Puppy In Training

Puppy Training Tips

What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog?

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Have you ever wondered or thought to ask: “Colby, what commands do you teach a service dog?”

As guide dog puppy raisers we teach our puppies 9 basic obedience commands before they start their formal training.

Adelle’s service dog training manual lists 30 commands! That’s right THREE – ZERO!!!

We’ve been raising and training guide dog puppies since 2006 and we have the privilege of working with these puppies from the time they are 8 weeks old until they are 18 months.

What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog? - Image of a Golden Retriever puppy wearing a maroon dog vest.
What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog?

During this time we do our best to make sure they are rock solid with a handful of commands.

When our pups move on to guide dog college they learn many more commands as well as advanced skills and intelligent disobedience.

QUICK RECOMMENDATION: Unfortunately, if you’re not a puppy raiser then you likely do not have access to a service dog training manual. However, there are many good puppy training books available. One of our favorite books is Puppies for Dummies. We read Puppies for Dummies several times before we adopted our first puppy, Linus.

What Do We Teach Our Service Dog Puppies In Training?

As a puppy raiser we do not teach our puppies everything. We have three main goals as puppy raisers:

  1. Teach our pups good house manners.
  2. Socialize our puppies.
  3. Teach them basic obedience.

The basics are the same whether you are a guide dog puppy raiser or a service dog puppy raiser. As mentioned earlier the big difference is we have to teach our service dog puppies 30 commands vs only 9 for our guide pups.

That’s right!  Canine Support Teams has a list of 30 commands we are tasked to teach our service dog puppies in training.

In fact, learning how to teach these different commands is one of the main reasons why I was interested in raising a service dog puppy vs. a guide dog puppy.

Training Adelle
Adelle taking a nap during training?!?

Lucky for us our puppy raiser manual gives us a list of commands that we are to teach our puppies including what our pup’s physical response should be, application, and notes.

So, now you’re wondering exactly what commands do you teach a service dog puppy in training?

QUICK NOTE: When we first started training everything was referred to as a command. However, over the years many trainers now refer to “Sit”, “Down” as cues and not commands.

We recognize these two words are very different however, for the purposes of this article we will consider a cue and command synonymous. If you want to read more check out this article: commands vs cue in dog training.

Take a gander at this list:

What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog?

UPDATE: 5 years ago we followed CST’s standards to teach 30 commands, but guess what? We expanded or list to teach our current puppies even more skills (check out the bonus section). We also included a little more detail about each command.

Our future puppies in training will learn all of these skills. At the moment we are working with Raven, Mother of Puppies (Yep, I watch Game of Thrones) on all 45 commands.

QUICK TIP: For several years we’ve been clicker training our puppies. Stay tuned for more blog posts on how to clicker train your puppy.

0. NAME – to get your puppy’s attention.

  • Your puppy’s name.
  • Surprisingly this wasn’t on the CST list, but possibly one of the most important commands you can teach your puppy.
  • Tips to teach your puppy her name.

1. WATCH ME – your puppy makes eye contact.

  • Important for getting your puppy’s focus away from distractions and on you.

2. SIT – your puppy sits on her rump.

  • She will sit anytime, anywhere on command.
  • Default position. Get your puppy to SIT/STAY when you are in public and not interacting or not in motion.

3. DOWN – your puppy put’s her entire body lying down on the floor.

  • She will down anytime, anywhere on command.

4. STAND – to stand on all 4 legs.

  • Standing is a good time to allow your puppy to be groomed or inspected.

5. COME – to advance to your side and SIT in a heel position

  • Do not confuse with HERE.

6. HERE (CST used the command COME HERE) – to advance to you in no specific position.

  • Puppy is required to come close enough to you, but doesn’t have to sit.

We’re using something we learned as guide dog puppy raisers. The differentiation between COME and HERE is:

  • COME is being used as a formal recall to get into the HEEL position by your side.
  • HERE is more informal and just calling your puppy to come back to you, but not in a specific position.

7. STAY – To freeze in her current position.

  • When the STAY command is given freeze in that position whether it is after SIT, DOWN, STAND, etc.

