4 Paws For Silas: Day Nine: Mobility support, "Over", and some tummy meds . . .

Today we learned a way that Abbot can help us with some tasks that are getting hard now that Si is getting bigger. Up til now, we have been lifting Si into the bathtub, which is hard for me since he is almost 50 pounds. Si is somewhat able to step in, but he often loses his balance. Abbot can help by standing and allowing Si to use his shoulders as a touch-point. It's important to note that Si will not be putting all his weight on Abbot-- that would be very hard on Abbot and could really hurt him. Here is the training process we will use. First, we are getting Abbot excited about bath time. So far, he had steered clear of that excitement. Ha! So today, while Mike and his mom bathed Si, Mike called Abbot over and gave him treats throughout the bath process. Abbot was very happy to be there once the treats started being doled out! Once Abbot is in the habit of being present for Si's bath, we will work on having him "stand" next to the bath tub while Si gets in and out (and treat him). Once that becomes a habit, we will teach Si how to touch Abbot's shoulders as he steps in. This will also be something we can work on at physical therapy. It's super important that Si uses the correct part of Abbot's shoulders and not his back. It's the meaty part at the base of his neck where his shoulders meet. That is the most stable part of his back. We are excited to gradually work toward this so that Si can start to feel more in control and capable and he can get baths even when he is just home with mommy (rather than wait for daddy to lift him in!).

A few interesting points from Q&A today:

Don't use the dog's name much during obedience training. They need to learn to be alert and ready without having us say their name. Ideally, when working, they will be watching/listening for us all times.
If something happens to really distract your dog when he is supposed to be heeling, go in the opposite direction of the distraction and stop and practice "sits" and "downs".
Canine Carryout treats from WalMart are a little cheaper than Puperoni and are another treat you can add to your dog's repertoire if he gets bored with treats easily. We are lucky because Abbot is stoked just to get a piece of regular dog food. Some of the pups in class need a lot of variety to keep them interested.
This is not appropriate for search and rescue dogs, but it is something we can do with Abbot. We can play hide and seek. We can have Si hide with treats and yell Abbot's name. We can tell Abbot "Find him!" When he finds Si, Si can give him the treats. This will take some training of both child and dog, but I think they both would have such a blast once they figured it out! We will definitely try this once we get settled in at home!

The next command we learned today was "over". This is when the dog lays their whole body across the child's lap to provide deep pressure, which can be really soothing for some people. This command needs to be practiced separately from "lap" because otherwise you get a dog who comes up, puts his head on your lap, then automatically lays his body across your lap. It was easy to do this command with Abbot. You sit on the floor with your legs out in front of you and the dog on one side. Take a treat in the hand on the opposite side of the dog and lure him across your legs with it, while saying "Over". Once his front elbows are on the ground, and tummy is on your legs, he's in "over" position. The elbows can dig into the child, which is why we aim to have them on the ground. Here's Abbot in "Over":

This afternoon Mike and Abbot worked on some specialized mobility training, but I will need Mike to translate the notes he wrote down before I share too much on that. In other news, Doc C., the 4 Paws vet, prescribed some meds for Abbot. He is having some lower GI issues that the meds will hopefully clear up. There are several ways I feel like the parent of a newborn right now, and one of them is definitely having to keep a "poop journal". :)

Here are some pics from throughout the day: