Week 10

This week with Power Paws was more or less consistent with previous weeks. I sat in on a morning class and observed the dogs train in object retrieval and their ability to hold an item in their mouth for longer periods of time. Later that day, however, I observed a re-certification test with a papillon who is currently a diabetic alert dog. So far I mainly observed dogs in training in preparation for this test but this time around I got to witness the test in action. Main components of this test included loading and unloading from the car as well as leash walking, response to sudden noises and the leash being held by a stranger, and settling in a restaurant/table like setting. By going to witness this sort of test I was able to see an already placed service dog in action and the kind of difference it made in its handler’s life. A truly heartwarming sight.

This week with the FSDS was bittersweet. Since this was my last week with all the wonderful people I have met on this journey, this past week involved a lot of wrapping up. Both classes followed the usual schedule and involved review on a lot of the same tasks as in previous week including, but not limited to, it’s your choice, go get help, and leave it. The trainer also discussed with the class the concept of the illusion of a behavior. In other words, ensuring that dogs understand the behavior they are asked to perform, rather than just performing it correctly because of aid from the trainer. For example, when asking a dog to retrieve an item, one should not have to point to an item to ensure the success of the dog. The dog should understand what it is asked to perform and follow through with the action without additional cues.

This past week, final project presentations were given and I am sad to say that this experience is over. I can, however, say with complete confidence that Power Paws has not seen the last of me. J I spoke with my adviser and I will continue going back to help out with training and around the office. The senior project may be over, but my time with helping out with service dogs is not. The experiences at these internships will be ones that I will hold close to my heart in many years to come. Not only did I spend time with my favorite dog breeds of all time, I also got to lend a helping hand to raising a man's best friend...and helper. 

Week 9

Hey all!

                As I went to Power Paws on a different day this week there wasn’t any training class. I did, however, get to meet yet another litter of golden retriever puppies. This time they happened to be just 2 weeks old and definitely bigger than the two week old puppies I’m used to. These puppies are being raised to become service dogs for Power Paws. As a result, the puppies are exposed to a variety to sights and sensations. This week they were brushed with a toothbrush and had their gums massaged, slowly getting them used to a touch other than that of their mom. When they get older and able to see, they will be exposed to different clothing garments ranging from big sunglasses and hats to ensure they are comfortable to all weird articles of clothing when they go out into the world as service dogs. These puppies will also be a part of Power Paws’ puppy petting program in which they will be able to interact with individuals of all ages, ethnicities, voices, and appearance. With exposure to a variety of these factors at such a young age, these puppies will mature into thoroughly trained and prepared service dogs.

                This week at FSDS was slightly different than usual. Class did not take place in the traditional classroom setting but rather at a Target. Dogs in both classes had practice with their service skills in a public environment, adding to the generalization process which I had the chance to observe during the trip to a volunteer’s station course. For the morning puppy class, this was the first time the dogs were in a public area other than a pet store. The puppies got the chance to practice a variety of tasks ranging from “leave it” down the shoe aisles, frozen food sections, and around dropped human food; long sits and stays; and their three service tasks. The afternoon class also practiced the same “leave it” exercises, dropped leash walking, and their three service skills. Across the two classes there was also a lot of opportunities to see how recipients and trainers alike had the chance to educate the public about service dog etiquette. These situations particularly caught my attention since my project is focusing on how well informed the younger generations are about service dog etiquette. What was amazing to see was the handful of parents that explained to their children how the service dogs were “special dogs” or “working dogs” and as a result could not be bothered. Explanations as such are the conversations that will help these children grow into respectful individuals towards service dogs and their handlers.

                About a week ago, I used the results from the surveys I gave out to the 5^th to 8^th graders at BASIS Peoria. The results from the survey were a bit frustrating at times, to say the least. Although most of the Agree vs. Disagree answers were correct, there was still a handful of kids that said that individuals with service dogs were “mentally disabled,” or that it was okay to pet a service dog in public. Every question that was on the survey still had a great amount of wrong answers and that’s why I decided to create a powerpoint presentation addressing every question on the survey to provide these kids with the most well-rounded knowledge about service dogs as I possibly could. In addition, I used the information that I gathered from the surveys to create a service dog “Do’s and Don’ts” brochure for Power Paws. Since Power Paws does a lot of presentations and public events for service dogs, I wanted to further my raising awareness efforts for service dogs by providing the training facility with something they could hand out during their outings. The powerpoint and the brochure were created with an effort to raise awareness for service dog etiquette to promote a friendlier and safer environment for service dogs and their handlers.

                One more week and then we are officially done!

