FIVE FOUNDATIONAL BEHAVIORS–TACOS

Target

Begin with dog’s nose touching palm of hand.

Good for moving the dog to a wanted stimulus or away from unwanted stimulus

Attention

Teaching the dog to orient to you with eye to eye contact.

Use a cue that is not everyday words. I use “focus.”

Cues

The dog begins understanding words or motion or hand-signals for the desired behavior.

Offering behaviors

Dog offers behaviors, i.e. a default behavior where the dog automatically sits in front of a person.

Settle

Dog can be cued to go to his “place,” or “matt,” etc.

He goes, sits or lies down and stays until a release word is given.

THREE REASONS THE DOG IS NOT RESPONDING:

1. The reward is not high enough.

2. The reward is not often enough.

3. The dog is confused and doesn’t have a clue.

3 Ds

Distractions are everywhere!

Duration: “sit” means stay sitting.

        The click ends the behavior, but don’t forget

        that every behavior that occurs between the

        click and the delivery of the reinforcer is

        reinforced.

Distance: No matter where you are you want him to respond.

PaLS

Precision: Knows what and how.

Latency: Time between cue and response.

Speed: Quickness of performing behavior.

STIMULAS CONTROL

The dog does the behavior immediately upon

perceiving the cue

The dog does not offer the behavior without

being cued (doesn’t “throw” the behavior at you

during training sessions)

The dog does not offer the behavior in response

to some other cue

The dog does not offer any other behavior in

response to the cue

THREE REASONS A DOG IS NOT RESPONDING

1. The reward is not high enough value

2. The reward rate is not often enough

3. The dog doesn’t have a clue what you want.

                 He/she is confused or conflicted

A CUE – ITS COMMUNICATION

By James Turner

Several years past, when I took my animal training and behavioral program my teacher, Julie Shaw, asked me (in front of the whole class) “What is the importance of a cue?” I had to trust it was not a question to trick me up because Julie always set us up for success. But it did rattle me. I mean, I stood there with my dog, leash in hand, everyone focused on me and I was about to be embarrassed. I dug deep into the training Julie had already given me and, somehow I found three thoughts which I expressed and hoped they would be what she was looking for. When I was finished Julie sat back and said, “You should write something about that.” Wow, Julie, my teacher, the best of the best in the animal behavior world, said that to me. Me, a student. The novice of my class. Everyone else in my class had dog backgrounds and for them, I felt this was a refresher course. For me, well, what does a former pastor, therapist, and law enforcement person know about four legged animal behavior? I felt like I had “behaviorally stupid” stamped on my forehead.

Well, I have written on several different subjects since I graduated, and I did graduate “the most improved student” in Julie’s classes. Now, I’m telling you, one did not graduate Julie’s class easily. She was no push over. To graduate Julie’s class gives one high standing in the Karen Pryor Academy. Julie told me one time, “I will not graduate you if I cannot feel confident to refer someone to you. You will be a reflection of my making a referral.” I thought, “I’d never graduate.” Well, I did and I value every challenge Julie gave to me.

So, cues. My answer. Pet owners do not always realize the importance of the words they use with their pet. Our words carry more importance, both negative and positive, than we realize. Do you know, you should never use your pets name in a scolding manner? If Fido does not like his bath and you have everything ready, you should never call, “Fido, come here.” then turn on the hose or put him in the water. Guess what Fido is going to do when you call his name three hours later? Run to you? Think again. He’ll run from you to under the bed or behind a chair, or he’ll crouch low and almost crawl to you. Then what do I do? You slowly walk to Fido and gently lead him to his bath place, reward him before you begin, during and after. Then you can say his name, “Fido, go play.” Never use his name in an aversive way.

But this is not about a pet’s name. Primarily it is about words. In the human world words have meaning and consequences. In the dog world it is no different. This is so important because dogs have a predisposition to humans. It is proven that dogs would rather be with their owner than with their counter. Dogs understand us, they come to understand our words and how we are feeling. They interpret that slight raise of the eyebrow or furrow of the forehead. Their behavior is often the result of how and what we speak. Now, I’m not going to write anything new, anything we trainers do not already know, but I do hope that I can give a different flavor, a fresh importance or awareness to pet owners.

So, what is a cue? A cue is any action, verbal, visual or auditory sound that produces a corresponding behavior Fido performs. Some cues are intentional, others are not. Often I have a client believe that their verbal cue is eliciting a particular behavior only for me to help him or her realize the real cue is a movement. When a dog performs a behavior when new do, say, or sound something, it is because that dog has paired that behavior with that word, sound, or action. When a dog sits when I say, “sit” it is because I have successfully paired the action of sit with the word. The word doesn’t matter, the pairing does. So I could just as well say “pepper” or “banana.” I could capture Fido’s sitting, reward that, and Fido repeats the sit. Now I could begin using the word “banana” when he sits. Banana then becomes the cue for sit. Someone can tell Fido to sit and Fido looks clueless. The friend asks you, “Can I have a banana?” and Fido sits.

But what I am more interested in here is not the definition of a cue, but rather the transaction of the cue. What does a cue express? What is it about the cue that the animal wants to respond to? The operative word here is “want.”  Some cues can be ominous and foreboding. Fido can perform a behavior out of fear or out of respect. I can train either as the boss or a partner. I can make a dog obey anything I say, but that is not the criterion. So my thoughts here are strictly and solely a force-free philosophy and perspective. These thought will not fit into a traditional or balanced training outlook. And, if you are an owner, but not a trainer, I want you to understand that if one advertises themselves as a “positive” trainer that does not mean they are a “force-free” trainer.

Here are the three dynamics of a cue. Others could list five or eight. I am not trying to be psychologically thorough here. I am not writing for a behavioral journal. This was my attempt, in class, to grasp the concept of a cue and its importance, because the cue is not just a passive transaction. Something happens when a cue is given to Fido and I hope that something is not just about “getting” a behavior but is something very good for both the one giving the cue and the one receiving the cue.

So, “Jim,” Julie asked, “What is the importance of a cue?”

First, when I give a cue it expresses to Fido that I have CONFIDENCE he CAN perform it. Therefore, I know and Fido knows that he is familiar with the behavior for which I am asking. I also know Fido has confidence he can perform it. When I give the cue I know Fido is mentally moving into familiar territory. This is the value of Operant Conditioning or Behavioral Modification. We first train the behavior. When Fido is offering to us that behavior 8 to 10 times a minute, all depending on the difficulty of the behavior, we then begin pairing a word to the behavior. All communication flows in a loop, from me to Fido and back to me.