8. WAIT – To stop moving forward.

  • Not required to stay in current position can move between SIT, DOWN, STAND as long as she doesn’t cross a threshold.
  • The only requirement is that your puppy remains behind the designated boundary.
  • When your puppy is in the car they should be on an automatic WAIT.

9. RELEASE – To be done with work. UPDATE: We used to use “OK”, but because “OK” is such a common word we are using RELEASE instead.

  • Used to let your puppy know she is done working.

10. NO – To get the puppy’s attention and tell her she is not doing the correct thing.

  • Given when puppy does not follow through on the command.
  • With Adelle it was something like this: Give the command “DOWN”… wait a few seconds, no response “NO”… pause repeat command: “DOWN”.

11. DON’T – To refrain from commencing with a bad behavior that is not wanted.

  • Given in anticipation of the puppy doing an inappropriate behavior.

12. OFF – To remove herself from whatever item or object she is on and place all her feet back on the floor.

  • Keep four on the floor.
  • Use when your puppy is jumping up on you.
  • Also often used when your puppy is on something inappropriate.
  • Super mega important! Use OFF not DOWN.

13. LET’S GO – To start to move.

  • The cue to let your puppy know it’s time to start moving forward.

14. HEEL – To be in position on your left side.

  • The puppy is to move from any position into a HEEL on command.
  • The heel of your puppy’s foot should be aligned with your heel.

15. SIDE – To be in position on your right side.

  • The puppy is to move from any position into a SIDE on command.
  • The heel of your puppy’s foot should be aligned with your heel.

16. LEAVE IT – To move her head away from whatever she is touching or about to touch and making eye contact with you.

  • Given before she makes contact with whatever she’s trying to approach, sniff, eat, etc.

17. GET BUSY (CST used the command BETTER GO NOW) – To let your puppy know it’s time to potty.

  • Start using from day 1 when potty training your puppy.
  • BETTER GO NOW was CST’s command for going potty, but we prefer the GDA command GET BUSY.
  • We used GET BUSY (or BETTER GO NOW for Adelle) with all of our puppies even dating back to Linus.

18. SETTLE – To calm down. It’s time to be serious!

19. GO THROUGH – To move ahead of the person turn around and position herself to be able to back up through a narrow doorway or passage.

  • When you move through a doorway along side your puppy, then it is not a “GO THROUGH”. It should be a HEEL or SIDE.

20. BACK – To step backwards.

  • Simple your puppy is doing the moonwalk (did that evoke a mental picture for you?)…seriously just taking steps backwards 🙂

21. FOLLOW – To move behind you as she moves forward through a door or passage.

  • Used when your puppy is tethered to a wheelchair or scooter.

22. GO AROUND – To move around the person or object.

  • On-lead is used when your puppy goes around the opposite side of a pole, tree, wheelchair, etc. and need to come back around to the correct position.

23. MOVE – To physically move her body in any direction.

  • Have your puppy move out of the way of you or someone else.
  • We’ve been working on this one with Raven. For some reason we always want her to move.

24. CLOSER – To move closer to within inches of you.

25. GO TO – To go over to another person.

  • Followed by a person’s name.
  • GO TO MOMMY! Emma knows that one. She’s my 1 year old daughter not a puppy.

26. UNDER (CST used the command GO IN) – To crawl into a space and bring in paws in tail out of the way.

  • Used to get your puppy under and out of the way. Examples: under a chair, table, etc.
Puppy, Adelle learning to got under :)
Hmmm…is this really a proper demonstration of UNDER? I don’t think so…

27. THAT’S ALL – To stop the behavior.

  • Tells the puppy that it is time to stop behaviors that are permitted. Examples: to stop scratching, chewing or licking herself.

28. CAREFUL – Approach carefully.

  • She’s taking something from your hand or touching you.
  • Use a soft, calm, yet firm voice.
  • This was important for Stetson who snaps when taking treats from your hand.

29. GET A DRINK – To get a drink of water.

  • This is a CST command that we are not using with our current puppies.

