Feb 23-Mar 1 Working on Team Work

We had a lot of fun this week and a few pit falls. No dog is perfect as you will soon read, but we as always use every opportunity for training. I also want to say how wonderful people have been with Luke's training and having patience with us.

Skills (At Home Training):

Tricks - So we are adding in some just for fun/body awareness training. We are working on "Spin" in both directions and him weaving between legs. We will be adding in more as we go. These are really fun for Luke but also challenge him and help him with body awareness, which in turn helps with his service dog work.

Distress Response and DPT - More and more Luke is doing distress response on his own, we are adding in the DPT with the response and also working on DPT with out the distress aspect. We are calling DPT "cuddle" even though it is much more than that.

Paw Touch - Working on paw touch both for hitting the buttons for doors as well as for alerts or to get help.

Obedience - We are working on distance of obedience commands as well as place, off leash obedience and just overall stepping up the level of obedience. I also let Ara have her own training session with Luke. She was in charge of the treats and giving the basic commands. She did great :) and so did Luke.

Outside - the weather was some what nice so we worked on some team work as well. We walked around our neighborhood with Ara giving Luke commands and working on straight lines of walking, with obstacle avoidance and stopping at intersections.

 


Outings:

Doctor Appointments - Guide tasks, distractions, under (chair), down stay and focusing on Ara

Dentist- So this is were we see Luke having an off day. Luke did great with paw touch for opening the door, watch me and guiding. How ever he was very antsy and did not want to do a down while I was filling out paper work and Ara was playing with toys. We were one of two patients there at the time so they had Ara back in no time. Once Ara was in the chair Luke laid down but would not be still he kept readjusting and moving around then he alert barked when he heard heavy foot steps and then barked again when a door slammed. Each time it was only one bark and I was able to get him focused back on me. He did finally settle down after doing so focus exercise and after Ara told him she was ok. I apologized to the staff about him barking but they said it was ok and they understood he was in training. So what do you do in this situation? For us I will first try to redirect Luke and get him refocused if that does not work I will remove him from the situation get him to refocus and then try again. We are working on a different way for Luke to alert through paw touch. I dont want to take away his ability to tell us something so that is why we are working to shape this differently.  **if your dog is showing any signs of fear, aggression or stress. Please remove the dog from the situation and consult a trainer for additional help**

Therapy Appointments - We are working more and more on Ara and Luke's teamwork  as this is a place that is very comfortable for them both. We also worked a little on stairs, down stays, Ara doing "watch me" and paw touch

Hospital - Ara's Papa had to go to the hospital for a few days and we were able to visit him. Luke did very well. We had to walk across a busy road to get to the hospital and Luke did great with the intersection and guiding. Once in the room we let him say hi to Papa, and Luke ignored all the noises of the machines, doors opening/closing, knocking ect. Luke helped Ara by doing a block, licking her arms to try and get her to focus on him and we had to leave because her anxiety was getting too high. Luke lead her out to the hall way and we waited for the rest of the family. The fact that we made it into the hospital with out a meltdown is huge for Ara.

Sams Club - This was an odd start to this trip. We sat down to eat some pizza before shopping and as we were finishing up a older lady came up and said "what kind of dog is that" pointing under the table. I told her he was a standard poodle and the women all but climbed under our table to see him and was making noises to try and get him to come out. Then she says something about "sneaking him in" I said no he is my daughter service dog and is allowed in with her. She finally left, but that was the first time I had someone almost climb under a table to see him and invading our space so much. What did Luke do while this was going on? He ignored her and did not move an inch. We worked on a little team work and verbal commands while shopping and getting Luke to watch Ara for directional cues. Also did some DPT using his head and body while Ara was sitting.

We also went to a few other stores this week as well, working in narrow isles with many obstacles and working on right and left over, which is starting to really come along nicely.

So we had a lot of great team work opportunities and training this week and we had some not so good moments, but that comes with training. Dogs are not robots and will have off days like we all do.

