service dog training Archives - Smart Dog University

Easy Dog Training Treats on the Run

September 1, 2013

Schooner is in socialization overdrive right now. I’m finding places to go every day so I can get him out and around lots of different sights and sounds. The more he sees in a happy and comfortable way, the less excited he’ll be when it’s time for him to settle in and get to work with his partner. We’re still a good ways away from turn-in day, but the earlier he sees and experiences new situations, the faster he’ll become a pro at handling the public life of a service dog. And the better service dog he’ll be.

I’ve made an effort to have a treat bag full of training treats ready to go at the beginning of each week. One of my (many) Sunday night chores is stuffing the treat bag full of delicious, pea-sized food treats. Schooner is picky — I can’t get away with most packaged dog treats with him. He’ll turn his nose up at leftover chicken from dinner, for goodness sake! He’s definitely not interested in artificially flavored anything! He’s a real challenge in that department.

Sometimes I have him out in public for several hours. Summers in the mid-Atlantic can be tough on dog treats. I’ve had processed meats go bad before I get back home — ew, so stinky (and embarrasing when the lady in the checkout line sniffs and then turns to look at me as the source of the stink).

I was rushing out the door last week and had Schooner in tow. I got him loaded in the car, made sure I had my purse, my keys, my phone, Schooner’s vest, his leash, his harness… And I forgot the treat bag. I ran back into the house, yanked the refrigerator door open (where I store his leftover treats, as most of them need refrigeration unfortunately) and found a bare treat pouch. Like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard it was.

Drat! Now, in addition to having no treats, I was going to be late for my meeting because I needed a high value treat to reinforce all of Schooner’s good behavior I was looking forward to getting. I’m an eternal optimist.

I glanced in the pantry for something, anything, when I spied The Honest Kitchen’s quickies. I’ve mentioned The Honest Kitchen before. They had, rather fortuitously, just sent me some of their new little training treats. I grabbed the little can, threw them into the car and off Schooner and I went to our meeting.

As I was walking into the building, I tossed the treats into my treat bag and kept right on walking, not missing a beat. Schooner’s loose leash walking was quite impressive, so I clicked and treated him for such nice work. I grabbed a quickie, popped it in his mouth and went right on stepping it off. He came back for more! His loose leash walking turned suddenly into “right next to my leg, not leaving my side” walking. It was pretty cool.

Throughout the meeting, he got treated for settling quietly. This is an amazingly hard task for a social butterfly like Schooner. It’s not like he blends into the woodwork and no one notices him for goodness sake. He’s a very large, very speckled, extremely friendly dog. In a restaurant. Or in the grocery store checkout line. He draws a crowd. And settling is right up there with loose leash walking as far as must-have skills. So a high value reward is imperative, as we want him to repeat that lovely settling behavior.

I’m happy to report that the quickies did the trick for this picky dog. The quickies are simply Icelandic Haddock. That’s it. Nothing else. Oh, and they come in the shape of a heart. Very cute. And they’re delicious — at least according to Schooner. And our cat. Who begs shamelessly whenever I carry the treat bag inside.

Oh, and the other nice thing. They don’t need refrigeration, these quickies. No surprise stinky-car in the morning.

Your turn: have you found a delicious, easy, small treat that your dog adores? Please share in a comment below!

This post is entirely my opinion and I did not get paid to write this post about The Honest Kitchen. I received three quickie treat containers from The Honest Kitchen to try out for Schooner’s training.

Caysun’s Next Journey to Becoming A Service Dog

July 10, 2012

The Dreaded Day: Turn-In Day. It vexes all puppy raisers, but I’m especially traumatized by turn-ins. You’d think that with enough experience, I’d get better at it. Have fewer tears. Hurt a little less.

Nah.

It’s always the same: the day is filled with dread, I wish that time would stop (and I could run away with Caysun before anyone knew the difference), there’s the final panic when I know it’s time for me to leave, and of course, the inevitable tears.

Yesterday was no different. On a whim, as I was walking out the door to drive to Service Dogs of Virginia, I grabbed my iPad and decided to document the day. Lots of people ask what it’s like to raise a service pup for a year, then just hand him (or her) back over. Let me tell you friends, it’s torture. Not the whole part — most of it’s the most fun you’ll ever have in your life. But you pay for it on turn-in day. Or, at least, I do.

Here are the videos documenting what turn-in day is all about. There were laughs, there were tears.

Video #1:

Video #2:

Video #3:

Video #4:

Video #5:

Video #6 (Final Video):

Even with all those tears, we’re anxiously awaiting the next pup to grace our household. Are we brave? Or stupid? I don’t see the difference, really… Either way, I’ll end up crying.