30. QUIET – Stop barking, whining, howling.

  • When your puppy is barking innappopriately.

Those were the 30 (31 if you include NAME) commands required by CST, but here are 14 BONUS commands we plan to teach all of our future service dog puppies in training.

Service Dog Commands Part II

For all of you overachievers who liked doing the extra credit even after acing the test.

Or for those who wanted to get better than a 4.0 in high school (yes, I’m talking to you, Mrs. 5.0 GPA). Read on…

  1. BED – go to the bed and lie down.
  2. CAR – jump into the car.
  3. DRESS – step into your harness/jacket.
  4. DROP – release the toy (or other object) from your mouth.
  5. HURRY – pick up the pace puppy.
  6. KENNEL – go into your crate.
  7. LAP – two paws on lap.
  8. MAT – go to the mat laid out on the floor and lay down
  9. ROLL – roll onto her side. Good for giving belly rubs!
  10. ROLL OVER – roll from one side to the other.
  11. SHAKE – puts paw to your extended hand.
  12. SPEAK – signal for appropriate barking…if that’s such a thing 🙂
  13. TOUCH – put your nose on the two fingers.
  14. UP – get her full body up on something. Example: up onto a platform, stage, couch (if you allow that), etc.

QUICK TIP: We use treats and positive reinforcement when working with our puppies. Zuke’s Mini Naturals and Happy Howie’s Rolls are some of our favorite training treats. We also highly recommend the PetSafe Treat Pouch.

Service Dog Commands Part III

Every Service Dog Organization has their own specific set of commands or cues they teach their dogs. We’ve worked with five different service dog schools over the years.

Recently we started working with a new puppy and we were given a list of cues to work on. I decided this post would be a good place to share the list so you guys would have it in your back pocket.

Our new list had 32 total cues. There were a lot of duplicate from the above list so I only included the new cues on the list below.

Here’s what we’re working on with our new puppy:

  1. Go Now – It seems every organization has a different cue for telling your puppy to go potty. We’ve used “Get Busy”, “Better Go Now”, and now plain ole “Go Now”
  2. Crate – You may have already guessed that this is basically the same as the above command, “Kennel”. You puppy enters the crate and will remain settled until “Released”.
  3. Give – Your puppy places object on your hand open palm when given cue.
  4. Get it – your puppy picks up object with mouth when given cue.
  5. Go Play – Your puppy is free to go play when given cue.
  6. Jump On – Your puppy jumps onto a surface with all four paws when given cue.
  7. Car – Similar to “Jump On” except your cueing to jump in the car on cue.
  8. Bring – Your puppy brings object to you when given cue.
  9. Leash – Your puppy picks up dropped leash and returns to you when given cue.
  10. Fix – Your puppy picks leg up in order to disentangle leash when given cue.
  11. Leash Guidance – Your puppy moves with the direction of the leash without being cued.
  12. Auto-Settle – This one is new. Your puppy will default into a down-stay at your feet without being cued when you ignore your puppy.
  13. Auto-Eye Contact – Your puppy consistently offers attention to you without being cued.
  14. Auto-Leave It – Your puppy makes eye contact with you in the presence of distractions without being cued.

Part III introduces 14 new cues. The other 18 cues on our list were duplicate. It goes to show you that every service dog organization shares a lot of the same terminology which is definitely helpful.

“Sit”, “Down”, and “Stay” are the same whether you are training at Guide Dogs of America, Canine Support Teams, or Cascade Service Dogs.

That’s it! That’s a whole heckuvalotta (it’s a real word) stuff!

Not too bad eh?

What am I Canadian? Well, I do love watching and playing ice hockey.

Adelle is 5 months old and we’ve touched on many of these commands already.

We are very good at some, okay at others, and some we’re not too sure how to teach yet.

The good news is we will be attending special classes with Canine Support Team trainers where we’ll learn exactly the things we need to work on.

Of course that’s not all the commands we will teach our puppies.

When Adelle leaves my home she will move forward to the Prison Pup Program where she’ll learn advanced skills and commands.

