CapaBull - Training My Service Dog Blog

**Update (01/08/2012) Was I successful in training a bulldog to be a service dog? You bet! Brandy has been everywhere with us and has proved to be a priceless asset to our family - especially my middle child who is in the autism spectrum. Here is a link with a few pictures of Brandy in action.**

Original Post:

Who would have thought my big, silly-looking bulldog would do this well in Service Dog training? I suppose if I had thought it, I might have tried training her a long time ago. Bulldogs simply aren't known for their trainability or their intelligence, but then again, Brandy is an Olde Victorian Bulldogge (OVB)... not sure if that is really supposed to make a big difference.

OVBs were created combining English Bulldog, American Bulldog, German Boxer, Staffordshire Terrier and Olde Bulldogges - perhaps Brandy's surprising trainability comes from the influence of fine, German engineering? This far down the autobahn, we can only speculate. 

So to date, the biggest hurdle we've had is the "down" command. She sits, she stays, she takes one step at a time, she ignores lawnmowers and strangers, but she does not like to lay down. It's understandable, really. Who wants to be told to lay down on a filthy sidewalk? That, and having a sore shoulder doesn't help. 


I've added glucosamine to her diet, and I may have to add some aspirin or something just to help out a bit. I mean... the poor dog is 7! Not exactly a spring chicken. It's like telling Grandma to just make herself comfortable on the concrete between the green glob of gum and the bird crap.


At any rate, I took Brandy out today, worked her for a bit, and then gave her the "down" command. She made a face (she can make the funniest faces when she isn't really happy about something) and then lay down! I praised her, I gave her treats... and then I learned what her true currency is! Belly Rubs!!


After I gave her some hearty belly rubs, she lay down for me consistently for the rest of the training. Of course when giving belly rubs, it is imperative to rub briskly and firmly while saying "Who's da bestest puppy in da whoooooooooooollle world? Who? Who is it? YOU da bestest doggie! You is! Oh yes you IS!" Brandy got so excited each time, she wiggled back and forth on her back with her upper lips thrown back, exposing the pink underside of her face and her giant, bully teeth. SO CUTE! 


Of course after reviewing what I just wrote, I'm starting to think I should keep an eye out for Brandy's blog... "How To Train Your Human." If I find it, I'll be sure to pass along the link!


At this point I have the Service Dog patches, harness and other fun stuff, but I haven't quite gotten around to sewing the patches ON to the harness... which would allow Brandy to go pretty much anywhere with us. Where did I put those stupid sewing needles??  


Oh, LOOK! Super Glue!

Update - 01/08/2012:

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It's ALIVE!

That's right... the garden is still alive. Perhaps this makes me a reformed plant serial killer.

Most of the plants were lovingly planted in pots and have been kept on the sunny back deck. They have been upgraded them from cup 1.0...

 to pot 1.0...

and a few of the tomatoes are on pot 3.0 by now.

And we have NEWS! Apparently some of our tomato plants are expecting!

Aren't they cute??

And, the cantaloupes are taking over the world!

By the end of the summer I may have to use a hatchet to clean this area up, judging by the circumference of the stalks on these things. Will that make me a stalker or an axe murderer??

Iraq is thrilled with how beautifully her garden has grown. She has been snacking on fresh peas and strawberries, and is looking forward to some tomatoes, cantaloupe and peppers.

When we came in from watering the garden yesterday, The Skink made it abundantly clear just how she feels about gardening at this time.

Yes - we actually found her asleep like this yesterday. Despite her precarious position, I did run down stairs to get my camera and proceeded to take a number of pictures before my hubby scooped her up and relocated her to her bed.

Kids! Fresh from the garden!

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7th Birthday!

Saturday was Iraq's 7th birthday! It's hard for me to believe how time flies, but August may prove harder for me when my BABY - The Skink - turns 4! I'm not sure what's worse - that I'm old enough to be the mother of a rising Sophomore (Broadway) who will start driving in the next few months, or that my baby is not a baby any more.

All of that aside, Iraq's birthday did not make me sad at all! That's the nice thing about the middle child. She is not the oldest, ever reminding me that a broken hip is looming on the horrizon, and not the youngest who scampers from babyhood while I still long to rock that sleeping little lump of warmth and smell that baby sweetness at night.

My hubby and I had a lovely date at Target while the children were in school on Friday. Iraq has succumbed to the Hello Kitty craze which runs rampant through her elementary school... like a rabid Godzilla... (they're both from Japan, you know... )  Months ago she started begging for a Hello Kitty Bookbag, and it had to be pink and have wheels and a handle! Yikes! I looked them up on eBay and found a few of them... for more than $60!!! Holy COW!

Thank goodness Target had a pink Hello Kitty (HK) backpack with NO wheels for a lot less than that! We also found HK panties, party plates & napkins and gift bags. We also got a veritable truck-load of other stuff (mostly on sale) and a bunch of adorable clothes at the second-hand shop - Once Upon A Child. I can never get over all the great stuff they have in there. Some of the strollers and equipment can be a little expensive, but the clothes are really reasonable!

We packed up our bounty and headed to Mimi and Pop's lake house for a great time!

No... we didn't coordinate her outfit with the gift bags. It was just coincidence... or she's psychic.

The Hello Kitty book bag was a success - even without wheels.

But these cute little wedges made her day!

And I found tap shoes at Once Upon A Child.

And what 7-year-old (other than me) wouldn't be excited about Barbie??

More Once Upon A Child finds :o)

And then time to swim and play!

On top of all the fun we were having, we saw an eagle... with a fish!

And after a great day, it was time for cake!

Don't you just love it when your child has a truly Happy Birthday?? And today we inflated her pool (on sale for $20... can you believe it?).