Service Dog Ike Has A Partner

May 31, 2012

Our sweet boy Ikey now has a partner! In Ike’s own words, as told to Hero Dogs:

I knew something was up, ’cause it started with a BATH. Then there was the new collar, the new harness, the new vest. I have never been fussed over so much in my life. Quite frankly, I was not sure if this was going to be a good thing, or a bad thing. Humans will sometimes try to sneak a trip to the vet or nail cutting in between all the loving and petting. Then I had a lot of special visitors – I got to see my mom and dad from my very first home, and my puppy raisers Laurie and Dana too! Another visitor came to the kennel. I got to come out of my kennel to greet him, but curiously none of the other dogs got to come out. I brought him a toy, which is really the only polite thing for a Labrador to do when he has a guest. Then I climbed in his lap and licked his face, which perhaps you might not consider to be polite, but he seemed to enjoy it and I know I did.

Then my new friend, whose name is Luke, took me outside to play for a while. Luke is an Army veteran and I think he’s used to standing up kind of straight, but I showed him the proper way to wag your entire body at once. Then we went over to the training room and practiced some easy stuff like “sit” and “down.” It was a little weird since Luke was not my usual trainer, but heck, he had a clicker and some snacks and seemed to know what to do with them, so I was happy to comply. We said goodbye and I went back to my kennel, but curiously, Luke came back the next day and we trained some more. Then the next day, and the next – it got to be so I was pretty excited to see Luke every morning. Especially since no one else seemed to be paying much attention to me anymore. Let me tell you though, we worked hard. Every day, four hours a day, for three weeks! We worked on all my obedience and my special skills; we drove in the car; we went to the vet (I KNEW it!!!); we went grocery shopping, to a couple of restaurants, even downtown Baltimore. I don’t think I’ve ever worked that hard before! I will admit that I slept through most of the lectures and videos, though. And I think I caught Luke napping during one or two of them too.

Here are some of the things that Luke and I do together. He tries to trick me by accidentally dropping something when he is walking. I have to grab it and return it to him. I like to play “wake up” – that’s where I am allowed to put my paws on the bed and lick him silly when the alarm goes off. We also play the timer game. It’s kind of like hide-and-seek. When the timer goes off, I have to go find Luke and poke him with my nose until he pays attention. Then he says “What?” and I run back to the timer (that’s where they keep the snacks!) to remind Luke that it’s time for him to do something important. Same thing when someone knocks on the door – I have to run and get Luke and poke him with my nose until he will follow me to the door. If Luke’s wife, Cat, calls him, I get to bring Luke to her and then I get love from TWO people at once. Or sometimes Luke asks me to find her and I have to go bring Cat to Luke. Either way, that is paws-down my favorite game!

I can do other things for Luke too. Sometimes he may get dizzy and I will help steady him to sit or stand. I turn on the lights on the stairway so he can keep his hand on the railing. Being out in busy and noisy places can be pretty stressful for humans as well as dogs, apparently, but Luke and I have a secret sign. If he has had enough, he gives me the secret sign and I know it’s time to turn on the high-jumpin’, tail-waggin’, full-throttle Labrador charm. I don’t give up until he gives in and pets and plays with me. Then we usually just go find a quiet place to sit down and snuggle. Did I mention that I’m good with laps?

After our three weeks of hard work, I went home with Luke. I live there now with Luke and his wife Cat and two cats (don’t ask me to explain that) and my new girlfriend Maggie who is some kind of poodle-thing and it’s a good thing I have a nose or I couldn’t tell her front end from her back end, but she is cute and sure loves to play. Luke and I still work hard every day and we come back to Hero Dogs once a week for more practice. I guess there is going to be some kind of big test in a couple of months, but I’m not worried. Luke and I are tight. We’re in this together.

~Ike

We’re very proud of our Boggy Doggy and hope Luke and Ike have a fantastic new life together!

Dog Body Language: How to Tell if a Dog is Happy, Frustrated, Scared, Annoyed

March 21, 2012

I don't have the luxury of watching "feel good" segments or programs that contain dogs. Because I "do dogs" for a living, I see all the little signs, the communication signals a dog is sending, and nothing is ever cute anymore, but rather just filled with warning and distress signals from dogs.

Take this morning's "feel good" segment on The Today Show for example. It piqued my interest because it was about a service dog for a little girl who is connected to an oxygen tank 24 hours a day. The family procured a service dog to carry the oxygen tank for the three-year old girl.

The anchors on the show, the parents, and the little girl were oblivious to the many signs from the dog that he wasn't a happy camper. Based on all the publicity Kyle Dyer, NBC anchor in Denver, received when she was bitten on the face by a dog live on the air, I was hopeful that people had started to pay attention to dog body language.

