At 8am an aide comes to help me out of bed. I ask her to put Nugget in the yard for toileting  (and to keep her from petting and schmoozing him). When I'm in my chair and dressed I let Nugget in.

I have him follow and watch ME fill his dish while he is Down.  After his bowl is filled he then Gives me the lid to the feed can and Lays Down while I stir cod-liver oil into his dry kibble and am ready to go inside with the bowl.  This is a  routine he has had for 11 years.  He enjoys with pride when others watch as I signal these moves.   At times I put challenges in the way to keep him attentive. We just smile at each other and a 'Good' is thrown in from time to time.

Yesterday I forgot to give the OK and 30 mins! later, face on paws he was still waiting. I told him 'good stay' like I had made no mistake.  Because of course the top dog doesn't.

              . OK OK this is a card I scanned.

I got a glass of tea and went to dry my hair. Now Nugget knows the difference between a blow dryer and a blow brush by sight.  He waits to see which I will take. It's the blow dryer so he high tails it to the hall until I change.  He does not want the hot air randomly hitting him.  The other day I put my hand on one then the other and back again and he switched from one foot to the other until I stopped.

I get a kick out of him. Of course earrings need retrieving and mascara hits the floor. Such a Good Taker. I don’t usually say good dog, he was born that way. It’s Good Work.

He doesn’t want a door shut between us so he always opens them when the occasion arises. Let's see. I turned on the computer to check my e-mail so he went under my desk.  His chosen spot. He feels he should always be on my lap and always have me in his sight.  I find this excessive so at my feet is fine.  The doorbell rang so I told Nugget to TAKE the door. The UPS man waited and put the package inside and closed the door as he left. There is a sign on our front door that says don't pet the wagging working dog. Nugget does not know how to shut the door. He bounded back to the office S000oo! Happy!  He received a "Good Door" Good Door Nugget" and a good rub and ear scratch.

I pulled myself away from the computer by noon for a cold drink. I opened the fridge and knocked the plastic bottle on its side so that he could see. Then while I hold the door I tell Nugget to TAKE and I point.  He takes it and I say HUP and he gets on my knee so he can GIVE it to me.  Anything from the refrigerator deserves a cookie (kibble).

It's noon so we Heel to the park for a brushing. Nugget Takes the door. I take the front gate. The 'locksmith' doesn’t need to learn that mechanism.  About five or six dogs along the way bark their greetings and warnings along the way and I say "Bad dogs bark.  Nugget is a good dog.  He does not bark." (It doesn't have to be the truth. it is a dog thing but not a Service Dog thing). I have underlined the words in that sentence that Nugget knows. I am always telling Nugget what I am doing, what I have and what I think of what he is doing. We have many conversation and he has really learned a lot of words over time.  It is so easy to communicate with  him now.

Nugget's Vocabulary list is on this site if you would like to check it out.

I always bring my whistle to the park. When I put it around my neck before we leave he knows right off that I will be taking him off lead (depending on circumstances).  For me there must be no other dogs, few people and no picnickers. This is a small park with a field only 6 blocks from the house. Today about 8 boys are playing basketball and some girls finishing pizza.   It’s a good day for us.   I elbow Nugget in the ribs a few times for fun and he jumps on my knee to be released from his halter collar. “OFF and Wait Nugget.” 

 I line him up along a secluded bench and pat it. “HUP Nuggie. It’s ok. YES HUP” patting the bench. He knows he is not allowed on the sofa but the bench seat in the van is HIS. He is ready to play but can tell I have something else in mind. He lays on the bench while I give him belly rubs then I pull out the currycomb.  A good rugs worth of hair flies downwind and we’re done.

We get his halter off and I tell him SIT, WAIT, and then I give him the rules. “NO Digging! (Huh) Good Come Come! Nugget does a Good Come Come” with this I do two short toots on the whistle. I know! I know!  My baby talk, but at least I’m honest.

