# Snow's Dog Training Adventures



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

It has been a long time since we posted on Lucky's service dog training. Click-N-Treat has really inspired me to keep up with Lucky's training and document it. As my health improved, I'd like to resume his training. We really slacked off with his training in the past few months. Sometimes training is going to be more about retraining. 

Unfortunately, this is not like riding a bicycle for poor Lucky. Here is a video where Lucky relearns pivot from scratch. The purpose is for him to eventually have better rear end awareness, which is something he needs to work on. This is not perfect and will require multiple sessions. He used to pivot perfectly, and hopefully, with a little practice, we will get back to where we were. 







P.S. I might add videos of my other dogs here too.


----------



## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

Ok, so first of all, Lucky is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!!

Love the music!

I really am inspired to try this with Poppy. I predict hilarious results!

Lucky was successful with this before and I am sure he will be so again!

I wish you tremendous success and have no doubt you both will achieve it.

I know how difficult health challenges are. I do hope that you continue to improve and that we can see many many more of your training videos.

Keep up the great work!! :cheers2::cheers2:


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Lucky is so precious. I love how his tail is wagging the whole time. He wants to please so badly  I couldn't tell with the music, but is Paul using a clicker? There were several moments where I wanted to click


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Thank you guys. Haha Paul doesn't like to use clickers. I always use the clicker because it helps with shaping.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Lucky is so cute - and I love that he keeps looking back at you during his training session.

It won't take long before he remembers and catches up to where he used to be - he's a smart dog. Don't forget that you and Paul are also rusty at training pivot- that's part of the equation.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Lucky is doing great. Keep it up. Noelle can't pivot on a platform, no matter how many times I try and teach it. She just steps off and sits.


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Lucky will have it down pat in no time! He is so cute ....He just wants to please you!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

We taught Kit pivot and somehow she is a natural at this. She picked it up in 30 mins. She learned two commands: step up and pivot. I think it helps a lot to have a very confident dog. I'm so proud of her. Here is the video


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Here is a video of them playing! They have the sweetest play share thing going on. I love watching these two clowns play. They have the cutest relationship.


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Adorable! :love2:


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

We practiced public access today with Lucky at the close by dead mall. He remembers a lot more than I expected. Here in this video we are mostly working on under. I try to take him to as many places as possible bc we need to work on his confidence. He doesn’t like unstable surfaces and fountains.
https://youtu.be/Lg4lNi2MVfY


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

He just looks so darn happy! That face!!!!!! He is trying soooo hard too! Good job Lucky!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Lucky knows light but misses the switch often. After watching Donna Hill’s video I’ve decided to get my own stick. 























Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Why, oh why can't all doodles be like Lucky? I love him like my poodles.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

zooeysmom said:


> Why, oh why can't all doodles be like Lucky? I love him like my poodles.



Aww!! Thank you! I really lucked out with him  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

We did some training with Kit today. 

The goal: 
1. *Heel with high distraction* such as food, shopping cart, dogs, and people
2. *Fix her reactivity to other dogs.* Especially when other dogs are reactive. There were several in the video. You can also see that she wanted to bark and pull towards other dogs she encountered. It used to be a lot worse because she really wanted to play. Being patient and consistent with training helped tremendously! 
3. *Demonstrate car unload and navigating thru a parking lot.* Unlike Lucky, Kit truly loves car rides because it means adventure! 

*Problem:*
You don't see this in the video but one thing we still can't figure out is her over-friendliness when being petted by a stranger. She used to excitement pee all over strangers but now she will try to jump up. Her tail would be wagging so hard that her whole rear is doing the happy dance. She passed the CGC but she gets easily overexcited by random people and I never know who it is going to be. Typically, people with baby talk, crazy eyes, or high energy. My goal is for her to not jump up no matter what anyone does.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I'm very impressed with how well Kit is doing in a highly distracting environment - like taking a little kid into a candy store with self serve candy at their level. Good work.


----------



## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

working very nice!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I wish I recorded a before video of Kit a few weeks ago. She would have terrified you guys lol. I’m proud of her progress. 



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

How old is Kit? Noelle went through a phase around two where she was overly excited by petting, and can still get riled up. But, more and more now she's apt to ignore people and not ask for attention. And she finally sits for petting. Age was part of my problem. Lots of bounce, not old enough to control herself.

Going to the pet store with a dog is like taking a child to Disney World and asking them to do math homework. That's a highly distracting environment, and Kit did a good job.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Kit is 17 months and going on 18 months in 4 days. Livestock guardian dogs don’t mature until 3 years so we still have some time to go. She did great with her class this morning and the instructor taught us a more effective method of loose leash walking. I’m glad we signed up for class. I’m also happy we got her to keep her composure while being petted today. 

We need to work on Lucky’s heel/ focus next. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I can use some advice with Lucky's public access. He can pass it without a problem if it is a place he is already familiar with. 

*Place:* 
Let's Go to the Mall! I train here at this deserted mall on a weekly basis and Lucky has shown huge improvements since his first time here. He used to be afraid so terrified of the mall's echoes that he would hunch the entire time. Now, he walks comfortably with a few exceptions: strange elevators and fountains. You will see this in the videos below.