I’m super excited to move forward with Adelle’s training! And as you can see in the above pic so is Adelle 🙂

I’ll talk to you more about the different commands we are working on in the coming weeks.

How about you guys?

Are you teaching your puppies anything interesting or fun?

Tell us about it in the comment section below.

QUICK RECOMMENDATION: If you’re just starting to teach your puppy the basics then as mentioned earlier check out Puppies for Dummies. It’s a great introductory book on raising and training your puppy.

UPDATE: Adelle made it as a mobility service dog and is working in California with her new partner.

What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog? - English Cream Golden Retriever puppy wearing a maroon service dog jacket
What Commands Do You Teach A Service Dog Puppy In Training?

UPDATE: This post was originally published October 15, 2013. We made some updates and left some of the content the same. We’ve learned a lot over the past 7 years and it reflects in the new information.

Have You Seen Puppy In Training TV?

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Nine years ago I decided to document my first puppy in training, Stetson’s journey to become a  guide dog by writing to this blog.  It was great and kept friends and family in the loop.

Five years ago I decided to take it one step further and document  my third puppy in training, Dublin’s journey to become a guide dog through video.  At that moment Puppy In Training TV was born.  Twenty-one videos later you can watch as Dublin goes from a 7 week old puppy to a working guide dog.  Take a look at all or our Puppy In Training TV videos here.

Puppy In Training TV

Take a peek at our two favorite episodes from season 1:

First, picking up Dublin from the Guide Dogs of America campus:

I love puppy pickup days.  You get to meet your puppy for the first time, you meet the littermates, tons of cuteness, and puppy breath.  However, the first night home with your puppy is not always the most fun.  Be ready for some sleepless nights.

And #2, Dublin graduating as a working guide dog…sniff…

About two years after picking up Dublin we were at his graduation meeting his new partner, Liz.  That was one of my all time favorite days and the reason why I raise puppies.  Dublin’s family is awesome!  He lives in Arizona and we visit him every Memorial Day weekend.

So, what’s next?  The plan is to start posting new Puppy In Training TV videos starting this month!  So get ready for season 2 starring service dog puppy in training, Archer!  If you haven’t seen Archer yet take a look at the cutest little guy you’ve ever seen (I’m probably biased)

Archer Puppy In Training
Archer Puppy In Training

Is there anything you’d like to see on Puppy In Training TV?  If so, tell us about it in the comment section below.

Stay Tuned!

Guess Who’s Going To Service Dog College?

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Today Adelle began the next step in her journey to becoming a service dog.  We like to call it going to Service Dog College.  However, Adelle was selected for a special program before she actually starts Service Dog College.  So I guess she’s actually going to Service Dog Junior College first 🙂

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginnings End

Adelle Turn In Day
Good luck little girl.  I know you’ll do great!

Over the next 8 weeks Adelle will be training with young adults at the Southwest Juvenile Hall where she will work further on her basic obedience and socialization.  This is a wonderful opportunity for Adelle as it not only furthers her training, but she will also help rehabilitate the youngsters at the Juvenile Hall.  I’m sure she will make a difference in their lives just like she did with us over the past 15 months.

And The Journey Continues…

After 8 weeks at Juvenile Hall Adelle will move on to the Prison Pup Program at the California Institute for Women.  Once again she will get the chance to work on her training while rehabilitating inmates.  Here’s a little excerpt from the CST website:

In September of 2002, the California Institution for Women in Chino, CA, became the first prison within the state of California to have a Service Dog Training Program. Canine Support Teams is proud of its “Prison Pup Program” where the Chino Hills Women’s Prison Pup Program inmate trainers play a vital role in the advanced training of our service dogs for the disabled community.

The dogs are assigned to an inmate trainer at 18 months of age, after being raised in a puppy raiser home where they are well socialized and taught obedience skills. They remain at the prison for 4-6 months. CST staff provides the inmates 2 hour training classes each Tuesday evening and 3 Saturdays per month, working with the inmates and training them to become dog trainers, groomers, and technicians.

