Friday, June 22, 2012

Team Training ~ Day 11

Today was the last official day of Team Training. To celebrate, we had a wonderful picnic out in the country for not only the teams, but puppy raisers, breeder caretakers, friends and family. This gave the puppy raisers a chance to meet their puppy's new forever family. This was a great a opportunity for the families to learn more about their dogs when they were puppies. It also gave all the dogs chance to swim in the pond and play with other dogs. 

All and all this was a great day. Please join us tomorrow for details about graduation at Schmidt Family Vineyard.

-Hope and Denali




The winning Lotto Fun raffle ticket
for 6/22/12 is: 657




Thursday, June 21, 2012

Team Training ~ Day 10

Today was very important and fun for all the teams. The day started with a tour of the Bear Hotel in Grants Pass. Don't plan on booking your next stay there though, because only bears, nutcrackers and Bigfoot can stay there overnight. The Bear Hotel houses the painted bears that decorate Grants Pass in the summer months. Off season, the bears hibernate at the Bear Hotel. 

Brady Adams, the former president of Evergreen Bank created the Bear Hotel to be much more than a warehouse. A tour this morning took us through the center of the earth, the shield room, the treasure room, Santa's spaceship and sightings of Bigfoot were reported as well. 

Next came the hardest part of the day...testing. Teams met at the Rouge Valley Mall and performed various tasks throughout the mall, to determine the teams readiness to handle their dogs safely in public. The teams are anxious to find out how well they did on their tests. Results will be available tomorrow. For now, it's time for a much deserved good nights rest.

- Hope & Ali

The winning Lotto Fun raffle ticket number for 6/21/12 is : 402


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Team Training ~ Day 9

Today was a very fun day for everyone, kids and adults alike. The "find" game started the day, then came the human training. During this time students had to train other students to do a random physical task like touch their nose to a chair, or crawl through a tunnel. The "trainers" had to reward the "dogs" with treats (M&M's) and get them to perform their tasks without using commands, just like you would train a puppy. The "dogs" were rewarded with a jackpot (several M&Ms) when they completed the task. This helps simulate what s dog goes though to try and figure out what you want from them and also helps the trainer learn how to avoid confusing their dog. 
Next came the lecture given by Sheila on parasites, poisons, and general dog health. Lastly was a retrieval and cabinet opening practice. Teams practiced getting their dog to pick up items, open doors and turn on lights.

I would like to close today with another story of success. The spotlight shines upon Seth who usually has trouble sitting still, so places like movie theaters are difficult. But now, holding on to his new dog, he was able to sit through a whole movie perfectly content. This is a huge step in the right direction for Seth and his family. Way to go Seth! 

- Hope & Denali

Special thanks to Wild River Pizza for providing lunch at team training today.

The winning raffle ticket number for 6/20/12 is : 618


Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Team Training ~ Day 8

Today was a very different kind of day for those at team training. Unlike most, today was spent at the kennel/advanced training building learning about pack behavior. The teams observed the pack of dogs in the play yard and tried to identify the pack leader(s) of the group. One reason watching pack behavior is important is to learn how dogs treat other dogs and how they react to situations. 

In addition to watching dogs, both kids and adults got to work them too. Getting their dog to pull open the fridge and grab a bottle of water, turn on a light and retrieve items from off the floor, was the favorite part of the day for some. Others enjoyed horseback riding most of all, others going to a movie with the dogs for the first time. 

My favorite part however, was hearing about how five year old Isaac is now sleeping through the night for the first time ever, thanks to his new dog. As you can see, these dogs have already started making a remarkable difference!

That's all for today. Join us tomorrow for more amazing stories!

-Hope and Denali

PS. A special thanks to Harry Richter and Beth Kemp from everyone at Canine Angels for a very yummy lunch. 


The winning Lotto Fun raffle number for 6/19/12 is: 691


Monday, June 18, 2012

Team Training ~ Day 7

- Hope & Denali

Your probably wondering why I can't come up with a starting phrase other than, "Today was yet another wonderful day", but there is no better way to describe it. After another trip through the 'forbidden buffet', the teams were ready for another outing. First was lunch at the Olive Garden. The challenge: keep 15 dogs under the tables without anyone noticing. They all did fantastic! 


Next was Pet Smart where teams had to keep their dogs from getting distracted by dogs, cats, birds and food all at once. I'm glad to report that all teams completed this task successfully. Yay!

Lastly was a trip to Sportsman's Warehouse and the elevator challenge. Teams were taught how to enter and exit an elevator safely. This is very important if you want to keep your dog from getting smushed.






I would like to close this post with more stories of success. Today's story is about Seth who is autistic. Normally Seth resists family walks, but with his dog by his side, he went willingly and everyone enjoyed their walk together. Good job Seth! 





The winning Lotto Fun Raffle ticket number for 6/18/12 is: 902





Tune in tomorrow for more exciting stories.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day!

The winning Lotto Fun Raffle ticket number for 6/17/12 is: 032

Team Training Day 6 - 6/16/12

Today was another truly eventful day for the graduates to be. The day started with a sharing of stories from last nights overnight trip. The difference that these dogs make is already apparent. One mom says that her son Issac has already shown more independence by putting his clothes on by himself for the very first time! "I didn't even know he could. We are scheduled for therapy to teach him how to dress himself this Summer, I guess our schedule just freed up." This just goes to show you how much more confidence a furry friend can give a child.

 
Next, the students walked through the "forbidden buffet", a food avoidance challenge where teams had to learn to keep their dog from eating food that was spread on the ground. This was quite a difficult challenge, especially for the Labradors.

Lastly, was the field trip to the Grange Coop where teams had to work around and adapt to different situations and distractions. These included other dogs, cats, people and food.








Thanks for reading and please have a wonderful Father's Day!

-Hope and Denali

A special thanks from all of us at Canine Angels to Barry Shaw for a delicious lunch today.


Canine Angels Lotto Fun Raffle ticket winning number for 6/16/12 is: 840 





 

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Team Training Day 5

Today was a very special day for all the kids and parents who are in Grants Pass for team training. Over the past few days, they have been working very hard to learn the rules, commands and skills required to successfully work a service dog.


Each student worked on their obstacle course skills. Practicing jumping through a tire, going through an agility tunnel, were a couple of ways that they learned how to handle a dog in new situations, but also trained both the dogs and the people about problems presented in the real world.




In addition, they learned about proper grooming and care of their dog. They also learned about the early stages of dog training. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of today's training was the prospect of bringing a dog back to the hotel with them for an overnight excursion. 


This trip is a very important factor in who gets paired with who. We'll see what happens. Tune in tomorrow for what is sure to be some fun stories about the dog's first hotel slumber party.


- Hope & Denali

 
 







PS. Thanks to all the restaurants and individuals who have provided meals during team training. It is very appreciated.














The winning Lotto Fun Raffle ticket number for 6/15/12 is: 395

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Canine Angels Team Training & Graduation 2012

Hi, 

My name is Hope Adrian and my service dog Denali and I graduated in 2012.

Ali is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and it's thanks to Canine Angels and Ali's puppy raisers Beth and Harry that I have her. She is a true blessing. Not only does she help me with everyday physical tasks such as picking up items and opening doors, but also has becomes tremendous emotional support.
 

I have formed this blog to help everyone keep up with what is happening with Team Training and graduation. Thanks for visiting, and I will keep you posted everyday leading up to graduation on June 23rd.

-Hope & Denali

The winning Lotto Fun Raffle ticket number for 6/14/12 is: 780