jazzies mum
Hot Topics Subscriber
A true gift gives the giver as much, if not more, joy as the recipient! Seeing our dogs bringing joy for others creates a warm glow in the region of the heart for everyone!
-
Disclaimer: Hello Guest, Doberman Chat Forums presents the opinions and material on these pages as a service to its membership and to the general public but does not endorse those materials, nor does it guarantee the accuracy of any opinions or information contained therein. The opinions expressed in the materials are strictly the opinion of the writer and do not represent the opinion of, nor are they endorsed by, Doberman Chat Forums. Health and medical articles are intended as an aid to those seeking health information and are not intended to replace the informed opinion of a qualified Veterinarian.”
2024 goals for Katyusha
- Thread starter Katyusharocket
- Start date
Katyusha and I left the "annoying little sister" 
at home today and went to the university again for finals week dog therapy visit. It was fun as always! Katyusha has some of her repeat visitors picked out as favorites but she greets new ones just fine too. We go back to our home town Assisted living facility again this Friday, and we stopped at the neighboring town's facility to introduce ourselves there. They were happy to see a dog in the building and the activities director said she would be reaching out to schedule something with us.
Today was visit 10 of 10 required (if I understand the rules correctly) for her THDN therapy dog novice title, so I will be filing that as soon as I can connect to the AKC website, which I was having trouble doing just before writing this.
I am so proud of her willingness and ability to be a calming element in so many people's day. It's weird and hard to describe, but she has a way about "disarming" peoples emotions, like her vibe just gets people to relax and lean in towards her. She really is a special Doberman, as they all are. I might work on a Katyusha the Therapy Doberman instagram page. I want more folks to know the wide range of skills we find in these dogs, and that many of them actually do not eat random people for lunch.
at home today and went to the university again for finals week dog therapy visit. It was fun as always! Katyusha has some of her repeat visitors picked out as favorites but she greets new ones just fine too. We go back to our home town Assisted living facility again this Friday, and we stopped at the neighboring town's facility to introduce ourselves there. They were happy to see a dog in the building and the activities director said she would be reaching out to schedule something with us. Today was visit 10 of 10 required (if I understand the rules correctly) for her THDN therapy dog novice title, so I will be filing that as soon as I can connect to the AKC website, which I was having trouble doing just before writing this.
I am so proud of her willingness and ability to be a calming element in so many people's day. It's weird and hard to describe, but she has a way about "disarming" peoples emotions, like her vibe just gets people to relax and lean in towards her. She really is a special Doberman, as they all are. I might work on a Katyusha the Therapy Doberman instagram page. I want more folks to know the wide range of skills we find in these dogs, and that many of them actually do not eat random people for lunch.
I think that's a great idea! As long as people understand that the breed has a wide range of personalities and not all are the sweetheart that your Katy is! My last Dobe was very outgoing and friendly and I loved it when people would comment how nice she was and before they'd thought all Dobermans were mean.
I 2nd that motion! I think that’s a great idea.
Katyusha Is a very special Doberman for sure. Absolutely amazing how she can touch the hearts of people. It’s so rewarding to see the effects that she brings to others.
With a special asterisk next to her name though…not all Dobermans have her special qualities- that’s for sure.
But I think it would be great to openly share the companionship that she offers to people in need.
Katyusha Is a very special Doberman for sure. Absolutely amazing how she can touch the hearts of people. It’s so rewarding to see the effects that she brings to others.
With a special asterisk next to her name though…not all Dobermans have her special qualities- that’s for sure.
But I think it would be great to openly share the companionship that she offers to people in need.
So much for the naysayers on dobes as therapy and/or service dogs. Its all about temperament...and good training.
Thanks for the inspiration,
And
Congrats!
We went to the Good Samaritan home, here in my town again, today. We are set up there for every 1st Friday of the month going forward. We went to the commons area, and there were some of the same people as last time waiting for the dogs, as well as some new folks. When we had given everyone a suitable amount of time there, we asked about residents that would like visits in their rooms, as they might not access the commons area very easily. They asked us to go visit Leroy, the last room on the left, because he really loves dogs.
I haven't been to church in years, but Leroy was part of the church I went to last. Probably 10 years since we had seen each other. I heard he had fallen and taken a brain injury. I had assumed he was in a home in another town, or maybe had passed, I didn't know. But here I was in his room today. He smiled and I mean big. So did I. He never said my name but he said "I haven't seen you in a very long time". He really loved that Katyusha navigated a really skinny space between his bed and the wall to come visit him and get next to him where he could reach her easily (let's hear it for our American Doberman twig dogs). He also liked the smaller dog with us that could be lifted onto his belly.