*Confidence Building Method:*
I used Pat McConnell's method, which is to do an enjoyable activity at a distance. Lucky loves fetch and this helped him relax tremendously. I got him to accept the refrigerator aisle at Home Depot using this method. It required a lot of patience because it took a few weeks. During those weeks, I questioned our progress sometimes but it was important to be patient. Is there anything else I can do to expedite this? The answer is probably patience and practice. 

Training sessions with Lucky don't always end with success. I am going to show you what I am struggling with right now:

1. *Unfamiliar Elevators.* In the video, you see him going up two different elevators in the same building. He is familiar with one and unfamiliar with the other. The difference is huge. Notice his hunched position. 






2. *Fountains* It is essentially his worst fear: A GIANT Bathtub! He will start pulling when we get close to the fountain. I think this is just gonna take time. Perhaps there is a quicker way?





3. *Heel* Lucky's heel is not good in places where he is anxious or places with high excitement (ie dog park parking lot). At this point, Kit's heel is better. We are working on focus and having better communication. Here is Lucky's typical heel indoors. 








He does love watching his training videos for review


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Ah Lucky. Those elevators make weird noises and go rumble under your feet sometimes. And the door pops open and you're somewhere else, and it's very odd. You have two choices, Snow. One is going on lots of elevators and hoping Lucky generalizes that elevators are fun and bring you neat places. Option two is slowing down elevator riding and breaking the process into chunks. 

Go in the elevator, leave the elevator without riding it. Get someone to hold the door for you so you can enter and exit. Practice enter and exit for a while. Then have your friend go up to the next floor and wait for you and Lucky to go up and meet you at the door. Surprise! Your friend is here. And your ball is here. And fun is here. Go back down. Exit, repeat. With any luck, your second ride up will be better than the first. The elevator takes you to good things. 

Also, watch fountains from a bigger distance since they make him nervous. Just go to the mall, find a bench, bring a book, have him down/stay near enough to a fountain to notice, but far enough away not to be alarmed by it. Hang out with your book, ignore Lucky. Ignore the fountain. Move closer and repeat. Give Lucky space to calm himself down around stuff that makes him nervous.

Confidence comes from going lots of interesting places and having good experiences at all of them, so get out and explore your home town. Keep your exposures short for now. Go in, buy something, leave. 

His leash manners aren't as bad as you think. He's not dashing ahead and trying to get to people for attention, or shrinking behind. Roughly in heel position is good enough for service dog work. Add slack in the leash, though, just a little bit more.

You're doing it, Snow, keep it up!


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Click as always gives excellent advice. 

I've also noticed that some elevators are very smooth and others are not. Some the doors open more slowly or have a bounce when they reach the floor. The worst is glass elevators. Babykins was okay on elevators until we went on the glass one - OMG looking out the window at the street and seeing the movement as we went down was a disaster. I was able to pick her up and tuck her head into me so she wouldn't see - but this has set us back a lot with elevators and sadly we don't have one where we can practice like Click suggests. I think you should plan lots of elevator training - it's tricky. It's almost like starting from scratch for each elevator at the beginning. Avoid glass elevators for as long as possible.

I completely agree with Click on the fountains - stay as far away as he is comfortable and slowly inch closer over time. Don't force him closer and don't make it a big deal. 

His heeling is looking pretty good. And most of the time he's nice and close to Paul. He's not trying to sniff the floor or displays, he ignored the people - he's doing well. Does he heel differently with you?

I'm impressed, he's looking good. I know he has his fears that he has to over come and that's where you'll spend most of his training time, but he's so smart he'll catch on.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Click really gave excellent advice. Paul told me to tell you thank you for breaking it into chunks. 

Skylar, Lucky stopped going on elevators after a bad encounter in a mall’s glass elevator. He did ok on all of them before. Now he is nervous with each new one. 


ETA: he heels better with me bc I use fun voice. 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Just like Babykins - those glass elevators are deadly to dogs like ours. The good news is if he is okay on one, then you will get him to be okay on others - it will take patience and training.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I thought Noelle would freak on a glass elevator. She looked out the window, shrugged and was like, we're going up now, okay, whatever. So, glass elevators are no problem. However, at my doctor's office, there is a glass wall on the second and third floors instead of a solid barrier. Kind of a pretentious design, with a three story fountain in the middle of the atrium. Noelle did not like that glass wall the first few times we were there. She looked at it and was like, OMG, gonna fall and die. This is where training your dog to heel on both sides comes in handy. Noelle is able to stay on the solid wall side away from the scary glass no matter what direction we go. There are things service dogs have to adapt to, and then there are things handlers adapt around their dogs. Like glass walls, for example.

I'm sorry Lucky got scared (and Babykins) on glass elevators. Our world is kind of confusing to dogs, I am sure. Elevators must make zero sense to dogs. Go in the wobbling box and exit somewhere completely different? What?

Break scary things down into chunks, and show confidence and matter-of-fact attitude. If your dog sees you being relaxed and confident, you're giving off leadership vibes. Strong leader vibes teach your dog to trust that you are in control and to follow your lead. I will even tell Noelle, "Trust me." When I tell her to trust me, I quadruple my efforts in letting her know that I am reliable and I will protect her. See my thread on Diabetes Alert Dog about today's misadventure.


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I wanted to add that during therapy dog training, we were taught to support the dog when they are feeling fearful. So, use kind words to him when he's scared, and don't try to feed him since you know he's too stressed to take the food. Instead, offer gentle pets and tell him you'll get through this together. I love Click's idea of using a ball as a surprise reward! 