CST Founder Carol Roquemore’s ultimate joy in the program is that “The women who have been released from prison after being involved in the dog training program, have not returned to prison. Not one!”

While at the prison Adelle will learn more advanced training specific for her recipient.   Puppies are trained to assist with little things we may not ever consider being an issue. Things like

  • Turning on and off lights
  • Picking up dropped keys
  • Open and close doors
  • Push elevator buttons
  • Untie shoes
  • Pull off socks
  • Assist with pulling off a sweater or coat
  • In some cases even help with a pair of trousers

A person’s service dog can assist with standing and walking by being there to steady them or help sit down in a chair and get back up.  The dogs are there to steady their owners while being transferred from a wheel chair to a bed or assist in a restroom, which may not be properly equipped.

Once Adelle has competed her training at the California Institute for Women she goes on to…

Team Training And Graduation

CST Service dogs are placed with people who use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches or canes, have Autism, Epilepsy, Seizures, Diabetes, Combat Veterans with PTSD and more.

Each person chosen to receive a service dog from Canine Support Teams spends two weeks in team training learning how to work with his or her new companion.  Team training concludes with a public access test and graduation for dog and handler.

Graduation day is also the same day we get to see Adelle again and meet her new partner for the first time.  Graduation will be approximately six months from now and people often wonder if our puppies remember us after being away for 6 months.  If there was any doubt take a look at Dublin’s Graduation Day Video.

So that’s it.  It’s up to Adelle now.  I know she’ll do great working with her new inmate trainers.  I can’t wait to see her again in 6 months…counting the days 🙂

Have you raised a service dog?  If you have we’d love to hear about your experiences in the comment section below.

Apache Is Working Hard On His Service Dog Training

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We recently got an email and to quote a part of it: “…I would say he is going to be a Great Service Dog…”  We certainly hope this will be true.

In case you don’t remember Apache was my last guide dog puppy in training.  After spending a month at guide dog college he was career changed due to a medical condition.  However, the good news is he was career changed to a service dog organization called Canine Support Teams (CST).

Today Apache is in the Prison Pup Program with CST working on his service dog training with an inmate trainer at Chino Institute for Women.

Apache, A Great Service Dog…We Certainly Hope So!

Sorry, they don’t allow picture of Apache while he’s in the Prison Pup Program 🙁  I would have loved to have seen him in his dog Halloween Costume.  Since no updated picture here’s one of him as a puppy:

Apache, Fetch!
Apache, Fetch!

So without further adieu here’s the latest update we received about our buddy, Apache:

I got to spend time with Apache last night. I have to tell you he won first place in the Halloween Costume contest he was dressed like an Indian featuring a feathered headress and a loin cloth, he enjoyed every minute of the attention. His sister Asha was Pocahontas..very cute together.

Apache is doing very well, in last nights class we had a 2 part class the first part was the Primary Trainers taking the dogs through obedience commands with their hands behind their backs using no treats or hand gestures. I can tell you Apache did very well. He kept his eyes on his Trainer and stayed right by her side, even with the distraction of other dogs. The reason this is important and is practiced is not every client will have the ability to hold a leash and give gestures. We want the dogs to maintain eye contact and do what ever they are asked to do. He did a great job…

The second part of the class was a babysitter or secondary trainer who has never worked with the dog to do the same thing. Apache still did well with this but like all the other dogs was not totally focused on the new person. So it was good for the entire class to see that all dogs need to work for whoever asks them to do the command. We did let them bring out treats and all the dogs responded better to the new people and we had lots of wagging tails. Overall it was a Great class.

I spent some time talking with his trainer and asking about progress, any issues etc. She said he is doing well at all his obedience, directional, and working on task. He loves, loves, loves to retrieve. He started with the basic dropped items off the floor, keys, pens, glasses. He has progressed to retrieving items off counters, he is tall enough to retrieve out of the sink. He has such a gentle mouth he has moved on to mail and single sheets of paper. He can also now turn lights on and off with the commands Light & Switch.

I would say he is going to be a Great Service Dog. The next Team Training is in March…client files are being reviewed and if there is a good match for him he may be in that Team Training.

