Team Training Day 4 ~ 6/15/16

Today was a day jam-packed full of activities. First, we worked dogs to burn off some of their energy, then we had further discussion about shaping behaviors. That was followed up by a video on clicker training. 

The agility course that was set up after our delicious lunch (donated by Casablanca Coffee and Grill) contained many elements the dogs had never seen before (agility hurdles, a dog walk, a tunnel, and even a plastic kiddie slide). Since dogs don’t generalize behaviors the handlers had to use the skills and commands they already know to help the dog figure out what to do with the obstacle.

It was lots of fun to see both the dogs and the people gain confidence as they conquered new challenges together. Things were then taken a step further by adding enticing distractions like food, kittens, and squeaky toys. Needless to say we got to practice the “leave it” command.

Lastly, we headed to Canine Club to evaluate pack behaviors. Per usual, the class was challenged to figure out which of the dogs were the alpha male and female.

Today I'd like to introduce Christopher. Christopher, a nine year old with Cerebral Palsy is described by his dad as being positive, happy, and upbeat. Some of his favorite things include swimming and chocolate donuts. He says that so far his favorite thing he has learned is how to make the dogs happy. He also looks forward to teaching his new service dog to turn off and on lights, retrieve dropped items and how to “go get help” when he needs it. In the future Christopher would like to become a police officer. Always laughing and cracking his infectious smile (despite having surgery a mere 2 weeks ago) Christopher is a delight to have in this year’s class.

Check in tomorrow for more.

The winning Countdown to Graduation Raffle ticket number for today, 6/16/16 is: 214

There are still 9 more chances to win...to get your raffle tickets, go to:

www.canine-angels.org/raffle2016

Photos below by Jennifer Butler Photography