Just wanted to share a proud Morey moment that happened today...
Most of the time the stuff Morey does for me is helpful, but not really necessary. I can do most of it myself, it's just faster and easier for him to do it for me. But then there are times when I really can't do something without his help and that is when I appreciate him most.
I was at rugby practice and Morey was laying patiently on his rug like always. During one of our water breaks, one of the guys noticed that his water bottle had fallen underneath the bleachers. He asked me if Morey could get it for him. I wasn't sure, but said we could give it a try!
Morey had to climb on and then under the bleachers, duck his head below the bench to get the bottle and then crawl backwards with the bottle balancing on the foot part of the bleachers (not sure if that makes any sense or not-it's kind of hard to describe his amazing feat). He dropped the bottle once and willingly picked it up again. He had drawn a crowd while he was doing this and when he delivered the bottle he got a round of applause and lots of praise from the whole team. I was very impressed by the problem solving and persistence he showed and it made me smile that he just saw it all as part of his job and then went and laid calmly on his rug again.
All in a day's work for Mr. Morey, but it certainly was an impressive retrieve sequence. And even with all the different elements, he figured out what he had to do with the single cue "get". I can't really take any credit for his amazingness, but it was a great example of one of the many random things a service dog can be trained to do!
Morey
Morey, My 2nd Service Dog
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Dog Buddies
There hasn't been too much exciting to report the past week, which is a good thing. So, I'll touch on a subject that I've been working on with Morey lately...
One of the reasons Morey is only "practically" perfect is because of his reaction to other dogs. I was told by his ICAN handler that he had a strange dog come up to him barking and lunging and, being the soft sensitive guy that he is, Morey was confused and scared about why he was being "threatened".
Since then, he has taken a more defensive stance when meeting other dogs; growling and tensing up until he determines the other dog is friendly. The problem is that Morey is the one who comes across as aggressive, which can create problems both with the other dog and the other dog's owner. I have been working on conditioning him that meeting dogs is a good thing and we have been making lots of progress.
After a few seconds of sniffing to determine that the other dog is not a threat, Morey is very quick to go into play mode. We met a chocolate lab last week and after the initial introduction both dogs played ball together. It was fun to watch Morey play with another big dog and I think he really enjoyed it. He grew up with lots of dog friends and since moving to Austin he has only met a little dog. On Sunday we met 2 Scottie dogs and Morey barely growled at all! Progress!
Austin is a very dog friendly city and most of the dogs I have met so far have been very friendly and well-behaved. On Friday I went to a concert held outside a grocery store (there are live music venues and events almost everywhere) and there were several pet dogs in attendance. All them were settled nicely under the table and politely sniffed Morey as we went by.
The next few months are the best time of the year to get out and enjoy Austin before it gets too hot (or so I am told) and I am looking forward to getting out with Morey, my practically perfect partner! : )
One of the reasons Morey is only "practically" perfect is because of his reaction to other dogs. I was told by his ICAN handler that he had a strange dog come up to him barking and lunging and, being the soft sensitive guy that he is, Morey was confused and scared about why he was being "threatened".
Since then, he has taken a more defensive stance when meeting other dogs; growling and tensing up until he determines the other dog is friendly. The problem is that Morey is the one who comes across as aggressive, which can create problems both with the other dog and the other dog's owner. I have been working on conditioning him that meeting dogs is a good thing and we have been making lots of progress.
After a few seconds of sniffing to determine that the other dog is not a threat, Morey is very quick to go into play mode. We met a chocolate lab last week and after the initial introduction both dogs played ball together. It was fun to watch Morey play with another big dog and I think he really enjoyed it. He grew up with lots of dog friends and since moving to Austin he has only met a little dog. On Sunday we met 2 Scottie dogs and Morey barely growled at all! Progress!
Austin is a very dog friendly city and most of the dogs I have met so far have been very friendly and well-behaved. On Friday I went to a concert held outside a grocery store (there are live music venues and events almost everywhere) and there were several pet dogs in attendance. All them were settled nicely under the table and politely sniffed Morey as we went by.
The next few months are the best time of the year to get out and enjoy Austin before it gets too hot (or so I am told) and I am looking forward to getting out with Morey, my practically perfect partner! : )
Monday, March 21, 2011
Morey in Arizona
This giant cactus was outside the gym. The surface surrounding it was rock/gravel and Morey did not approve of it as a suitable place to "hurry". Sorry boy!
In addition to his Longhorn collar, he also has a bandana to wear (when it's too hot for his t-shirt!).
Airplane Ride
Morey on the plane. Although it doesn't look like it from the first picture, he really has a lot of room.
Morey's New Duds
I've always been kind of funny about my dog's collars. To me, their collars are almost a part of their identity and I don't like changing them. Jessie has had the same butterfly collar since she was 6 months old and it just matches her personality.