I’m happy to hear that Apache did so well with his secondary trainer.  He must be maturing!  Maybe it’s because his second birthday is right around the corner.  Does that mean he’s almost an adult!?  Probably not till he’s closer to three years old.

I’m so proud of Apache.  I hope he truly does become a great service dog for someone.  My fingers are crossed that he makes the next team training this March.  GO APACHE!!!

Do you have a dog in formal guide or service dog training?  How’s your puppy doing?   Tell us about your experiences in the comment section below.

Puppy Raisers Gather At OCTA Service Animal Training

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We’ve been organizing our Orange County Guide Dogs of America group outings for the past two years and one of our favorites is organized by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

The OCTA Service Animal Training is held once a year on the first Saturday of October and offers service animals the opportunity to ride the OCTA bus and enter the Knott’s Berry Farm theme park for free!  Training is held from 8am to noon at the Fullerton Park and Ride.

OCTA Service Animal Training

Hina riding the OCTA Bus
Hina riding the OCTA bus at service animal training day.

We’ve been raising and training guide dog puppies for over 6 years now.  Part of our job as guide dog puppy raisers is to make sure our puppies are well socialized with all different kinds of people, places, and things.  When our dogs graduate guide dog college many will start using public transportation on a regular basis.

A lot of us don’t think to much about public transportation especially people like myself living in Southern California and driving a car from place to place.  Many people with disabilities don’t have the luxury of driving their own cars and must use buses, trains, and trams to get around.

Guide dogs in training boarding the bus
Guide dogs in training boarding the bus

OCTA bus training is a great chance for our dogs to gain experience boarding, exiting, and riding on a bus.  Not only that, but OCTA and Knott’s Berry Farm team up every year to also give us free passes into Knott’s Berry Farm to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a theme park.

It’s an awesome experience for both puppy raisers and puppies in training and if you’re a puppy raiser and live in the Southern California area I highly recommend you look into attending OCTA service animal training next year.

Pups at Knott's Berry Farm in front of the train
Pups at Knott’s Berry Farm in front of the train

Some Tips When Working With Your Puppy On The Bus

We got a few last minute tips from our puppy department before our training day and we just wanted to share with you in case you ever have to take your dog on the bus.

  • When riding the bus, puppies need to be sitting in front of you facing out, and your toes should be tucked around your puppy’s toes to protect them from being stepped on.  This will be the most common position for them in formal training and when riding with their blind person.
  • For longer rides, puppies can be laying down as long as no part of them is sticking out from under the seat.

Basically you want to make sure and protect your puppy from getting stepped on.  Be very aware of your puppies feet and tail as they tend to sometimes hang out and can possibly get run over by an unsuspecting person.

OCTA Service Animal Training
Great job puppy raisers! Pups are kept under seats with a clear path for people to walk down.

Many Different Service Animal Groups Gather At OCTA Bus Training

One of my favorite parts about the OCTA training day is seeing all of the different service animal groups gathering to work on training their puppies.  Some of the groups we remember seeing were Guide Dogs of America, Canine Companions for Independence, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Canine Support Teams, Guide Dog for the Blind, Delta Society, and a few others we can’t remember off the tops of our head.

Of course the weekend was not without a little bit of mischief.  we saw this pup hop up on the passenger seat.  A definite no-no when riding the bus.  I guess he wanted to check out the college football scores.

Service Dog Bus Training
Getting into a bit of puppy mischief. Our pups aren’t perfect that’s why jackets say puppy “in training”

Thank you to Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and Knott’s Berry Farm for providing us with this wonderful training day.  It’s an invaluable experience for all of us puppy raisers.

We’ll see you next year!

Did you participate in this years OCTA Service Animal Training?  Have you taken you dog on public transportation?  Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Service Dog! –by Apache

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Apache started his journey as a guide dog puppy in training, but now he’s in a service dog training program.  It’s tough choosing a career just ask all of those kids currently attending college.  Heck I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up!

Anyways, Apache has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride, but it sounds like he’s doing great in his service dog training with Canine Support Teams.  Every time I get an email about Apache I’m excited to hear about all of his new accomplishments and adventures.