Week 8

Week 8

                I can honestly say that I can’t believe it’s been eight weeks already. It feels like just yesterday I was walking into Power Paws and playing with a litter of eight golden retriever puppies. Yet here I am, a lot more informed about the service dog world and soon beginning the last phase of this project. It’s so strange to think that initially this project was going to be about how service dogs are trained differently for different purposes and now it’s research about the most common misconceptions about service dogs. I was initially going to compile a list of which dogs should be assigned to specific needs, but now I will be conducting a survey about mistaken beliefs about service dogs and using that to inform younger generations. In a way, this end product will have more of an impact out in the real world. An aftermath I can walk away truly proud of.

                Anyway. Going back to the internships.

                This week at Power Paws was more on the calmer side. Bootcamp continued outside the training facility to help the new recipients practice with their dogs outside a classroom. However, there was a lot of help needed around the office so I stayed behind to help out, so I didn’t go to observe the outing. I did, however, help train a dog in the morning class. We once again practiced turning a light switch on and off and releasing a dog from a “sit,stay.” The release cue is an essential one because it helps practice and prolong the amount of time a service dog will stay in one position or spot while its handler goes to do something else and do not want the dog to wander or cause any distractions. Towards the end of class I also got to do my first shaping exercise. In order to more accurately describe what shaping is, I’m going to explain it in terms of the exercise I took part in. So for this particular lesson, I helped shape a dog picking up its bowl. This was a cue that the dog I was working with did not know quite yet. Shaping, as a result, helps build up a certain action to teach a dog a new cue. Since the dog did not know yet know that I wanted it to pick up the bowl from the floor, I started out with simply clicking the clicker and later rewarding each time the dog interacted with the bowl. The interactions start out with me simply looking at the bowl until the dog looks at the bowl. Click and treat. Then it moves up to the dog nudging the bowl. Click and treat. Then, when I cease to reward nudging, the dog attempts to bite or mouth the bowl. Click and treat. Next thing you know the dog is picking up the bowl and you take it from their mouth before they drop it. Click and treat. By doing so, I showed the dog that I wanted the bowl in my hand and that that was the reason they received the reward. Once the dog does this a few times successfully, I begin to say “pick up the bowl” every time it goes to pick it up. This part of the process is simply associating the cue with the action, and thus teaching the dog a new cue. This being my first time trying a shaping exercise, I was very happy (not to mention relieved) that it worked and that I was able to teach the dog something new.

                At the FSDS, both classes essentially had the same game plan. The dogs and their handlers/recipients worked through several stations perch work, handing off the leash to a stranger, a rally walk, long leash sit/down stays, and “place” without attention. For the certification test, a lot of these skills are necessary to pass. One of the items on the test, is giving the dog to a stranger and walking away. During this time, the dog has to behave in order to consider the exercise successful. The rally walk essentially was just a station at which the handler/recipient walked with the dog with specific instructions on how where to turn, stop, cue to sit, or speed up. The dog must be attentive to whoever it is walking with and ensure it behaves accordingly to consider the exercise a success. The long leash sits and downs were down outside and simply helped with the generalization of the task outside the classroom. During “place” without attention, the dogs were told to go to their blanket and stay there while their handler walked off to give feedback to another team at a different station. The dog was expected to stay in its position without getting up until it was instructed to do so. By walking away to do something else, the handler is able to change their body posture and ensure that the dog doesn’t consider the exercise a “training” moment. As a result, the behavior is being moved more towards application, rather than simply a training session. In the afternoon class, the dogs also practiced the 3 service skills that their recipients will need them to know upon graduation. For example, one recipient wants the dog to distract them away from an anxiety/high stress episode by picking up on their nervous behaviors. During these moments they tend to pick at their nails or exhibit other similar behaviors. In order to train the dog to nudge the handler away from this sort of situation, the recipient starts clicking their nails to get the dog’s attention to their hands and eventually builds up to the nudging and intervention of any nervous hand gestures. The purpose of the dog doing this is to prevent an episode before it happens, allowing the individual to continue with their day to day activities. This dog, however, is not an emotional support dog because it’s actions are not simply for the comfort of the handler, but to prevent an episode as caused by the individual’s PTSD. An emotional support dog is not the same as a service dog, and would not be allowed in public places as a service dog is. This behavior, nevertheless, is yet another example of the shaping process and an even better example of how these dogs are well on their way to becoming not only empowering but loving members to a family in need of this sort of help. Being able to observe this progress thus far has truly been the experience of a lifetime.

