Laura got in touch with Fran from Creating Forever Dogs to discuss service dog training even before she got Karma. She wanted to make sure it was the right decision. Training a puppy in basic obedience requires patience, putting in the time, and being consistent. Moving on to training a service dog is a lot more extensive and a continuous process. They discussed the financial, emotional & time commitments required to self-train a service dog and the unknown question, “Would the puppy be a candidate for a service dog?” which sometimes you won’t know for months into the training.

“In the beginning, I sat in Fran’s office and was naïve on what was appropriate for a service dog. I didn’t realize what were appropriate tasks and many things I hadn’t even considered. She also reminded me about a dog is still a dog regardless of the level of training, they are not robots or perfect all the time.

It’s life-altering.

Laura got Karma when she was nine weeks old. Her goal from the start was to train Karma to be a service dog because of her son, Dan who has autism. The timing was right since Dan is in his twenties and gaining more independence. Her main reason to train Karma as a service dog was to show people that Dan has a disability and to hopefully give them a better understanding of his actions.

Service dogs, including Autism service dogs, are trained to do specific tasks that help their human companions navigate the world. Autism service dogs can be life-changing partners, helping people with autism gain confidence and independence.

The ADA defines a service animal as a dog that is trained to perform a minimum of two tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a physical or mental disability. -Source https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/colorado-laws-on-service-dogs-and-emotional-support-animals.html

Laura and Fran decided together that it was a good idea to move forward on service dog training. Fran knew Karma was a good prospect because she had the confidence and was eager to work. Not every dog can be a service dog, some don’t like working so much and just want to live a simpler life. With Fran’s background in training service dogs with Freedom Service Dogs, she can assess your dog or help you find a candidate but remember there are no guarantees!

It Starts with Basic Obedience!

Laura started basic obedience training with Fran at the training center. At first, Laura wasn’t sure what to expect when training Karma as a puppy. The main struggle she faced was getting her to focus during puppy classes. Karma was overly friendly and wanted to say hi to everyone, which made it tough to keep her attention, which is very common. Laura had to exit classes a couple of times because she was overly excited and being vocal. She would quiet down and be able to rejoin classes. Karma figured out that good behavior allowed her to join her friends. This required a lot of patience from Laura and consistency. Once Laura learned how quickly Karma picked up on things like “yes!” (Clear and positive communication) training got easier.

During the training classes, Fran will train you just as much as she’ll train your dog because knowing the “why” behind it will help you succeed.

A key ingredient throughout Karma’s training was the partnership Laura had with Fran. Laura says “The relationship I have with Fran as my trainer was very important. She calmed my nerves during the difficult moments when I had doubts. She was also honest about the dog training and if Karma could actually be a service dog and the challenges that would come with it.” Fran trained Laura how to train Karma. Learning to communicate clearly is the key in all training.

The First Skill Karma Learned

After a few months of obedience training, it was time to move on to service dog training. All training is based on progression. Foundational skills are always required first. A big challenge for Laura was that Dan liked to go out the front door and wander off. Teaching Karma to alert with a bark when Dan was at the front door was the first task Karma learned. This was a skill that is based on timing and opportunity.

Progression to Public Outings

They started working on access training, which is where a service dog is slowly introduced to public places while also learning basic commands, like sitting or lay down. These skills gradually build up to service dog tasks. Eventually, Karma would learn how to be at a restaurant while lying next to Laura or Dan. Other public situations that they visited were light rail trains, elevators, shopping malls, retail stores, and more.

Biggest Challenges

The biggest challenge Laura faced when service training Karma was other people. A working dog shouldn’t be petted because it distracts them from their tasks. Even with yellow vests on and “Do Not Pet” written in multiple areas, people still tried to come up and pet her.
Fran also mentioned this is an issue when she is training service animals. Some people don’t take the “working service dog” seriously and it can hinder the dog’s ability to work and focus.

Karma’s Tasks to Assist Dan

She needed another pair of eyes on Dan whenever he decided to wander away on his own. Whether at the grocery store or in a busy airport. Fran started to brainstorm (utilizing her training in search and rescue work) and came up with a plan.

Fran’s idea was to train Karma how to “find” Dan. In this instance, she wanted to see if she could train Karma to only search for Dan. That way, anytime Dan goes off on his own, Karma is aware and ready to find him.

They started by training Karma to find Dan outside. If he leaves home and goes for a walk, Laura can take Karma to “find Dan” and she will track him. Fran explains “when you’re outside, the scent holds to dirt, weeds, grass differently than indoor, polished floors.”

After Karma was successfully trained at finding Dan outside, they worked on moving inside.
They started with places that had carpet because the carpet is better than tile at holding a scent. They practiced having Dan and his aide walk around a large bookstore. Then Laura and Fran would come inside with Karma. Laura would switch out Karma’s gentle leader for her collar. This distinguishes Karma between her two jobs. Then Laura said “Find Dan” indoors, and Karma found Dan in three different locations in the store!

