[Josh Keller]

For Murph's most recent training session we worked his positioning, cadence and obedience at the local mall, which is pretty busy for the holidays. His performance was excellent so I decided to give him a chance to go hands-free. We navigated through crowds of people, changed our speeds as the flow of people ebbed and flowed and worked his sit stay around screaming kids and all the parents oooing and awwing at him. He even posed pretty for some pictures with some local Officers and security guards. He didn't try to touch a single person and was nonchalant around everyone, even the skeezy methheads showing obvious fear of him. He was attentive and alert, but remained by my side and never tried to investigate on his own. I'm very proud and can't believe its possible to get this type of behavior out of a 5 month old pup.
So many people ask me who trained him or how I get him to be so calm and it makes you feel proud that he's being recognized for his excellent behavior. His only failure is laying down when I'm having him sit-stay, so we'll have to tighten that up. But man.....so good.

 

[Hellish]

Great job you are doing with him. And the bond is very evident!

 

[Josh Keller]

Great job you are doing with him. And the bond is very evident!

Thanks so much! He makes the training so easy...

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?

 

[Josh Keller]

You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?

Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.

 

[Hineni7]

Well you haven't waited too long for SAR if he is only 5mos old.. BUT, SAR is a HUGE demand on time, finances, physical and emotional stamina. Training the dog is actually the easiest part, for as a SAR volunteer we humans have a ton of stuff we have to learn to be mission ready..

All in all, good job with Murphy.. He definitely is rocckin his tacticool gear.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?

Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.

I don't have any interest in your medical condition.

I don't know how realistic it is for a dog to simultaneously do two such demanding jobs.

 

[Josh Keller]

You're going to do SAR with your medical service dog?

Among other things!! Lol, to be fair I know where you're going with this and that's cool. I don't discuss family medical conditions online. The SAR is a side thing completely dependent on the instructors evaluation of Murph and myself, whether or not I've waited too long, if I have the time between my full time and part time job, etc. It would be cool, but may not be at all possible. My role here is obedience and socializing, the rest is up to professionals to assist with.

I don't have any interest in your medical condition.

I don't know how realistic it is for a dog to simultaneously do two such demanding jobs.

Fair point. I'm realizing it may be more than we can table for sure. I think it's still worth going through the training though, we can do casual nose work. Just want the pup to be satisfied.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Fair point. I'm realizing it may be more than we can table for sure. I think it's still worth going through the training though, we can do casual nose work. Just want the pup to be satisfied.

My service dog had hobbies that she enjoyed. SAR is not a hobby though, and it can even be dangerous for the dog and if a disabled person is depending on that dog to be sound, fit and able to respond I don't think it is even fair to ask a dog to be responsible for the safety and well being of their disabled partner AND the safety and wellbeing of whoever may be lost in the woods.

AKC Tracking is a good use of a dog's nose and fun for them to do with much less commitment or risk.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog.

Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?

Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are properly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.

 

[Soldes]

Most excellent job of raising, caring and providing a solid foundation for this gifted pub. I'm confident and sure, that whatever direction you choose to go with the Murph, you will take every step and measure to assure that he will be able not only to handle it; but to thrive and be successful at it. So far, if he was a human in school, he would be in the gifted program!. At that age, our Red was not even close to be this well behaved and advanced. Kudos to you and your wife, for providing the home and support, that allowed for all his great qualities to be nurtured and developed.:gsdsit:

 

[Josh Keller]

And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog.

Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?

Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are mayproperly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.

Lol, you just couldn't resist!

 

[Josh Keller]

Most excellent job of raising, caring and providing a solid foundation for this gifted pub. I'm confident and sure, that whatever direction you choose to go with the Murph, you will take every step and measure to assure that he will be able not only to handle it; but to thrive and be successful at it. So far, if he was a human in school, he would be in the gifted program!. At that age, our Red was not even close to be this well behaved and advanced. Kudos to you and your wife, for providing the home and support, that allowed for all his great qualities to be nurtured and developed./forum/images/smilies/gsdsit.gif

Thank you! That's much appreciated!

 

[Sabis mom]

For Murph's most recent training session we worked his positioning, cadence and obedience at the local mall, which is pretty busy for the holidays. His performance was excellent so I decided to give him a chance to go hands-free. We navigated through crowds of people, changed our speeds as the flow of people ebbed and flowed and worked his sit stay around screaming kids and all the parents oooing and awwing at him. He even posed pretty for some pictures with some local Officers and security guards. He didn't try to touch a single person and was nonchalant around everyone, even the skeezy methheads showing obvious fear of him. He was attentive and alert, but remained by my side and never tried to investigate on his own. I'm very proud and can't believe its possible to get this type of behavior out of a 5 month old pup.
So many people ask me who trained him or how I get him to be so calm and it makes you feel proud that he's being recognized for his excellent behavior. His only failure is laying down when I'm having him sit-stay, so we'll have to tighten that up. But man.....so good.