Just in case you missed out on the adventures of Apache here’s a short timeline:

  • Dec. 22nd, 2010 – a little fuzzy Golden Retriever named Apache is born
  • Feb. 2011 – Apache goes home with his puppy raiser, Mary
  • Dec. 5th, 2011 – Apache is re-homed with me after getting too big for Mary to handle
  • Jul. 14th, 2012 – Apache starts his formal guide dog training
  • Aug. 2012 – Apache is career changed moving from Guide Dogs of America to Canine Support Teams

And here’s a link to our first update of Apache’s journey to become a service dog: Apache Is Starting His Service Dog Training In The Prison Pup Program.

Apache Wants To Be A Service Dog!

Apache golden retriever puppy
Apache loves to play with his buddies!

A few days ago we got our second email update on Apache’s progress!  It’s so exciting!  No more chatter check it out…

FIRST PART OF THE LETTER

I saw Apache on Tuesday evening. He is doing very well. He is working on Directional which means placement. GDA dogs only learn heal in Canine Support Teams he will learn several commands here are a few of them: side, go around, go through, behind, go in, my lap, jump on, up, etc. When he first started his training it was very apparent how conditioned he was by his Guide dog training. He would not take a treat with someone saying “okay” nor would he jump up on anything.

He is now learning that the sound of the clicker means he did something to be rewarded for. He will do most things for just a lot of praise, some of the things that have been harder for him to learn he gets a reward for doing.

He goes to work everyday with his trainer and is exposed to lots of different situations and sounds. He is doing very well and looks great. He has only tried to jump on his trainer a few times. They anticipate that are able to stop him before he gets to that point.

In Canine Support Teams he only gets positive reinforcement there are no training collars or heavy corrections. He is getting use to wearing a head collar / halti which helps with his pulling but when I saw him on Tuesday he was walking like a perfect gentleman. The ladies LOVE him and he is responding so positively to this training.

SECOND PART OF THE LETTER

I just wanted to give you a little more detail on Apache and his progress. Like I said below his GDA training became very apparent when it came to rewards….He was much better this week than he was the week before about taking a treat without an “okay” command…A week ago he would just stare at the treat and he would not take it without the okay…..I have given the instruction that if they click they treat, just give it to him don’t wait for him to take it, that seems to be working better.

A week ago he would not pick his feet for any commands like my lap, place, jump on, up, etc. Again his four on the floor GDA training is very apparent. They finally got him to jump on and really through a big party so to speak when he did it….Big Praise, Jackpot treats….he was so proud of himself, they said he was like I get praise for that…woohooo let me get down and do it again. As you know CST is all about positive rewards for learning new commands we want him to think he has hit the jackpot when he figures it out. It is so rewarding to watch his growth week after week.

His Trainer works with the Forestry Service, so his visit to the Fire Station came in handy. They where surprised that he did not have any issues with the Fire Trucks. He did however, shy away from someone who had work gloves on. He did after investigating the gloves accept a pet from a gloved hand. You really don’t think about what dogs can become shy about.

He is continuing to work on directional work, he will move onto Task work later in his training. Right now he still needs encouragement to come up off the floor with some of his other commands. He is such a sweet boy, he is really being good about not jumping up on anyone. He has done it twice to the secondary trainer who was anticipating it and stopped him before he could actually get all the way up. He is learning to wear the halti/head collar and that helps with the loose leash walking. The Ladies love him, he walks around so proud..

They keep him beautifully groomed and he looks great. He is responding so positively to this training…he is going to make an awesome service dog. It’s wonderful to see him and hear from his trainers the progress he makes each week.

So awesome!  I’m glad Apache is doing so well and it seems like he’s really enjoying the positive reinforcement training they use at CST.  I knew everyone would love him because he really is the sweetest dog and he’s probably just loving all of the attention.

I’m so excited for Apache!  I can’t wait to get my next letter on his progress.

How about you other puppy raisers out there?  What’s the word on your pups that have started their formal service dog training?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

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