Meet Karma and Her Journey through Service Dog Training

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