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          

Team Training ~ Day 5

Today was a relatively light day so I'm going to start of today's post with a bio.

Keren, age 6, is perhaps best known for her big imagination and award-winning smile. She is smart, funny and a joy to have in class. Some of her favorite activities include 4-H, playing on the swing, going to the movies, swimming and having diving competitions . She hopes that her new dog can, in addition to helping her with the tasks of daily living getting help when needed, fetching dropped items, and providing assistance when lying down/sitting up), be there as a friend and comfort in stressful situations and while sleeping. 

When asked about her favorite part of Team Training this little dynamo said the obstacle courses.  In the future Keren wants to travel to Mexico and Disney World and eat lots of chocolate cream (In a cone. It must be in a cone. Bowls are boring)

 

I'd like to take this opportunity to commend this years group for all the hard work they've been putting in. I know it's long hours, but you guys have really made progress in the last week.

I've seen Alex coming out of his shell and taking command, Jose moving around like never before, Jim becoming less self conscious, Mason sitting up more and being more vocal, Keren becoming even more determined to tell us what's on her mind, and Danielle becoming more consistent in her handling. Excellent job all!

As for today's synopsis, we did more obstacle course work (with food), this time with higher stakes. This time, if the dog eats anything off the plates, the person handling said dog had to put between $1-$5 in the "tip" jar. Keren's dad left a few dollars lighter, but thankfully, Canine Angels didn't net a lot of money in this particular fundraiser. (Jim, your totally busted dude...pay up!)

Lastly, all the dogs got to play the "find em'" game for their dinner. Basically, someone hides or stands in a corner of the room, and the dog they are working has to find them in order to get their food. That person then sends the dog to the other person with the command "find em'." In addition to being fun, this game teaches the dogs how to get help in an emergency.

Team Training ~ Day 4

Today everyone had to step up their game. Several new, more difficult things were added to the obstacle course including agility equipment, some of which most of the dogs had never used before, and a slide.

Participants also had to get the dog they're working with to lay down on the bed and stay there 15 minutes while other handlers and their dogs went through the obstacle course themselves. Then as soon as they completed that, the bar was raised even higher.

After lunch, which was donated by Marilyn Secco, and the completion of the video on dog physiology, everyone came back into the room only to find that the obstacle course was riddled with landmines of you guested it: food. Tons of it. All over the place.

 

The handlers had to keep their dogs from eating the food with the "leave it" command. If they still tried to go for it, they had to correct them (easier said than done, believe me!). But everyone, not only survived, but thrived! Good job everybody! With that under their belt, it was time to go home and get some rest.

Now for today's Bio:

16-year-old Alex loves running, the color blue, trail mix and doing word searches. Though he says Team Training is harder than he anticipated, he is still enthusiastic about learning how to train new commands and receiving his dog.

Alex hopes that once he gets his dog it will be able to get help for him in case of any kind of emergency, but especially when he has a seizure. He would much rather read than do math, and is working on getting through high school. Alex is fun to have around and shows a lot of promise when he works with the dogs using his calm and consistent energy.

Today's winning "Countdown to Graduation" raffle ticket: 416

Happy 10th Birthday Garret!