The whistle is really to give him boundaries. If he has gone too far this just tells him to wander back toward me a bit. If I yell COME COME it means just that. “OKAY Nuggie”. His trainer gave him the release word OKAY.  He is off to the nearest tree and shrubs until totally drained. Oh you didn’t want to know that did you. Sorry.

30 mins. of this heat and I’m toasted. Toot Toot and Come Come and he looks up, wanders, looks up, sniffs the ground. Toot Toot!! NUGGEETT! COME! He grins and runs so fast his skin bounds over his shoulders and onto his forehead as he runs past me about twenty feet. Then he turns to tease me. Wanting me to grovel and beg. “OK big boy, Come to Mama. NOW!” He gets a “GOOD Come, Good Come” and a cookie. No matter how long it takes for him to come it is to be a Good Thing When He Gets Here so he will do it again.  Some times Nugget will find something and I need to inspect it. I tell him Bring it. Then 'let mama see.'   He knows he may not get it back but must Give it, he usually gets it back.

He TAKES the door when we get home and runs for water. Nugget has sensed the time and searches the house down for my pill bag.  I always forget my afternoon meds. And he gets a cookie if he brings them to me within 10 minutes of 2pm. If I still don’t take them he brings them again in 15 minutes. No treat for this time but a 'Good Nag' and thank you is given.

Time for food. I signal for him to get out of the kitchen, or say go lay down so that he can select his place as long as it is out of the kitchen. He always picks the kitchen doorway. He will give me a box, can or pan and retrieve utensils as I randomly drop them then return to his spot.

Back to the computer and the afternoon movie. He takes his dog nap under the computer.

We lived alone together for 6 years. I would have never been able to do that without Nugget. While in bed I drop the phone and he retrieves it. TV controls and anything he thinks is out of place is brought to me. How he decides this is still a mystery. Now he has a Dad and waits for the doorbell at 4:30 so that he can let dad in. They both play this game.   It is different for him now.  No more sleeping on the bed or nursery rhymes with his name   in them about all the ‘good things’ he does._____________________________________

If I am not well and spend a day in bed he will not leave my side even for a drink.  He can get on the bed for songs and belly rubs on these days.  

Here he is rolling over to give me the empty bottle I threw on His side of the bed._____________________

Let’s get back to this evening.   Okay now he Took the door for Dad.   Sometimes I have to break up a wrestling match between them.  I let them play about 15 mins.  No Tug-O-War. No growling allowed either. These encourage bad working habits.

It's time to get dressed to go out for dinner.  I tell him to Take and point to the stack of dog paraphernalia. His backpack is hot so it is always selected last. Leash, bandanna then backpack.   He goes Hup on my knees to enable me to secure the velcro straps underneath.  I secure the leash to my electric wheelchair.  He Takes the door. We Heel to the van and he Waits until I tell him to get in the van.  Waiting is another safety procedure. When we have been seated at restaurants they remove a chair so that Nugget can go under the table.  A Leave It is given so that he will not look at neighboring tables.  He puts his head on my feet and stays (dreaming of the Really Great Treat he will get when we are outside the door).

Nugget’s Vet is allowing him to get another cup of food in the evening.  When we get home he has this with the same routine feeding tasks.  My evening aide arrives at 9pm and Nugget goes out for toileting. Sometimes the aide doesn’t know where the pill bag is, so we call upon Nugget to Go Find mama’s pills. YEA!!!  Off he runs from room to room.  Up on the computer desk to look behind the keyboard (I told you he is gentle).  He can hover on his hind legs.  I sometimes hide them in slightly opened drawers.  He loves the hunt.  He has a 99% retrieval record.

He is usually down for the count by now.  Nugget is eleven and needs his sleep as much as me. He used to put away his toys but doesn’t like them anymore.  Just the ‘crazy ball’ and his bone..

 “Sweet Dreams, oh my love”     

posted 12/10/2001

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