BTW, you've given me motivation to work on elevators with both of my dogs, maybe even today since it's too hot to do anything else! Frosty still hasn't been in an elevator, and Maizie is fearful.


----------



## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Wow I love this training thread for your dogs snow!! I am going to go back and watch all the videos now but just reading through was fascinating. It makes me want to start a thread for my Luna, who is a sdit. We go out with our trainer about once a week but that is about it right now. She isn’t going through the teenager phase haha.


----------



## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

This is a great thread snow, and I love the videos. Click n treat gives such good advice!


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Aw, Caddy. The only reason I offer advice is because I have failed miserably often enough that I can shine a light on the places where I have fallen. Click-N-Treat's mission in life is to be the first penguin off the ice. Yup, there are killer whales down there. Don't go that way.


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Snow, I finally got mine to the elevator this morning  It was Frosty's first time, and what do you know, he had no problem. He got some really yummy treats. Maizie was nervous, but she got through it. I'll do more practice with her individually. They also practiced going down stairs, something they have only had to do a few times in their lives! No problem there.


----------



## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

I just wat to say that Lucky is one beautiful dog. I’ve fallen in love with that face.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Zooeysmom,

Noelle just learned how to do stairs at the state park. Our house doesn't have stairs. Every time I've practiced with her she just seemed baffled by them. The state park stairs were two steps and a long landing. That's how Noelle figured it out. Now she goes up stairs easily. I think being a quadruped must make stairs harder to navigate. Four legs coordinating at once looks tough to me.

Congratulations on the elevator ride. Let's keep training because it's so much fun!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I hope to be able to do some training later this evening. 

Here is my Monday face. TGIF










Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Click-N-Treat said:


> Zooeysmom,
> 
> Noelle just learned how to do stairs at the state park. Our house doesn't have stairs. Every time I've practiced with her she just seemed baffled by them. The state park stairs were two steps and a long landing. That's how Noelle figured it out. Now she goes up stairs easily. I think being a quadruped must make stairs harder to navigate. Four legs coordinating at once looks tough to me.
> 
> Congratulations on the elevator ride. Let's keep training because it's so much fun!


Yay, Noelle! It does look tough to coordinate all the legs, doesn't it? 

Oh yes, we will keep training  We're taking the summer off of training classes, but I promised my trainers we would work at home!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Ahh it is 6:30am on Saturday. I wish I can sleep in like old times. I am barely awake and apologize if this post does not make sense. Kit's obedience class is in an hour. This time, I take Lucky to meet Kit's trainer to tweak a few issues we've been having. This would be Lucky's first time meeting Kit's R+ trainer, Adam. 

I want to mention that SD training is not like flipping a switch, and poof, you have the perfect dog. Just like most things in life, it requires a great deal of patience and practice. There will be good days and bad days. Last night was challenging and I almost gave up. I am very thankful for the support I get from amazing people on this forum. It is really important to have a community and support system to get a service team through training. 

Update on Lucky's training from last night:

I've noticed Lucky was getting increasingly anxious about certain sounds. Like he used to be terrified of refrigerators in pet stores or home improvement stores(the only exception had been our home fridge but that is because he loves ice). It took me a long time to realize that he was scared of the refrigerator's sound and not the actual structure. I figured it out because he seemed fine around fridges that were off @Home Depot. It took a few trips to fix this but he seems good now. Sometimes figuring out what actually provokes the fear response is half the battle. Last night, I decided to work on washers and dryers. 


I had Lucky fetch a ball next to my washer and dryer, while both were on. There were metal zippers clanking inside the machine and the spinning itself produced a quiet whirring sound. I invited Lucky over while sitting next to the machine with some tuna in my right hand and a rubber ball in my left hand. Lucky looked at me and walked over with great reluctance. He wasn't interested in the ball. The sound was giving him anxiety. As soon as I stop giving him any instructions, he wanted to bolt. I told him to stay and he was not happy. 

The second time I asked him to come back, he flat out refused. I asked again and he would not move at all. I decided it was time for a short 1-hour break. As soon as the break was over, I decided that I wont sit next to the machine. I just threw the ball next to the washer. It even hit the metal and made a loud noise. To my surprise, Lucky pranced over to the machine and fetched it. How in the world? I guess he really did not want me there. He must have thought I would somehow force him to sit next to the machine again. I am not quite sure why he was fine after an hour. I threw the ball multiple times just to make certain that he was ok. Yep! Lucky fetched it every time! My immediate thought was Lucky hates me and does not trust me at all. Both machines were on the whole time. The only thing that was different was the fact that I was far away. If anyone has insight as to why he did that, I'd be grateful. Maybe he just needed to be recharged but I believe there is something about my method he disliked. I wonder if R+ Adam is what Lucky needs. 

I will post an update on how the class goes later today.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

snow I think that the difference between the first and second times around the washer illustrates how deeply context specific/non-generalizing dogs can be.


