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.