Sadly, I was wrong. Below is the segment. Watch it once without reading the warning signals I've listed below. Then watch it again, looking at the specific minute and second spots.

Some things to know before you take a look at the video. The red bandana is used to cover a prong collar on Mr. Gibbs, the service dog. A prong collar is a collar fitted with special barbs or prongs, that lie against the dog's neck. When pressure is put on the collar by pulling on the leash, those prongs dig into the dog's flesh around his neck. The pain from the prongs are supposed to be a correction to the dog so he won't do whatever it was again.

1:24 – Mr. Gibbs ignores the girl. Girl pulls hard on the leash. Those prongs are now digging into the dog's neck.

2:39 – Girl is pulling Mr. Gibbs with the prong. Pause the video here and you can really see the pulling.

2:42 – Mr. Gibbs tries to go with the trainer (instead of the girl) and he gets a BIG yank from the girl. Do you wonder why the dog doesn't want to be with the girl?

2:56 – The first sign of stress from the dog: a lip lick and a look-away. These are both classic stress signals from a dog.

3:13 – "He gets beat in the head," the little girl says. Apparently she likes to swing a lot, and Mr. Gibbs cannot get out of her way. The father repeats the little girl's sentiment and laughs a little sheepishly.

3:30 – "What do you say to him," the anchor asks. The girl answers "Down!" and "At ease." Both are dog training cues — not "I love you!" or "Good boy!"

3:32 – Hit pause here. Is this dog looking to interact with the girl? Does he even acknowledge her?

3:34 – Slight "whale eye" from Mr. Gibbs. The whale eye is another sign of stress. This happens when the girl is laying on the dog. The dog has no escape, no say in whether or not he can get out of the situation. This is a recipe for disaster.

4:11 – We're now in the live interview with the anchor, parents, child and Mr. Gibbs. Pause the video at this spot. See the girl tugging on the prong collar? Every tug on the collar brings discomfort to Mr. Gibbs.

4:14 – The girl gives a double-tug on the prong collar, hard.

4:18 Another tug from the girl. The father finally rescues Mr. Gibbs from the daughter's tugs by placing the dog back onto the couch. I wonder why the dog was trying to get down in the first place?

4:54 – Mr. Gibbs looks to the father for help out of the situation.

5:01 – There's a big lip lick and a yawn. Two classic signals that the dog is stressed and would like to leave. He keeps trying to get down off the couch.

5:15 – Another lip lick from Mr. Gibbs. The signals this dog is throwing are increasing.

5:17 – Mr. Gibbs turns his head away from the girl to try to break off contact, but she just gets closer to Mr. Gibbs. He's trying very hard and his patience is admirable.

5:57 – Mr. Gibbs is resigned to his fate.

6:15 – Girl squeals, maybe there's a little bit of a squeeze by her, Mr. Gibbs tries again to get up and leave.

6:20 – Another head turn by Mr. Gibbs — another attempt to break off contact with the girl, but again she follows.

6:35 – Girl grabs Mr. Gibbs' head, pulls it down, and grabs his eyebrows.

6:41 – Girl grabs Mr. Gibbs' prong collar and pulls off the bandana covering the prong collar.

6:45 – Pause it here and just look at the picture. Is the dog happy about his circumstances?

6:53 – The girl is now pulling the bandana back onto Mr. Gibbs, getting it caught in his mouth.

7:01 – Mr. Gibbs is nearing the end of his attempts to get out of the situation and/or get some relief from this girl from the other people in the room. Finally he lies on the girl as a last ditch effort.

It looks very cute, but in reality, Mr. Gibbs lays on her in resignation — not enjoyment.

There are reasons why most service dog agencies won't let a young child have a service dog. Unfortunately, this segment highlights the many reasons why. The child is far too young to have the responsibility of caring for a dog, her parents haven't taught her how to kindly interact with a dog, and everyone is ignoring (or doesn't recognize) the dog's many pleas to be removed from the situation.

Grilled Pork + Feta = Easy Subway Trip for Ike

April 29, 2011

Part of becoming a service dog involves getting used to a lot of different sights and sounds. Ike had a field trip today to our local commuter train station.

It's highly likely that in his lifetime as a service dog, Ike and his partner will need to take public transportation. It's crucial to make these experiences fun for Ike.

To that end, I brought lots of yummy treats. Not just any treats, though. I brought the really yummy and smelly stuff: feta cheese and tiny pieces of grilled pork chop (leftover from dinner a few nights ago).

