SuperDogs Service & Scent Work Training

SuperDogs Service & Scent Work Training Training and working service dogs and scent dogs.

He's been in here most of the day. I think he likes his new bed 💜💚
11/20/2024

He's been in here most of the day. I think he likes his new bed 💜💚

This weekend was a bit hit-or-miss. Sherlock was definitely excited to go, and he's making good progress, but I did have...
11/16/2024

This weekend was a bit hit-or-miss. Sherlock was definitely excited to go, and he's making good progress, but I did have to pull him from a run because he was too worked up. But he also succeeded on both crazy 8s runs (a first) AND set his personal best this morning!

11/16/2024

The only thing that kept me from crying today was the wonderful local barn hunt community. In second blind today, Sherlock lost his ever-loving mind and I could not get him to calm down. At that point, he wasn't going to be able to focus on the search, and I was worried someone, human or dog, was going to be accidentally bitten, so I made the difficult decision to pull him from the run. For my non-dog-sports people, runs aren't cheap, and you don't get your money back (understandably) if the dog doesn't run for some reason. So that makes the decision harder. I was upset with him, I was more upset with myself as a trainer. But several people reassured me it was the right decision. It also ESPECIALLY helped that several people also commented that despite that, he's come SO FAR from how he did in the blind when he started. This community is part of why I love this sport so much. 💜💚

Poor Sherlock was never scared of thunderstorms, fireworks, anything like that until one particularly loud thunderclap d...
11/05/2024

Poor Sherlock was never scared of thunderstorms, fireworks, anything like that until one particularly loud thunderclap during a storm that made him scream (and made me jump and shout, it was so loud) Thankfully, much of what I need to do right now is reading, which I can do with him cuddling. He did eventually stop shaking and go to sleep on me 💜💚 I think it helped that I find thunderstorms relaxing, and I'm sure he could sense my calm.

When your service dog gets bored in the grocery checkout 😂😴
11/04/2024

When your service dog gets bored in the grocery checkout 😂😴

This girl is simply amazing! She passed all 4 crazy 8s runs this weekend (she's never passed one before), got her open t...
10/05/2024

This girl is simply amazing! She passed all 4 crazy 8s runs this weekend (she's never passed one before), got her open title with a first place and high in class, and didn't pass any of her senior runs, but had very good runs. I am SO proud and so tired.

Day 2 of barn hunt for Zelly! She's very excited that I let her bring her bone. She did AMAZING yesterday, getting her o...
10/05/2024

Day 2 of barn hunt for Zelly! She's very excited that I let her bring her bone. She did AMAZING yesterday, getting her open title and her first 2 successful crazy 8s runs! Hoping for another great one today!

Do you think he likes it? 😂
09/14/2024

Do you think he likes it? 😂

Homework cuddles ❤️
09/02/2024

Homework cuddles ❤️

09/01/2024

Just refilled Pepper's medicine organizer for next month, and she spent the whole time drooling on the side of the bed. Note to self: shut her out of the room next time 😂

So Zelda is very smart and I'm proud of her. She was barking and barking last night and in my sleepy state I thought it ...
08/15/2024

So Zelda is very smart and I'm proud of her. She was barking and barking last night and in my sleepy state I thought it was Sherlock, because it was thundering. So I got up to give him a calming treat and cover his kennel (that combo tends to calm him down), and I discovered he'd tried to push his way out the kennel door and was quietly sitting there, stuck at his neck and shoulders (thank God for the shoulders!). If she hadn't let me know, I wouldn't have known for HOURS. So after I checked Sherlock and gave him his calming treat, she got a biscuit, too. One of the big ones.

Took Zelda to the vet for an ear infection this morning. She got anxious, so she started tasking like she would if her h...
07/29/2024

Took Zelda to the vet for an ear infection this morning. She got anxious, so she started tasking like she would if her handler was anxious. She's so stinkin' sweet! ❤️

When you reeeeeeaally want mom's lunch
07/26/2024

When you reeeeeeaally want mom's lunch

When the calming treats kick in...
07/25/2024

When the calming treats kick in...

So Zelda found a new friend and hobby this weekend at the river. Apparently she LOVES magnet fishing. A couple times she...
07/23/2024

So Zelda found a new friend and hobby this weekend at the river. Apparently she LOVES magnet fishing. A couple times she helped him pull the line back in, one of which was when he dropped the line entirely (it was tied to him but came loose), and she grabbed it and brought it back.

Crossed paws get me every time ❤️🥰
06/29/2024

Crossed paws get me every time ❤️🥰

The vet put Pepper on an NSAID for her arthritis, and it's like she's 3 years younger! She even, for the first time in I...
06/18/2024

The vet put Pepper on an NSAID for her arthritis, and it's like she's 3 years younger! She even, for the first time in I don't know how long, grabbed a random stick to play with the other day. ❤️

Sanitizing some stuff I bought secondhand. Starting to gather the supplies for SuperDogs' upcoming new addition, any gue...
06/14/2024

Sanitizing some stuff I bought secondhand. Starting to gather the supplies for SuperDogs' upcoming new addition, any guesses what it may be? (No cheating if I already told you)

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Some Superheroes Have Four Paws

I have PTSD from a series of armed robberies at a store I used to work at. I also have severe anxiety that I’ve carried with me all my life, and the PTSD compounds that. In 2013, my PTSD got to the point where it was no longer manageable. I was no longer able to leave the house without my husband, except to go to work. Even at work, I was barely functional some days. Always on high alert, in fight-or-flight mode, terrified of every loud noise, it was exhausting. When I fled a gas station because of somebody yelling “hey, how ya doin?” across the store, I knew I needed help.

I went to a therapist who helped me learn coping mechanisms and a psychiatrist who prescribed me medications to help control the anxiety symptoms. While both helped, my medication dosages were going up and up and up without ever getting me to the point where I could live normally.

And then someone suggested I get a service dog. Hey, I love dogs, I already have one (although he turned out to not have the right personality for service work and not be healthy enough for it) and I’ve recently discovered a love of dog training! So I did what I always do, and threw myself into research. What tasks are common for PTSD dogs? How do you teach these tasks? What breeds are best? What personality traits does the dog need?

After several discussions with our trainer and vet, I decided to give it a go. So I did more research - this time to find just the right breeder. I interviewed breeders like you’d interview an employee. I was going to make sure I did this right. I ended up meeting Kristi at VonBussler Labrador Retrievers, and she happily answered all my questions and helped me choose a dog with just the right personality. After playing the waiting game for a litter of puppies with a silver lab with the right personality, I came home with Pepper.