Since we had to routinely patrol through busy malls and areas, I did a lot of work in them with Sabi and she never ceased to amaze me. She was accepting of exuberant children and unconcerned about incidental bumping from passers by. She was also fond of the laying down in a stay, I never bothered about it as long as she stayed but if it bothers you I would get on correcting it before it becomes a habit.
He is growing into quite the cutie and I like the googles.
We had fun on city buses, Sabs enjoyed the ride and was generally well received. The only problems we ever had out in public stemmed from the fact that she was used for narcotics detection and since her reward was treats and she was a pig, she liked ratting people out. It was generally amusing to watch her walk through a mall or bus and indicate on people. The look of fear on their faces was always worth a chuckle. So if you want some entertainment value added to your walks teach him that.:laugh2:

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

And please be sure you are aware of and abiding be whatever laws apply to you and this dog.

Service dogs in training can train in public in some states and not others. Service dogs on their own have no access rights, only their disabled handler does, so if you are not the disabled person this dog works for then you may not have the right to have that dog in a public access situation, unless you are also a trainer?

Some of these laws vary by state. Again, I have no interest in or desire to know yours or anyone else's medical history or disability but I do have a huge interest in service dogs being trained properly and in accordance with regulations for them because every time those rules get bent, the rest of the entire community depending on service dogs (myself included) has to answer for it. So, feel free to keep your whole situation to yourself but please to be sure you are mayproperly educated and handling and training the dog according to applicable laws.

Lol, you just couldn't resist!

No. My life has been hugely impacted by this. I don't talk about this stuff for fun, or to bother people.

I talk about it because it matters, laws are changing, attitudes are changing, and every single person who takes a dog out with a service dog patch on needs to be aware.

We have a responsibility to every other service dog team out there

 

[Hineni7]

Absolutely!! WAY WAY WAY WAY TOO MANY FAKE 'SERVICE DOGS'!!! People feel entitled to call their dog a service dog or service dog in training because he performs a 'service' of making them happy... This is NOT a service!! For people with legit disabilities, to have their dogs attacked by these dogs, or to be refused admission to a place due to ill mannered fake service dogs is UNACCEPTABLE!

I am disabled, my girl has been trained to perform several functions to aid me, however, I do not use her in the public for this because she is a SAR dog first, and while I may have difficulty without her aid, I can manage and have for years... My new pup is being trained as well in case I do have to use one in the future...

You may be training your pup for yourself or someone else, that is fine, however, just by your tone in your writings I doubt you have had the stress and worry that comes with the having a service dog be attacked, to not be admitted or to be harassed with endless questions, people trying to distract your dog whose sole purpose is to stay focused on you and task, or people taking pictures without permission, etc etc.. This is not to be taken lightly! Thecowboysgirl was not disrespectful, she was bringing up a valuable and timely point and was trying to educate you if you didn't know or were new to a service dog.. The rights of the disabled with service dogs is being challenged constantly due to entitled people taking advantage of a situation... Not cool...

 

[Josh Keller]

Thanks for the Uber informative and educational posts! ?

 

[Hineni7]

Thank you for reading it in the tone it was meant (respectful, but firm in the education). Text doesn't always come across well. And as I said earlier, very well done with your training with Murph.. He is a handsome boy!

 

[Josh Keller]

Thank you for reading it in the tone it was meant (respectful, but firm in the education). Text doesn't always come across well. And as I said earlier, very well done with your training with Murph.. He is a handsome boy!

No worries! Nobody here is saying anything I'm not well aware of. Even in the non-canine forums (BJJ, MMA, Motorcycles, etc) I participate on the topic of service dogs comes up from time to time and there is a lot of hatred toward them. Not just the fakes ones either, the truth is a lot of people just really hate dogs and don't think they should be in public for any reason. I'm well aware of all the laws, the worries, potential future legislation, etc. That's why I made this Brag post, because my 5 month old pup surrounded by thousands of people, didn't touch or bother a single person. Not one. To me, that was a great accomplishment and maybe the most important thing for a dog who's going to be working in public. This would all be a non-issue for everyone is people stopped trying to take their peacocks and donkeys on planes...

Yes, this is all backed by an actual medical condition and doctor. But, in this town of 100,000 people I've never seen a single working dog, or any other dog, in public the 4 years I've lived here. In fact, even in Home Depot that I shop in quite frequently I've only ever seen two other dogs. Its a complete non-issue here. Yes, dozens of people photograph Murph when we're in public, yes many people ask about him, his training, why we have him, etc. None of it bothers me though, you have to expect having a dog like this in public whether you're in a wheelchair (that is to say an obvious disability) or not is going to get a lot of attention. I mean, he's wearing super cool reflective ski goggles....how could he not get attention? My responsibility to the service dog community is to do everything in my power and spend whatever it takes to ensure he's well-behaved and never causes a commotion, never bothers anyone and represents his breed and job appropriately.

Ultimately, it would be nice to make a post here without being questioned, second guessed, told I'm doing something wrong, etc. But in the few months I've been here I've accepted that's not going to happen. Regardless, the attention seeking side of my personality simply won't let me not post these pictures of my beautiful GSD so people who can appreciate him can give him a thumbs up.

 

[Steve Strom]

Rodeo Western Wear. New belt buckle?