I gave a CGC test yesterday. They did not pass on the supervised separation. The team comes to my novice class frequently. They also did a CGC training class over the winter in Florida. They had to return to NY before the test was given. The owner was dumbstruck that this exercise was a non-pass since the dog never had problems with it in the Florida class. Here's the thing, novice has no out of sight stays so in that context the dog had no clue that it would be okay to wait with me for his owner to come back. He was really miserable, pulling on the leash, jumping on me, whining...you name it he did everything short of barking to tell me he couldn't do that three minutes. He will be practicing the hand off to another person and going out of site many different places and with different people for a couple of weeks and then we will have a redo.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

While you were next to the washing/drying machines "YOU" were in control of Lucky's actions - and you were making him sit and stay. This was work in an uncomfortable location. When you moved away and threw the ball near the machines, even hitting them - this was all under Lucky's control as to how he approached and grabbed the ball. He could run away, far away, or not run at all and get the ball. This was fun play and not work.

Also you activated his prey drive - throwing the ball set his prey drive into higher gear in a way that just holding it in your hand didn't.

I'm not sure if all poodles act like this, but Babykins has learned two different behaviors for dumbbell retrieve. For WCRL Rally the dumbbell is sitting on the floor, you heel around it and at some point you come to the dumbbell exercise where you send your dog to get the dumbbell then they come into front and hand it to you and end by getting into heel position. In competition obedience there are two dumbbell exercises - one over a jump and the other on the flat - but both of them involve the dog sitting next to you and waiting and watching while you toss the dumbbell and only when you command can they go retrieve it. I see a huge difference in Babykins - when she watches it being thrown, she gets excited and I can see she is working hard to keep sitting still when she wants to run after it. She is much more playful with thrown dumbbell compared to just being sent to retrieve the one passively sitting on the course. When you threw the ball, it's like my thrown dumbbell - watching it move in the air is "play" "fun" "excitement". It's a higher level of excitement compared to seeing a ball in the hand.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Catherine your assessment is dead on. I wish it wasn’t the case for Lucky. I think having a super confident temperament helps a lot. For example, Kit never has any problems as long as there is a treat and a pat on the head. She never hesitates and learns very fast but impatient. Lucky is much better at pattern recognition but learns slower. Once he masters something, he rarely forgets.


Update on class today:

I’m never going to bring Lucky and Kit to the same training class ever. Lucky actually barked which is crazy unusual. He was very disobedient because he has never been anywhere with Kit other than the dog park. Today he was sequestered in a tiny little walled off area with me. Lucky’s high pitch whine bark made Kit crazy and no one learned anything. We train them separately like before. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Skylar hit an important point too which is that throwing an object does activate prey drive. Lily hated grad novice obedience since the dumbbell exercise involved giving her the dumbbell, leaving and recalling it with her. She probably would be pretty unmotivated to to the WCRL dead retrieve too.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I was so tired, I took a nap immediately after the training class. Skylar, your post was very thoughtful. Lucky is the most independent of my four dogs. 

The past few days of training with Lucky keeps being bad ones that it has really makes me question whether I should continue on trying to make him work as an SD. In response, I freaked out and signed Lucky up for agility foundation in mid June and Obedience/versatility Intro in July. I feel that I am very unhappy with our training situation.

* I don't know if I should wash Lucky out as an SD for one major reason: He does not look happy while working in public with me.* I don't know if that is something I can train him out of. Also, is it fair to him? Or am I being fair to him by teaching him to not be afraid? 

Then the question becomes: is he unhappy because he is uncomfortable? If every new experience is like the refrigerator or tunnel, how long would it take for him to get comfortable and be a good public access dog? Am I giving up on him too early? I've been working with him for almost two years. He is extremely obedient and knowns some very impressive commands (lights, closing cabinet doors, opening fridge retrieving items...etc). But these commands don't particularly benefit me. 

*The service I need:*

I am hearing impaired. If you ever met me in person, you'd never notice I had any problems. The only thing you will notice is Paul is always to my right. LOL I have a profound unilateral hearing loss. In other words, I am 100% deaf in the left ear and cannot locate the direction of sounds no matter how close an object is. I have a hard time distinguishing background noise. 


What I need from a hearing:
*At Home:*
1. Identify where the location of a sound. Phones, noises from machines, cat crying for help (yep I've locked my cat in a closet and he meowed for 10 min straight and I still could not locate him). If a pipe was leaking and making a clanking sound, I would have to rely on Paul to tell me where the broken part is. 


*Public*
1. alert to unnoticed dropped items.  I don't hear things I drop typically. 
2. alert to people waiting to be noticed I've had strangers talk to me and think I was ignoring them. In loud areas and you are on my left side, you can stand so close that you are touching me and I still can't hear you are trying to get my attention. 
3.  alert to phone rings in the purse in loud places I miss probably 70% of all calls when I am doing errands solo. 
4. Alert to a car approaching from behind People get so mad when I don't get out of the way like I am inappropriate. That is the best case scenario. The worst case, I get run over when I can't hear them coming.

Also, I want to clarify that Lucky is not afraid of most sounds; however, it is hard anticipating which ones would set off a fear response. My thought is, Lucky would make and excellent "in home only" hearing dog. Public access is a privilege SD enjoy but it isn't a SD requirement. I still truly believe agility would greatly benefit a dog like Lucky. I'll stick to those classes to see if it improves his overall confidence. What do you guys think?


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Snow, it was so interesting reading through your list of service needs. My father had no hearing one of his ears and loss in the other due to an accident in WW2. He was a medical doctor back in the day when doctors made house calls and delivered babies etc. I never realized that he had all these problems that you mentioned. I know that he would turn up the sound on the TV and wore a hearing aid to help with the phone and you had to direct speech to his good ear. I wish I had known of his limitations. He died when I was young and he worked so many hours I really didn't know him well.

