Cash the Lab: The Christmas Joy Giver

For this Christmas, Cash and I took our holiday spirit and brought it up a notch or two to make everyone's day whenever we went somewhere. With the use of a tiny Santa hat, a bandana or scarf (depending on the day), we made people smile wherever we went. I thought we'd share some photos from our adventures! 

Happy Holidays from Cash the Lab and Esther! 

Rapid Rewards Deluxe Dog Training Bag with Belt by Doggone Good! ReviRew

Rapid Rewards Deluxe Dog Training Bag with Belt by Doggone Good!

Bags are extremely important when it comes to training dogs. I had been using a few that I had picked up in stores and all of them were hard to keep open or keep enough treats in them. I had seen this exact type on someone and noticed how large it was without being two large. There was a front pocket, side pockets, and even two small "slip" pockets where you could easily store money or Identification.

I bought mine on Amazon (because we all know how much I love Amazon) for around $20. I had also bought a Ruffwear flat waist belt that I was planning to put through the back loops so I could wear the treat bag right on the wearable leash. I have to say, it was one of the most exciting packages that I have ever received. (I realize that's a bit strange).

When I first received the package, I was very satisfied with my purchase. The quality of the bag is actually higher than I had originally thought. There are enough keyring holders that I can add a bag holder, my keys, and some hand sanitizer. I have also found that I can keep multiple types of treats by using plastic sandwich bags and they don't tend to get smashed as long as I do not lean my body against anything. 

The back loops for the belt fit perfectly with my leash and it makes keeping everything together much easier. I attached a keyring to attach my clickers and anything else I need as well. It holds up very well due to the way it is constructed. It has an inner layer that is breathable. It prevents it from getting too smelly, but the strength of the outside keeps it in shape. Other than being careful, there are no real restrictions when washing this bag. Unlike my other bags, the entire construction of the bag was well worth more than the price (hopefully, they aren't reading this).

Finally, they did not have this in a lot of colors, but I prefer black so it matches more items. For a useful accessory, I do not think having bright colors is necessary, but there are black, blue, purple, and red options. For some reason, the blue one is $8 more than the others. I am not sure why. 

Training Your Own Service Dog: What You Need to Know

Training Your Own Service Dog: What You Need to Know

 Training your own service dog is not an easy task--nor is it to be taken lightly. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does allow for handlers to train their own service dogs, but they are held to the same standards as organization-trained serviced dogs.

The question on many people's minds is which is a better choice and to me, it depends on the person. There are a lot of organizations that raise amazing dogs--and dogs that are trained from birth and have mother's chosen for their temperament usually have a higher success rate, but depending on the organization, getting a service dog becomes pricey and there's a long wait time. What about training your own dog? Well, if you've never worked with dogs, it might not be the best idea. You need to understand the basics of teaching your dog to act in public to doing tasks on command. There are some Internet website resources, but it takes a lot of time and effort, but the good part is that your dog starts to learn with you and your disability.


So how does your owner-trained service dog qualify as a service dog? Well, according to the ADA, the dog must be housebroken, have public access skills, and to be able to perform a task. When they are referring to a task, they mean a skill or cue that will aid a person when their condition worsens or when they need extra help. For instance, many people have their dogs pick up items when they drop them, open doors, let them know when the doorbell rings, and other tasks to help them with their daily routine. Anything that just requires the dog to just exist is not considered a task. For example: carrying medicine and comforting someone by their presence (this does not include pressure and distraction cues).

Risk. There is a high risk that your service dog will not be up for the job--especially if you get the dog as a puppy. I adopted Cash (I thought he was 4) at 8 1/2. He has a very temperate personality. He is not easily frightened and adapts to situations perfectly. He listens very well and is not loud. The reason why he makes the perfect dog to train is that he reacts to me so well plus, he acts very well in public. But how did I know this? I was around service dogs AND I had spent time with him before adopting him. With Cash, I can take him to performances, dinner, church, and he will lay under whatever I cue him to and go straight to sleep. Sometimes during a performance, he might get startled, but when I tell him to go to bed, he will go right back to sleep. Even when that happens, he still is quiet. This is what you want your dog to be able to do while in public. I am still working on him walking right next to me, but he is doing very well with it. It's about patience.

So how are you training him?

I am training him using clicker training. So far, I have a laundry list of commands that I want to teach him. The first major cue I trained him (other than the basics) was to sit on my lap when commanded and bring me my emergency medicine. The lap command is used to apply pressure to my lap during sever panic attacks and psychogenic seizures. This technique causes my brain to start focusing on him and not the anxiety, but also restricts me from wandering off or focusing on something dangerous. I have started working with him to bring a laminated note to whomever I point to give them important emergency information if I cannot talk. I also plan to teach a lot of other techniques for PTSD, Psychogenic seizures, Anxiety, and low blood pressure. Even with my ideas in place, I have had to create ways to "shape" these commands into cues he understands. If you do not understand shaping, I highly suggest that you read up on it on Karen Pryor's website. Here are a few of her articles on the subject: Shaping Your Way to Success, The Ten Laws of Shaping, and Shaping Success.