Week 7

Week 7

                This week at Power Paws was a little more relaxed than others. This week and the next, Power Paws is going through their Client Bootcamp which essentially solidifies the matching of a service dog to its new handler which it will spend the rest of its working life with. During this bootcamp, the new handlers learn how to deliver the cues they will need the dog to follow through with at home. The new handlers essentially learn how to properly work with their service dog so that both of them are successful in their new life together. One of the main topics discussed during the bootcamp “lesson” was stress. If the dog is too stressed or rushed, it will refuse to move or react to cues, putting a halt to the handler’s day. In this situation, the new handlers were told to simply slow down what they are doing and allow the dog to calm down so it feels more confident and secure in their environment, let alone the situation. In addition, if a dog begins to get increasingly stressed or reactive to a certain distraction, the handler should acknowledge the trigger in order to assure the dog that there is nothing to worry about and that their “human” is aware of the situation. Since these dogs are highly “thinking” dogs, they realize that they are there to help their handler in their everyday life, thus if they see something they don’t recognize or feel uncomfortable with, they will be inclined to notify their human partner. By reacting to the dog’s response, the handler provides the dog with a sense of security that all is well in their environment.

Here Melissa has just followed the "Go under" cue. This cue is often used in restaurants or offices to ensure the dog is out of everyone's way but still close to the handler. 

Melissa practicing turning a light switch on and off.

Here is Karsen avoiding a distraction, an essential behavior for being a diabetic alert dog. She has to be paying attention to her handler to ensure she does not miss an alert. 

                This week the FSDS returned to the usual classroom setting. In the morning class, the puppies once again practiced polite petting while the handlers had the opportunity to answer questions that they might encounter when out in public with their dogs. On the second round of petting, the petters were told to ask rude questions that the uneducated public might ask a handler out in public. These questions ranged from “Do you have a disability?” to “What do you need your dog for?”. Next, the dogs reviewed “Back up,”  which was essentially done by holding a treat to a dog’s chest, causing them to back up.  The following exercise was very similar to the ladder steps that were at the field trip the previous two weeks. Three rows of cones were set up with rods. Treats were dropped after every rod to guide the dog to look down as it steps over the rod. As a result, they begin to become more aware of their paw placement, teaching them to be conscious of their walking. The last exercise was perch work. Here, the dogs, through shaping, were guided to placing their front two paws on a paper plate. Eventually, this exercise will be used to teach the dogs how to effectively pivot with their partners when in public. In other words, it causes more awareness for their hind leg movement allowing more effective maneuverability when in public and tighter spaces, such as an aisle in a grocery store.

                The afternoon class followed a slightly different course. Once again, the dogs practiced walking past each other without getting distracted. The next exercise was intended to improve their “leave it” response. Each dog was offered food from someone other than their handler and instructed to “leave it.” By the end of the exercise, all of the dogs were more successful. Later in the class, the dogs were taken outside and put on a long leash where they practiced stays from a distance with a distraction other than the usual traffic noise. The class ended with another round of polite petting and practicing walking skills. When walking the dogs are required to be attentive to their handler’s turns and stops and this exercise allowed them to brush up on any trouble the dogs may have had.

                With reference to the survey, I will have a finalized survey around the 8^th of April. One of the student handlers at the FSDS often takes her dog to a church which has a large younger population.  During the next class, I will have the opportunity to find out what kind of information these age groups often lack with reference to service dogs. With this knowledge I will be able to add or alter some of the questions on the survey and begin the process of giving it out to the different age groups at BASIS Peoria. 

Week 6

This week was as per usual exciting with all the cute puppies/dogs.

                Power Paws has officially ended its Spring Break Camp and is now preparing for a Boot Camp, which will essentially help teach future puppy raisers/recipients. But more on that next week. When I went in this week I helped train a beautiful golden retriever during the morning class. During this time we worked on cues such as turn, go under, come here, and loose leash walking. All of these tasks are ones that will help a future recipient when they go out in public; whether they need to the dog to change the direction they’re facing or if they need to go under a table at a restaurant while the recipient eats. If the dog is cued that they can use the restroom or go say hi to a stranger, a cue like come here can help regain the dog’s attention to the recipient and resume its work.

As promised, here are a few pictures from the previous week from the training class.

This is Ross. A beautiful Labrador Retriever. 

                

This is Whitney, another Labrador Retriever. Here one of the Spring Break camp participants is training her to turn a light switch on and off. 

This is Quartet, or Quart for short. 

Here she is training "visit" with one of the Spring Break participants. 

Ross being a great sport during "yoga."