I remember before Lucky you had Sahara as your SD. Who trained Sahara?


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

My parents raised me to think I was normal. I think it was a thing of that generation and how they refused disability. I almost got sent to a school for the deaf. 

It wasn’t until I had roommates in college and living with Paul that I realized I had a bunch of problems even with my Cros Hearing aids. Sound for instance is not something that can be fixed by the hearing aids. It is about how your brain processes. 

Sahara was not a SD. She was just my first dog. Here is a photo of her. 











Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I don't know why I thought Sahara was your SD. So Lucky is the first dog you are training as a SD? It's a lot of work.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Snow,

Training your first SD is not like training a pet. Your emotional desires for training are far more intense. Little things like refusing a sit take on earth shattering significance with a service dog in training. This must work! It has to work! 

You are not just training a dog. You are training as if you expect your dog to become GCHP NAC NOC RNC VCCH CT AGCH OTCH MACH RACH Lucky the Wonder Dog UDX17 OGM VST MX RM TKP. When you train a service dog, it is as if you are trying to train your dog to become the best example of breed, national champion in agility, and national obedience champion, and national rally champion, and national tracking champion, not to mention a vegetable soup of suffix titles. You must do this, all of this, and you must do it right now.

In training your own SD, you put enormous pressure on yourself. Every moment feels like preparing for the Olympic trials. It's do or die, success or fail, no second chances. All of this happens because you need your dog to help you. You don't want your dog to do a trick, perform a square sit, run through weave poles. You don't desire the dog to do things with you for fun. You need your dog's skill set to help you function as normally as a disabled person can function. That need, that driving need to compensate for disability, eats at your spirit. 

And the drive to succeed messes up your ability to take stock, to back off, relax and enjoy the process. When dog training doesn't work out the way you expect, that driving need for your dog to asst you magnifies every error and keeps you up at night. Self doubt and fear are electrifying. What if I can't train this dog? What does this mean for my future? 

Disability is exhausting. Disability is frustrating. Disability is an unwelcome companion with you through life that you cannot get rid of. A dog can do things that no other person can do to help make that easier. Knowing how much better life would be if your dog was able to help adds another layer of pressure on training. 

Service dog training is emotionally loaded in ways pet training will never be. Even if you are working toward an OTCH, or a MACH title, and you experience set backs and frustrations, the experience of training a service dog is more emotionally heightened. Because this must work or life will not function as I need it to. If you don't win a dog title, you are disappointed. If your service dog does not help you, you are devastated.

Not only do you have your own personal emotional roller coaster going on, you also have a social one as well. Your friends see your dog make a mistake, and comment on it. Strangers see your dog goof up and comment on it. You feel like you're in a fish bowl and everyone is watching, waiting to see if you fail. 

Training a service dog can make you view your dog through a distorted lens. Every error is magnified, scrutinized, worried and fussed over. So you train that skill again. And you drill and you drill, and you worry and stress. And that feeling goes down the leash into the dog. Mom is worried and stressed. The dog is worried and stressed.

It does not have to be this way. This is the way I trained Honey, in a stressful hot house. How I trained Noelle is the exact opposite. We did absolutely zero service dog work her first year. None. I let her be a silly puppy. From age 1 to age 2 we worked on getting a CGC and getting comfortable in public. From age 2 to age 3, now we are on track with working in public.

Lucky just turned two. He's a teenage dog. He's a 14-year-old kid on his second day in high school. He can't find his locker. He is looking for his homeroom, and can't remember if his English class is on the second floor or the third floor, and the bell is about to ring. His feet got bigger last night, and it's throwing off his balance, so he's stumbling up the steps. Lucky is a teenage boy. 

Allow him space to fail. This is the kindest thing you can do. Allow him space to figure things out, and reward generously his successes. Laugh with him. Laugh and be foolish in public. If he's afraid of a balloon, back off and say, "PENNYWISE IS HERE! Let's get away!" And laugh. Don't tighten the leash, don't look for meaning in his fears, don't go down the worry path. Stay in the moment. In that moment, the balloon spinning on the ceiling fan is scary. Let's look for Pennywise together. Look at that! Look at that balloon spin. I don't think Pennywise is here. Let's take one step closer and check.

In public, I have told Noelle that we are looking for aliens. I don't want her to be abducted by aliens, so we are watching for them. If she is frightened, I back off and find a way, any way I can, to make this fun. The more I lighten up, the more fun I am having, the more joy I send down the leash into my dog. 

The need for Noelle to meet my disability needs is still just as intense as ever. The difference is how I train to meet those needs. I am not training GCHP NAC NOC RNC VCCH CT AGCH OTCH MACH RACH Gave Great Light UDX17 OGM VST MX RM TKP. We've never entered the hot house. And Lucky is trying to point you toward the exit. Follow him out of the hot house. Take a deep breath of cool air and join me here on the joyful service dog training adventure.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Click, this is exactly what I've been going through. I've been doing too much drilling with Lucky and it isn't fun for him or me anymore. It feels like it would a lot easier to train Lucky if I didn't have all these expectations for him. I am going to just that for the next few weeks. The trainers who met Lucky would all agree he is already a really obedient dog and I am too quick to criticize. 