Here are some links to my favorite Service Dog related articles and websites:

Choosing the Right (Service) Dog
FAQ: Service Dog Laws
Service Dog Training Costs
Tasks vs Work
FAQ-ADA Service Dog Laws
PHRA-Service Dog Laws (Pennsylvania)
Service Dog Laws by State
Karen Pryor Clicker Training


Service Dog Organizations
And a link to my favorite Service Dog Training Organization, Susquehanna Service Dogs. If you live in Central Pennsylvania, please consider donating to them--time or money. They are an amazing group of people and taught me so much. They have a list of items that they most often use and need on their website, which I will link below. Also, if you use Purina Pro Plan, please consider cutting out the weight circles and sending them to them so they can get money through Purina. Every bit helps!

Susquehanna Service Dogs

Product Comparisons: Hands Free Leashes

Product Comparisons: Hands Free Leashes

Outward Hound Hands Free Hipster Dog Leash Storage Accessory 5ft Leash Included

When I first got this Hands Free Hipster, I found it to be quite useful for walks, but as I started to take Thornwald out to stores, I found that I did need something that was not as uncomfortable. The product's pockets are hard to use and with clicker training, the pockets weren't in the right location nor were they the right size for treats. The leash that was included was an average leash, but with a larger dog, it was not a very strong leash. I liked that the leash was a dual clip leash that allowed me to clip it to any belt. I used the leash more than I actually used the hipster.

Ruffwear Roamer Leash

This was my most recent product and I wish I would have know that they also sell ones that do not extend. I found this in a hiking/outdoors store so the product was stronger than the other two options. At the bottom of the leash is a traffic handle so that I can walk Cash into a crowded area without worrying about him running off. With him training in public, I wish there was a D-Clip to keep the traffic leash short if I need to hold something at the same time as needing the leash shorter. I've been considering some options, but it would have been a nice feature. 

PetSafe Pet Hands Free Leash, Black

This was the first option that I had found and bought. I had connected my treat bag to the belt and used this for quite a while. It's a basic product that does what it says it is supposed to, but it is not an extremely strong product--If your dog does not stay nearby you through training, he might try to run off and you will most likely go with the leash. If it's a larger dog, he might be able to break the leash if he tried hard enough. For dog leashes, it's rather flimsy. It did work for Thornwald when he was a young service dog in training, but a larger dog might require a sturdier option. 

Overall, I found that each of these options did what they were supposed to do--free up your hands when walking your dog (or in my case, when I was shopping), but I find that the Ruffwear product is far superior to any other hands-free product that I have seen. The actually leash part is strong and durable--and multipurpose! The clasps on the hip clips and also for the dog clip are far sturdier than most that I see at pet stores. If you are looking for quality, durability, and longevity, I'd suggest their leash over the two other choices.

I bought the product at Eastern Mountain Sports, but they have the entire range of leashes on Amazon. I definitely suggest looking at the flat ones as well and looking at the many colors they have for each leash!

Product Review: Top Paw 3 'n' 1 Wet-Dry Glove

I was not sure how I was going to feel about this glove, but I had previously been using the Kong Zoom brush for his baths and I wasn't getting close enough to his skin. I just started using the  GNC Vitamin Enriched Natural Herbal Shampoo and I wanted the shampoo to get to his skin. The size of the bristles made it seem like I was able to wash more of his skin. It also seemed to distribute the shampoo well. Although, he is still itchy (you can't bathe dogs too often), I think this product was better than your hands, a traditional brush/zoom brush, or a wash cloth. 

Pros: the bristles allows you really work the shampoo into the dogs skin; having it on your hand allows for it to bend better to the dogs natural shape; it wasn't sharp and it helped shed some of his hair and retained it within the bristles. 

Cons: the size was too big for my hands (one size); it says you can use it to get pet fur off of furniture, in the bath, or as a regular brush, but I find that other than its use in the bath, it's not the best for the other two uses.

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Dog Treat Reviews: Natural Value: Sweet Potato Krisps

When shopping at our local GIANT grocery store, I noticed some dog treats that were being hung up like chips. I was immediately interested when I saw that they were made rom sweet potatoes. This product was from the brand Natural Value, which claims that this product is made 100% in the United States. These treats (and all of their other treats) are 100% natural. They also claim on the bottom of the package that their product is a "Healthy Treat for Dogs", contains "no additives" and "no preservatives." It is also low calorie, low fat, soy free, gluten free, and wheat free. I do not remember how much the product did cost me, but I believe it was only around $2 or $3.

The ingredients listed are sweet potatoes and rice flour. Well, actually, only one sweet potato is listed, but that seemed a bit odd to me. The feed instructions were actually quite detailed. The calorie content was 2,904.5/kcal/kg metabolized energy and you are to provide 1 treat per 5 pounds per day. They even provided a cute math problem if you did not know how to set up the equation.

Cuteness aside, did the product taste good? Well, I was not about to taste a product that was meant for dogs so I had my trust sidekick do that honor. Cash tried them and he did not hold back when eating them. I almost didn't get a picture! Even thou

Unless there's a recall or I find incriminating evidence against this company, I do find this product to be a good treat for my dog. He likes it and it's made from healthy ingredients. I saw that they do sell them at some dollar trees. If that's so, the price is well worth the product! I give it a 8/10 only because the product, because it is a light, crispy piece, easily breaks into little pieces at the bottom of the bag. It makes it inconvenient to give to your dog.

If you would like more detailed information about this product, here is the link to the product on the brand's website.