This one left a mark. It will be an even bigger mark one day, I can predict. Already bracing myself for the day that room could be empty.
I haven't been to church in years, but Leroy was part of the church I went to last. Probably 10 years since we had seen each other. I heard he had fallen and taken a brain injury. I had assumed he was in a home in another town, or maybe had passed, I didn't know. But here I was in his room today. He smiled and I mean big. So did I. He never said my name but he said "I haven't seen you in a very long time". He really loved that Katyusha navigated a really skinny space between his bed and the wall to come visit him and get next to him where he could reach her easily (let's hear it for our American Doberman twig dogs). He also liked the smaller dog with us that could be lifted onto his belly.
This one left a mark. It will be an even bigger mark one day, I can predict. Already bracing myself for the day that room could be empty.
Today was fun! We were invited and went to help teach 2nd graders about pet safety, particularly how to ask to greet, and how to be "trees and rocks" if a dog approaches that you don't know. It was a pretty vibrant room to be honest. The kids pretended to be trees and rocks, and we walked our dogs around them, then they all took turns greeting each of the 4 dogs who helped, asking first of course, "Is your dog friendly?" and then "May I pet her?"
I was happy to see this as part of early education. Made my day and Katyusha's too!
I was happy to see this as part of early education. Made my day and Katyusha's too!
jazzies mum
Hot Topics Subscriber
What a fun day! I agree it should be taught early!
The kids made cards for each of the dogs. This kinda made my day. Sending off for Katyusha's TKN title felt pretty good but this felt better. 
Made my day to see this - thanks for sharing!
should have been THDN title. No TKN here yet.
She's official! I never had a dog with titles, ever in my life. I never even thought of it. Yet here I am, with her. I credit it to the great group around us here on DCF, that first got me interested in CGC (or even taught me CGC was a thing), and you have all been great supporters of Katyusha's work. Thank you all!
side note- I also love that the words Doberman Pinscher and Therapy Dog appear on the same piece of paper
side note- I also love that the words Doberman Pinscher and Therapy Dog appear on the same piece of paper
MichiH
Hot Topics Subscriber
So well done, and big congratulations. These dogs bring us all together.
I'm going to repeat to all of you guys who are "impressed" with my training with Asha - I'd never titled a dog before either. ANYone with ANY dog who wants to do the work - you can do it. It's not me or the dog, it's you and your dog and your dedication! And @Katyusharocket I'll bet you'll agree: anyone can do this, it's fun and it does SO much for your bond with your dog! I'm so impressed with your goals and your achievements!
Rits
Hot Topics Subscriber
Congratulations!! Great work!!
I 100% agree with @Ravenbird! It's possible, classes or not, for anyone to achieve these things! Just gotta put your mind to it and set a goal, start small. Work 5-15 minutes a day. They are SO smart and want a job to do! AKC has a lot of "pet friendly" titles now too like FETCH, FASTCAT, CGC, and FIT (where you go walk and log your walking!)
I 100% agree with @Ravenbird! It's possible, classes or not, for anyone to achieve these things! Just gotta put your mind to it and set a goal, start small. Work 5-15 minutes a day. They are SO smart and want a job to do! AKC has a lot of "pet friendly" titles now too like FETCH, FASTCAT, CGC, and FIT (where you go walk and log your walking!)
That is so true, and because of them, I've met so many people, both online world and in person, and the increased bringing together in my life has been very healthy for me. These are all also opportunities to give a resource/take a resource and I've been blessed!
I needed to read this. I watch all the teams out there doing all the things that we haven't done yet, and it really is impressive! But reading this makes me understand that Katyusha and I aren't everyone else, and I would do well to watch our team, do our things, and do them well, and be dedicated. And have the pride that comes with that.
I do agree: anyone can do this. Not everyone will do it the way we did, and we will be doing different things than other teams. @Rits nailed exactly what I was thinking during my run home for afternoon puppy potty break. My words for her thought here was that the AKC truly offers something for every possible human/dog team out there. If you have a common interest with your dog, there is a title that relates somewhere, maybe even several grades of that title.
And as for how much it does for the bond with your dog, as a first timer at putting any of my dogs thru the paces beyond expecting a good sit/stay, and to not bite the mailman, it's been a truly mind-bending experience! I can walk Katyusha into pretty much any human interaction situation now and I know as solid as a rock she ain't gonna flinch unless something is really extreme behavior wise out of a person in the room. Kids were never her favorite but I asked her to go into a gym full of second-graders and she loved it as soon as they loved her. Wanna talk about building trust between the two of us, that was an excersize in it. I learned: she can enjoy it. She learned: maybe dad will take me to some new things, but they also probably won't suck.