A lot of the problem is my mentality and training in public places. Perhaps I should take him to the pet store instead although nothing there would trigger a fear response. You know what is interesting is that from everything I've read in SD groups, not a lot of people talk about the emotional ups and downs of training your own service dog. It is like people don't want to talk about how hard it is to achieve success. People like to make success look easy. 

In the next few weeks, Lucky and I are just going to have fun! Work on things that make both of us happy ie fetch, brain games, and pet tricks. He is my big serious teenage boy! It was so nice to hear that they go through the teenage phase. Kit, for instance, has daily tantrums when she doesn't want to do things, she just rolls over and refuses to get up while barking. I had been asking people if their spoos had a "teenage phase" because Lucky's introverted nature masks any tantrums. I've noticed how Lucky sometimes would not sit like how he used to no matter what I do. He would also refuse to go down. Lucky's tantrum is basically refusing to do what you say whereas Kit's tantrums are physically more evident. She has eaten my blinds, baseboard, and a few books. Lucky never did any of that and is an easy teenager. Since Lucky is a lot less food motivated, I see the difference in our training. He is more fearful, less obedient, and more defiant. It is a lot more subtle and passive. 

I've also been experiencing a lot stress in my private life so I had been dog training to relax my mind. I don't have a lot of other hobbies. Dogs are my hobbies lol. Ironically, SD training is not really relaxing especially counter conditioning. 

Click, thank you so much for suggesting the Jolly Routine. We currently already do this but my anxiety probably causes transference. I am posting what I found for other people who may find it useful!

"WHAT IS THE JOLLY ROUTINE?

The "Jolly Routine" is a term coined by the renowned canine behaviorist William Campbell. It means the pet parent should "act" relaxed and happy or "jolly."

Demo. of the Jolly Routine

This technique provides the dog Emotional Leadership. The pet parent demonstrates to the canine that this situation is not tense, to help the dog lighten up. 

DIRECTIONS

1) Consciously relax your body posture and muscle tone. Be loose and wiggly, NOT still. Dogs read "frozen" or still body postures as tension or perceived threat.

2) If the dog is responding fearfully to a stimulus such a person, animal, or object, then focus your attention and friendly body postures at the stimulus to show you are not afraid or threatened by it. Otherwise, focus on the dog.

3) Talk in silly, high pitched, "Baby Talk." Your tone, not what you say, is important.

4) Your goal is to help the dog relax and move his or her brain away from concern to acceptance. A loose, relaxed body tone - even getting curious - are good signs. 

5) Request a SIT, and if the dog can do it praise big, and if not, move the dog away from the situation, and find a way to get a SIT, so you can praise that instead of the tense postures.

WHEN DO YOU DO THE JOLLY ROUTINE?

This technique is indicated when the dog is tense, either with fear or potential aggression. It is a positive alternative to the all the most common things people do - that are wrong and only increase the dog's tension as well as reinforce the dog's impression that something is bad.

DO NOT:

1) Scold the dog - this is perceived by the dog as aggressive threats and heightens both aggression and fear.

2) Punish the dog - same as scolding but adds proof that something is bad, probably now associated with the original stimulus

3) Try to soothe or calm the dog - misinterpreted by the dog as agreeing with their perception and response thus reinforcing the fearful or aggressive behavior"


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I am having a horrible cramp and fatigue day. I'm probably not going to be training anyone but I could learn some new techniques. 
I saw this video and thought it was great. Our heel needs work and I found this to be a really helpful video for a close heel.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

I love the don't look at your dog advice. This works a lot better with a bigger dog, though. For Noelle, who is short, I taped a baby spoon on a stick. Load the stick with snacks, bring the snack down to Noelle.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Oh, and competition heads up heel for a service dog is a gift. A toddler carrying an ice cream cone at nose level is heading this way. Noelle, heel! Heads up, looking at me, I navigate around the toddler. Kid still has her ice cream cone, Noelle is still with me, and all is well.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> I love the don't look at your dog advice. This works a lot better with a bigger dog, though. For Noelle, who is short, I taped a baby spoon on a stick. Load the stick with snacks, bring the snack down to Noelle.



Training a small dog is super hard on my back I can sympathize. I use a target stick with peanut butter at the end to extend my arm. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Gosh Snow - I spent months and months and months in the wrong position with Babykins - I was bent over looking down at her - and it took me a long time to finally straighten up - big mistake on my part. I can't blame my teachers either because every class they were telling us to straight up. It's something people do when they have small dogs like minipoos and toys. Less likely to do it with larger dogs.

I loved Clicks advice on training a SD. She speaks from experience and knowledge.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Skylar thank you for posting that. I’ve been working on different positions with Lucky. He doesn’t like to be close to me for heel, sit, or front. We’ve been working on this for a week now and felt frustrated. He is rebellious in every new thing I teach him... ah I love teenage Lucky. Your post makes me think I gotta be more patient. A week is nothing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Oh dear, patience is key and something I struggle with too. The other day I was just thinking of our "successes" and that the struggle was worth it. Babykins has to sit and be released before she can go through a door - any door, everywhere. I can't tell you how many times it was frustrating to get her to sit and wait. Either I was in a rush, or she was being a pest and refused to sit, or she'd run out the door and I'd have to put her back inside and make her wait again. When we went to small dog social or class it was double hard because she was so excited to get inside. But I persevered and now I have a dog that will sit and wait until released. People always comment about how well behaved she is because of this one behavior - but it's not so much well behaved, it's consistent and patient training. I had a goal of safety, I was afraid of her running outside when someone came to the door in her excited to get outside to chase rabbits, or visit dogs behind their invisible fences or run to get cuddles from the kids walking home from school. There were times I kept wondering if it was worth the work and aggravation. Now I can sit back and say YES it was worth it. And I can look at this success and use it to motivate me in other training that I'm struggling with.

