Potential Service Dog Candidate

Third Time Lucky

I've been trying to get myself a service dog for the past three or four years, with very little success.

Potential Service Dog Candidate

I got a puppy that I thought would work in 2018, Sable. 

She would have worked, but hubby took a dislike to her.  So my support system was not sound and I had to rehome her. 

Don't worry, she went to a lovely new home on Vancouver Island where she goes on long hikes, and goes to the beach.

Then I had the opportunity to get a purebred standard poodle who was being retired from breeding, so she was a bit older, and although she was already four, I felt that she had good potential. 

It was not to be, as hubby didn't like the breed. So sadly, I had to turn down the opportunity to acquire Cleo/Clover.

I didn't give up though!  I have my name in for a new candidate, a golden doodle puppy who isn't even born yet.  The litter will be born around New Years 2021, with a go-home date of late February / early March 2022.

If all goes according to plan, I'll have first pick, as I've waited for three litters to get my puppy.  The breeder keeps pick number one for herself, but she's giving it to me so I can get the right puppy for service work.

Ideally, it will be one of the larger puppies, with the potential for being around 70 lbs as an adult, and calm. 

Each litter seems to have this kind of puppy, with the perfect temperament, and a larger frame so as to help me with my challenges in balance and mobility. 

For this reason I prefer a male.  What's the difference?

What about hubby this time around? 

Well, good question.  I'll be including him in all the planning and hopefully some of the training (all positive reinforcement, by the way) so he can have the satisfaction of seeing how they learn. 

I'm eager to teach 'relax on a mat' and 'it's your choice' games, as well as how to be calm on a bed and in the crate, and how to play games like fetch and flirt.

My dream is to get another puppy in a year or two, so they can both learn how to volley a balloon.  I plan on taking lots of video of all the milestones, as well as the boring training sessions.

What about names for these potential service dogs?  I chose Garland if it's a boy, and Posy if a girl dog, but this could change.  I'm planning ahead, after all.

Update - December 2021

A few things have changed.  Due to the fact that the original stud dog, Thor, got sick right before breeding season started, the breeder went above and beyond and found a purebred parti poodle, on the large size to take the challenge.  You can see Oliver in the picture at the top of the page.

Breezy was bred a little later than anticipated so the pups will be born around January 12 2022.  Add eight or nine weeks to that, and go-home date for the pups will be around the middle to the end of March.  An x-ray the other day proved that there are seven healthy pups waiting to be born.

The trainer I chose to do an evaluation of the pups to see which one will work the best as a service dog is on call to go and assess them at around five to six weeks old.

Update; September 2024; We got our puppy, Ash, in June of this year, and so far, he's everything I hoped for. He is smart, lovely, and I can see glimpses of his adult self.

He loves other dogs, but waits for an introduction to go and play with them.

He sleeps under my bed, or if I go in the bathroom and leave my walker beside the door, he'll go under that to wait.

He's got the  usual puppy misbehaviours (pulling on the leash, jumping up, biting and mouthing, counter surfing etc.) but he's had very few accidents in the house, so almost completely potty trained.

He's learned leave it, sit, down, two up, off, and never mind. He is enthralled with the cat who comes to visit, so a work in progress.



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