Labrador Archives - Smart Dog University

Service Dog Training: Turn-In Day for Levi

January 30, 2015

Dreaded turn-in day.

The minute you get your new charge, that lovely and naughty little pup, you know — KNOW — the countdown to turn-in day starts. I’ve done this more times than I can remember and I’m still surprised how hard it is — and how the date sneaks up on me — even after 14 years.

Today, of course, was Levi’s Big Day.

For him, this is a fabulous day. This is the day he’s been waiting for (without even knowing it). Today’s the day he goes off to college! Late night parties, studying for tests, making new friends, finding out what he’s going to do with his life.

For me, turn-in day is a mixed day.

I’m happy that he’ll get to learn more, do more, see more, play more, work more. I’m sad that he won’t be doing that with me. It’s totally selfish. My dogs are happy — no more teenager in the house who jumps on their heads, butts his way into everything, interrupts their sleep, steals their couch space, etc. You get it: the only sad one here is me.

Turn-in itself went well.

We ran Levi through his paces, talked about his current level of each behavior so the organization has reasonable expectations. Levi did fine through all of that, even though the last time we’d worked together was before Christmas. He got some fun playtime in with our previous service dog, Schooner, which, of course, made me double happy.

All was well until they leashed him to leave. (I hate leaving the dogs, so whenever possible, I prefer for them to take the dog on a field trip or something so I’m not literally walking out on them.) Levi’s a happy guy, willing to do anything, but when they went to take him out of the building, he looked back at me and gave me a “Huh?” look. A “Shouldn’t you be coming with us?” look.

“Kill me now,” was all I could think.

I gave him a happy smile, kissed his head, and they cheerfully called his name. He wagged his tail, caught up to them, got a treat, and trotted on out to the car, happy as a lark. He didn’t think twice. I was panicked.

I hope you’ll forgive me for not having a dog-training video ready this week.

It’s ready, actually. It was done a few weeks ago. I just don’t have the umph to put it up. You’ll see it next week, it’s about out-of-sight stays. If you haven’t guessed, Levi is the star. I’ll be ready to see it next week, but to see it today — that’d be a tough one. Hahaha, such is the life of a puppy raiser.

Yellow Lab Stars in Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial

January 29, 2014

Nothing like a showcasing the bond between people and animals to make a killer commercial.

Thanks for ruining my makeup this morning, Budweiser ad guys!

It’s hard to imagine improving upon those majestic Clydesdale horses that Budweiser so beautifully shows off in their annual Super Bowl ads. But adding a puppy to the mix — a yellow Labrador puppy — definitely amps up the “awww” factor exponentially. This year’s Budweiser commercial is especially meaningful because I’ve got a special yellow Labrador that shares my life, my Tango. That cute little yellow Labrador in the picture above is my Tango when he was being raised to be a service dog.

It seems that I’m always turning in a service puppy a month or so before the Super Bowl and maybe that’s why I’m especially vulnerable (and dissolve into sobs) when I see these commercials.

This year’s commercial (below) is pretty amazing:

http://youtu.be/uQB7QRyF4p4

Last year’s commercial hit me especially hard because I’d just turned in yet another puppy and was feeling the post turn-in blues. Last year’s commercial really gets the bond between people and animals and is good in it’s own right:

http://youtu.be/E0HI4DAmVDo

What do you think?

Another hit for Budweiser? What are some of your favorite animal themed commercials?

We’re God Parents!

July 29, 2013

I’ve never yearned to be a god parent. I don’t have brothers or sisters, so the chance of me being one was slim to none anyway, but I’m just not the kind of person to be voted god parent.

I mean, I guess I could do it if the kid was like 17 years old, gainfully employed, and going off to college in the fall. Other than that, I’m not god parent material.

At least to a kid.

But I’m not a kid’s god parent. I’m a dog’s god parent! Technically, my husband and I are the god parents to this particular dog, but this is my blog and my story. So we’ll leave him out of it for the purposes of this post.