A few weeks later they met at a large shopping mall to test “find” in a bigger area with multiple surface types. Dan and his aide went to Target to shop while Karma stayed with Laura and Fran as they went to the food court to practice “access manners” with Karma staying under the table. Laura could tell Karma’s demeanor was off about Dan not being there. While walking back towards Target, the closer they got, the quicker Karma started to walk. Because of how Karma was acting, Fran told Laura to take her off her lead and put her on her collar, and let’s see what happens. Once they got into Target, Laura gave Karma the command “find Dan” and within a couple of minutes, Karma found them.

Fran said, “if I hadn’t seen that with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.” It was a monumental moment in Karma’s training, and it was when Laura felt like she could trust Karma to find Dan. Karma stopped being our pet and became Laura’s partner who cared about Dan’s safety just as much as she did.

This process took daily training by Laura, weekly sessions with Fran, and a smart, willing subject (that being Karma)! It is not a success-only journey and certainly, it only works if the time and energy are put in 100%.

Do You Want a Public Access Dog?

Too many people use dogs that are not trained properly for this type of access which can be disruptive to those dogs that have a very important job to do for their person. Having a dog that is well-mannered in public is a big responsibility to you, others, and those who rely on their dogs for their health & well-being. Those that choose to cut corners and not follow the law, end up devaluing the time, energy, and financial resources of those that choose the proper path.

In Colorado, it is against the law to misrepresent your dog as a public access service dog if you do not have a medical diagnosis of a disability or disease that the dog helps to mitigate.

Fran follows the ADA laws and the guidelines set by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners, https://www.iaadp.org/ ) as a member. Her testing tends to be more thorough than the minimum requirements because she wants to make sure the team is set up for success.

If you are interested in more information, please contact Fran at www.creatingforeverdogs.com

The post Meet Karma and Her Journey through Service Dog Training appeared first on Creating Forever Dogs.

Boo was adopted during the Pandemic of 2020 from a local rescue.  She was adopted by another family but returned 3 days later due to her reactivity.  She was still young, estimated to be about 11-13 weeks old and they chose February 14 as her approximate birthday.  (It’s a great day to choose because then Boo & I share a birthday!)

Boo’s new family has two dogs that are regular clients at our Pet Spa; a terrier mix named Jakee, and a Catahoula mix named Sadie.  Boo was adopted for Ryan, their 14-year-old that doing remote learning and just wanted to have something for him to focus on.

The first time I met Boo she presented as very reactive towards people and other dogs.  Thank goodness she was food motivated.  We tried classes when she was little—with one other dog but her reactivity was not decreasing and, in some situations, was escalating.  We had to take a step back and reassess.  We worked with her one-on-one with basic obedience—she was still having issues at home with visitors & contractors, but it was sporadic since there were not a lot of people to work on this issue in a controlled situation.   Ryan and his dad, Scott wanted to have a pup that they could take out in the neighborhood for walks and do other things with, like their other dogs.  It was concerning to Ryan’s family about Boo’s behavior, but they were very committed to work together on this.

After some discussion, it seems that Boo did not react this way until after an interaction with another dog at her house.  This dog was a large breed, an older puppy that played too rough and gave Boo a bad experience.   This interaction could be the reason for the reactivity and in some cases, one bad experience can be impactful.  A DNA test was done that showed that Boo was 36% Chow, some German Shepherd, and herding breeds.  This could also contribute to some of the behaviors that I saw.

We worked with her on building her confidence.  Her natural reaction was to lunge and bark when she was in new or unfamiliar settings.  She was not necessarily fearful but didn’t feel comfortable in some environments.  As I worked with Boo and Ryan, Ryan needed to learn to respond proactively instead of our normal, knee-jerk response of jerk the leash & scold.  Being able to foresee the unwanted behavior, allows for a more positive response.  In this case, it was to redirect Boo with something positive such as treats, tricks, play, and sometimes more distance from the situation.  The goal was to change the negative association she had to a positive one so that she could trust the outcome.

Ryan understood he had to be a trustworthy leader and became incredibly good at reading Boo. They worked a ton together and built a relationship.  The next step was to meet at a few parks.  We worked on what is called “threshold”.  How close could Boo be from other dogs without reacting?  Where was her comfort zone?  We did that for several weeks, where we would work on a smaller threshold without going over that boundary.  It is always a slow, process of not pushing too much too fast, but working on baby steps of improvement.

Boo at 10 months has improved to the point where she can be in a small group class.  Victory & Success!  This was a big step!  She stays further away and does not directly interact with the other dogs but can focus on Ryan instead of being focused on everything else, even with all the distractions.  Ryan has made himself the most exciting person in the room as far as she is concerned!! Boo loves to learn, and Ryan has worked on teaching Boo many tricks, which they both love to show off to Fran!

