Saturday, June 21, 2014

Team Training Day 6 - Our First Outing!!!













We started the day with the same game we ended with yesterday. The dogs worked for their breakfast by racing between family members. 


 



This exercise is the base on which the "find" (insert name here) command is built. This command can be extremely important when/if the child is in a position that they are unable to get help themselves. (It's also a great way to send notes to family members in the house when lazy) Hee Hee



Today was a big day because it was the first time that we've taken the dogs in public. The families got to take a dog home (where they're staying) for a test drive the night before, but were not yet allowed to take them out in public. To start out we met at the church and swapped stories from the night before and did more pack evaluation.
 

Alex said he'd had a pretty mellow night with the dog he took "home" and that she was very well behaved.

Mason's family said the dog kept putting his head in Mason's lap and looking up at him. They also shared how funny they thought the dog was.



Jim says that his dog has "mad basketball skills" and that he's in tune with Jim. Bragged that the dogs obeyed commands almost 100% of the time. But remember, this is the same guy that says his dog didn't snatch any of the food off the floor yesterday.

Danielle's response was..."He pooped"! This can be VERY exciting since it's common for the dogs to 'hold it' initially until they warm up to you and feel comfortable around you. Great job Danielle. She also shared that her dog had kept her from tripping and calmed her. 

Lastly, Keren's family shared that "On a scale of 1-10, we are 2 million happy".

After a delicious lunch, we all drove to the Grange Co-op where we split into two teams (one with Sandy and one with Sheila). As they toured the shop they discussed basic service dog ediquitte, potential problems they might come across and how to resolve and/or avoid them, and of course what items they would need for basic care of their dog.

 




Overall, everyone did very well and our first outing was a huge success!

(Here's a current picture of me and our "Super Service Dog in Training", Pizookie

For today's bio I interviewed Jim:
Jim may no longer be a child himself, but he has a passion for kids with disabilities and is very much a child at heart. He works as an adaptive PE specialist for all the special needs kids in his high school district (about 350+), and hopes that his new facility dog will help his students gain the confidence to try new things. For those of you who don’t know, facility dogs are placed with teachers and health care/rehabilitation professionals whose clients/students can benefit from the therapeutic qualities that a well-trained dog can offer. Jim’s goal for each one of his students is that they are healthy, safe, engaged, and supported, and he hopes that this new dog will help them reach that goal. What’s better way to get a tentative kid to try something they’re unsure of then to have a dog do it too?


Jim is very adventurous and active and is most excited to teach his new dog to swim and kayak. When asked what his favorite activities were he said, “Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.” Jim also says that he love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (the big ones) and learning about dog psychology. Oh and fun fact, even though his manly facade would lead you to think otherwise, his first among many dogs was a toy poodle. Jim looks forward to new opportunities ahead, and can’t wait to see his students learn and grow.

Winning "Countdown to Graduation" Raffle ticket # 779          

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