Leo is being trained as a service dog for my wife.
Among other problems, she experiences attacks of low potassium. When it happens, she can’t move and can barely speak. However, we have a rescue med that she can take that raises her potassium and gets her back to normal.
That was one of the things we wanted Leo to do. Not so much give her the med, but let me know so that I can and she doesn’t spend hours stuck while I’m working. However we had no idea how we were going to teach him. It turns out we didn’t have to.
The first time I had to give her the med, he thought it was a treat and jumped on her to try to get some. That happened a few more times. Eventually he just sat there and watched.
One night he was acting strange. He was pacing around, and jumping up on me as if he wanted to climb up into my chair, but then he’d jump down again. After about 20 minutes of that, my wife started to feel an attack coming on. I went out to get the meds, and he hopped into her chair and put his head on her lap.
I gave her the meds and he stayed on her lap until she was ok again.
After that there was a day when I had to be onsite at work. Those are always bad days because by the time she realizes she’s having an attack, she can’t move, so she can’t get the meds on her own. If I’m not there, she’s stuck sometimes all day waiting for me to come home. However, Leo took her by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen where we keep her meds while she could still get them herself.
Leo’s still a bit of a pain in the ass, and he has a lot of training and maturing to do before he can be certified as a service dog (service dogs don’t argue with vacuum cleaners). However, he already figured out the most important thing.
That explains the “service dog // do not pet” on his harness, I was wondering about it.
The first time I had to give her the med, he thought it was a treat and jumped on her to try to get some.
Birds of a feather with Lana then. Who took human meds not once, but twice. The first one was simply calcium supplements, no biggie, but the second one got us really worried because it was pressure meds. It was, like: my mum put my father’s meds on a handkerchief, went to the kitchen to grab some water, and when she was back to their room… where are the meds? Thankfully they only made Lana sleep through the whole day, but still, it got us worried.
However, Leo took her by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen where we keep her meds while she could still get them herself.
Smart dog being the hero of the day \o/
That’s the charm of poodles: they’re quick to learn things, and they care a lot about the ones around them. I bet he’ll realise the roomba is no threat (or noteworthy) in no time.
Also, I have no idea if the attacks are a temporary or permanent issue, but I hope your wife gets better!
Leo is being trained as a service dog for my wife.
Among other problems, she experiences attacks of low potassium. When it happens, she can’t move and can barely speak. However, we have a rescue med that she can take that raises her potassium and gets her back to normal.
That was one of the things we wanted Leo to do. Not so much give her the med, but let me know so that I can and she doesn’t spend hours stuck while I’m working. However we had no idea how we were going to teach him. It turns out we didn’t have to.
The first time I had to give her the med, he thought it was a treat and jumped on her to try to get some. That happened a few more times. Eventually he just sat there and watched.
One night he was acting strange. He was pacing around, and jumping up on me as if he wanted to climb up into my chair, but then he’d jump down again. After about 20 minutes of that, my wife started to feel an attack coming on. I went out to get the meds, and he hopped into her chair and put his head on her lap.
I gave her the meds and he stayed on her lap until she was ok again.
After that there was a day when I had to be onsite at work. Those are always bad days because by the time she realizes she’s having an attack, she can’t move, so she can’t get the meds on her own. If I’m not there, she’s stuck sometimes all day waiting for me to come home. However, Leo took her by the hand and pulled her into the kitchen where we keep her meds while she could still get them herself.
Leo’s still a bit of a pain in the ass, and he has a lot of training and maturing to do before he can be certified as a service dog (service dogs don’t argue with vacuum cleaners). However, he already figured out the most important thing.
That explains the “service dog // do not pet” on his harness, I was wondering about it.
Birds of a feather with Lana then. Who took human meds not once, but twice. The first one was simply calcium supplements, no biggie, but the second one got us really worried because it was pressure meds. It was, like: my mum put my father’s meds on a handkerchief, went to the kitchen to grab some water, and when she was back to their room… where are the meds? Thankfully they only made Lana sleep through the whole day, but still, it got us worried.
Smart dog being the hero of the day \o/
That’s the charm of poodles: they’re quick to learn things, and they care a lot about the ones around them. I bet he’ll realise the roomba is no threat (or noteworthy) in no time.
Also, I have no idea if the attacks are a temporary or permanent issue, but I hope your wife gets better!