Many Adventures this week Feb 16-22

I am late writing last weeks adventures so I am going to cover our outings and adventures this week. Our in home training consisted of obedience, vest work, place, team work  and leave it.

Outings:

Doctor Appointment - Luke did paw touch to open the doors, did a very good working on under with a single chair, down stay and distractions. At one point they needed to take Ara to do an eye exam down the hall and to the right. I was busy with little sister and Ara stopped a the door and got tense and stiff and would not leave with the nurse. Luke broke his down stay and went to heel position on Ara. I asked if it was ok if she took him with her (the office was empty only staff was there), they said sure. So she lead him to the eye exam area.....a few minutes later Luke comes back in the room and gives me the 'look' and comes to my heel side. I take his leash and he leads me back to Ara. Apparently he realized I did not follow and Ara was really tense so he came to get me. He also did "around" to try and help her feel more comfortable, and know she was safe.

Speech - Paw touch, down stay, and also did good with little kids running around the office.

Dentists office - The dentists is in the same building as Speech but up the big set of stairs (you can see them in the previous video they are the second set). This appointment was for little sister and Luke had never been to the dentist office before. It was very crowded and there was very little room for all of us. Luke had to lay on a large hose (asked if it was ok before he laid down). There were all sorts of new sounds, smells and sights and Luke handled all with out a problem. Some of the other nurses could not believe we all fit in the little space and how great Luke behaved.

We also worked on the Stairs. Ara was able to go both up and down both sets of stairs with Luke's help. We will be working on it again next week so hope to get another video.

Doctor Appointment - Ara had shots at her last appointment and she had a reaction to one of them so we went in to have it checked out. Luke did a down block with out being cued. Also find out and paw touch.

Walmart (twice this week) - Walking with cart, distractions, right/left turn directions, guide tasks, block, find out, find car and ignoring barking dogs in the parking lot. I was so surprised how many older people made kissy and distracting sounds at Luke while we were there. Not only is it very distracting for Luke and makes his work harder but it is also very upsetting to Ara at times. Please if you see a service dog out in public do not distract the dog, which includes making noises/sounds at it or petting with out permission.

Church - Guide tasks, bracing position for curbs, distractions, down stay, block, "say hi", find out and find car. Luke alerted to Ara's anxiety by a soft bark, we are working on making this a silent alert by paw touch or nose nudge. We were able to stay the whole time this week.

This week we also met with a new dog trainer. Her facility has a bunch of fun equipment such as fit paws, open (yet secure) field, agility equipment and more. She offers an open practice once a week for people to come in and use the equipment and field. She is also going to help us with Luke's excitement around other dogs.

At Home

At home Luke is getting very good at distress response and DPT with out being cued. Also as the weather gets nicer we are able to go on more walks and the kids are learning to ride their bikes. We are also adding in "just for fun" tricks to keep training upbeat and interesting for him.

 

Picture and Video Over Load - Feb 2 - Feb 15th

Wow is this month almost over. We have been so busy this short month with birthdays, therapies and doctors appointments, not to mention fun outings too. I also got some great videos and pictures these two weeks. We are also working on Ara being in the lead on some things now as well.

Do service dogs ever get to just be dogs........ yep look at this silly boy

Sleeping in the recliner

Brought me a rose we were using for a craft project

Skills: (At Home Training)

Vest Work - This is something I have always forgotten to put on here. I will have Luke were his soft vest around the house and do some extended time training. Like long down stays on his place (bed or mat), responding to Ara when she is in distress, behavior interruption or DPT, Under (maneuvering under tables/chairs), puppy push ups, and the list goes on.  This gets him use to doing commands both with out a vest and in his vest. We started this when he was 4mo old.

Leave it (with "watch me") - Always working and reinforcing this one. When I say "leave it" I also want him to focus his attention to me. So I have added the "watch me" to this. He has a very good leave it with food. However he loves to put things in his mouth and bring you things you dont want. So I will see him looking at one of the kids stuffed animals or a leggo and tell him "leave it" and give a verbal "yes" and praise when he does. Leave it can also be used for distraction or focusing on the wrong thing, for example getting distracted by someone trying to call him, I will tell him "leave it" and "watch me". He has gotten good and will now automatically look at me after I say "leave it".

