u/Working_Witness_6156

i have a 9 month old standard poodle puppy i'm training to be my service dog. shes doing well, and so far we've been using mostly positive reinforcement or negative punishment to train. the problem is, we live in the middle of a very busy city and her pulling or going to sniff something she shouldn't can be dangerous. there are e-bikes and scooters zooming down the sidewalk, cars, homeless people minding their own business that my dog has decided she must sniff, cigarette butts, etc. her engagement with me is fine, but if she gets over threshold or excited she'll pull on her martingale and not care about it choking her. i was wondering if a prong could be helpful for solidifying our leash training and keeping her safe when we're walking down a busy street or passing something dangerous. if so, when do you start your dogs on a prong? herm-sprenger says to start at 7-9 month minimum. im looking at a 2.25mm herm sprenger for her.

i have a 9 month old standard poodle puppy i'm training to be my service dog. shes doing well, and so far we've been using mostly positive reinforcement or negative punishment to train. the problem is, we live in the middle of a very busy city and her pulling or going to sniff something she shouldn't can be dangerous. there are e-bikes and scooters zooming down the sidewalk, cars, homeless people minding their own business that my dog has decided she must sniff, cigarette butts, etc. her engagement with me is fine, but if she gets over threshold or excited she'll pull on her martingale and not care about it choking her. i was wondering if a prong could be helpful for solidifying our leash training and keeping her safe when we're walking down a busy street or passing something dangerous. if so, when do you start your dogs on a prong? herm-sprenger says to start at 7-9 month minimum. im looking at a 2.25mm herm sprenger for her.

hi all! so i have a 9 month old standard poodle puppy as my SDIT. she's doing awesome so far and has a truly amazing temperament for service work! i've been training her to learn that vest on = work time, and vest off = playtime. i was recommended this by a few different people and it seems to be working pretty well. but i mentioned this recently to someone else with a service dog and they said that the method im using to train her that vest on = working creates an unreliable service dog that can only work in certain conditions, and that they use a verbal command with their dog to signal working. this is a little confusing to me, since it seems like one verbal command at the start of the day is a lot for a dog to remember, and less consistent than them knowing the vest on means they're working. i was wondering how everyone signals to their dog when they're working/training and when they can be a dog and go play?

TW for sensitive subject:

i have PTSD due to sexual abuse in my past. after the abuse i had to get a rape kit, which traumatized me further. due to this, the gynecologist is really hard for me. i don't think i've ever gotten through an appointment without a panic attack. i have a 9 month old standard poodle puppy from a breeder and have been training her as my service dog since she got home. she's doing really well and is very well behaved, though she does have some slip ups here and there. i have permission from my doctor to bring her to my regular appointments, but my doctor doesn't do gyno visits, so i have to go to a new place, which is only adding to my stress. i have to get a pap smear soon and im terrified. i was wondering if anyone has brought their service dog to the gynecologist with them before, and what the protocol for it would be. i know she probably wouldn't be able to task during the procedure, but her just being there is comforting to me. does anyone have any advice? thank you.