My Achilles Tendons are finally starting to heal after along battle with severe txendentis. I haven't been able to walk without pain for nearly a year. Walking is my preferred form of exercise. I live in a very beautiful and rural part of Washington State. Its a shame not to be able to explore its natural beauty. I'm still in backless shoes but able to walk about 2 miles of flat road way with the dog. No hills yet.
I have a new dog, a Golden Retriever and Australian Shepherd mix. He is now 4 months old and on his way to becoming my mobility assistance service dog. He is very smart and eager to learn and has a need to please. He looks like a black Golden Retriever with a tiny bunny tail. He will learn to fetch items and carry things for me in a doggy pack saddle. He will also be able to help me up out of a chair when needed and steady me when walking. So far he knows his name, my whistle, sit, and lay. We are still working on fetch he will go after what I send him for and bring it back to me some times. Sometimes he wants to play with the item first. So far he think "stay" is not so fun to do. By next spring we will be going to the city park and drawing the sail boats mored in the harbor.
Best of luck! aren't the people who train service animals supposed to have all that already taught to the dog?
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I did not get the dog from an agency. I bought a 8 week old puppy. I am training him myself. Its not rocket science. If you can train a family dog to fetch you can train a dog to do tasks. Picking up things and giving them to me is just constructive fetch. Teaching a dog to tolerate a pack saddle is just like teaching them to tolerate a collar. Its start young and they get used to it before they know its something unusual to be doing. The puppy is now 5 months old 35 pounds and walks 2 miles a day with me with a pack saddle styled back pack with a 14 oz can of beans in each side and his potty bags. He is great. He loves having a job.
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