Drop it - Oh the fun of having a dog that loves to pick things up. Luke is awesome at drop it no matter what he has in his mouth. This can be a life saving command (dog has something sharp, dangerous or a choking hazard in his mouth) and ever dog should know this one.

Place - We are still expanding the length of time he is in "place" and also him going to place no matter where we are in the house, waiting for the release command and coming directly to me after the release.

Down/Long Down Stays - We are working on quicker responses to down (while vested) and longer intervals of the long down stays.

Obedience - Every week we run through his basic obedience (both vested and not). Ara is usually the one giving the commands/signals now as well as the praise.

Outside - YES the weather is finally getting nice again. So we are working outside more. We are starting with obedience and going on walks. During the walks we work on directions, stopping at intersections, backing up, switching sides ect.

Team Work - Having Ara lead her own training session in which she chooses what we work on and gives the commands and praise, with me just guiding them both.


Outings:

Therapy - We work on so much at therapy - under, long down stays, behavior interruption, distress response/ DPT, stairs, team work, leave it and paw touch/push. Luke did a great distress response during ST with out prompt and when done came right back to his down stay area. We are also working on making the paw touch on the handicap door buttons into a automatic task.

This was a very hard video for me to make because I had to watch while she struggled with something that should be easy for a child her age. This is how Luke Helps.

 


Doctors Office - Paw touch for the door button as well as the call button for the elevator, Down stay and "quiet". Luke was in puppy brain mode for this appointment. He barked at voices he heard in another area and was pushy about greeting her doctor which he never does. Corrections were made and he settled down after a bit.

Stores - (Grocery/Walmart/Target/Toy R Us/ Payless ect) too many to list these two weeks. We worked on PAT, guide tasks, directions, vocal commands and hand signals, distractions, block, find out and find car.

Birthday Party at a play place - We rented a little play area for the girls party. I knew this would be a challenge for Luke so he got to stay for a little bit then went to doggy daycare. One of our friends has a young child with seizures and Luke was drawn to him and kept trying to smell his face. He also barked a few times as people were coming in and could not sit still very long as he was excited. He got to meet everyone then daddy took him to doggy daycare where he had a very fun afternoon.

Red Lobster -  Let me start off by saying we were there for 2 1/2 hours due to how busy they were and we were a large party (grandparents and great grandparents with us). It was very busy in the waiting area and Luke did some anxiety work, by alerting to her anxiety increasing, licking her arm to get her to focus on him and then helped me take her outside to get some fresh air. After we were seated he did a perfect under and laid quietly the entire meal except twice when Ara needed him. He was not distracted by the wait staff standing around the girls singing them happy birthday, the rolling floor cleaner and ignored dropped food. He did awesome.

 


However we did have our first negative person in public. As soon as we walked in Ara went to the lobster tank and a women standing next to it started talking bad about us loudly to her friend saying "some people think they can take there pets any were and call them service dogs" and made a disgusted noise. I removed Ara and Luke from the situation and walked over to were our family was standing. The entire time we were waiting these two women gave us dirty looks and talked about us. We had out of town family with us so I did not confront these two women however I did give them the dirtiest look I could muster.

Mall - We went to the mall on Sunday and did not realize the mall opens before all the stores do.....so we used the time to walk through the Public Access Test. Ara participated in it where she could and luckily there were a few other families there so we even got to do the part about Luke laying down and being petted by kids. Luke passed every part of it with flying colors (except the out to eat part). We also worked on " left and right over" which is where Luke guides Ara over to a wall or safe place out of the flow of the crowd. Ara was playing on the little kids coin rides and I was talking to some people who asked about Luke. Luke did great with visually checking on Ara and then giving me eye contact, he also did a great Find Ara when I walked him away from the area. We also worked on "door" for operating the push buttons, find out, and find car.

