Puppy In Training TV – Ep4 – OCTA Service Animal Training

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One of our favorite events of the year is the Orange County Transportation Authority’s – OCTA Service Animal Training.  We’ve attended this event each of the last three years and I must say it’s a great opportunity to work with your guide dog puppy in training on riding a bus and attending a theme park.  Check out our short write up a few weeks ago: OCTA Bus Training For Guide Dogs.

Episode 4 – OCTA Service Animal Training

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

OCTA Service Animal Training Transcription

As always, here’s the transcription of the video!

Hey Everyone, Colby and Dublin here just waiting for OCTA bus training to start.  We’re on our way to Knott’s Berry Farm today and welcome to Episode 4 of Puppy In training TV.

(Titles Roll): Puppy In Training TV Starring Dublin.  With Linus Aussie Mix Rescue.  Also Colby The Human.  And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog.  Episode 4 – OCTA Service Animal Training.

Dublin and I just got back from OCTA Service Animal Training and right now we’re putting the finishing touches on this weeks episode of Puppy in Training TV.  You guys want to take a sneak peek?  Here ya go.  I hope you guys enjoy this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV – OCTA Service Animal Training.

Once a year Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) offers a special training day to service animals including our Guide Dog puppies.  We’re given the opportunity to ride the bus free of charge and practice getting on and off using the regular steps and the ramp.  Dublin was very good at getting on and off the bus and as you can see he had no problems riding the bus underneath my seat.

The bus drops us off just outside Knott’s Berry Farm which is great because as you can see there are chickens just outside the bus stop.  Dublin did a great job watching, but not chasing these little guys.

In addition to OCTA bus training Knott’s Berry Farm allows Guide Dog puppy raisers into the park on this day to experience the sights and sounds of a theme park.

Knott’s Berry Farm was all set up for Halloween as you can see Dublin doing a down-stay in the coffin.  However, it was nice because the park was not crowded at all.  I guess the ghosts and goblins don’t come out till after dark.

Here’s a shot of the entire gang.  I believe that’s Chloe, Dublin, Yuki, Ned, Wagner, and Biwa.

Not only did we get to work on our bus training.  We also worked on getting on and off the train.  Once we got on the train Dublin did a great job staying quiet underneath my seat…even with all the other puppies around him.  Sorry to say, but the train wasn’t really moving that fast.  In fact, I think I may have been able to walk a little bit faster.

At camp snoopy there was a maze setup with haystacks for the kids or in our case for the puppies.  The ground was littered with hay and dirt and Dublin had a difficult time keeping his nose off the ground.  There was even a little hay tunnel with green strips hanging down.  Dublin did a perfect sit-stay and then recall to his name.

Dublin and I hung out by the waterfall for a little bit…then Chloe and Dublin worked on walking up and down he steps.

You can see in this video that it was raining a little bit and as we were leaving Knott’s Berry Farm we caught a little bit of the Peanuts and Snoopy on stage.

As we were waiting for the bus ride home Dublin had one last chance to see the chickens….Ummm…I guess I mean roosters and chickens.

Afterwards we all went and grabbed lunch, the puppies knocked out, and Baron was happy to use Dublin as a pillow.

So I hope you enjoyed todays episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you have any questions just leave us a comment in the comments section below.  We’ve also been updating our Facebook Fanpage on a daily basis.  So make sure you follow our Facebook Fanpage and as always don’t forget to subscribe to our Youtube Channel.  Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next time.

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A Special thanks to Orange County Transportation Authority for setting up this training day for our puppies.  For more information on OCTA visit www.octa.net.

If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

What Else Did Our Guide Dog Puppies Learn?

As I mentioned OCTA offers a great opportunity for us to work on our Guide Dog Puppy training.  You’ve already seen the video…here are a few other things we experienced:

• A quick note: Anytime we take our our Guide Dog Puppy in Training to new places we are prepared to leave if our puppy is having a bad experience.  We want to expose our puppies to new experiences, but we don’t want to overwhelm them.  Dublin is a bit young so I kept a close eye on him all day.  Needless to say he had no problems with the sights, sounds, and smells of the bus or Knott’s Berry Farm.
• At the bus stop we met up with other Guide Dog puppy raisers and there were many other dogs and puppies at the event including puppies from Guide Dogs of the Desert, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Canine Companions for Independence, and of course Guide Dogs of America.
• As you can see in the video there are lots of new things to see, strange noises (for a dog) as well as different smells (exhaust from the bus).
• The bus ride is a bit different then your regular car ride.  It’s bumpy, the floors are metal, it’s noisy, there’s lots of people, and on this day lots of other puppies.
• Knott’s Berry Farm was not very crowded early in the morning.  In fact last year I recall walking around the park and not seeing another person around me for several minutes.
• Although there aren’t many people there’s lots to see, lots of crazy noises, and different smells.  The sounds of the roller coaster are pretty loud so i made sure to keep a close eye on Dublin (he barely even noticed the rides overhead).
• The train ride is nice and very slow.  We also had cowboy bandits jump on the train.  They didn’t shoot their guns, but there was a loud whistle as the train took off.
• Chickens at the bus stop is an added bonus distraction.  The roosters cock-a-doodle-do and the chickens walk around the park.

Thanks OCTA!

We really appreciate all OCTA does for us to help get our puppies used to riding the bus and for setting up our free passes into Knott’s Berry Farm.  It was a great experience for both Dublin and I that we may have never done without OCTA’s Service Animal Training Day.

Thanks again to Pam Peters and OCTA for setting up this wonderful event!  For more information visit www.octa.net.

Were you at OCTA Service Animal Training?  If so, tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

Top Picks For Our Puppies

1. BEST DOG CHEW
   We Like: Beef Collagen Sticks - All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
2. BEST PUPPY TOY
   We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home.
3. BEST DOG TREATS
   We Like: Crazy Dog Train-Me Treats - We use these as our high-value treats for our guide dog puppies.
4. BEST FRESH DOG FOOD
   We Like: The Farmer's Dog - A couple months ago we started feeding Raven fresh dog food and she loves it! Get 50% off your first order of The Farmer's Dog.

Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.