Ike doesn't normally get this really delicious stuff in his everyday training. Going to WalMart isn't a big deal to him now. Going with me while I get my hair cut is old hat. The treats I use for those locations are more mundane (but still pretty tasty) because he's used to those situations.

But a train station? That's big. And potentially scary.

The grilled pork and feta cheese helped Ike create favorable associations with the potentially scary train. The noise of the station, lurching left and right on the train ride, the hustle and bustle of people, and the screeching and banging that a fast-moving train makes – any one of those could have thrown Ike into a tail spin.

The feta and grilled pork helped ensure that his train ride was a fabulous experience.

In addition to the really good food, I was careful to lower my standards for Ike. He was in a strange place. With lots of odd sounds. And almost every person there was a stranger to him. So instead of asking him for newly trained behaviors, I asked him for the very easy ones – the behaviors he's been doing since he was a pup. And he got paid BIG for each of those behaviors!

This allowed Ikey to build up his confidence, to realize he really could lie down even on the rocking and rolling train. He really could sit as the train came into the station.

If you're raising a puppy, remember to use very good food treats when you're taking your pup somewhere new. Also remember to lower your standards if you're training somewhere distracting or potentially scary. Let your dog take his time exploring and deciding when he feels comfortable. The more positive experiences your pup has, the more likely he'll become a confident, well-mannered dog.

There's a lot more training ahead for Ike. But his first introduction to the trains and buses earned an A+ today! Next time we go back, we'll likely raise his criteria slightly — maybe I'll ask him to sit for a little longer. Or expect him to watch me a little more. And maybe he'll get the feta and grilled pork every second or third treat. But by really upping the treat value this first time, I've created a positive association with trains and with training. And that's priceless.

Talos Rocks D.C.’s Metro Train

April 3, 2010

A service dog needs to be comfortable in many different environments. They've got to be ok with lots of different noises, locations, people, surfaces – nothing should surprise them when they're out in the world working with their partner.

Talos and I ventured to D.C. at peak cherry blossom time. And we went on the Metro system. I was a little apprehensive. Trains were new to Talos. They make a lot of noise. The stations are dark. They're a little like riding a roller coaster, pitching left and right.

Talos went through the card-reader gate (a narrow contraption with guillotine like gates that slide shut between passengers so only one person can get through at a time) without a hitch. Didn't even look crossways at it.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Time to board the train! We got on with a few families headed down to see the cherry blossoms. Thankfully, there were two little girls. There's nothing that Talos loves more than small children. As the train departed the station, he looked at me, his face concerned. I spoke softly, gave him a few pieces of cheese, and he decided it was not worth panicking about.

Another sigh of relief.

A few more stops and he'd completely forgotten he was on the train. The little girls, captivated by the big dog sitting right in front of them!!, decided to baby-sit Talos. For which I'll be forever grateful. Here's a picture of one of them telling Talos a story. He was paying close attention.

We had to change trains at Metro Center. For those not familiar with the Washington, D.C. Metro system, Metro Center is the station where all four Metro lines converge. It's the central hub. It's huge. It's loud. It's crazy. It's dark. I was scared because I didn't know where to go or how to catch my next train. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers – the mom of one of the girls held my hand through the entire trip, went out of her way to find (and ride) the elevator with us (Talos can't do escalators yet), and got us on the right train. Her five-year old daughter continued to baby-sit Talos – soothing him when the loud trains whooshed past us, frightening Talos.

Finally we made it to the correct stop and I bade my new friends farewell. I think the little girl would have had just as much fun sitting with Talos as seeing the cherry blossoms! Talos was sad to see her go, as was I.

We met up with three other dogs in training from Service Dogs of Virginia. Here's their blog about the day. We saw cherry blossoms. We saw loud, exhaust spewing buses. We were crushed in crowds of people. We saw the Washington Monument (Talos was unimpressed). Here's a quick snippet of our ride down, the cherry blossoms, and the ride home:

The ride home on Metro was a crush of people. The crowds were phenomenal. At one point, I couldn't see Talos' head because there were so many people packed into the train. He didn't even notice. Or if he did, he didn't care. It was if he did this trip everyday. On the way home, I swear he was bored.

The people traveling on Metro couldn't have been kinder. Not one person complained, squealed, or shied away from riding the train with a dog. He, in return, was a gentleman, although at one point he did lay down on a man's feet. I didn't realize it until it was the guy's stop and he politely asked Talos for his feet back. Like I said, the other train riders really helped us have a fantastic experience.

Another successful socialization trip for Talos and I. I think T's got the makings of a fantastic service dog. He's steady, even-keeled, and solid as a rock. I'm as proud as a mom when her child takes it's first step.

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