For heel and sit, I spent a lot of time working next to a wall. I still work next to a wall from time to time. For training pivot for rally exercises I also used laundry baskets and a wall to make a small square for us to work inside a tiny area where Babykins had no choice but to stay close as we pivoted right and left. Another aid to getting close was the pivot bowl - I love a round pivot bowl instead of something square like a step stool or phone book because I can walk around the bowl with my dog's front paw on the bowl - she leans on me as she pivots on the bowl, especially going counterclockwise.

As for front - are you looking for a competition obedience front or one that allows your dog to come in close enough to grab their collar?

I have two tricks that work for smaller dogs, not sure they work for larger. Can Lucky fit underneath your legs while you're standing up?


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I met a service dog that has the most impressive heel. Lucky can indeed fit under my legs. I have been working on rear end awareness so he lines up perfectly with my body instead of sticking out. We were trying to teach him pivot to accomplish that goal. It was going very slowly so I would love to see another method.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Here is what I taught Lucky on my sick day yesterday. 

https://youtu.be/BoFXBXwmEsw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I also used a wall to get Buck to straighten up sits and heeling. I meandered over to Paul and Kit at the pet store on YouTube. Thought those columns in the aisles could be used for stop and sit. There is one spot in that video Lucky has a cameo. What a contrast in affect. It’s as if Kit is saying “boring” with every tail swish, and Lucky is thrilled to see and be seen. Cute ‘high five’ trick, Lucky is such a sweetheart. He wants to please you. (Have my audio off, in case it was called something else.)


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Mfmst said:


> I also used a wall to get Buck to straighten up sits and heeling. I meandered over to Paul and Kit at the pet store on YouTube. Thought those columns in the aisles could be used for stop and sit. There is one spot in that video Lucky has a cameo. What a contrast in affect. It’s as if Kit is saying “boring” with every tail swish, and Lucky is thrilled to see and be seen. Cute ‘high five’ trick, Lucky is such a sweetheart. He wants to please you. (Have my audio off, in case it was called something else.)




Haha thanks but that isn’t Lucky in the Kit video. It is another doodle that is significantly larger than Lucky. It looks much smaller in the video. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I was wondering who was holding the camera if that was Lucky! Head smack! That dog looked so delighted.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

My favorite game for a tight front... use treats you can throw. 

Stand with your legs apart, call your dog and throw a treat through your legs so Lucky runs between them and beyond. As he runs to the treat quickly spin around and call Lucky again. Again toss the treat between your legs, spin around and call Lucky front. This time keep your legs closed. He should run right up to your legs and even bop them and he will be straight because he was prepared to run through them. Treat him in the center of your body.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Skylar, we did this game and it works beautifully. I wish he was this close when we heel through the store. I want a much tighter heel, which is something I struggle with. It is really only Lucky. I am very happy with Kit's heel. She kinda does it naturally because she has a lot less drive than Lucky. 

I'm very happy to see your new thread Skylar. Lucky did fantastic at the glass elevator. We just went in and out. We didn't go up or have the door close. We will probably do this a dozen times before going up the elevator. Lucky was very pumped at the fountain too. He didn't show significant fear. No pulling or freezing. He just heeled by my side. This is probably our fifth time here at the mall.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Snow you are making good progress. It sounds like maybe Lucky is over his water fountain fears?

I’m sticking to this one elevator which I know is smooth with carpeting for Babykins right now. Glass or old creaky elevators are too stress provoking right now.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

He is still scared of fountains I think but Click's technique of "Ok let's run away" together was super helpful. We jump up and down and act like a total weirdo but it works. We just make a game of things he is afraid of. We bounce the ball around and he is happy.


----------



## Click-N-Treat (Nov 9, 2015)

Honor how he feels, Snow, and it works. Isn't it funny how changing your own reactions to your dog's fears can make such a huge impact? Instead of worrying about how to fix it, run away from it together. Get far enough away where you can play the look at that game. Pause and take a step forward together, and another. 

I remember when Noelle was terrified of helium balloons. She didn't know what they were, why they were floating, why they moved like that, and they really scared her. In a public place, I pointed to a red balloon, and told Noelle, "Oh no, it's Pennywise! We gotta go, run!" 

And we did. We fled to the other side of the store, and we watched those balloons together. And we took one step closer, and Noelle sat. And we took two steps closer, and Noelle sat. And when we took three steps closer, Noelle wouldn't sit.

"Noelle! Did you see Pennywise? Run!" 
Now, I'm laughing, of course. And strangers were no doubt looking at me like I'd just landed from Saturn. I didn't care. But, slowly Noelle got used to the balloons. We did it on her timetable, not mine. While we watched balloons I encouraged her. When you encourage someone, you give them courage. Giving courage as a gift sometimes looks like running away in mock terror from a helium balloon.