So... she's still having fun!

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Iraq - Tattooed Warrior Princess!

I found a certain irony in my discovery last night that Iraq had covered about 80 percent of her body with drawings and words in pen. The offending pen just happened to be from one of the clinics that helped diagnose her with Aspergers.

While I remember drawing an occasional heart or phone number on my hand or arm at her age, I can't say that there was ever a time when I completely colored in my belly-button with pen to the point it looked like a black hole, sucking in all the nearby constellations. Her nipples were adorned with flower petals, and she had even taken the time to draw on her own back.

Of course these discoveries are almost always made 10 minutes after bed time, when children are finding never-ending ways of delaying the final, softly-whispered "Good Night." In this case, Iraq had seen me blow raspberries on The Skink's little, pink belly, sending her into gales of giggles. Iraq wanted raspberries too!

So, after prayers were said and lullaby's sung, I prepared my lips to plant a row of sweet raspberries on Iraq's 8-pack abs (don't you hate it when your kid - who could care less - has the body you work endless hours to reclaim only to learn that the act of having 3 kids leaves your 6-pack with a little extra packing material... to keep them safe, I suppose... ). I pulled up her little pajama top expecting to find that nice pink skin, and discovered... Jesse James' mistress, Bombshell McGee!

Not what I was expecting to find in my 6-year-old's bed.

The good news is that there were no references to "white power" - only hearts, her name (over and over and over) and a good amount of scribble. Enough scribble, in fact, that she had basically colored herself in. Had I attempted a raspberry at that time, I'm pretty sure I would have finished looking like Marilyn Manson.

I don't even know why I bother to ask WHY she does some of the things she does any more... the answer was the same - "I wanted to!"

Ahhh - that clarifies everything!

So off I went to locate a wet wipe from The Skink's changing table amid Iraq's screeches of "But you have to do that thing on my tummy like you did to [The Skink]!!" It can be almost useless trying to explain why I'd rather have a clean surface on which to plant raspberries once Iraq goes into screeching, melt-down mode... not that I didn't try. She settled down a bit when I started scrubbing at her pen-toos (I'm so glad she didn't happen to locate a permanent marker).

Once Iraq had been scrubbed, I finally got to plant my raspberries. The soil tasted a little funny, but the giggles that sprang forth were worth it!

It's hard to tell from the above picture, but there was very little white left on the wet wipe after rubbing Iraq's tattoos with it. It did a pretty good job, but we'll have to soak the rest off in a bath tonight, I'm afraid.

I also discovered a Robin Redbreast nesting up under one of our eves. Yes - we moms love our kids... even if we have to sit on them sometimes!

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Toddler Bed Update

I know I promised an update of the Toddler Bed Transition and now I'm finally getting around to it! After The Skink's first (very successful) night in her bed, we decided to completely confuse her by spending the Memorial Day weekend at Mimi and Pop's lake house... which is a waaaaayyyy fun way to spend any warm weekend, really!

When we got back, The Skink happily settled down in her bed for the night. We did have one little crying episode on Tuesday at about 3:30 AM, but if The Skink is anything like me, she was probably sleepwalking. Unfortunately when I tried to enter her room, I found her unhappy littleness lying up against the door. Once she moved enough to allow me to enter, I scooped her up and placed her back in her bed. She looked up at me, and suddenly looked very confused... then rolled over and went back to sleep.

If she is a sleepwalker (like her goofy mother) she will have to learn to deal with it. I once woke up in the middle of rearranging my bedroom furniture... I'm glad she's not too strong yet!

So - we've been phasing out afternoon naps in hopes less daytime sleep would help The Skink settle well at night. It has... but...

This is how I found my sweet Skink after she got home from school today. It's one thing for a kid to get used to a toddler bed, but it's something entirely different for a kid to put herself down for a nap! Apparently she likes being able to get in and out of her bed as she likes.

And, of course, once I disrupted her rest, it was time to get up and play...

with her doll house...

and take a ride on our brand new wagon! She didn't seem to mind her new ride was still in a box. Clearly, there will be some assembly required... the type of assembly that is best attempted when Skinks are at school. Skinks tend to be very clever at finding and relocating small but important parts. We'll try to assemble our cool, new wagon tomorrow or the next day. It will be a replacement to the stroller we've been using... and it will have the ability to carry both The Skink and Iraq when necessary. The best feature?? FOUR cup-holders! Two for kid beverages, and two for parental unit beverages! YAY!

And, because the camera was out, Iraq had to get into the action!

I wish I were this photogenic! I'm not. Most photos of me somehow come out looking as if I'm in the middle of an epileptic episode. Iraq is the opposite - it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture of her - LOL! Of course when I offered to take Broadway's picture too, I was rewarded with the look-of-death. If you have not been unlucky enough to experience the look-of-death, you probably don't have a teenager yet. Your turn will come.

With so much happening, I have not had a chance to work with Brandy in the last few days. She has taken to following me about, performing all the tasks she has learned without being asked in hopes she will be rewarded with a treat. Iraq's leftovers work great!

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Memorial Weekend Memories

We spent the weekend at my parent's lake house. The Skink's favorite thing to do is ride on the boat... FAST!

Which can really do a number on a kiddo's hair!

Unless that kiddo's hair has been boat-proofed.

And amid all the sunshine and excitement, sometimes nap time simply can not be delayed - even if one happens to be standing up.

And with family and some great new friends, one always seems to see the world through rose-colored glasses... with Dora on them...

In honor of Memorial Day, Broadway thought we should blow-up an island... so we got one at Sam's Club. No explosives required! A fun time was had by all!

Ultimately, solutions were found for boat-hair, and Mr. Brush and Mrs. Comb had less work to do.