               This week at the FSDS was slightly different than last. Class was once again taking a field trip to the same place. The morning puppy class and the afternoon adult dog class were combined due to the ever so hot Arizona weather. One thing I definitely observed this week was that the dogs were definitely more focused and successful at all the stations than the week before. They were already exposed to the environment and had greater confidence maneuvering the stations. In addition, some new stations were added to replace ones that weren’t very popular last week. One new major station was what the volunteer called the “chenga” walk. Essentially wooden beams were laid out in a square, with lower and higher levels. This helped the dogs train their balance and their turns, meanwhile adjusting their height levels. At one point during the class, one of the handlers was becoming tired and beginning to have some difficulty working with her dog. My advisor suggested that I go and help to gain some on-hands experience with training, so that’s what I did. For the rest of the class, I followed the handler around to each of the stations and helped her work with her dog. We tried the chenga walk, worked through the weaves, and some balance practice with the teeter totters and a new station designed to help dogs walk on a platform with different levels.

            The class as a whole this week seemed more focused and more successful in the training. And maybe that was because both the handlers and dogs were more familiar with the environment and the stations this week. Maybe because both of the classes were combined the spirits of both the dogs and the handlers were lightened. Nevertheless, the field trip proved to be a major (and very much successful) step towards generalizing major tasks that the dogs will have to perform in public with their recipient when they graduate. 

            Last but not least, the survey. When at Power Paws this week, I had the chance to speak with a staff member about the questions and I decided that I would (finally) share some of those with you today. These particular questions will be “Agree vs. Disagree” styled questions.

                        1. It is okay to pet a service dog when you see it out in public.

                        2. It is acceptable to ask a handler why they have the service dog.

                        3. You should complement a handler on how well-behaved their dog is.

                        4. Only big dogs can be service dogs.

            Questions as such will allow me to gain an insight into what our younger generations really know about these remarkable creatures and their duties within the service realm. Based on the results, I can then put together a presentation on all the major points from the survey, and highlighting what appear to be the most lacking ideas. By doing so, I hope to educate these younger kiddos about what service dogs truly do and what they should or shouldn’t do around them in order to allow them to do the job that they trained for around two years.

‘Till next week! Cheers!!

Week 5

Hello all!

So this week at both internships was a bit different.

            Power Paws had a Spring Break camp for younger children this passing week, so I got to assist with their activities. The dog training portion of the camp consisted of training simple tasks such as visit, turning light switches on and off, stair walking and walking through doorways. Although the class was less intensive than other weeks, it went to show how great these dogs are at adapting and working with new individuals, especially of a younger age. These children, after working with these dogs for a week, learned how to properly work with service dogs and by Friday one could really see how the dogs came to realize that the kids weren’t just someone who will pet them, but someone they could potentially be working with. This kind of exposure to service dog training will not only help more younger children understand proper service dog etiquette but will also help these dogs get familiar with working with several different age groups. The camp may just seem like “simple fun” to the kids, but the ultimate outcome of these activities will come out in public when these dogs, or service dogs in general, are working.

            This week at the FSDS, we got to shake things up a bit, for both the dogs and their handlers. Instead of having class in the traditional classroom setting, class took a field trip to one of the volunteer’s home. There, on a beautiful grassy lot, several training stations were set up for both the morning and the afternoon classes. These stations included teeter totters, boats, jumps course, elevation walking, cone walking, and weaving. The teeter totters and the elevation walking functioned primarily to train the dogs in body and paw awareness. With these activities the dogs begin to see that they won’t always be walking on flat surfaces and that they have to be aware where and how they place their feet and how to adjust their balance accordingly. For the boats section, small rescue boats were set up in the grass with a dock. Here, the dogs got to practice their balance as well as maneuverability with unfamiliar and large surfaces. In addition, they got to practice their “stay” while their handlers walked on the dock and “loaded” up the boat. Weaving also allowed the dogs to train in their body awareness skills by weaving in between poles lined up in a line. Cone walking was simply a practice for loose leash walking with distractions. The cones had toys and dog food scattered between them to allow the dogs to train in ignoring unnecessary factors/smells when walking with a handler. This exercise will not only help train the dog to keep its attention on its handler at all times but also to ignore unnecessary smells. This factor is most important with medical alert dogs who need to be able to smell any changes in their handler’s system to alert them for their particular condition. Every dog’s favorite by far was the jumps course. The minute the dogs were let go to run through, they were jumping over all the poles with great excitement, some dogs ran back to the other side to go through again. Aside from training stations, there was a “cool-off” station where the dogs could get into a small tub full of water to splash around and maybe even fish out some toys. Naturally, the dogs loved this as well. Overall, the purpose of this field trip was to help dogs generalize their commands out in the real world and not just the classroom and their home. When they go out in public with their handler, they need to know that “sit” means “sit” and that “stay” means “stay.” They have to be able to obey cues in and out of their immediate everyday environment. This field trip was the first step towards ensuring these future service dogs would be able to obey their handlers whenever and wherever.