Ryan & Scott’s Perspective & Advice:

Sitting down with Ryan, a freshman in high-school, and talking about Boo’s journey was a lot of fun.  He said that his older brother had a wonderfully trained and enjoyable dog, and it challenged him to have a great dog too!  Ryan’s advice, “Find their strengths.  Play into them.  My dog loves to learn and I use rewards to motivate her.  She responds.  I also have found that she gets frustrated too.  Give them breaks.  Learn when they are done.  She also reads people’s energy.  If I introduce her properly, most of the time she accepts them faster.”  Ryan says his next goals are to work with a long line tool for loose leash and recall and more advanced training.

Ryan’s dad, Scott had some bad experiences with aggressive dogs in the past.  Initially, Boo’s reactivity scared him a little and he was worried.  He wanted to have a dog that they could walk around the neighborhood and have visitors to their house without being concerned.  Being able to work with a professional trainer with experience in this area, reassuring him, and having a plan was helpful and necessary.  His advice for new dogs is to let them acclimate, be prepared and patient, do what you need to do, and realize that they get bored too!  Keep them busy with indoor games and “don’t yell at them” if they are doing the unwanted behavior.  “They will tune you out, just like teenagers.”    If they are barking in the back yard, for example, be more exciting than the other distraction, have an exciting tone, and reward them for choosing you over the other thing.

It has been rewarding to see a young person to understand how important a simple bond can be, and he has learned so much in a short time.   This has taken many, many hours of training, and at home to get Boo where she is today.

The post Case Study: Meet Boo – Rescue Mixed Breed appeared first on Creating Forever Dogs.

I met Tessa when she was 9 weeks old. Her mom, Ann was referred by a volunteer I knew from my years at Freedom Service Dogs. Ann wanted to make sure that Tessa was started on the right foot. They had not had a puppy for many years and so much has changed!

Our first meeting was typical puppy stuff. Tessa was very wiggly, and Ann was worried about dropping her since she was so tiny. Tessa was a bit bitey and even though she was sweet, she was doing puppy things and it surprised Ann by how crazy she could be. We spoke about crate training, playpen time, outside time, and car travel safety. Specifically, her homework was to work on relationship games including “The Name Game”, “Middle”, “Sit”, and “Touch”. All of these things Ann still works on to keep Tessa occupied, even now at 10 months of age!

After a few weeks, Tessa was progressing with the training homework, but her play continued to get rougher, zoomies to run around, was playing rough, she had gotten very bitey. She considered Ann’s hands as her best chew toys. Ann started to have to wear long sleeves and even gloves at times so Tessa would not break the skin with her needle-sharp baby teeth. She could throw little temper tantrums and had to learn that behavior would not get her what she wanted. I worked with them on redirection and substitution and the little yelp to teach bite inhibition.

I introduced leash training, down, and all the other beginning skills. We talked over the tether method though Tessa was picking up potty training nicely. Tessa was a confident little daredevil, which can make training easier in some ways. Just when Tessa was going to start group classes, COVID hit. It couldn’t have been worse timing for both Ann and Tessa.

We did several phone calls, but nothing replaces face-to-face training. At 9 months we resumed some private in-home training, mostly working outside. Tessa was progressing well, but there were a couple of things that Ann wanted to focus on. Tessa was pulling on the leash, launching right off the front porch when going outside. They also wanted to work more on loose-leash walking with distractions.

A common misconception is that all puppies need to be walked long distances for exercise & socialization even when they aren’t yet walking with good manners. This can be doing a lot more harm than good. This can reinforce pulling, racing around, and injuring young, not yet fully developed joints. Spending just a few weeks working with them on good walking manners and being consistent will get you so much further towards your goals of a well-mannered dog on a leash. There are so many ways to tire your young puppy out (both physically and mentally) even if you live in an apartment.

Even though Tessa is a smaller breed, it is still extremely important to work on the basics and reinforce the desired and good behaviors and redirect unwanted behaviors. Dogs continue to practice things that are working for them and will stop doing behaviors that are not useful to them. Tessa is a very smart, eager-to-learn, and healthy pup that will be a wonderful life-long companion.

Ann’s word of advice for getting through the first year is PATIENCE! Raising a puppy can be hard work and challenging as different behaviors present themselves. She wants everyone to be thoughtful before considering a puppy and be up to the task!

“Hi Fran, Tessa had a play date the other day with our neighbor’s little teddy bear dog. It took Tessa about 20 minutes to catch on, but in the meantime, she sure took advantage of ‘middle’, I think to feel safe. I didn’t tell her to do it, she did it on her own. She’s doing so great on the leash I can hardly believe it! Thank you again!” Ann

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