Sams Club - Finished the rest of the Public Access Test as we ate at the food court. He did a great under and ignored all dropped food. Walked great with the cart and ignored all distractions. We also worked on block, guide tasks and find car.

 




Highlights:

Ara has been really struggling these last two weeks as we go through medication changes and such. Luke has been doing some great response work with out prompting.

Passed the walk through of the Public Access Test so hopefully we will be able to do it soon and video tape it.

Doing more on his own as far as response and guiding in public.

Always Busy Busy - Weeks in review Jan 19- Feb 1

We have been so busy these last couple of weeks. The girls birthdays are coming up and I have been busy getting ready for their birthday party and family coming to visit. The last two weeks we have had some new experiences and also proofing some known tasks. Luke is going through his teenage stage which means some days he is off and full of puppy mischief.

Skills (At home training):

DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) - This has been one of Luke's most helpful tasks. He is getting to the point will he will automatically go to her when she is upset and will lay his paws on her if she is laying down flat. He needs a little help with positioning when she is siting or curled up. He is still very much a puppy at times and sometimes tries to play with her by bringing her his slobbery squeeky toy instead. Here are some pics of him working on DPT

 

Behavior Interruption - We did a lot of training with Luke interrupting certain behavior such as nail biting, lip pinching ect. So Ara is helping a lot now with this training. She will hold a treat in her hand and then put her hand near her mouth and Luke will nudge the hand and she will reward him with the treat she is holding. This task will take longer to train because Luke also has to learn to really watch Ara. So we will also be getting Ara to do the watch me command to help him learn to focus on her.

Find - We had more fun with Find Ara and Find Dad.

Targeting - Nose Touch and Paw Touch with Clik Stik and push lights

Open/ Close Fridge - Another of Luke's favorite things to do. He has just about got it down pat and we are working on a better tug for him to make it easier for him.

Retrieve - Luke will bring me random items through out the day such as stuff animals, a shoe, toilet paper role and other odd items. However, we have hit a bit of confusion with practicing retrieving wanted objects. So we are going back to basics and will start re training.

And of course we always work on basic and advance obedience such as sit, down, stand, under, long stays, ect.

Outings:

Kmart - General public training and distractions. We went with out Ara because we were picking up her Birthday present :)

Office Depot - Directions right/left, forward and stop, distractions, find out, find car

Local Toy Shop - This was a new experience for Luke (Ara was not with us). This local shop has a place for kids parties so there were a lot of kids and a birthday going on. Luke had never been around that many kids yelling and running around. He was very distracted at first but was able to refocus on me after a few minutes. I have noticed that when Ara is not with us while doing training he is much more easily distracted, when Ara is with us I hardly ever have to refocus him.

Bank - Luke had his first trip to the bank. We got to have a little tour and see the big change machine so that the girls could cash in their change. It was very noisy but did not phase Luke at all.

Vet Office - The vet was very impressed with how well behaved Luke is and how well he listened to Ara. Luke is in great health and the vet loved hearing about how he helps Ara. However as we were leaving we had to walk by two biiiiiggg puppies and Luke lost it and wanted to go play with them. He was not vested at them time, reminded again that yes he still is a puppy and has things to work on lol. I do not vest Luke when we go to the vets or pet stores as these places are highly distracting and he is not ready to be "on duty" in these places yet.

Pet Store - Working on ignoring and not reacting (excitedly wanting to play) to other dogs. Lots of high value treats involved with this. We will be working on this as often as possible.

Church - Luke is doing great with going to church and doing long down stays, blocking and guide work. Here is a pic of Luke blocking, unfortunately Ara was having a bad day and we had to leave early but that is ok.

Tax Place - Again another new experience for Luke a cubical type of setting. We worked on long down and being quiet. Luke sometimes will bark when someone comes in a door behind us, it is a single alert bark. I am working on redirecting this behavior into a quieter alert.