Because I know Fido knows the behavior when I pair with it a word, visual or sound, then when I offer the word I have confidence Fido can do it. The only reasons he might not is 1. Physical, 2. Mental. If he is incapable of performing the behavior then I need to change what I am doing. If I persist I will set Fido up for failure. If Fido won’t sit I need to figure out why. I need to take Fido to the vet and find the reason. I cannot persist in a behavior that is causing Fido pain or discomfort. Ruling out physical or mental conditions then I have look at what I am or am not doing. I am either not being clear enough, my reward is not high enough, or my reward rate is not often enough. The sure fact is, the problem is not Fido so don’t punish Fido. Like my good friend, Dave Thatcher says, “Roll up a newspaper and with it, hit yourself.”

When I give a cue, if I have properly set the behavior up, there is a MUTUAL CONFIDENCE THAT FIDO CAN PERFORM WHAT I ASK.

Second, there is a TRUST that Fido WILL perform it.

He now trusts I will not ask him to do something he cannot perform.

By the time the cue is introduced I have worked out all the imperfections of the behavior. Most of those imperfections have been mine and I have corrected my poor communication or faulty expectations. There is no, “I want him to sit and…” I work out what is not clear communication on my part. I have worked out what is rewarding and what is not. Fido decides what is rewarding, not me. So I have to really work to understand Fido. I have figured out what works for Fido and what doesn’t. I know him and he knows me. He knows I am fair and correct myself. Because he knows that Fido begins to correct himself. He may begin to lay down when I say “sit.” On his way down he suddenly changes his movement and pushes himself up into a sit. I didn’t have to say, “No no,” or “Uh uh.” When that happens I get a big smile, give him 4 or 5 treats, a lot of praise, and he sits looking at me with a big smile and sometimes celebrates with a few spins. I never see Fido crouch with ears laid back, mouth closed, embarrassed and fearful. We party together.

So by the time I introduce the cue I not only have confidence that he can do it. I TRUST that he WILL do it. This is why this method is so enjoyable. Fido responds because he wants to, often times Fido can’t wait for the cue. I have seen Fido get so into the training that he literally shakes waiting for me to give the cue. His eyes are bright, his mouth is open, and when I say, “sit,” he quickly sits looking at me as if to say, “I did it. Aren’t you proud of me?” And of course I am. On looking owners are surprised, often shocked, that Fido responded to the cue. They had given the cue, yelled the cue thinking Fido didn’t hear, jerked on a chain while yelling, to make him do the behavior, and walked away cussing Fido. I work a few minutes, always a soft gentle voice. Patient when Fido is reserved or afraid and in a few minutes he is responding. I have had owners with tears ask, “How do you do that? I can’t believe what I just saw.”

What happened was, I communicated with (not to) Fido. We had a conversation. Fido had a Eureka moment, “This person is actually listening to me. I can trust him.” Because I communicated my trust in him he began to demonstrate his trust in me. Some dogs have never felt trust. I can see it in the dog’s eyes. They suddenly glisten and look straight at you, making eye contact. A lightbulb turns on behind those beautiful eyes. I got so excited about this one time that I had to call Julie Shaw and share with her my excitement

You see, it is not just that I trust Fido because of my work, Fido trusts me because of our work together. And it is work. When I leave a home Fido goes to his bed and sleeps like a puppy because he has worked hard and is tired. He has studied me and has had to process a lot of materiel. He knows me now and trusts me. He trusts me when a behavior is challenging or uncomfortable, but Fido knows I will not ask of him anything that will hurt him or is dangerous. He is willing to work hard for me. So there is a MUTUAL TRUST THAT FIDO WILL PERFORM THE BEHAVIOR I ASK.

Thirdly. There is REWARD when he DOES the behavior. Even now with my Nekayah, when I give her a cue she is relaxed in doing the behavior. There are reward for both the human and the dog when they have that relationship of partnership. We call it “THE HUMAN ANIMAL BOND (HAB). There is nothing like it. Fido begins to anticipate the cue. In a store I can ask Nekayah to “lay” and before the word is out she is on her way down, mouth open, looking at me and waiting for the next cue. I feel one with her and she feels one with me. Nekayah has learned to go potty on cue. Before we go into a store (she is a service dog) I take her to go potty. She sniffs and goes then runs back to the car, jumps in, gives me a kiss and we go park and go in the store. She is happy. Nekayah is emotionally well balanced and we are both rewarded with her doing the behavior and my seeing the behavior performed. We are one, partners. She feels it and I feel it. Cues are communication in a loop. It is not me “telling” her to do something and she does it or else. I ask (cue) her to do something communicating confidence and trust in her, she listens and performs the behavior I request, communicating back to me her confidence and trust in me. Then she bounds back to me happy and content as we move on together into the store or wherever we go.

If Nekayah does not perform the behavior I know something is wrong. I take her to have her checked. She knows I will not push the issue and will take care of her. This has happened and when the medical issue was resolved, she responded to my cues without hesitation.

In training a dog there is one I have one inexorable law. It is this. The HUMAN ANIMAL BOND. Anything, an act, a word, a training technique, a training tool that would threaten that bond is anathema. I will neither incorporate it, nor allow it to be incorporated. There is no behavior worth getting if it harms the dog in any way. I have actually seen dogs look at me with that “thank you” look in their eyes.

This is my interpretation of what transpires when I give a cue to mu dogs or a dog I am working with. I try to help the owner understand this transaction so he/she can appreciate what is really going on. Training is never a one way communication. I hear the dog I work with. He/she is talking to me. We are having a conversation from the second I enter to the second that I leave. Often times the communication bring tears to my eyes and makes my heart swell.

My hope is that this will give your interactions with Fido a new dimension. If you do not have this relationship with your Fido examine what you are doing. Figure it out. If and when you do your relationship with your one in a million Fido will be fulfilling to both of you, and you will find your training to be much less a struggle but actually enjoyable. Not only will you be giving cues to Fido, but you will realize Fido is giving cues to you, making your relationship mutually enjoyable and fun. A good indicator is that if it is not fun for you it is not fun for Fido and if it is not fun for Fido the training needs to stop. He may be sick or hurting. And you will have a wonderful, fulfilling bond of mutual trust and respect.