            Last but not least, since this week was a bit different at my internships, I did not have the chance to run my prospective survey questions by my advisors. Therefore, those sample questions I was referring to last week will most likely be posted next week. This past week I did, however, begin Until Tuesday. The book follows the personal story of a veteran suffering from PTSD as he lives his life with his loving service dog in New York. This book gives more of an in-depth look at how a service dog can truly change someone’s life around. The general ideas were the same as that of the article describing the pairing of an autistic girl with her service dog, as I briefly spoke about a few weeks back. The book also provided more insight into how training facilities continue to work with their clients even after they are paired with a dog. Even after placement, the veteran and the dog still visit the training facility to ensure that the dog is performing well and that the handler feels comfortable with his service dog.

            In light of exciting news, I am also currently in the process of photographing Power Paws classes and their dogs. After editing and having the photos approved they will be given over to the facility so that they can post the pictures on their social media and so that I can share with you all a greater look at what my internship truly looks like. Once the dogs graduate, these photos might also be used in their graduation photos to show their growth. More news to come!

Week 4

Yet another week has passed, and all the dogs I see every week have made huge progress.

                This week at Power Paws, I was in for a treat. One of the golden retriever puppies I met my first week with the facility was adopted as a Power Paws puppy. He is now on his way to puppy kindergarten and will begin training to become a service dog. In addition, this week instead of training a dog in the morning training class, I observed another trainer work with a younger Labrador puppy. This was the puppy’s first day of puppy kindergarten. Both the puppy and the handler have a lot to learn about clicker training and methodology. When you use the clicker, you click the clicker the instant the dog performs the desired action and then reach for a treat to reward them. The trainer also explained the concept of negative punishment, which is removing your attention from your dog to decrease the likelihood of your dog jumping on you. The puppy was very vocal but by the end of the class, the trainer taught the handler how to properly address the issue and how to begin training the dog out of its barking tendency. Essentially, if the dog is consistently treated when quiet, the dog will come to associate calm behavior with positive reinforcement. With the aid of the trainer, the handler learned these valuable ways to train her dog to learn to control its vocalness as well as how to begin training its basic tasks such as “sit” or “down.” And since my posts are always extremely long, I will leave it at that for this week.

                Last week with the FSDS was full of seeing the growth in the dogs’ abilities. In the morning puppy class, the puppies reviewed polite puppy petting, except this time with a child present. The dogs were exposed to yet another age of an individual and a different set of circumstances, preparing them for what awaits them when they begin their work with their handlers. In addition, this week, the puppies also practiced long sits and stays, but for a longer period of time. This week most of the puppies in the class managed to hold 2 minutes for both sits and stays; each of them making a clear improvement from last week. The following exercise functioned to not only teach control but focus as well. The dogs practiced walking by each other while on a leash without getting distracted by one another’s presence. When out and about with their handlers once they finish training, any slight diversion from their path or attention could result in running into an obstacle or mishearing a cue from the handler; this could ultimately put the handler and the dog at risk if in a crowded public area. Lastly, the puppies practiced long distance stays in sit and down positions. Once the puppy was put into either the sit or down, the trainer walked back a certain distance before returning to the puppy to reward it for its good work. The walking distances increased with each success.

            In the following afternoon class, the dogs also practiced walking past each other without getting distracted. I observed that in both classes, all of the dogs did pretty well and quickly improved on their focus on their handler. After all the dogs got to practice in this exercise, the trainers dispersed to work on the primary 3 tasks the future handlers would need for the dogs to know how to perform. This time period went to show, how closely the trainers and the FSDS work together with their clients to assess their individual needs in order to provide them with the best possible service dog that they can. Next, the dogs practiced turning light switches on and off. But the next exercise was by far my favorite from the entire day. Each of the dogs practiced “recall.” The handler put the dog into a sit across the room before calling them to run to them through a doorway. This exercise essentially teaches the dog the excitement of responding to being called by their handler. By portraying this task as exciting and something that the dog should race to do builds the dog’s motivation to respond to being called over by their handler. Loving these dogs as much as I do, seeing them run across a room with their fluffy tails and excited faces was absolutely to die for. Before leaving for the day, the dogs practiced impulse control. This was done by having a few of the dogs playing with their trainers around the room for a fast sit and fast down exercise while other dogs were put into a “sit and stay.” By watching other dogs happily play around the room while being told to sit patiently next to a trainer, the dogs were taught to control their excitement and obey their partners. Overall, both classes from that day once again proved how quickly these dogs learn and how hard the trainers work to get their dogs to the point they are at each week.

