I am supposed to go and look at a female Chihuahua puppy who is 9 weeks old tomorrow morning. She is fawn and white and looks almost just like my Maxwell Smart, except she doesn't have the white up the face like he does.
Here is my delimma;
Max is going to be my next Service Dog candidate. He is already in obedience training and shows great potential to be my next Medical Alert dog. He is alerting already which is what made me even think about having him take over for my Labrador.
It's not something I talk about often but I have severe Social Anxiety Disorder, Post Trumatic Stress Disorder, adult ADD, & OCD. The depression that comes with these things and those disorders themselves are disabling to me. I do not work outside the home because of them.
My 8 year old Labrador was my Service dog. He knows a ton of commands, alerts to my anxiety attacks about 5-15 minutes before they happen which allows me to get my meds in time to prevent a severe meltdown.
He knows how to find my husband so that if I wander off in a public place and get lost, I can get back.
He would get help several different ways (going to my neighbors home and ringing the doorbell/barking, bringing a note to the nearest person in a public setting, barking on command until someone comes, calling 911 on a special doggie phone, and getting my husband or oldest child), checking my home for intruders on command upon entering (something that comes with the PTSD, being afraid to enter my own home for fear of their being a "scary person" inside). He makes sure I take my meds on time because I will not take them if left to my own devices. He carries my emergency med on his collar so that when out and hit with a anxiety attack I have the dose, he will take me to a chair or a safe place by the hand to calm down and wait, it goes on and on... I have forgotten what "my" (I don't drive) car looks like, left my purse places, just generally "gone away" and gotten glazed over and wandered off. He prevents that.
The most important thing he does though is A) alerts to the attacks and B) makes sure I get my med when I have one by stuffing the bottle into my hand and retrieving a bottle of water to take them with.
As the years have gone on, I have had 3 children. Traveling with 3 kids and a 110lbs dog when you are out without your Service Human (my husband LOL) is TOUGH.
Shortly after I got Max, my 6 month old Chi, he started alerting to my attacks with Reese (my lab) and has even gone on to alert without Reese around (as Ree is retired, I leave him home now a great deal). Since he has a great temperment (not typical of Chihuahuas in general and is accepting of strangers, children, and lots of other animals, is not yippy, etc.) and he is smart as a whip and is great with training, I have decided to take the leap and work towards him becoming my Service Dog. He already goes potty on command both outside and on a puppy pad, sits, downs, comes, and stays. From what I understand having such great trainability is not the norm for a Chi.
I think traveling with a 5 pound dog will be alot easier than doing so with a 110 pound one. It will be tricky to scale things down for such a small SD, but I own a Service Dog message board and have seen several people with genuine Chihuahua SD's.
Anyway, heeeres where the issue comes in.
Since Max will hopefully work out and become my Service Dog he will be coming with me everywhere I go.
For now I take him alot for socialization but he cannot go out in public as a SD until he passes his public access training, which comes after he gets his CGC and does all of his obedience training/task training.
I wonder if I get him a friend to play with, will the new Chi freak out at being left home alone while I take Max out for "working"?
How strongly do they bond to eachother? Should I just scrap the idea and not get another Chi?
As said, the little girl is 9 weeks old. Max is going to be neutered in about 2 weeks, I am not planning on breeding as they are both pet quality Chihuahuas.
Anyone have any insight? I know there are alot of people with Chis. I have heard "you can't just have one". I adore Max, he is the coolest dog I have ever had, small but mighty!
I just wonder if he's a once in a lifetime dog and I'm asking for trouble by rolling the dice and thinking of another one.
Here is my delimma;
Max is going to be my next Service Dog candidate. He is already in obedience training and shows great potential to be my next Medical Alert dog. He is alerting already which is what made me even think about having him take over for my Labrador.
It's not something I talk about often but I have severe Social Anxiety Disorder, Post Trumatic Stress Disorder, adult ADD, & OCD. The depression that comes with these things and those disorders themselves are disabling to me. I do not work outside the home because of them.
My 8 year old Labrador was my Service dog. He knows a ton of commands, alerts to my anxiety attacks about 5-15 minutes before they happen which allows me to get my meds in time to prevent a severe meltdown.
He knows how to find my husband so that if I wander off in a public place and get lost, I can get back.
He would get help several different ways (going to my neighbors home and ringing the doorbell/barking, bringing a note to the nearest person in a public setting, barking on command until someone comes, calling 911 on a special doggie phone, and getting my husband or oldest child), checking my home for intruders on command upon entering (something that comes with the PTSD, being afraid to enter my own home for fear of their being a "scary person" inside). He makes sure I take my meds on time because I will not take them if left to my own devices. He carries my emergency med on his collar so that when out and hit with a anxiety attack I have the dose, he will take me to a chair or a safe place by the hand to calm down and wait, it goes on and on... I have forgotten what "my" (I don't drive) car looks like, left my purse places, just generally "gone away" and gotten glazed over and wandered off. He prevents that.
The most important thing he does though is A) alerts to the attacks and B) makes sure I get my med when I have one by stuffing the bottle into my hand and retrieving a bottle of water to take them with.
As the years have gone on, I have had 3 children. Traveling with 3 kids and a 110lbs dog when you are out without your Service Human (my husband LOL) is TOUGH.
Shortly after I got Max, my 6 month old Chi, he started alerting to my attacks with Reese (my lab) and has even gone on to alert without Reese around (as Ree is retired, I leave him home now a great deal). Since he has a great temperment (not typical of Chihuahuas in general and is accepting of strangers, children, and lots of other animals, is not yippy, etc.) and he is smart as a whip and is great with training, I have decided to take the leap and work towards him becoming my Service Dog. He already goes potty on command both outside and on a puppy pad, sits, downs, comes, and stays. From what I understand having such great trainability is not the norm for a Chi.
I think traveling with a 5 pound dog will be alot easier than doing so with a 110 pound one. It will be tricky to scale things down for such a small SD, but I own a Service Dog message board and have seen several people with genuine Chihuahua SD's.
Anyway, heeeres where the issue comes in.
Since Max will hopefully work out and become my Service Dog he will be coming with me everywhere I go.
For now I take him alot for socialization but he cannot go out in public as a SD until he passes his public access training, which comes after he gets his CGC and does all of his obedience training/task training.
I wonder if I get him a friend to play with, will the new Chi freak out at being left home alone while I take Max out for "working"?
How strongly do they bond to eachother? Should I just scrap the idea and not get another Chi?
As said, the little girl is 9 weeks old. Max is going to be neutered in about 2 weeks, I am not planning on breeding as they are both pet quality Chihuahuas.
Anyone have any insight? I know there are alot of people with Chis. I have heard "you can't just have one". I adore Max, he is the coolest dog I have ever had, small but mighty!
I just wonder if he's a once in a lifetime dog and I'm asking for trouble by rolling the dice and thinking of another one.