After all. Isn’t that the reason we acquire Fido. If you do not have that believe me you can and more. That’s why I do what I do.

 THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOKE CHAINS & PRONG COLLARS

WE ALL KNOW THEY DON’T HURT??

by: James Turner MCL, KPA-CTP, SVBT

 Two Years past I was contracted to reorganize and restructure an animal shelter here in Indiana. It was a huge task that required my working with a 10 member board. With the nature of the issues I had to have the board covenant with me that I was in charge, my decisions would not be rescinded, and with the workers a new policy manual would be written. I terminated some people, some people quit, and all forms of aversive techniques were eliminated. All employees were trained in force-free techniques. If an employee could not make the change that person was let go. One of the actions I took was to clear the office wall of all collars that were not fabric. There must have been 50 pounds of choke chains and prong collars. I was told that it was a waste of money. I replied, “I fully agree with you, but the money was wasted, not in their discard, but in their purchase.” Nothing more was said and the new policy prohibited aversive collars. The local newspaper had a front page story, “LOCAL SHELTER GOES FORCE-FREE.”

Choke Chains, Slip Collars, Pinch Collars? What’s the problem? When I have a referral call me one of my questions is, “What kind of collar do you have on your dog?” Many of them tell me, “A Slip Collar, or Choke Chain.” My friend and colleague, Deb Dolak told me, “Sometimes a client will ask if they can use a choke or prong collar.  My response is, ‘Only if you are willing to wear one and let me correct you when you make a mistake during the training session.’  That usually gets the point across.” One shelter worker said, “Choke chains are okay to use on dogs. The choke chain is not used for punishment, it just stops the behavior.” WHAT? In dog training lingo if it stops the behavior or weakens a behavior due to a stimulus, that stimulus is a punisher. So her statement showed a basic ignorance of the subject. A client told me a shelter worker said, “Choker collars are fine on dogs.” My retort was, “That is because she hasn’t worn one!” People don’t wear choker collars. Then I had a bit of insight.

With this insight my mind took me back to the days of the old west. If a cowboy committed a crime, stealing a horse, or borrowing someone’s cow without permission he was taken out under a tree branch, sat on a horse, and had a slip collar (or a pinch collar if you prefer) put over his head and around his neck. Someone would slap the horse which would run out from under the convicted, the slip collar tightened and, well, the end seldom had a good outcome. Now, if the slip collar was not properly fitted and placed just right on the thief’s neck the collar would bind causing prolonged agony. The poor man’s larynx would crush, his ocular nerves were damaged, his trachea was injured, and his neck was broken. Now, if this collar as properly fitted all of these injuries still occurred, but it was all over faster. I think this would qualify as punishment as it certainly stopped the behavior. In the process it stopped any good behavior as well. The law makers determined this to be cruel and inhumane treatment and in 1972 this use of punishment with a slip collar (noose) was banned in the U. S. By the way,did you know that for the same reasons, choke chains are banned in Quebec, and Amazon has stopped listing them in the UK?  Yep, that’s true.

Men and women still wear collars. We call them necklaces. They are collars properly fitted, some loose some snug. But I never see “slip necklaces” where another person has control of the one wearing it. If I came home with a slip collar for my wife to wear… Well, we won’t go there. I’ll just say there wouldn’t be much affection demonstrated. We like necklaces as long as they are comfortable to wear. I like my dogs to wear a nice looking necklace (collar) that is comfortable, yet functional.

I hope you will Google the anatomy of a dog’s neck. The position of a choke chain is directly behind the ears (just like the hanging noose). This pinch collar/choke chain or prong collar pinches all of these nerves and muscles. There are dozens of potential and certain physical injuries that a choke chain or a prong collar can and will cause. This is not to mention the emotional damage choke chains or prong collars cause. Because this is an animal, and animals have to be controlled and/or dominated these are okay to use. I suggest these are not okay to use. They cause physical damage, often irreparable. They cause emotional damage that requires the specialized involvement of a force-free behaviorist. And, these medieval instruments of torture cause serious damage to the human-animal bond. Calling these the lesser reference of “slip collar” does not change the terrible impact of that “snap” one is instructed to use in the dog’s “training?.”

The unintended consequences of using a choke chain (i.e. slip collars, pinch collars) and/or prong collars are well documented in numerous veterinary journals.

Here I list the most common.

1. Tracheal damage
2. Sprained necks
3. Asphyxiation
4. Spinal cord injuries/paralysis
5. Bruising of larynx
6. Esophagus damage
7. Thyroid gland damage
8. Vertebrae damage
9. Whiplash
10.  Prolapsed eyes
11.  Dislocated neck bones
12.  Brain damage
13.  Fainting
14.  Skin and tissue bruising
15.  Organ failure
16.  Sharp headaches

Any of these medical conditions can lead to aggressive behaviors that usually results in more punishing use of the choke chain or prong collar. With these possible consequences are the psychological effects. Dogs are extremely intelligent. One jerk, snap, or pop of the chain, causing pain, will never be forgotten by the dog. When you get the collar and leash out the dog will cringe or run the other direction. I have had clients whose dog snaps at their hand when they put the choke chain on to go for a walk. If the dog is on a walk and sees another dog it is natural for him to pull toward the dog. The handler “snaps” the chain to correct the dog. Fido feels the pain of the snap and attributes the pain to what he is looking, the other dog or a child. Now Fido becomes aggressive to other dogs or children. If Fido attributes the pain to his handler he may become aggressive to the handler.

Traditional trainers will argue against everything I am writing. But this information is not mine. I didn’t imagine these to be facts. This information, again, can be found in any number of journals. Do the research yourself. Don’t just trust me or some other pop star in the animal behavioral world. If you do your own research I can guarantee you will come out very close to my conclusions. Punishment never has a positive result with your wonderful dog. Punishment shuts down the dogs learning. The really negative result is that punishment breaks the human/animal bond. You want your dog to respect, trust and love you. Punishment will damage that. You want your dog to trust you. Punishment will destroy that. Can those be regained? Yes. But you must stop the punishment NOW. Reinforce the behaviors you want and ignore the behaviors you don’t want. Then get in touch with a force-free trainer or behaviorist. Be careful. A trainer may say he/she is a positive trainer. That may mean he/she uses positive methods mixed with aversive methods. Most “positive” trainers are really “balanced” trainers.