                This week with the FSDS was very similar to last week. In both the morning and afternoon classes there was a lot of review of the tasks that were practiced last week. In the morning, long sits and long stays were practiced once again the same manner as last week, but outside. The purpose being to introduce the dogs to a new environment when performing learned behaviors that they only practiced in familiar environments. This way, when going out into new environments, the dogs already have exposure to performing tasks in new places and are more likely to obey. Afterwards, the dogs also practiced polite petting and obedient walking past other dogs just as last week.

                In the afternoon class, the student trainers worked with their dogs and recipients on the three main tasks that the recipients would like their dogs to know when they graduate. This tasks included: getting help, bracing, blocking, and item retrieval. The dogs also practiced walking by other dogs politely while the handlers stopped and shook hands in between. The dogs got to practice the same task with recipients. As a whole, the class was largely review from last week, but nevertheless it was amazing to see how far the dogs came in one week once again. With each coming week, I see how these dogs are truly transforming into their future service dogs selves.

                Aside from my internships, I spent the week finalizing my ideas with reference to my changing question. Because the training classes I attend train their dogs fairly similarly to one another, I adjusted my research question. I am now focusing on how training facilities provide support to their clients aside from providing them with a trained service dog. In addition, I will be a compiling a survey on common misconceptions about service dogs which will then be taken by the younger grades at BASIS Peoria. With the results of this survey and the information I gather from my internships about service dog facts/etiquette, I will compile a presentation intended to inform the younger generations about service dog purposes and the proper behavior that should be exhibited around them in public. I began compiling this survey the past week and will continue to do so this week. I will post a couple of sample questions this week. In addition to the survey questions, I will work through a couple more service dogs articles and Until Tuesday. 

More info to come next week!! 

Week 3

Another week.  More adventures.

            This week at Power Paws was pretty similar to last week. Minus the school visit. In the morning, I once again attended the training class, working with a gorgeous dog by the name of Quartet, or Quart for short. We worked on several tasks this week, several of which would be able to be applied to mobility assistance. First, the dogs were training for “switch,” which essentially teaches the dog to turn a light switch off, and “light” which teaches to turn the lights on in order to potentially perform the task for someone who would have difficulty doing that for themselves. Next, the dogs practiced “visit” which cues the dog to lay their head on their handler’s lap from the side. Then, the dogs got more active and were trained for “go through” (for doorways and otherwise narrow spaces) and “back up.” Lastly, we worked on stair walking with the dogs. Since mobility support dogs are intended to help their handlers maneuver the world, they have to be by their side at all times, not tugging the leash or trotting behind them. Therefore, these dogs are taught to walk one step at a time, whether going up or down the stairs. This way if the handler needs to stop for any reason or cannot go walk quickly, the dog knows it must go slow and at an adjustable speed; it can’t just speed away because it gets excited by the idea of a flight of stairs. Once again, the lesson went to show how far these dogs come within one week, and how their behaviors and actions are shaped for their future career.   

          My FSDS internship will be described on next week's post. :)

In addition to the internships, I did finish Diana Lawrence’s book on guide dogs. The book went into detail about the steps that are taken into preparing dogs to become guide dogs. Even once placed, if a handler experiences difficulties with their dog, they can come back to the facility to help improve on rusty tasks. I also read over an article which spoke about a dog that was placed to accompany an autistic girl. The article described how the dog truly helped the girl re-immerse herself into the public and helped her communicate with the people around her. In addition, the parents recount how the pressure was relieved from their everyday lives because they knew their daughter had an easier time communicating with the outside world thanks to her furry best friend. Since neither of my internships is training for either of these purposes, these additional sources went to show how training facilities universally concern themselves with individual support for their clients and how these dogs truly to change their handler’s lives after placement. Though a lengthy process, dog training makes a bigger impact on society than any unaffected individual can come to realize.

Week 2

February 20 2017

Hello all!

This week’s internships were definitely more interactive than the last.