So we had a lot of great new experiences and of course more to work on and refine. I for one can not wait for Luke to come out of this teenage stage, but until then I will be adding some extra busy games for him. The weather has gotten nicer so we can also go on longer walks.

So Proud of all of our achievements these last two weeks.

Sometimes I find it hard to balance everything going on between being a mom, wife and training Luke it seems like there is never enough time some days. I have made a new schedule and so far it has really helped with that balance. As you will see below we are asking more of Luke and Ara. I am so proud of how well they work together and of the effort that Ara puts in to help with his training.


Skills (At Home Training):

Open/Close Fridge - Ok this has to be his favorite fun thing to do. I learned quickly to only treat him after he closes the fridge door, because he was randomly opening the door through out the day and I would walk into the kitchen finding it wide open...lol.

Harness Conditioning - putting on his new working gear, making sure it fits and he is comfortable. He seems to really like the new gear. Luke does wear the new harness on outings now, but is not doing any weight bearing, Ara is using it just like she did his vest. He will not start any weight bearing training until he is two years old.

Nose Touch - Clik Stik and hand. With the clik stik I am now using it to get better range of motion and build up his confidence in going under things and also standing on his hind legs to reach higher.

Retrieve -  we used small bottle, leash, cardboard tube and the dumb bell. He is getting really good at this so now I will be adding in some real world items for him to start bringing.

Nail Biting/Behavior Interruption -  Ara has started helping with this task. She will hold the treat in her hand, I will then tell Luke "Watch Ara", and then give her a nod as the go ahead to bite her nails. Luke will go to her and nudge her hand away from her mouth and she will give him the treat.  "Watch Ara" is one of those cues that I have trained with out really noting it....but it is a very important cue and we will be working more with it.

Block - Ara is now working with us on this one as well. We ran into an issue on how he is suppose to go back into a heel when we are not moving forward after a "block". So we are doing two things. We are teaching "around" were Ara takes her hands off his vest and he circles around to the heel position and "back up heel" where he backs up in the heel position and Ara does not take her hands off his vest. "Around" can also be used as another way of creating space for her as well.

Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT)  and distress response - I am loving that Ara wants everyday to help with Luke's training. Here is a video of one of those sessions. Luke is in a sit off camera.

Obedience - Of course every week we work on obedience place, long down stays, off leash skills, watch me, leave it ect.

Outings:

Walmart -  our last trip to walmart I had on the new hands free leash, we worked on guide tasks, directions right/left, stop, block, behind (yep another of those cues I really have not noted but he knows) find out and find car. Luke did everything with out me having to touch the leash, he followed all vocal commands and is now doing some things all on his own. Like stopping when he gets outside the building, before going into the road, stopping at the intersections at the store ect.  Being hands free is not only awesome for me when we are out but is also for Ara and Luke. I am training him for her not for me. It also means he is understanding his job more and has the confidence and ability to do it.

Hospital - Ara had a blood draw and Luke did great. He wore his new BLD harness and we ran into a problem. The waiting room was full and he could not get under the bench with the BLD on, so we had figure out what to do. We ended up putting him in front of us laying down on my feet. I will need to teach him to back under things instead of going in head first. He had no problem with the nurses (took three of them :( to do it) prepping for the blood draw or during, his focus was on Ara and helping to distract her with nose touch and kisses on her free hand. He also was able to operate the elevator up/down button.

We also went to the Dollar Store, Hobby Lobby, Michaels and got Hair cuts this week. Most of those trips were short and we worked on PAT, guide tasks and distractions.

How to find a Good Service Dog Program

As most of you know our family was scammed by a service dog program. I was so new to the service dog world that I had no idea how to spot a bad program. I have been receiving some messages and emails asking how to find a good programs, so I thought I would write a post about it.

The big thing to remember is "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". If someone is promising you Lassie reincarnate with under 18mo of training time, turn and walk away. Lassie was a TV character and does not exist, that being said Service Dogs are a tremendous help and can be life changers but they are still dogs and can still make mistakes.

