Freedom & Me: Training with Purpose

Hi friends!

There’s a whole process behind Freedom and me getting to the starting line of our upcoming 5K. There’s preparing for the race, putting together my Paws of War fundraiser, and continuing our daily training—including Freedom’s training as a service dog in training.

I want to bring you along for that process, because the small steps matter just as much as the finish line.

Why this matters to me

Years ago, I had a stroke and went to the VA for care. I also live with anxiety. I’m comfortable sharing those parts of my story, even though some details will remain personal.

I’ve worked hard toward the life I want to live. Being active, having a purpose, and sharing that life with my dogs mean so much to me. Working with Freedom on specific ways she can help is part of supporting my independence and continuing to participate in that life.

The task we’re working toward is moving together to a practiced quiet spot, where I can sit and ask Freedom to gently rest her chin on my lap. That deliberate physical contact is intended to help ground me during anxiety.

This is a training goal we’re building toward step by step. I want to share the process honestly, including what we’re practicing and what still needs work.

First, a word about service dogs

Not everyone needs a service dog. Wanting your dog beside you wherever you go is different from needing trained assistance for a disability.

Many people can teach their dogs helpful behaviors, including the exercises below. Those exercises alone don’t make a dog a service dog. The trained task must directly help with the handler’s disability.

People with disabilities can train their own service dogs. That right comes with responsibility: task training, appropriate public behavior, and an honest understanding of the dog’s readiness.

Please don’t misrepresent a pet as a service dog to gain access to places where pets aren’t allowed. An uncontrolled dog can endanger others and interfere with people who depend on their working service dogs.

Our training plan: “Quiet,” then “Rest”

The sequence is:

“Quiet” → move together to a familiar quiet spot → I sit down → “Rest” → Freedom gently rests her chin on my lap.

Here’s how to break it into manageable pieces.

1. Set up a comfortable practice space

Choose a quiet room and a chair where you can sit comfortably. Put a small mat beside the chair and a folded towel across your lap.

Have small rewards ready. Use a marker word such as “Yes” to identify the exact moment your dog does what you’re teaching.

Practice while you’re calm. You don’t need to bring on anxiety to teach these movements. Begin with sessions of just two or three minutes.

2. Reward a brief chin touch

Hold one hand open, palm up, just beneath your dog’s chin.

Use a treat in your other hand to gently encourage her head forward over your palm. The moment her chin touches your hand, say “Yes” and reward.

At first, a brief touch is enough. Don’t hold her muzzle or keep her head in place. She should be free to lift her head or move away.

Repeat a few times, then take a break.

3. Introduce the cue “Rest”

When your dog readily makes the movement, use the same gesture without a visible treat, then reward from your other hand.

Say “Rest” just before presenting your receiving hand.

Gradually work from a moment of contact to two or three seconds. Mix easy repetitions into the practice. If your dog struggles, shorten the time again.

4. Transfer the chin rest to your lap

Place your receiving hand on the towel across your lap. Ask for “Rest” and reward contact.

Over several short sessions, gradually move your hand out of the way so your dog’s chin rests on the towel.

Choose a position comfortable for her height and neck. She doesn’t need to climb onto you.

Build duration slowly. Offer rewards near her mouth so she doesn’t always have to lift her head to receive them. Say “All done” when the exercise ends.

If she moves away, let her. Make the next attempt easier.

5. Teach the quiet destination separately

Start one step from the mat beside your chair.

Encourage your dog onto it, say “Yes,” and reward her there. When she readily moves onto it, introduce “Quiet” just before she starts toward the mat.

Gradually practice from two steps away, then several steps, then the doorway. Walk with her and reward arrival.

At this stage, “Quiet” means go to this familiar, practiced spot. It doesn’t mean she knows how to find a safe location or exit in an unfamiliar building.

6. Connect the two skills

Once both parts are comfortable separately:

✅ Say “Quiet.”

✅ Walk together to the mat, keeping the leash loose if you’re using one.

✅ Reward arrival.

✅ Sit down and say “Rest.”

✅ Reward the chin rest.

✅ Finish with “All done.”

Keep both cues while your dog learns the sequence. There’s no need to rush.

7. Add distractions gradually

Practice from different rooms at home. Later, try having one familiar person sit quietly nearby.

When your dog is ready, practice in a quiet location where dogs are permitted, with a destination you’ve selected in advance.

Increase one challenge at a time: distance, distraction, or duration. If your dog becomes worried or frustrated, make the exercise easier or end the session.

Navigating unfamiliar places and working around crowds require additional preparation. A qualified, reward-based service-dog trainer can help assess readiness and develop those skills.

This exercise begins as a response to your cue. It doesn’t automatically teach your dog to recognize anxiety or predict a medical event.

Where Freedom and I are right now

I’ll share the little successes along with the parts that need more practice. That’s how learning happens.

Being a good citizen matters, too

A service dog must be house-trained and under the handler’s control. Preparation for public settings includes calmly passing people and other dogs, leaving food and merchandise alone, settling quietly, and responding reliably to the handler

I believe the AKC Canine Good Citizen test is a worthwhile training goal. It is not legally required for service dogs, and passing it does not certify a dog as a service dog or, by itself, demonstrate readiness for service work in public.

Not every dog is suited to that work. That doesn’t make the dog any less loved or valuable.

Freedom is a service dog in training, and I want to be clear about that. The federal ADA does not automatically give dogs in training the same access rights as trained service dogs; state and local protections may differ. An event’s invitation to service dogs should not be assumed to include dogs in training without checking the applicable rules.

Running together takes preparation

Running with dogs has been part of my life for years. I ran a marathon with Scout, then with Scout and Liberty, raising money for Kent Animal Shelter, where I adopted them.

Now Freedom and I are building our own miles together.

That experience has taught me to pay attention to both ends of the leash. My responsibility includes my dog’s comfort, our surroundings, and everyone sharing the course.

Some basics matter every time:

✅ Build gradually. Dogs need appropriate conditioning, walking breaks, and rest. A veterinarian can help determine whether running is suitable for your dog.

✅ Practice control before speed. Loose-leash walking and cues for slowing down, stopping, and leaving distractions alone help prepare you to run together.

✅ Respect other participants. Keep the leash from crossing anyone’s path, allow room when passing, and prevent unwanted greetings.

✅ Watch your dog’s comfort. Bring water, consider the weather and surface, and stop if your dog shows discomfort or struggles to keep up.

✅ Prepare for the surroundings. A familiar route is different from a crowded starting line. Noise, excitement, and other dogs add challenges.

Freedom’s running experience and her service-task training are different skills. We’re working on those pieces separately and bringing them together gradually. Finishing a race never takes priority over either of our well-being.

A purpose beyond the finish line

As a veteran and a dog lover, my Paws of War fundraiser means a great deal to me. Preparing for this 5K gives me another way to put that commitment into action.

If you’d like to contribute, please use the button below. Sharing my fundraiser is another way to help!

On Friday, I’ll share more about our training between the two 5Ks—the walking, running, and rest along the way.

Thank you for following along, supporting our effort, and cheering us on!

Until tomorrow have a happy and healthy tail wagging day,

Pam & Freedom

Doggone Healthy Choices

Building a healthier, happier life alongside your dog—one foot, one paw at a time.