I was called to help with a dog that was out of control. The dog was afraid of its own shadow. What happened was that this “positive” trainer took a wonderful little Sheltie and in just a couple of months the dog was so reactive that it would wake up at night, every night, crying as if in severe pain. Its daily training included the use of a choker chain. The once sweet little Sheltie was now physically and psychologically damaged.

I don’t believe owners intentionally hurt their dog. They don’t know better. They read books by trainers who wrote in the 60s or 70s. These “traditional” trainers are still around. They “stop” behaviors, but at what price for the dog and the owner. It often costs an owner hundreds of dollars to restore their damaged pet. Or, and sadly, the pet gets placed in a shelter and/or euthanized, not because of what the dogs is doing, but because of what has been done to the dog. Now the dog suffers the consequences of a trainer’s malpractice.

Today my frustration level reached about, oh, a 6 on a 1 – 10 scale. A young man in his early twenties has a Pit Bull Terrier tied in his backyard. The Pit Bull, which to some, has become the signature of virility and machismo. For many, to own a Pit Bull, is to say, “I’m a bad a..” Here I am writing about IRRESPONSIBLE ownership.

Anyway, this sweet Pit Bull, a female, maybe 1 year old, had her chain twisted in a chain link fence. She had about 2 feet of tether so she had no freedom to move. The temperature today was 100 degrees. She was forced to lay in the sun, her water 30 feet away. How long she had been like that, I have no idea. I know she was in distress. It took me several minutes to untangle her as she was jumping and climbing all over me, scratching my arms and face with her unattended nails, anxious to be freed. When I loosed her she ran to some water and some shade to rest. She was exhausted, overheated and alone. All I could do was walk away with an ache in my heart.

Why? Why do people acquire a dog to take home and tie it outside to live alone in the elements? Simply, I don’t know.

We have Dexter, a Great Pyrenees, and Nekayah, a Louisiana Catahoula Leopard. Both are large dogs. When we come home they greet us with tales wagging and smiles. They are very happy and emotionally healthy dogs. I have never seen a happy dog chained in the backyard. The dog in the backyard is often excited to see its owner, but that is because it is so lonely and depressed, not because the dog is happy or emotionally healthy.

My back yard is fenced. In my back door we have a dog door. My door is kept closed, but my dogs can go in and out as the wish. Dexter loves the winter. He goes out and lies for hours. Sometimes we cannot see him as he lets the snow cover him. They go in or out as their comfort dictates. They have water both outside and in the house. We can go and come knowing both dogs are comfortable. They are never thirsty, overheated, or unduly cold. If I could not provide for them in this manner I have no business having them.

Think about this from the dog’s perspective. I can do this because that is my specialty. I am the Dog Listener. Dogs tell me what they think and how they feel. A study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1996, by Michael Hennessy, show how dogs prefer human companionship over other dogs. That was a study, cutting edge research, almost twenty years past. Since that study there have been a myriad of research that have made this former hypothesis a fact.

This, alone, being true, why would one tie a dog outside to suffer loneliness, fear, confusion, isolation and whatever the elements delivered? Why? What rational argument or defense can one mount for doing this? Much education and advocacy is essential regarding this cruelty. The thinking many have is that a dog, being a dog, can be happy and healthy just being in the backyard. I have seen hundreds of these “back yard dogs” and I have never seen a dog, tied in the backyard that is either happy or healthy. Again, because they jump and bark when the owner appears is not an indicator that the dog is happy or healthy.

We know the negative effects when a baby is born and left without attention, affection or interaction. The effects are both myriad and terrible. So it is with dogs. Dogs are very social animals. Dogs do not develop healthily without human interaction. To leave a dog to live and survive alone, outside in ones backyard is one of the most psychologically damaging things one can do to a dog. Any responsible dog owner is charged with providing a safe, secure, quiet place to live as part of a family. Only in this place does the dog have the opportunity to develop an emotionally healthy life and experience a secure human animal bond.

As I write this, Dexter, my Great Pyrenees, is laying beside my chair, his head oriented toward me. As I smile with affection and periodically stroke him my brain and body respond in a calming emotion. This is very important for Dexter also. He is calm, secure, has no fear, no uncertainty, and is very important to his mental, emotional health and is evidence of a bonded human animal relationship. I cannot imagine Dexter tied up outside, dirty, insecure and both of us alone. I would consider that cruel and inhumane.

I work with many of these outside dogs. They tend to be less responsive to training, requiring more work. They develop stereotypical behaviors, compulsive disorders and have little to no socialization skills. These outside dogs have more stress related illnesses, infestations and mental issues ranging from mild to severe. Many of these maladies also range from hard to impossible to overcome. I hate to admit it, but many of these dogs, by the time they get to me, are too damaged to be restored to a healthy, emotionally balanced life. There are times when less than the best has to be settled for. These are the dogs that end upin shelters and, very often, euthanized. Not because of something the dog has done, but is the end result of what an irresponsible owner has created.

Most people, responsible pet owners, acquire a dog for the purpose of relationship. A relationship is not two or more just living together. Ask any wife and she will affirm this proposition. There needs to be positive, loving interaction. Violate this and I can think of no faster way to destroy a relationship. Enhance a positive, affectionate interaction and two will build a bonding relationship. I can think of no better way to build a bonding relationship with a dog than through force-free, marker training. This kind of interaction builds quickly the human animal bond resulting in a reciprocal loving relationship with one’s pet. Dogs long for this kind of relationship, thriving in this environment and become emotionally healthy members of the family.

I have been asked, “What about working dogs, Border Collies or Great Pyrenees? They work outside, often for long hours. How does this apply to them? Rather than give a long answer to this question, which is a valid inquiry, I would make this referral. One can begin understanding this concern by reading Patricia McConnell.
For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs. These two books are a good place to begin to understand the premise of this article. Dogs, any dog, are about human relationships. This is in their DNA. There is no other animal in the human world like a dog. Humans are healthier both mentally and physically because of a dog in their life. Did you know that a dog is the only animal that will follow our finger pointing or our eye movement?

The other day my Great Pyrenees, Dexter, was laying on the floor. I thought I would test this point. I stood a distance from him and the front door. Now all Dexter has to see is his leash and he is up and at the door spinning in excitement. I stood very stoic. All I did was shift my eyes from Dexter to the door, back to Dexter, then the door. His head cocked, his ears came forward. He looked at the door then back at me. I repeated the process. His paws shifted as his head raised. “Does he mean what I think? Is he going to take me for a walk? Oh I hope so!” Now, without hesitation, Dex lifted his 100 lbs. went to the door saying, ‘Let’s go!.’” A dog records our every move, eye brow shift, smile, glance, and gesture. They miss nothing. The dog often knows what we are about to do before we have decided.