Red Flags of programs/organizations to stay away from: (this is not all inclusive)

*If a program claims to be a non-profit but can not give you paper work or proof to show that they are a 501(c)3 company.

*Does not help with fundraising or give you a fundraising packet. Even before you sign a contract I would have them show you examples of fundraisers they have helped with and find out what happens if you don't hit your goal. Also is their a time limit to your fundraising. Also what happens to the money if you don't hit your fundraising goal in time.


*Do not follow their States laws for service dogs in training. For example many states have laws that you must be a licensed trainer or be on a list in order to have public access with a service dog in training.

*Refuse to allow you to see a contract before putting a deposit down. 

*Refuse to show you vet records and training records of the dog they match you with.

* Does not health test any of their dogs. Does not do OFA (hips, elbows ect) or PennHip testing on mobility dogs. In order to do OFA tests the dog must be 2yrs old or older. Penn Hip testing can be done at a year old. Each breed has a recommended list of health testing that should be done for common problems in that breed. These could effect whether or not that dog becomes a service dog or how long the dog will be able to work as a service dog.

*Refuse to show you any proof of the experience of their trainers. Most professional trainers will have some continuing education certificates, have competed in dog sports and/or be registered with one of the professional dog training associations. Also check to make sure any certificate they do give are real by calling the issuing program/organization and ask them if the trainers are in good standing.

*Claims their dogs have 100% success rate in becoming service dogs. Even the bests programs have dogs that wash out. Not all dogs are cut out to be service dogs and there is nothing wrong with that. Usually the dogs that wash out are placed with their puppy raisers or adopted out to good homes.

* The program places puppies or dogs under the age of 1yr as fully trained Service Dogs. Service Dogs take close to 18mo and sometimes up to 2yrs to fully train.

*Anything express or instant. Training a service dog takes a lot of time and slow is best when training is concerned. 

*Use of prong collars on every dog that they train and/or puppies. If a program has to resort to using prong collars on all their dogs or on puppies. I question their ability to train service dogs.

*Claims their dogs are 100% reliable. Dogs are not machines they are living breathing beings and even the best dogs will have an off day or make a mistake.

*Claim that they can train any dog to predict seizures. You can not train a dog to predict a seizure, however some dogs (a very small percent) have a natural ability to sense a seizure before they happen. 

*Places dogs as fully trained service dogs that are not trained in tasks that mitigate the persons disability. For example dogs that sole purpose are to provide emotional support or comfort.

*Program does not train the dog tasks that you need. If a program will only train a certain amount of tasks or certain types of tasks. Service Dogs should be trained for an individual to mitigate their disability. For example if a dog is trained in seizure response but you do not have seizures then that is not a legitimate task. The program should get to know you and help you figure out what tasks you need.

*Place dogs with small children and promote tethering the dog to the small child, leaving the dog and child unsupervised or to function as a babysitter in place of parental supervision. Service Dogs can do a great deal to help children but they are still dogs, not robots or baby sitters. Also tethering can be very dangerous for both the child and the dog, for example if the dog bolts or quickly moves away from the child it could cause the child to fall. On the other hand a child who is tethered to a dog during a meltdown could accidentally hurt the dog and the dog can not move away.  (this is different than older children using hands free leashes)

* A program does not offer continuing training or team training. Handling a service dog takes some know how, they also need to be trained continually or they can become sloppy in their work. If a program/organization does not offer any team training or continuing training after you take the dog home they probably don't have your best interest in mind.

What You Can Do:
So what can you do to find a good program out side of looking for Red Flags? There are many things.

1) Look for Complaints - You can not please everyone but when it comes to raising a large amount of funds take any complaints you find seriously and talk to everyone possible.  Google search the program, call their states Attorney Generals Office and find out if there are any complaints, call the Better Business Bureau, go on facebook service dog groups and ask around.

2) Make sure they are licensed on the state and federal level to do business and are in fact a non-profit and in good standing.