So first off: Power Paws. When I arrived at the facility, I was informed that I would be helping with the morning training class as I did last week. This week I was working with a gorgeous Golden Retriever named Molly. During the class, we worked on “Visit,” the dog putting their head on the partner’s lap, “back-up,” which is pretty self-explanatory, “high-five,” “heel,” walking at the owner’s side, and “push/alert,” which is essentially teaching the dog to push buttons on a wall. In order to teach and train these tasks, Power Paws utilizes a small clicker and puppy treats/food. When training Molly for “push,” for example, a snack was held up to the button to lure her to push it with her nose while saying “Push”. Once she did, the clicker was clicked and she was rewarded with her snack. She caught on pretty quick and soon enough it was just a matter of saying “Push,” nose touching, clicking, and rewarding. The way one trainer described to me later that day, the clicker functions as a type of camera for the dog. When it does what you want it to do and you click the clicker, it captures that moment and encodes that action with the cue. Soon enough, the dog comes to associate the cue with the action the trainer wants it to perform.

                After the morning training classes, I tagged along with two trainers and two Labrador Retrievers to a Career Day at a nearby school. There I spent a few hours listening to them describe how Power Paws operated and observed the dogs in action. All throughout these speeches, I was very impressed with the dogs who were very obedient to the trainers despite the several distractions. The diabetic alert lab even alerted a trainer. Throughout these speeches I did learn some new facts about Power Paws. For one, Power Paws takes about two years to train its service dog and training essentially starts when they’re just a few days old. They become socialized with the outside world and all sorts of different people, thanks to the puppy petting program. This way they are prepared to encounter and type of person of every age or behavior when they go out into the real world one day as a service dog. Since Power Paws primarily trains its internally bred dogs, they can rely on the good health of the dog and temperament to ensure the dog will live a long working life with a good attitude towards its job. Power Paws specializes in training Type 1 Diabetes Alert dogs, PTSD, and mobility assistance.

                After the presentation, I spent the rest of the day with the trainers learning some fun facts about service dogs in the real world. For example, when service dogs go to theme parks, such as Disneyland, the parks tend to have specific areas that the dogs can be taken to to use the bathroom. In addition, Disneyland arranges a service dog handler to have an assigned Cast Member to accompany them throughout the park to watch the dog when its handler is on a ride that the dog cannot accompany it on.

                To say the least, even though I didn’t have 8 golden retriever puppies to pet this week at Power Paws, I still had an amazing day learning about what it means to be a good service dog trainer as well as a successful service dog.

                The next day, I was with the FSDS watching their training classes. Once again, I sat in on the morning puppy classes, and the more advanced afternoon training class with older dogs. In the morning class, the dogs practiced tasks such as loose leash walking and long sits/long stays. Loose leash walking serves the purpose of essentially teaching the dog how to walk alongside its handler without tugging on the leash or pulling them in different directions. The dogs were walked around the room and between cones, being rewarded for eye contact and proper walking, and being stopped for straying aside or giving into distractions. The long sits and long stays were essentially exercises that built up the amount of time the dogs can stay in those positions without wandering off or breaking their positions. It was amazing to see that even at the young age of these puppies, most of them were able to hold themselves in one spot and position up to a minute. In terms of training and rewards, the trainers use a specific verbal cue “Yes,” which functions similarly to a clicker, before rewarding the dog with a snack. The “yes” allows the trainers to pin-point the moment the dog does something right in order to reinforce that behavior in the future or upon a specific command. My on-site advisor explained to me that the pitch and manner of delivery of “yes” travels straight to the dog’s frontal lobe, allowing it be encoded in its brain far more effectively. The fact that this a verbal cue allows the trainer to have both of their hands to their disposal for either delivering treats or performing whatever tasks they need to during training. To build on the long sits/stays command, I, alongside some other individuals sitting in on the class, helped the dogs work on polite sitting for petting. This task essentially allows the handlers to practice what they would say to people if asked questions about their dogs in public, and helps train the dogs get their excitement under control when someone new wants to touch them. And being the golden retriever lover that I am, I was more than happy to help.

                In the afternoon class, I was very impressed to see how far the dogs came since their last class last week. Since most of these dogs live with student handlers before they are placed into their new home or their partners, they are trained all throughout the week, which became evident in this week’s class. Last week, for example, these dogs practiced retrieving items from a closed cabinet. They got the job done last week, but there were a few bumps along the road. This week, however, the dogs were able to retrieve their items from a longer distance with almost no trouble in doing so.  My favorite part of the classes had to be when the dogs trained the command “get help.” Since a lot of the future handlers of the dogs might find themselves in a situation where they would need help from another person, the dogs are trained to go get these individuals for them. When one of the dogs was up to take their turn in front of the class, I was the person they were coming to get for “help.” When the handler told the dog to “get help” the dog went to get a small rectangular toy, called a Brinsel, which it then brought to me and then used that to tug me towards the handler that needed “help.” Because the dogs were still fairly new at this task, they did need encouragement, but, even then, their enthusiasm and thus far success in this task warmed my heart. Shortly afterwards, the dogs worked on “brace,” which essentially a body posture they must take on in order to help their handler get up if they find themselves having a hard time doing so. The class ended with the dogs practicing item retrieval.