Laughing, being playful, while moving away from whatever was causing Noelle stress, let her know that I was there with her, and not against her. That we would meet the fearful thing and defeat it together. Balloons are a natural for being worried about Pennywise. Talking about alien abduction covers just about any other problem. 

"Yes, Noelle, I know. You were standing by that loud door when the aliens abducted you last time. Let's get out of here!" 

If you're willing to be playful, and have fun, and tune out the strangers who are staring at you, counter conditioning can be a lot of fun. Run away laughing. Stop and watch things and then take a step closer. Take two steps closer. Did you push it too far? Run away laughing. It keeps you from being tense and worried, and your happiness goes right down the leash. 

Your dog knows you're playing. Frightened animals don't play. So, if you're acting goofy and playful, you're sending a strong signal to your dog. Huh, maybe this very scary thing is not very scary. And maybe I can relax, because my person is relaxed and happy. Move at the dog's pace and you'll get where you need to go. I encourage you to trust yourself, and encourage your dog. You're on the right road, going in the right direction. Great things are coming your way. You'll see.


----------



## Caraline (Apr 10, 2018)

Your pictures and vidoes just put a big grin on my face. Your dogs are too adorable and they look like they have the most fun. Love it.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I have good news about Kit! Remember how I complained a lot about her behavior not so long ago? Lunging, barking, and just being a general pain in my butt? 

We have been in obedience Bootcamp mode. We are doing three obedience classes a week with both Lucky and Kit. We also have several training sessions throughout the day. For Kit, it has made a massive difference in her teenage behavior. Her public manners went from horribly embarrassing to impeccable in a few short weeks. I feel so proud! I think a lot of it was her need to get her adolescence energy out. 

With Lucky, it is a lot slower to develop his confidence. I think he is just way more comfortable doing service work from home. I will continue with his agility and obedience classes. Both benefit him tremendously because he has way better confidence around other dogs. I know this sounds odd but he behaves way better with other dogs. It is all about the fun factor. Every training session with Lucky should be a fun one. 

I think the reason Kit progressed much faster is because she is not a sensitive dog like Lucky. Kit is one of the most food motivated dogs I know (excluding my pug). Because of these two reasons, we can drill with Kit and repeat. By contrast, Lucky burns out much faster but his retention is impeccable.

After training these two dogs, I can now understand why most service dog programs prefer the retrievers. A few important characteristics to look for in SD are: confidence, food motivation, willing to please, friendliness. These qualities make a dog way easier to train. Intelligence is good but I've found very smart dogs to be harder to task train because they can be either sassy and independent.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I am so mad! Kit and I went training in our neighborhood today. I wanted to teach a zero drive dog to fetch a ball. I've never known any LGD to have any drive. She will chase a ball but not retrieve it. Lucky can retrieve all day long because he is bred that way. It is like trying to teach a poodle to not chase a rolling ball in his face. We were out in the grassy park area in my neighborhood. 5 min in, an Australian Shepard comes racing around the corner and runs up to Kit's face. NO LEASH!! Her owner is 5 feet behind with a ball in her hand. It was pretty obvious we were working on obedience and she starts playing fetch with her dog 10 feet away from us. Her dog is running up to me every time she fetches because I have treats. I looked visibly annoyed at this point because there is a giant empty field 20 feet away. 10 mins later, the Aussie runs into the street and an SUV almost runs it over. She walks over in a slow nonchalant way without apologizing to the driver. How irresponsible can this woman be?

ETA: On a positive note, I got some good photos of Kit during the session.


----------



## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Kit is gorgeous in your photos and she looks so happy.


----------



## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Beautiful pics. 

Just curious, what kind of leash is that called that goes around her muzzle and why do you use it?


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Vita said:


> Beautiful pics.
> 
> 
> 
> Just curious, what kind of leash is that called that goes around her muzzle and why do you use it?




Gentle leader. It isn’t the leash but a head halter. She used to enjoy jumping up at strangers. This gets better control.


----------



## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

Sorry you had to deal with "the loose dog". We had an encounter yesterday too and its really caring reactivity in my young dog. I use to enjoy my walk now I find I'm not walking quite as far as I'm thinking what if I run into a loose dog, even on a short walk their re 3 houses now where dogs get out or are just off lead in front yard. Not fun.


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I had a therapy appointment today on the other side of town. My therapist also has a therapy dog and a service dog that she takes with her to work. She has met Kit when she was a young misbehaving puppy. I told her that I wanted to show her the progress we've made with Kit. I wish I didn't say that. Spoke too soon! lol 

Kit kept whining on and off like she was having a teenage tantrum. She wanted to sit on my therapist's lap and go outside to play with her dogs. In the middle of the session, I had to go walk her to poop because she was whining so much. This was an embarrassing session. 

Kit is a dog that loves attention. She does great in crowds but once someone made eye contact she thinks she has found true love. She wags her butt so hard that her whole rear is vibrating with excitement.


----------



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oops!


----------



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I forgot to mention that I’ve decided to attend the weekly class in advanced obedience at Lucky’s SD program. It is a four and a half hour round trip drive every Thursday evening. I might be nuts but Tampa here we come! I feel like people put less work into their kid’s academic. I love the program director so it will be totally worth it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


----------