3) Ask for references - from their vet office, past clients and again service dog groups on facebook can be a huge help in this area.

4) Ask to come and see the facility if you are able to also sit in on a class or two before signing a contract. If you are long distance ask for a video chat, virtual walk through ect.

5) Ask about their training methods. Get the details of they philosophy on the training methods they use. If you feel uncomfortable with any of their methods then walk away.

6) Know where the dogs are coming from. Do they have their own breeding program? if so are they in good standing with the AKC or UKC? Use rescues? Use wash outs from other programs? How they get their prospects can tell you alot about the program.

7) Ask how they temperament test and socialize their dogs. Again how they pick their prospective service dogs for training can tell you alot.

8) Ask what happens if the dog you are matched with washes out or is not a good fit for you? Do they replace the dog with another or refund your money?

9) Do your research on all of the above. Make sure you know how temperament tests and socialization works. Become an expert by knowing what you expect out of a program and a service dog before talking to them. Talk to the service dog community on facebook or in forums other handlers have so much they can teach and share with you.

If a program is not willing to talk to you about any of these things or does not get to know you before signing a contract then I would walk away. Remember this is a big deal you will be raising a large amount of cash for them and a service dog is a huge commitment.  Do not let desperation or fear make the choices for you, you have to be your own advocate.

A New Year and some new Goals plus our week in review

Happy New Year everyone. We are starting the New Year off with some new goals and focus.

This year we will be working on several goals here are a few of them -  Luke's mobility training, Ara and Luke's team work, tasks becoming more solid, automatic responses (fading out cues), and Luke taking his Public Access Test.  I will also be posting new posts that have to do with service dogs in general, programs and such.

Skills (At Home Training)

DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) - Ara loves helping in this training, She will go and lay down and fake cry and I will cue Luke to go to her and lay his paws across her lap. He is still working on the correct placing of his feet/legs.

Distress Response - DPT is one type of distress response we are working on the other is to nose or lick Ara when she is upset before actually needing DPT or other help. Luke has done this on his own so we are shaping it.


Open/Close Refrigerator -  This is a just for fun trick. Ara at this point does not need Luke to do this for her but I believe in making training fun and always doing new things. This will not be considered a task since Ara does not need it to mitigate her disability. Now with all that said, Luke picked this up with in a few minutes. I have taught him to tug (he has a soft mouth) and then tied the tug to the fridge door, he tugs it to open it. For the close he can either do a nose nudge or paw push to close it.  Here is the video of his second attempt

Paws Up- This is body awareness and conditioning exercise plus has practical uses as well. We have worked on this before on a low stool but this week we also worked on other objects such as a stool, a bench, our coffee table and a box. We will be working on many body awareness type of exercises through the new year.

Retrieval -  Get/Bring and Give it - We have worked with empty juice bottle, rube tube, doggie dumbell, cardboard tube and pvc tube. Luke is getting really good at bringing me what I point at and we are slowly moving to heavier objects such as a full water bottle, cell phone ect. Luke has a soft mouth so we are building up slowly the weight he can carry.

Nose Touch - I found a really small push light so I have added that to our box of tools :) We are working on getting a bit harder of a nose touch, so to get the treat he actually has to turn on the light not just touch his nose to it.

Obedience - As always we worked on Obedience sit, down, stand, stay, leave it, watch me, place ect.

Outings

Albertsons- (Ara was not with us) PAT, Directions right/left, guide work. Luke did bark while we were checking out. A worker was sprinting past us and Luke thought it would be a good idea to try and play with him....so he barked excited twice at him. I quickly corrected him by saying "leave it" and he refocused on me. I have now added people running by to the list of things to work on.

Target - Ara was not with us for this trip. We worked on walking by the cart, backing up with the cart down an aisle, , say hi, guide work, PAT, find out and find car.

The weather has been so cold single digits and below 0 with a lot of snow so we have not been doing a lot of outings and our outside training has been very limited. Hopefully this week will be better weather for some outdoor training.