Go ahead, laugh if you will. And then leave. Because this blog’s not for you, for I am very serious about my excitement and seriousness of god parenthood for dogs.

I think everyone should have plans in place for their dog if the inevitable happens and your dog is left people-less. Ideally, this will be put in a legal document like a will or a living trust or some other official document. I’m not an attorney, so don’t rely on me for advice on how to do this — consult your favorite legal eagle, I’m a dead end in that department.

Back to the real story — god parenthood. We were asked to be god parents to a dog we’ve helped raise. Quite a few pups have come through our house (we’re on #15 to be exact), and this is the first time we’ve been tapped to be the alternative if the worst should happen.

When we were asked, the asker said “take your time, talk it over with Dana, and get back to us. No pressure.” I was at the airport picking up my luggage from a recent trip and immediately wrote back on my phone “Yes.”

I didn’t have to think about it. I didn’t have to talk it over with Dana. The answer is YES. Thinking about it would only confirm my answer, and talking about it with my husband would only confirm his answer: YES.

This is what’s known as a no-brainer. Of course we’ll be god parents. There’s no way we wouldn’t be god parents. My life is now complete. I am a god parent.

It’s funny how something you never ever thought about and never expected can make you feel so good.

Your Turn: Are you a god parent to a dog? Do you have provisions made for your pets — just in case? Please leave a comment and let us know!

Train Your Dog Like You Love Him

June 28, 2013

I’ve loved dogs since I was a little girl. I’ve always had dogs. I chose to make dogs my profession. Not because it’s lucrative (it isn’t) or because it’s easy (it isn’t that either). But because I want dogs to have the most fantastic life possible.

Dogs don’t get to choose where they live or how they’re treated. They don’t get any say in how — or even if — they’re taught how to behave.

Their entire life is in the hands of their owner.

Think about that for a moment. Their entire life. Every decision. Every consequence. Not up to them.

I started my training career using old-fashioned methods: I used a choke chain, I scolded, I corrected. I would also use praise, too, but relied most heavily on “fixing” what the dog was doing wrong.

I earned my M.A. in psychology and in doing so was immersed in the laws of behavior and learning. With this knowledge, I realized every living being with a brain learns the exact same way:

We repeat what works for us. This changed the way I looked at my dogs.

I quit looking for (and correcting) what my dogs were doing wrong. And oh! Did I start having a much better time with my dogs! I began catching my dogs when they were doing things I liked. Turns out, they very often did things that were good, but because I was so busy looking for the bad things, I didn’t even notice all the good.

I’ve sent silent apologies to all the dogs with whom I’ve crossed paths for the way I treated them back then. For the times when I didn’t understand how to teach them what they needed to know. For the countless times I used corrections instead of instruction. For all the confusion they experienced because of my lack of knowledge.

Back then, I didn’t know there was a better way. I was doing the best I could. That’s what fuels me now. When we know better, we do better. My mission is to reach as many dog owners as I can and show them how they can love their four-legged best friend and have a great life together. And it’s all about training.

So while I wouldn’t trade this job for any other, when I see dog owners asking their friends for advice to fix their dog’s problems and read answers like “squirt him with water,” or “the electronic collar worked wonders,” it makes my heart hurt. The dog isn’t “being bad” on purpose. He’s not trying to push the owner’s buttons. There’s almost always a reason for the behavior. Dealing with that bad behavior using corrections isn’t fair.

The simple solution almost always involves teaching the dog to do what you want him to do. And very rarely is the solution to punish, correct, scold, or discipline.

Here’s what I know: you love your dog. You don’t want to do mean things to your dog, you probably just don’t know what to do. In the absence of any other information, people resort to the one thing they do know: get rid of the bad behavior.

I’m here to tell you there is a better way. A way that will teach your dog what you want him to do. That in the very doing, will get rid of the bad stuff. You love your dog — train him like you love him.

This blog is full of easy, fun, and effective solutions to problem behaviors. Take a look around. Leave a comment on a post if you have a question. I want to help you love your dog even more than you do already. A little training goes a long way.