Unless you want this kind of relationship, for heavens sake, do not get a dog. If you get a dog don’t be an irresponsible dog owner and chain the wonderful thing outside. To do that is callous, cruel and abusive.

Now, about Cecil the Lion. What a beautiful specimen of its breed. He stood out with his coal black main and his slow lumbering pace. He was the attraction of the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Africa. Millions, knowing of him came to see this King of the forest.He was 13 years old and had developed his own pride. Somehow Cecil knew he was special and could play to the camera. Cecil wore a collar so scientists could track his every move. Cecil provided information to science that otherwise would have taken years to acquire. He was a protected Lion. He waas not a candidate for hunting, legal or otherwise. I understand the need for culling wildlife heards. It is for the health and balance of nature. Culling is a process that is strictly controlled by law. To violate these laws is to poach, the illigal killing of a protected species. I will not get into PETA or other groups who raise either pros or cons concerning culling. Culling is a part of protecting wildlife just as death is a part of life.

That said, Cecil wore a tracking collar and the information gleaned over those 13 years led to the safety and protection of thousands of cubs growing to adulthood. He was famous in the animal world. Cecil’s death will now insure the killing of his 6 cubs by the new dominante male.

Cecil died as the result of poaching. He was lured beyond the border of the park and senselessly killed. His head with that distinctive main was severed and his body left to rot in the African sun. His head and main were wanted as a trophy. Now, granted his death, the death of one lion in Africa, doesn’t affect my daily life, except as this leads to the issue of how callous man can become. “Cecil is just an animal. He is good for just a trophy. He is an animal without feelings or emotions. He is a mindless creature, a robot of nature.” This is also what we hear about dogs. “It’s just an animal. Dogs have no feelings or emotions. They are incapable of feeling love.” This is the argument of gaming people in the blood sports who cruelly fight dogs to the death. And if a dog isn’t killed in the ring, the owner kills the dog for being weak.

Descartes, as with thousands, believed because a dog is soulless they are just machines of nature. As a result of that philosophy Descartes could nail a dog to a board and ignore the howls because the howls emanated from a mechanical response and had nothing to do with feeling or pain.

My point? If we can reduce a dog to nothingness, to an animal without feeling or the capcity to feel, then we can perpetrate any evil upon it without conscience. Thus killing Cecil or a dog is no different that dicing a carrot or slitting a tire. This changing of something to nothing can be applied to animals or the subject of abortion.

Think about it!

Une vie de chien – Partie II
by pinkchapals

BY: AMY SEKHAR

TO READ OTHER POSTS BY AMY, go to, lilliputiae.com

Amy has dwarfism and you can read her blogs on Dwarfism Awareness and other topics

Wow. I bet you thought I’d disappeared. I did, into the abyss of a semester back after a sabbatical. But… I’m baaaaaaack!
As promised, this is part two of my discussion on service dogs, and this post is all about the training process. As I mentioned in Une vie de chien – Partie I, Max and I trained together for a year before he graduated from “service dog in training” to “service dog.” That’s it. That’s all it took. Boom. Done. Mic drop.
Kidding. Kidding. It was one of the most intense experiences in my life, and that includes grad school and the dissertation years.
Beyond picking out a rescue dog (of course) who had the necessary qualities (I worked with a behaviorist for this part, though this post gives you the idea), I had to pick a trainer. This is difficult business. There aren’t many trainers out there who do service dog training, and even then, you have to mesh with the trainer as much as you do the dog, and the dog with the trainer. I was lucky enough to find a one Mr. Jim Turner, an amazing behaviorist AND trainer. He’s got a blog right here on WordPress.
I can’t say enough about Jim. Right from the beginning, he let me know what to expect from the process and let me know, more than once, how difficult the task that lay ahead. This was a commitment. To Max. To myself. To training. To Jim.
This commitment meant beginning with three sessions per week, lasting usually about 2-3 hours, on top of my already full work schedule and long commute. Three days per week, I traveled from Indy to Muncie to Richmond. Often, I did not get home until 9pm or 10pm, and then I had to turn around and go right back to it the next day. In between training sessions, I did training at home, at the office, in stores, in restaurants. At home, we had regular formal sessions. Out and about, every moment was an opportunity. Beyond my chic purse, I got to add the additional bling of a clicker and a handy treat bag, filled with desiccated hotdogs (no nitrites, of course) and other such yumminess.
At the beginning, when Jim met with me and Jeevan, he had said (not verbatim, creative license here): “You know, this is going to be tough. You’ll always be training. You’re going to carry treats, and you’re going to train whenever you see a moment. Things are going to take longer, and it can get frustrating. It will be frustrating at times for Jeevan when he sees your relationship with Max grow and when it’s difficult for you to pay attention at a restaurant because your mind is always partially on Max. You have to be ready. Go home. Think about this. If it’s right for you, and I’m right for you and Max, call me, and we’ll start.”
It was daunting to be sure, but we were ready. Jim evaluated Max, and though he was a wild child then, he had potential. He asked what I thought a service dog could do for me. At that time, I was struggling with a failing shoulder and needed help carrying things, and I could really use something under my legs when sitting in chairs. Jim’s response? “A dog as an ottoman? Hmmmm.” Turns out, Jim was right: I never did train Max as an ottoman. Though, from time to time, he likes to get under my feet and rest his head on my shoe, but that’s not one of his service tasks; it’s just because he loves his mama.
We began with the basics that all dogs should have. Max was a blank slate and could only “sit,” so we had to begin with: down, stay, wait, leave it, loose leash walking, etc. Those are fairly easy, but service dogs have to have these skills down pat before they can even move on to service skills.
We did clicker training, which is a form of positive reinforcement training. You first teach the dog that a click means a reward (treat, love, kisses, “good boy”). Then, you mark a desired behavior with a click and reward. Eventually, you mark the behavior with a command. The real trick is to click at the right time and with the correct behavior.
For example, when we were training Max to “stop” on command (mid-walk, mid-trot, whenever). As SOON as Max stopped for any reason, “CLICK!” TREAT! At the beginning, the stopping is pretty much when you stop, but you CLICK! and TREAT! The wheels start turning in the dog’s head:

MAX: “Oh, I get a treat, if I stop. I’m going to stop.”
AMY: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: TREAT!!!!!!!!!! I’m a good boy! Good Max! I love stopping! Stop. Stop. Stop.
Then, you start adding the command: “STOP!” “CLICK!” (if he stops). TREAT! “GOOD STOP!” Rinse, lather, repeat.
This is marking desired behavior. We used this to train Max such commands as: stop, wait, fast, slow, leave it, etc.

