Team Training ~ Day 5

It is now day five and things are finally starting to pick up. The teams went on their first outing to Gates Furniture today. Both the dogs and the people had to learn how to maneuver themselves through the store (preferably without damaging any property) while still paying attention to the world around them. 














Also, each family got to work every dog consecutively, each time running it through the obstacle course (to which both "tug" and the teeter-totter were added).



 

















Lastly, everyone (both dogs and people) went out to the play yard to have an hour of good old fashion fun. To wrap up the day, everyone got to play the "find 'em" with a dog and take them home (to the hotel room) for a test drive.

Tune it tomorrow to  hear everyone's 'first night' stories :)

Thank you to Fred & Marilyn Secco for a delicious lasagne lunch.

The winning "Countdown to Graduation" Raffle # was: 079

Jazz on her way to her first Team Training outing

Team Training ~ Day 4

As we reach further into the end of the first week, everyone is gaining a sense of belonging. Everyday, little changes can be seen, all adding up to becoming skillful dog handlers and pack leaders.

First up today was a video on dog psychology. Then everyone got a chance to work a variety of different dogs through the obstacle course before another element was added: agility equipment. Everyone seemed to do well with this new configuration and after lunch, it was time for a lesson on general dog heath (including flea and tick safety).

Finally, to conclude the day, teams played the "find 'em" game. In this game two people split up and go to opposite sides of the room and the dog must go one person and find the other. Once the dog has found the other team member they must hide again and start over. It is essentially doggie hide-and-go-seek. This can be a valuable tool at home if the child is unable to get to their parent and needs help, or a fun game to send notes to one another.

Overall it was a great day, but there will be more hard work tomorrow :)

Thank you
Gates Furniture for breakfast & Wild River Pizza for lunch today!

Winning "Countdown to Graduation" Raffle # 483 

Dog Tired :)

Team Training ~ Day 3

It is now day three and I can honestly say that I am very impressed with the progress the kids and their parents are making. The transformation is amazing. 

 









These are people who on the first day were apprehensive to take the leash, and now are taking on the obstacle course with confidence. 

 













At one point Cortney, who is often very quiet said, "Just calm down mom, I got this." (evidenced by the fact that mom is not the pictures) 

This is just one example of the incredible changes that have been in these past three days and believe me, there is a lot more to come. Everyone is doing very well, so keep up the good work!

 

As for the synopsis of the day, it was more of the same, but with a twist: This time the obstacle course was riddled with distractions. In between the obstacles was food that the participants had to keep the dog they were working away from while still getting them to do commands.

In the end it was a fantastic day and I'm so exited to see where it goes from here.

- Hope and Denali

Thanks to Casablanca for providing today's lunch at team training. :)

Just a little side note...today while they were outside observing dog behavior, the sky opened up and poured rain on people and dogs alike. So everyone got a chance to experience for themselves that special 'wet dog' smell!

Team Training ~ Day 2

Today was another very exciting day for all. It contained more learning about how to handle the dogs and building confidence in themselves, as well as more natural pack behavior.

More commands were practiced, and games were played. In one game, participants were paired up and asked to "train" their partner (human partner) to do a task such as dancing on a table or getting into a dog crate. 


 

One of them was sent out of the room while the other told the group what behavior they were training their partner to do. Then they were brought back into the room and were 'trained' to do the behavior.

As you can see, we had some fun with this game and it was a valuable tool to give participants an idea of what it's like to 'clicker train' a dog from both their own perspective as well as the dog's.

  

Later in the afternoon, participants were challenged by working the dogs through a course attempting commands like jump, wait, speak and shake. In the end, today was all about learning and growing and great strides were made.

Everyone is picking out their favorite dog(s) and are very anxious to know which one will be their FURever friend. 

 







Thank you to Bridget & Ben at The Pita Pit for donating lunch today!



Don't forget, tomorrow is the first of 10 days of the 'Countdown to Graduation' Raffle. If you haven't already, go to www.canine-angels/raffle to get your tickets online.

Team Training ~ Day 1

 


Today was a day I'm sure a lot of people, the kids in particular, have been looking forward to for a long time; their first step on their journey to find a new best friend (and perhaps even partner in crime).





 







As today was mostly introductions, the focus was to get to know each other and this years group of dogs. Also, they learned about what it takes to get a dog to work for you. Some of the activities included trying to get the dog they were working to wag it's tail, perform basic commands (much harder than expected) and watching a DVD on pack leader behavior.

 
An hour long outdoor demonstration allowed everyone the opportunity to see how dogs behave in a pack.

Over all it was an exciting day, but only the beginning. 
 

Thank you to Subway for providing today's delicious lunch.

Graduation day!

The day everyone has been waiting for is finally here: Graduation day. As The graduates patiently waited to be recognized for all their hard work for the past two weeks (for some, the past few months), and to be reunited with their dog, stories were told of the many differences the the dogs have made in the lives of the recipients in just a short period of time (some listed in previous blog posts). Smiles, laughter and tears were shared as the graduates received their new dogs. Despite the rain you could tell by the look on the kid's faces that they couldn't be more happy. All and all, today was a wonderful day for all who made the trip to the Schmidt Family Vineyard to enjoy the wonderful recognition of all the graduates and their new canine angels.

For those of you who couldn't make it to graduation here is a list of the graduates. Ladies and gentlemen, the graduating class of 2012:

Ambassadors

Skylar and Sandy Mays

(Puppy raiser, Sandy Mays of Oregon)

Wyatt and Sheila Kolby
(Puppy raiser, Sheila Kolby of CA and OR)

Breeders

Rollins and Lianne Rogers
(Puppy raiser - Peggy Spencer of Montana)

 



Sunshine and Mary Delaney 
(Puppy raiser, The Wallace Family of California)

PALS

 

Galaxy and Natalie Ford

(Puppy raiser, Jon Kolby of California)

*Not Pictured...Kelton and Mason Winkey (Puppy raiser, Cindy Colman of Oregon)

Orion and Joseph Murphy
(Puppy raiser Sinead Hickey of California)


 

Rebecca & Terra

(Puppy raisers, Gary and Marie Gilbreth 

of Oregon)

Facility

Maureen & Taylor
(Puppy raisers Linda and Michelle Magginetti of California)

Assisted Social Teams

Isaac & Qismat

(Puppy raiser, Kris Brewer of Montana)

Seth & Cassie
(Puppy raiser, Pam Sulger of AZ)

Evan & Vida

(Puppy raiser, Dale Balme of Oregon)

Social Dog 

Greg & Star

(Puppy raisers, Kent Rasmussen and

Sharon Illions of California)

Assisted Service Dog

Michelle & Pickles

(Raised and donated by Kalpana Nallen

of Oregon) 

July 2012 placements

PAL Dog Comet
(Puppy raiser, Max & Coreena Crawford of OR)

Service Dog Cosmo
(Puppy raiser, Cat Stadler of CA)



Thanks to everyone who supports Canine Angels with their time, talent and finances. We couldn't do what we do without you!!!  Thank you!

Check the Canine Angels website regularly for upcoming events and updates.

- Hope and Denali