Service Dog Training: What It Takes to Make a Good Service Dog

September 24, 2012

Lots of people say “I think my dog would be a good service dog, he’s so friendly!”

Truth is, it’s really hard to become a service dog. Friendliness is just one of the many things a dog needs to be good at to meet the high standards of service work.

As we evaluate our latest service pup in-training and her progress, here are some of the things we’re looking for.

ability to bounce back quickly from something scary
adaptability — can she transition easily between crowded public places like the supermarket, to quiet locations like the library
go with the flow attitude
physical health and structure — is she physically built to do the job of a support/brace dog? Does she have any allergies or other medical conditions that would prevent her from working a full career
can she learn all the basic good-manners behaviors quickly and incorporate those into her daily life easily without contsant reminders
can she learn to walk nicely on a leash all the time — no matter what distractions pop up in her environment
is she able to tolerate loud noises, sirens, flashing lights, bangs, and clattering? Many dogs are undone by the applause of an auditorium or the public address system — a service dog has to be rock-solid regardless of the noise or commotion going on in their environment.
is she able to walk on any type of surface, even if she’s never seen it before? Even if it’s wobbly?
can she adapt to new people quickly and easily? Being comfortable with strangers is very important for a service dog because in the event of an emergency, they may need to be separated from their partner.
does she enjoy seeing new places, getting attention from strangers, having a crowd around her, seeing many hands come toward her at one time? Service dogs sort of stick out in a crowd — especially a big, spotted Great Dane. She needs to be able to handle the crowds of people that will inevitably surround her at some point during her career.
can she sit to be petted? A service dog will rarely be asked to put her paws on people and in fact, jumping on people can lead to a quick dismissal from the program if that behavior can’t be modified. This is where most people who think their dogs would make a good service dog have trouble.
friendly with all other dogs. This one can be tough, as service dogs need to be able to tolerate other dogs, but not want to play with them or be distracted by them no matter what else is going on. This is a common reason that service dogs are released from service work.
a real desire to work with their partner. Lazy dogs don’t make very good service dogs! Service dogs need to be able to sleep quietly under a desk for a few hours, then at a moment’s notice be able to get up and thread through a crowd and help their partner navigate the subway system.

Most pet dogs have some of these qualities. Service dogs need to have them all!

Even though many service dog organizations select breeders specifically for dogs with good temperaments and excellent health, the release rate can be high. Our three dogs: Lily, Tango, and Nemo were all released from the program. Lily wasn’t comfortable in public, she was also reactive to other dogs. Nemo was a bit nervous in public and had a very bad fungal infection when he was just a year old. Tango would have been a fantastic service dog, but he has a bum leg (shoulder/elbow) that precluded him from having a full service dog career. He’s now a registered therapy dog which makes him very happy. He was born to do service work, and thankfully therapy work allows him the best of both worlds — he can still go into public places when he’s doing therapy work, but he’s able to get a lot more rest and preserve his health.

Some dogs have all the right skills to do service work, but just aren’t happy doing it.

Lily is an example of a whip-smart dog who could be a star service dog. But she doesn’t like being in public. That’s enough to keep her out of the program. An unhappy working dog doesn’t make a good partner for someone. And we want both ends of the leash to be happy together!

We will continue to watch Siena and evaluate her through the lens of a service dog partner for someone.

She’s already passed the “good pet” tests — if she doesn’t make it in the tough world of service work, she’s going to make someone very happy as she lounges on the couch or takes long walks with them.

Labradors Go GoPro at Lake Anna

August 10, 2012

We’re loving our GoPro Hero2 camera, especially because it gives us great underwater footage of the dogs! This was taken during our last trip to Lake Anna and it’s just a quick edit.

We’re taking the camera (and the dogs, of course!) on vacation next week, so there’ll be more underwater video coming soon!

Note: GoPro doesn’t even know how much we love our camera — they didn’t pay us to shoot the video, post it, or rave about their product. We just happen to really love it.

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