The extra interesting part of training was the complex behaviors, and this requires shaping behavior using successive approximation (that’s what it’s called, right Jim?). Jim is extra awesome at figuring out this part. You begin by naming the desired task and then figure out the steps to get there.
EXAMPLE: Pushing a button to open a power assist door
Desired behavior: pushing button
Required skills: 1) recognize object to push; 2) push; 3) apply pressure.
For this, Jim knew that Max needed to first offer a paw. For this, we waited until Max placed a paw near us.

JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: “Wha? What did I just do? Hmmm. I’m going to randomly do tricks and see what happens. Sit. Down. Kisses. No? Hmmm. This guy is dumb. I’m going to poke him.”
JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: “What? Weirdo. Not sure what I did again. Sit. Down. Kiss. Sit.
JIM: ….
MAX: “NOTHING? Man! Poke.”
JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: “Dude! It’s the paw! Paw!!!!! Poke.”
JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: “Awesome! Poke.”
JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT!
MAX: “That’s it! Poke. Poke. Poke.”
JIM: “CLICK!” TREAT! Good touch!
You get the idea. Once you mark the behavior with a command (“touch” in this case), you begin clicking and treating ONLY when the behavior is offered AFTER a command. The idea has to be yours, not the dog’s. To make sure this is the case, you can test it with multiple commands. For example, if you say “sit,” the dog should sit, not offer a paw. Try a couple of different commands, then say the new one. Once you consistently get the correct behavior, your dog has got the idea. Even so, go home and PRACTICE!! I had to keep a log of our home practice sessions: I had to log: 1) each skill we practiced; 2) How long we spent on each one 2) How many times the correct behavior was offered; 4) any distractions; 5) notes.
Wait. How is this related to pushing a button? A hand is not a button, and “touch” is not “push.” This is the cool part.
Once Max had the idea of touch down, we added a target. We’d say “TOUCH” and, with a yellow square in our hand, we’d click any time he’d offer a paw near the marker. The idea is that you reward the behavior, being lenient at first, and getting stricter as you move on. Eventually the dog only gets a CLICK! when it puts the paw on the marker. Then, you move the marker. On the floor. On the wall. On your thigh. The dog eventually associates touch with a target.
Wait. That’s still not pushing! Ok, ok. I’m getting there!
In the end, we want Max to apply the correct amount of pressure on the target. This is “PUSH!” Jim had me buy an “easy” button for practice. You know, one of these:

We put the target on the button and began clicking and treating when the button was pushed hard enough to get the trademark, “that was easy!” Then, we marked that behavior with the command “PUSH!” We eventually moved on to doors, door openers, grocery carts. Now, Max can PUSH! this:

And this:

And even this:

It’s true, some doors are too heavy for him, and it’s too heavy for me, but he gives me that extra power. We do it together!
For a more visual idea of how this happens, look at this cool little example:

You can see that it is quite the process. Now imagine this for every complicated skill Max and I had to learn together. Now you know why I spent the better part of a year exhausted!
Here is a list of the skills Max has (totally forgetting some). Don’t confuse the skill with the command. For the most important commands, I chose words that aren’t always obvious to others because I can’t have other people trying to tell my dog what to do. Sometimes people feel that they can tell me he doesn’t mind very well because he doesn’t listen to them. The mark of a good dog on duty is that he doesn’t mind anyone but the handler!
Sit
Down
Stay
Wait
Stop
Leave it
Heel
Watch me
Greeting behavior
Refocus behavior
Go to X (bed, rug, towel, mat, etc).
Get it (keys, pencil, paper, credit card, bottle)
Give it to X (a person, me or anyone else)
Drop it (on floor, in garbage, etc.)
Hold (keep whatever he has in mouth until I say so)
Slow
Fast
Push (cart, button, door, etc.)
Pull (door, wheelchair, cart, coat sleeve, socks)
Touch
Left
Right
Forward
Backward
Crawl (good for getting into small spaces)
Under (table, chair, etc.)
Up (onto something)
Off (off of something)
Brace (stiffen his front legs to act as a sort of cane)
Help mama (i.e. go into service mode when he’s not actively on duty – mostly at home)
Bark on command
Spin right (helps to get into tight spaces)
Spin left (helps to get into tight spaces)
Sideways right
Sideways left
Follow (usually when I am in my wheelchair and am being backed up; he follows in front).
Pee on command
Poop on command
Go find
Step up (bracing for going up step)
Step down (bracing for going down step)
Dance with mommy (just for fun)
Command to get harness on
Command for service position
Command to finish service
Command for bedtime
Let’s go
Thank you!
Up up: Get in car and wait for harness to be attached to security belt before getting all the way in
Stand
Not an exhaustive list, but you get the idea. Here’s another list for your perusal.
But… there’s more to training than that. There’s public access training. This means that, once your dog has a good skill set, it needs to be able to perform these skills EVERYWHERE and with distractions, like: kids, walkers, wheelchairs, food on the ground, other dogs, squirrels!, people he loves, loud noises, people talking to you… etc.
This is the most important, and perhaps most frustrating part of training, and I will get to that in Partie III! Also, there will be more about the wonderful Jim because he helped me not lose my mind during this crazy part of the training. I promise not to wait so long until the next post.

pinkchapals | March 25, 2015 at 13:30 | Tags: service dog | Categories: disability studies, dwarfism | URL: http://wp.me/p5hsT2-48

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Une vie de chien: Partie I

BY: AMY SEKHAR

TO READ OTHER POSTS BY AMY, go to, lilliputiae.com

Amy has dwarfism and you can read her blogs on Dwarfism Awareness and other topics

January 3, 2015 6 Comments

I’m ending my holiday hiatus with a post about life with a service dog. Well, several posts probably, because there is way more to life with a service dog than you think. Sure, it’s great to have your best bud with you everywhere you go, but it’s about more than that. Way more than that. It’s about partnership, responsibility, a deep bond, and an ever deeper gratitude.
Today’s post is going to concentrate on the paradox of my life with Max; or, the way in which having a service dog mediates my disability, while also making it more visible. A dwarf more visible, you say? Yes, ’tis possible. I’ll get there, but let me digress, as I am wont to do.
Just before the holidays, I did two things that got me settled on this being my next post: 1) traveled to New Orleans on vacation; 2) read Susannah Charleson’s book, The Possibility Dogs. Charleson’s book offers profiles of several psychiatric service dogs and their handlers, interspersed with her own story of training a “demo” dog, the ever clownish Jake Piper. It got me to reminiscing about my own experiences training Max, who is also an eternal clown.

