Skip to main content

About Us

I am Pidgeon, a 22-year-old seamstress, and service dog trainer. I worked under multiple service dog trainers over the past six years, helped train my last service dog, and fully-trained my current service dog.

I am autistic, I have POTS, hEDS, joint dislocations/subluxations, chronic migraines, bipolar disorder, depression, and several anxiety disorders. I disclose all those conditions to give you insight into some of what I have to deal with every day, and why a service dog was necessary for me. 

Grimm is a German Shepherd. He is a purebred AKC-certified dog(not that that really matters) with well-rated joints. He is nearly two years old. 

He works as a multipurpose service dog. His main job is to manage my fainting by alerting me before I pass out and lifting my head in case I pass out face first and run the risk of suffocating myself. His other tasks are as follows: 

  • Migraine alert 
  • Mobility
  • DPT
  • "Get Help" 
  • Reality check 
  • Checking rooms

Popular posts from this blog

Training Migraine Alert

  Migraine alert is a useful task where a dog can be trained to give you a warning before you get a migraine. This is a task, not every dog will be able to do as it is scent based. Some dogs naturally alert, some will need specific training and some will never be able to pick it up. It can be harder for brachy breeds such as boxers as they may have lessened senses of smell.  You will first need to have a queue task down. This can be whatever indicator you want as long as it adequately gets your attention and your dog can do it consistently. I will refer to this command as touch from here on out for simplicity.  First, you will need to decide if you want this task to be based on sweat or saliva. Both work and your dog may respond better to one than the other. Also, masks can make it slightly more difficult for a dog to detect migraines. Grimm often alerts as soon as I get in the car and demask. This can make sweat a better option but I have always had more luck with saliva...
Post a Comment
Read more

Task Training: Remove Sock

Things you will need to train your dog to remove your socks for you: Treats  Socks  Your body  Mild tolerance for having your toes bitten(if you have any acute pain conditions consider asking a companion to take the hit when your dog is first starting out)  A Command to instruct your dog to use their mouth more gently, my command is gentle  A command to have your dog pick things up. Here is a link to the tutorial I used for this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arcb9IBgh6c   A companion to help in case of mobility limitations Some vocab before we start for simplicity's sake. I will use my command words through this tutorial but use whatever words or gestures your dog uses. I use “get it” when telling grim to retrieve a miscellaneous item for me. I use “gentle” when he takes treats too hard or paws at me too aggressively.  I started training this task by utilizing a simple brain exercise that my dog has done in the past. I will show him a treat then co...
Post a Comment
Read more

What to look for in a service dog breeder

  When owner training one of the biggest things you are going to need to know is how to choose a prospect. Now that could be its own post but right now I want to focus on something that makes choosing a prospect a lot easier.  All of this is assuming you also follow guidelines for a responsible breeder for the breed of dog you are looking into. I will not cover those guidelines but please make sure to look those up on your own.  Choosing a good breeder can make your dog training go way smoother. There are a few things to look out for when looking at breeders.  The first thing that can be really helpful is finding a breeder that specializes in breeding dogs for service work. This isn't always a possibility especially if you are going for a less common breed. Trainers who breed for service work should know what training/socialization/desensitization needs to be done in the early days of a puppy's life. My current service dog Grimm's breeder used desensitization sounds ...
Post a Comment
Read more