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.