Jake Piper, the demo service dog. www.possibilitydogs.org
Like Jake Piper, Max is a rescue, whom I trained one-on-one with a certified canine trainer and behaviorist. It was one of the most intense endeavors I have undertaken, yet also one of the most rewarding. I don’t think I would have truly appreciated the effort that goes into training a service dog without doing it myself first. Another post will go into my training days with Max, but I think it’s worth mentioning here that service dogs are amazing animals whose training goes beyond skills and into behavior and compassion. Before I get where I’m going (yes, I’ll get there), I want to urge you all to respect these dogs and their work and to respect them and their handler when they are working. Do not talk to them, pet them, or even look them in the eyes. These are open invitations for a dog to break their concentration, which could be harmful to the handler if their safety depends on the dog. Part of the dog’s job is to focus on his partner; the partner’s job is to look out for the dog. Sometimes, that means being harsh with well-intentioned people who try to interact with your dog.
Although The Possibility Dogs is about psychiatric service dogs (Max is a mobility service dog), it offers some valuable insight into daily life with a dog:
Another handler notes: “And here’s the kicker: It’s a kind of trade. For all the good help a service dog gives, that same dog makes you visible. If for you a ‘normal’ life is about being able to be anonymous, good luck. You and your dog and your disability had better be prepared for stares and questions . . . and sometimes accusations. It’s not all bad. A lot of the attention on the dog is supportive. But there’s almost always a spotlight. It slows you down.”
Charleson, Susannah (2013-06-04). The Possibility Dogs: What I Learned from Second-Chance Rescues About Service, Hope, and Healing (p. 38). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
It’s the notion of being in the spotlight that I want to talk about. In my post “Welcome to Lilliput,” I wrote about how having dwarfism necessarily puts me under the spotlight, but having a service dog has not changed that so much as it has shifted the focus. Obviously, my disability is not an invisible one; on the contrary, it is one of the most outwardly visible ones you can have, as my body is so far from the norm. However, it is very easy for people to assume that the disability stops there: with height. I’m short, so I can’t reach things, and I can’t walk as fast on those short legs. Full stop. Think again. For some dwarfs, this is the end of the affair, but for a great number of us, there is a lot of complicated anatomy inside that odd, squat body. (You can read more about dwarfism and disability in one of my Dwarfism Awareness posts). (You can learn more about The Possibility Dogs project on their website).
I like to say that being a dwarf, or at least my particular experience of it, is to live in a liminal space, to inhabit the realm of both the visible and invisible disability. For, I am so visibly different, yet to many, so invisibly “disabled” by my body. I spent a good deal of time in college and grad school attempting to repress the disabled part of my persona. I walked with crutches for 10 years, but leaving for college offered me the opportunity to shed those walking aids in a place where few people knew me from my life before. Where my crutches helped me with speed and distance, I used a bike on campus to get from here to there. In grad school, I used the T or a car. This worked well for me until the long gap since my last major surgery started to close in on me in my late 20s, when my hips, which had long been severely arthritic, began to protest in earnest. This was the beginning of a new phase of my life, and what I now see as the moment when I needed to start “owning” my disability. I’ve had 5 artificial joint replacements in 9 years. I’ve learned that the gap from my last osteotomy to my first replacement was the exception, not the norm.
Accepting the toll that my lax tissues take on my body has been a difficult journey, but to be honest, it started with the decision to get a service dog. My husband had been kindly nudging me to get one for a long while, but I was always “looking into it.” I don’t know what clicked, but I finally acquiesced in 2011, around my birthday. Ironically, Jeevan and I were at the local shelter looking at some potential candidates, and I was walking a ginormous, yet gentle, St. Bernard (can you imagine that?) when my shoulder just gave out in pain. No reason. I had reached for my bag, and it just gave up on me. I had been struggling with “bursitis” (self-diagnosis) for years but had begun weight training in hopes of strengthening the muscles. In the end, those strong muscles did put off the inevitable for a while. The X-Rays showed the truth: my shoulder joints were gone. Who knows how long they had been like that? When you have arthritis everywhere, it just creeps from one place to the next without you knowing, taking secret root in your psyche. Just another thing that hurts. You don’t notice the toll it takes on your health. The fatigue, the slowing-down, the grumpiness, the depression. Again with the digression! But, I spend time on the background info because it’s essential to my service dog story. I had to come to terms with these things, to take stock of them, before I was ready for life with a service dog. To get a dog was to admit that I couldn’t do it all on my own, or that I could, but at a dear price.
After the “shoulder incident” at the shelter, I ramped up my search for a service dog candidate. I contacted a behaviorist to talk about what kinds of behavior a dog needed to show service potential. Any breed has potential, she said, but it’s true that Labradors and Goldens are very successful mobility dogs due to their retrieving instinct. Furthermore, with a breed rescue, you are much more likely to know the dog’s history than from a shelter. This is so important for a service dog because even thorough evaluation at the shelter doesn’t tell you everything that a life with a foster can. This is a dog who will go everywhere you go, who will encounter reactive dogs, people, and children. This dog will be an ambassador for other service dogs. Everything’s gotta click.
I found my match through Lucky Lab Rescue. This is truly an amazing rescue, entirely run by volunteers. Not only did I end up with the best service dog a girl could have, but we have now fostered three dogs with them, and I have seen the work that goes on behind the scenes, and these people are amazing. They are dedicated, and so organized. And compassionate. They led me to Max. I filled out an application and was forthright in my intention to train the dog for mobility work, and I hoped this would not go against me in the end. It did not! An adoption coordinator called me and said that there was a list of dogs who would probably work, but I had to meet Max. And, meet him I did. He had me at woof. He was 1 year young and a clown even then. But, he was also confident, self-assured, but kind. He was unflappable. Four men banging around in a large truck with a lift? Whatever. I got this, lady. You want me to meet your other dogs? Even the crazy cattle dog rescue who hates everyone? I’m a charmer, lady. A charmer, he was, and is. He’s the best.

