command.

Remote Alert at the Football Stadium

We took Bo to the football stadium last night to train for a few hours and while we were there he gave a remote alert. Bo was sitting between my legs (close command) and Austin was on the side line when he alerted. Bo paw swiped me twice in quick succession and looked at me intently. I told him we would check. We were able to get Austin's attention to tell him Bo alerted and to have him check his blood sugar. Austin checked and he was 180 -- a number in Bo's high reward range. We treated Bo with hot dog pieces and praised him for his good alert, then gave him the 'all set' command.

This isn't the first time Bo has alerted remotely but it's one of his first remote alerts in a highly distracting environment. There were big and small kids running past us and there were people eating hamburgers and hot dogs near us. There was loud music, as well as people cheering and stomping on the bleachers. There was also a mom pushing a double stroller back and forth in front of us. We were seated next to the stairs so there was frequent foot traffic beside us. There were also several people who stopped to talk to us and some who stopped to look at Bo. Our sweet pup earned a gold star for his focus and attention. His alert was a bonus! When we got home Austin's blood sugar was 98, just right for sitting down to eat dinner.

Austin was on the side line beyond the fence
when Bo alerted high from the first row of the bleachers.

Down stay between my legs on the stadium bleachers.

Video: Training at the School Yard

We spent time at the school yard this afternoon practicing loose leash walking, chilling out and working among distractions. One of the distractions we encountered was another dog. Bo was in a down stay when a family with a dog walked by the basketball courts where I was sitting with Bo. The dog was at a distance from us but it still got Bo's attention.

In this video, you see Bo catch sight of the other dog. He doesn't break his down stay but he watches the other dog. I played the name game with Bo and captured what happened on video. I ended up calling his name three times before I got eye contact.  Ideally, Bo would look at me the first time I said his name. Working around other dogs is something we get to practice in group classes. It's also something we practice when we encounter dogs while out in public. We never allow Bo to greet dogs when he is on leash. This is for his safety, as well as for his public access training.

Bo in a down stay on the basketball courts.

Bo watching kids play basketball. 

Bo holding a stay while I was across the court.

Sweet Bo hanging out at the courts with his boy.

Look Who Got His Service Dog Vest




Bo gets lots of attention in his vest.

Bo's service dog vest and patches arrived on Friday. I gave him the vest when I opened the package and he carried it around the house and then mouthed it before I put it on him. The patches were sold separately so we asked our wonderful neighbor, Sylvia, if she would stitch them on for us. Thanks to her kind heart and sewing skills, the vest was ready to wear Saturday morning.

Walking on the beach.

On Saturday, we took Bo to Hampton Beach to experience the sand and water, as well as the sights and sounds of the boardwalk. We figured dogs would be allowed on the beach in late October, but found out they are not per RSA 7301.08. A quick online search of "7301.08" and the phrase "service animals" returned information on RSA 7301.08(b), which states: Service animals shall be exempt from all prohibited areas. With this information, we headed for the sand.



Hearing music on the street.

Bo tasted the salt water, chased the receding waves, and carefully navigated his way across the jetty wall. When we finished on the beach we headed to the boardwalk and then got back into the car and went to Porstmouth for dinner. Walking in downtown Portsmouth provided many opportunities for Bo to experience people, bicycles, strollers, musicians and even a horse and carriage.

Other socialization activities included:

• Visiting Manchester Airport and meeting "Sisky" a bomb sniffing dog, seeing luggage on wheels, and experiencing  a turn-style revolving door.
• Attending a football game at Gil Stadium and hearing music and announcements over the public announcement system. Walking and running on the stadium bleachers.
• Walking along a rock wall at the Village Green and climbing rock stairs.
• Meeting other dogs and people while on a walk in the Village Green.
• Visiting the Bedford Fire Department and seeing a firefighter in his fire gear.

A dog and his boy.

As part of his diabetes alert training Bo has been having low parties with Austin. This involves Austin blowing on Bo when his blood sugar is between 75 and 85 mg/dl and Bo receiving treats while this is happening. The idea being to associate the scent of Austin's low with the pleasure of getting treats. We are also capturing scent samples from Austin when his blood sugar is in the 70-80 mg/dl range.

A reader suggested a post from Austin. Would you like to hear from Austin? If yes, what would you like his perspective on regarding raising Bo?