Jackie

what now?

Say hello to Jackie!  She is our petite, sweet, 14 month old, dark chocolate lab that we acquired from Chilbrook Labradors in West Virginia.  We chose to add her to our breeding program because of her great lineage. Jackie has 13 generations of service dogs in her history!  Her father Ranger, is an amazing dog. Being a champion in nearly every way possible, he is a spectacular dog!


Jackie is being trained as a DAD (Diabetic Alert Dog) service dog.  This training is great for intelligent Jackie, as it gives her a job to do. It also gives her a future as a possible DAD, because we can place her as a DAD when we are finished using her in our breeding program.   This training benefits everyone.  She has also learned helpful tasks such as getting a juice out of the fridge and bringing the blood glucose meter to her handler.

at the dentist

We are very proud of our hardworking agile girl and are looking forward to seeing her puppies in the future!

Bailey and Jackie

   

training

working

The importance of exercise

GO

Exercise is very important if you want your dog to be well behaved. There are many owners that have given up on their dog or puppy because they think  he has way too much energy, or they are frustrated with the amount of non-dog items he's destroyed.

Out for a walk

Generally, this is due to owners who have not devoted enough time to exercising their animal. Most dogs were bred to work. They need to have a way to funnel their energy into a good healthy job or game. This can be

Keep your eye on the ball

Got it!

done with a walk, a retrieving game, a run, or whatever the owner and canine enjoy doing together.  There is an endless amount of games and jobs that an active dog will do with zeal.  Nothing gives them greater joy than hanging out with you!
However, if these exercising games are done only once a day, or not at all, this puppy WILL find a way to relieve their excess energy. That might be your favorite slippers, the stuffing in your couch, or whatever the dog can get his mouth in or on. This can get expensive; that couch now needs to be replaced, those slippers must be thrown away, and whatever else that energetic puppy can destroy may need to be replaced.

Exercising your dog can be a great bonding time and very enjoyable for both you and your dog. It is very beneficial for both of you. Exercise (and a bit of training) can transform a dog from a mischievous trouble maker to a very enjoyable companion.

Cooling off in the water bowl

Bailey

Baby Bailey

Introducing Bailey!  This lover boy is our eighteen month old yellow lab that we acquired through Chilbrook Kennels in West Virgina. He is an up-and-coming stud dog for our breeding operation.

Our handsome guy

Bailey also functions as a DAD (Diabetes Alert Dog) for our ten-year old Type 1 Diabetic. These two boys go great together! Bailey sleeps with his boy, sits patiently while he is playing football, gets his meter for him, gets a juice for his boy, and best of all, Bailey alerts him when his blood sugar is dropping below a safe level.

One time Bailey alerted his boy with a paw on the knee.  After checking his blood glucose level and finding it to be 140 (the goal being between 80 and 120), he disappointedly told Bailey that he was not low and that it must have been a false alert. About half an hour later, he checked his blood again and was very low, in the 40s! Bailey could smell that his boy was going low and alerted half an hour before the low even occurred! Dogs have an amazing sense of smell.

Waiting

It's hard to imagine life without our mellow fellow Bailey.  We sometimes just sit and stare at this handsome gent, marveling how one dog can be so

I love you

good-looking and easy-going. 

Keeping an eye on you

The boys

A story on service dogs

Here is a story concerning some of the experiences that service dog owners may encounter.  Many people have not learned the laws concerning service dogs.  We have many challenges to overcome in the service dog world.  Part of the responsibility of working with a service dog is educating the general public and business owners about laws pertaining to service dogs. 

Perhaps in another post I will discuss the other side of the coin about the many people that claim their pet is a service dog...

                          

Junior trainer on duty

The coach

What was that?

 Having kid friendly dogs are very big in our book. They MUST be able to handle whatever a rambunctious child could bring to the table.

What would happen to a service dog if it was rushed by a enthusiastic three year old and snapped in surprise? The child was only showing her love for dogs, however the dog was not socialized well with children and snapped. Unfortunately this dog would most likely be put down, or dismissed from service.
What a sad ending for a great dog this would be. Its only downfall was not enough socialization with youngsters.

Our crew of junior trainers are in charge of kid proofing our dogs. The two year old in this picture is often found laying atop one of the dogs, playing ball, or even ordering them to sit and lie down.

Love you!

Tioga's afternoon

Cuddle time

This afternoon we took our five month old black lab puppy Tioga to town. She accompanied us to our local feed store and the local library.
      At the feed store, she met an energetic ten month old puppy, a wary cat, a rabbit, and a host of new smells.  All of this was very new to her. She had never been to the feed store before. Most young pups would find this very frightening. Tioga, however, has had quite a few socialization experiences in her short life. These outings and her laid back temperament have worked in her favor as an up-and-coming service dog. She stayed by our side the entire time, never acting up, (although, she did get a bit nervous around the cat.:)We are very proud of her.

Reading

 These outings are critical in a service dog's beginning. There are many things that will come up in a service dog's life. If she is not prepared, for them they will come as quite a challenge for her. She MUST be prepared for anything that might come her way, and be ready to face it with grace and composure.

Waiting