The day I met Max. Look at that face!
Again, I’ll get into the actual training later, but I want to talk about what Max does for my disability. As the handler in the excerpt said, having a service dog puts you in the spotlight. I’m used to the spotlight, but I’m used to the kind of spotlight you can pretend to turn off. Someone staring? Oh, I’ll just pretend I don’t see it. Some kid just pointed me out to their mom (who pretends it didn’t happen)? I can pretend it didn’t happen, sometimes. (You’re lucky if I do). I can just go on with my day if I desire. With a service dog, it’s different. As I said before, he’s an ambassador for all service dogs. When someone makes what they think is a hilarious comment about how “hard” his job is when he is sleeping in a restaurant, I think it is my duty to say, “how many dogs do you know who could sleep while people step over him with steak?” It’s his job to be good while we aren’t working. Sometimes, it’s his job to sleep, to lie down, to let people step on his tail, to let a chip fall by his face, to ignore the world that is not me. This is tough, and many people seem to think it is their job to tempt him or to get him to break his service and then make a comment when he does. What would you do if someone kept calling your name and telling you how pretty you are? You’d wag your tail, if you had one.
I have to admit that I was too friendly about this behavior in the beginning, and so I let it slide, and now there are a lot of people around my small town who talk to Max. Mostly, it’s when we’re not actively working, but I’m sorry I let it happen anyway. It’s not fair to him to turn back now; he wouldn’t understand. I’m lucky that he resets very quickly. He’s got a greet command and a command to get back to work. I’m lucky he listens, really lucky. Believe me, with my next dog, I will not do this again. For the love of all that is right in the world, don’t pet the damned service dog. Don’t make kissy noises. Don’t talk to it. Don’t even ask. It’s hard to say no, especially if you’re a people pleaser. Make it easier for everyone: resist.
It’s also true that having a service dog slows you down. It is a huge responsibility. Just “running in” a store is darned near impossible. You have to gear up the dog, get the dog in the car, seatbelt the dog in, drive to wherever, get the dog out, stop and educate people, get your stuff, get the dog in the car, seatbelt the dog in, get in the car, driver home. It’s a bit easier when, say, I want to run in my favorite coffee shop (go Roscoe’s!); they know him there, and they know he’s a service dog. I can just put on his gentle leader and run in for coffee because I know I don’t need to use his bracing harness. Sometimes I brave places without his harness if I know I won’t need him to brace, but it makes me nervous. There is no requirement that a service dog wear a vest or harness, but it helps. Max does have a little badge that hangs off the leash, but I’m always risking some questioning when he’s not fully geared.

Max fully geared, under my feet on a plane.
The other thing I have to put up with is the famous question: What does your dog do for you? This is fine from a business owner or employee, but it is intrusive in any other context. It feels like I am constantly justifying my need for Max. I am sure that that is not the intent, but it gets old, fast. The ADA has this to say about service dogs:
When it is not obvious what service an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed. Staff may ask two questions: (1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform. Staff cannot ask about the person’s disability, require medical documentation, require a special identification card or training documentation for the dog, or ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task. http://www.ada.gov/service_animals_2010.htm
I usually respond to random people asking this question with, “he’s a mobility dog, and I use him to brace., but he knows well over 50 skills.” I don’t try to elaborate on what’s wrong with me. Sometimes people push, but mostly they respect that. I just wish they wouldn’t ask. It’s personal.
Traveling ain’t a picnic either. I have to pack for me, and for Max. He needs food, treats, a ball, some chews, extra poop bags. I have to remember peanut butter for the airplane to help pop his ears. Security is a nightmare. New cities mean new people, and new service dog cultures. Colorado is a dog place. It seems everyone has a dog, and in the mountains, people let their dogs hike off-leash. I hate this. I hated it before, but I really hate it now. Yes, your dog is friendly, but please, he cannot greet my dog. He’s working. See that slippery rock in my path? He’s going to help me over it, but if your dog distracts him, he’s not concentrating and not bracing. Put your dog on the leash! New Orleans is also a dog city, and there are a lot of homeless people with dogs off-leash. Makes me nervous. I hope your dog is friendly, but if not, does it have vaccinations? Also, one bad encounter with a dog could ruin Max for service. He cannot become afraid of dogs. Paris is also a dog city, and my Lord, there are a lot of yippy dogs out there. They tried to get Max every friggin’ day.

Max helping me snowshoe! This is one of the ways he helped return me to a fuller life, even if people don’t leash their dogs.
All this being said, I have to also say that having Max is worth every annoyance. He has made my life easier on so many levels. Traveling is a pain, but less of a pain than it was before. Paris used to be so tough on me with its uneven sidewalks and steep curbs. I prefer busses over the Metro because there are no stairs to navigate into subterranean stations, but there is that one big step, and the crowds. I always hated getting places. People never thought of me as disabled, so they wouldn’t offer seats or help. This last time in Paris, though, people offered to let me on first, and offered to help me up that step, even as Max was there to brace, and they offered me a seat. He braced all over the cobblestones and awkward curbs. He braced me all the way down the Pantheon steps, which don’t have railings. This was, in fact, the first time I have been to the Pantheon. I have always avoided it because of the steps. Thanks to Max, I got to see my beloved Hugo, Césaire, and Zola in their resting place.

Max enjoying the Eiffel Tower.
Max takes me out of that liminal space and puts me firmly in the disabled camp. He mediates my disability by making my world wider, safer, and more mobile. He also helps to mediate the fatigue, the slowing-down, the grumpiness, the depression. He mediates stares. People are usually way more excited to see a service dog than a dwarf, and that is fine with me, in the end. I’d much rather have to educate people about Max than be the object of curiosity. Children love to see Max (often mistaken for a horse, due to his saddle-like harness). I’ve always had to educate people about disability, it’s just shifted somewhere else. It is tough to always be in the spotlight, but I guess I prefer the gaze to be cast on my Max. He’s a ham and loves to wag his tail coyly as I explain why he can’t be petted to a little kid. It takes time, but it’s a worthy moment. I’d really like to live in a world where I didn’t have to explain any of these things, but that’s a bigger job. That’s why I write this blog.