Morey was "Little Boy Blue" since he was born and had a blue collar to identify him from his littermates. His first real collar was blue with dark blue paw prints and he had that until I got him, when one of the ICAN volunteers got him a new blue collar with white and green paw prints (it matched his ICAN vest very well). I was happy with that collar and didn't see any need to get him a new one.
But, then I was accepted to grad school at UT and caught the "Longhorn Spirit". Our rugby team's colors are also burnt orange and so any burnt orange/Longhorn gear can work for either rugby or UT. So, when I saw a burnt orange dog collar with Longhorns on it, I got it in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness. We were going to our sectional tournament for rugby and I wanted Morey to have some team spirit. It matches his fur quite well and makes him look very sophisticated. He got a lot of compliments on it : ) I will have to post pictures soon.
Morey was "Little Boy Blue" since he was born and had a blue collar to identify him from his littermates. His first real collar was blue with dark blue paw prints and he had that until I got him, when one of the ICAN volunteers got him a new blue collar with white and green paw prints (it matched his ICAN vest very well). I was happy with that collar and didn't see any need to get him a new one.
But, then I was accepted to grad school at UT and caught the "Longhorn Spirit". Our rugby team's colors are also burnt orange and so any burnt orange/Longhorn gear can work for either rugby or UT. So, when I saw a burnt orange dog collar with Longhorns on it, I got it in an uncharacteristic moment of weakness. We were going to our sectional tournament for rugby and I wanted Morey to have some team spirit. It matches his fur quite well and makes him look very sophisticated. He got a lot of compliments on it : ) I will have to post pictures soon.
Morey's Big Weekend
Last weekend was the USQRA Wheelchair Rugby Mountain Sectionals in Phoenix Arizona. The good news is that we qualified for Nationals and will be going to Alabama for the National Championship in April. Aside from that, it was also a big weekend for Morey. It was the first time I had taken him to a tournament we had to fly to, but as usual, he took it all in stride.
He was great on the plane. He acts like such a natural and just settles down right at my feet (and the feet of the people next to me; luckily my teammates this time). He also scored me a bulkhead seat again : )
Another new experience for Morey this weekend was riding on a bus with a lift. I had started to condition him to it at a previous tournament-getting him used to the noise and feel of the metal grating surface. This time, he walked on and gave a look of surprise when it started moving but didn't react other than that. The bus driver was very impressed and said he had never had another service dog be able to ride the lift. Yeah Morey!! There were 10 people and wheelchairs on the bus, so Morey had to squeeze in some small spaces and at one point was sitting on one of our support staff's laps. Good thing Morey is loved by everyone!
At the tournament, he settled in his collapsible crate during our games. There was another service dog there and several pet dogs and although at first he wanted to play, he was very good at redirecting to me.
One interesting thing I hadn't considered in our trip to the desert was the lack of grass. There is rock and gravel everywhere and asking Morey to "hurry" in that confused him. The hotel had small patches of grass, but during the day at the gym he had to settle for lamp posts. I need to start getting him used to going "hurry" on surfaces other than grass. The Phoenix airport had a dog park with gravel and sawdust and by that time Morey was very grateful to have a place to go.
I was very proud of Morey for everything he had to deal with this weekend. He acted like a champ the whole time and earned many compliments and new friends. Everyone on the rugby team likes having Morey around.
Our flight was delayed and we arrived back in Austin at 4am this morning. That made for a long day at work and I was more jealous than ever that Morey could sleep all day! He deserves it though! Pictures will be posted soon!
He was great on the plane. He acts like such a natural and just settles down right at my feet (and the feet of the people next to me; luckily my teammates this time). He also scored me a bulkhead seat again : )
Another new experience for Morey this weekend was riding on a bus with a lift. I had started to condition him to it at a previous tournament-getting him used to the noise and feel of the metal grating surface. This time, he walked on and gave a look of surprise when it started moving but didn't react other than that. The bus driver was very impressed and said he had never had another service dog be able to ride the lift. Yeah Morey!! There were 10 people and wheelchairs on the bus, so Morey had to squeeze in some small spaces and at one point was sitting on one of our support staff's laps. Good thing Morey is loved by everyone!
At the tournament, he settled in his collapsible crate during our games. There was another service dog there and several pet dogs and although at first he wanted to play, he was very good at redirecting to me.
One interesting thing I hadn't considered in our trip to the desert was the lack of grass. There is rock and gravel everywhere and asking Morey to "hurry" in that confused him. The hotel had small patches of grass, but during the day at the gym he had to settle for lamp posts. I need to start getting him used to going "hurry" on surfaces other than grass. The Phoenix airport had a dog park with gravel and sawdust and by that time Morey was very grateful to have a place to go.
I was very proud of Morey for everything he had to deal with this weekend. He acted like a champ the whole time and earned many compliments and new friends. Everyone on the rugby team likes having Morey around.
Our flight was delayed and we arrived back in Austin at 4am this morning. That made for a long day at work and I was more jealous than ever that Morey could sleep all day! He deserves it though! Pictures will be posted soon!
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