                Overall, this week’s classes did come to show how these dogs can grow within one week. Watching how these dogs performed last week’s tasks far more successfully and then witnessing new tasks come to life was truly heart-warming to see. I can confidently say that I cannot wait to see what next week has in store for me.

                This past week was a bit of a rollercoaster, so I wasn’t able to get as far in my additional sources as I would have liked. I did begin the book by Diana Lawrence and was able to gain more insight about guide dogs, which are dogs trained to help the legally blind function in the real world. Since neither one of my facilities trains these sorts of dogs, this book is allowing me to see further into yet another aspect of these furry little helpers. But more of this aspect of my research next time.

                Until next week! J

Week 1

                                                  

February 14, 2017

            Hello all! I’m sorry for being so late on this post, but I had to finalize some details with my internships before I posted anything. Hopefully next week I will be able to post on Sunday.

First and foremost, my internship. For my project, I am interning with two non-profit organizations: PowerPaws and the Foundation for Service Dog Support (FSDS). Since it was my first week at these internships, my main objective was to simply get an idea of how both organizations function and what was expected of me as an intern. Friday was my first day with PowerPaws and I can confidently say that it was probably one of the best days of my life. When I arrived at the facility, my on-site advisor introduced me to the stuff and all of their dogs that were training. And then the best surprise. I was introduced to an English Golden Retriever, Justice, who was with her 8 eight-week-old puppies. Justice and her puppies were at the facility as a part of PowerPaw’s puppy petting volunteer opportunity. After introductions were concluded, I accompanied my advisor to a morning training class where a lot of basic tasks were worked on. I was even given my own dog that I helped train throughout the lesson. After this class was over, I spent the rest of the day working with the puppy petting volunteers with the golden retriever puppies. And I am not going to lie, goldens being my all-time favorite breed, spending almost the entire day with the puppies was the highlight of my week.

            Saturday was my first day with the FSDS. I spent the entire day observing training classes with more beautiful golden retrievers and some gorgeous german shepherds. The morning class was for younger dogs that were earlier on in their training. During this class, I was able to observe the training for basic tasks. In the afternoon, I sat in on a training class with dogs further on in their training and was able to see how the core tasks that were taught to the younger puppies in the morning were applied to train more advanced skills. Although I was less active in this internship than with PowerPaws, seeing how these skills were developed across various dogs of various ages was just as meaningful to the intent of this project.

            This week, before I finish off my week with my internships, I plan on beginning a book by Diana Lawrence which follows the stories of service dogs. From this book and the articles I plan on reading sometime next week, I hope to gain more of a background on how these dogs truly impact their master’s life. Since my internship focuses on the “behind-the-scenes” of the service dog process, this book and the articles will hopefully fill in the gaps. 

                                     A Little Introduction

Hello and welcome to my SP blog! My name is Daria Strojek and I am a senior at BASIS Peoria.

           

             Growing up, I have always loved animals, especially dogs. At one point, I even wanted to be a vet. But then I took AP Psychology in 8^th grade and my perspective changed. I realized that I loved learning about the brain and the nervous system and how they interacted to create our everyday responses. After that class, I decided I wanted to one day become a psychiatrist/neurologist.

            Today, I own three dogs, all of which I love to the moon and back. I even delivered three puppy litters and raised them up until they were adopted. As a result, when I asked my parents if we could adopt a golden retriever, they naturally said no. Too many dogs in the house as it is. When our senior projects came around, I decided that I wanted to do something that combined my love for psychology and golden retrievers, or big dogs as a whole. And that’s how A Man’s Best Friend… And Helper was born.

            My senior project I will research how service dogs are trained differently for various purposes and how breed determines pairing with new owners. I will be interning with two service dog training facilities and observing/helping with their classes. Through these two internships, I will be able to observe a wide pool of training classes and record how these dogs are prepared for their individual cases. With such observations, I will be able to deduce how different psychological needs are applied to the training process and how the specific dog breed needs to be approached during training. In addition, between these two internships I will also be able to determine how effective the breed matching is at each facility and which breeds should be chosen for individual needs in the future.

            While this project will be a great learning experience for psychology and dog training as a whole, I look forward to working with my favorite dog breeds as they are prepared to help individuals with special psychological or physical needs.