# Lucky’s service dog training update



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

We are driving 2.5 hours every week to Tampa for Lucky’s service dog training school: Florida Dog Guides for the Deaf. That’s 5 hours round trip! And it is totally worth it to get positive support for service dog training! The director and instructors here l are wonderful! It is such a positive experience. 
I’ve been so hard on both my dogs but in context, both are extremely well trained. Lucky is doing especially well. There is a GSD and two spoo puppies in the class. 


The director is such a sweet woman. She got me this tag for tag for  Lucky. She is the sweetest woman!! 


































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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

How sweet of your director - Lucky is lucky. And how wonderful to get such nice feedback on Lucky and Kit's training - I know you take their training seriously and work at it.

I'm glad you have this training site - what a shame it's such a drive. It sounds like it's worth the trek.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Yeah it really is far but a really good experience. Only Lucky trains there so far. He had been admitted at 5 months. We don’t know if Kit came how it would affect Lucky’s training. They are wild together. 


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

snow0160 said:


> Yeah it really is far but a really good experience. Only Lucky trains there so far. He had been admitted at 5 months. We don’t know if Kit came how it would affect Lucky’s training. They are wild together.
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


I think you are right - if Kit came it would turn into fun, games and major distraction. You travel so far and make such an effort it should be focused work for you and Lucky.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I know it has been a while since I posted here! So far both have CGCA and CGCU. Some update from service dog school. Both Lucky and Kit passed level one obedience. Lucky also passed level 2. The level 2 test is basic obedience with all hand signal and no voice commands. 

















The next step for Lucky is ADI test. I need to log all sessions from now on so might be good keeping this thread going. We take Lucky to service dog school every week. The instructor for the next level is a lot stricter. He loves Lucky because Lucky is always very happy to train. Lucky is still a bit of a dopey puppy.

Assistance Dog International test will be Lucky’s final test on top of tasks which he already knows. They will be submitting his paperworks to ADI. 



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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

ADI has pretty high standards for their trainers. This is as close of a service dog training certification one can get in the USA. 
I know several members here are doing service dog training. I thought maybe people would like to see their requirements.
Here is a link for the public access test; 
http://salidadogs.com/EndUserFiles/55058.pdf

Here is a link detailing what they look for in their trainer:
https://www.assistancedogsinternati...TrainerCertificationTestwithoutAnswersADI.pdf


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Cheering for Lucky and you from Texas. Heroic weekly driving, well worth it for the best instruction.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

It looks exactly like the CGCU--easy peasy for your smarty pants!


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

We ran through the ADI test before applying at International Association of
Assistance Dog Partners International Association of Assistance Dog Partners

That's a really fun test to do, actually. My noise distraction was a loud smoothie machine chewing up fruit! Enjoy the process and congratulations!


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> We ran through the ADI test before applying at International Association of
> Assistance Dog Partners International Association of Assistance Dog Partners
> 
> That's a really fun test to do, actually. My noise distraction was a loud smoothie machine chewing up fruit! Enjoy the process and congratulations!




This is a very good source and a fun website. It even tells you how to log the sessions. Thank you! This is a better guide than the ADI materials I’ve linked above. I really appreciate it. 



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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Lucky:
I’m very thankful Lucky no longer pulls with the prong. His heal is amazing with the prong collar on. I’m starting to think he needs to be shaved where the prong is fitted so it doesn’t slide at all. I’ve tried many prongs from plastic to giant scary petco ones. The best is Herm springer prong. 

One thing I really want Lucky to learn is “with me” which includes the automatic side and backward heel. I need for him to have better rear end awareness for this—gotta do more pivot practice first. 

Kit: 
Her biggest issue is the fact she is super vocal as many LGDs are. Since I taught her no bark before, she kinda knows it. Our service dog trainer said we need to teach her bark on command as well as no bark. Paul was always afraid of teaching her this because she likes to repeat behaviors unprompted for treats. Today she learned “speak”and the sign for speak. Unfortunately, she has still not managed to “not bark”. I am going to continue with this but it is going to be a process.



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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I’ve been searching the Internet for some kind of guidance but I need Lucky to be able to heel like this golden in the video 






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## JenandSage (Mar 9, 2018)

Thanks for all the posts. You are working so hard you will get there. Sage isn’t half as well trained as most of the dogs on PF so I am always inspired...especially I like to read about the service dog training I find it fascinating!


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

To stop pulling, you need to make it the dog's responsibility to stop pulling on the leash, not yours. Same with heeling. It's the dog's responsibility to get in the right position and stay there. It starts in a quiet place with a normal buckle collar, a leash, and some treats.

You are going to put the leash on your dog, and pull until there is no slack and just a hint of pressure on the dog. And you are going to stay with this pressure until the dog chooses to release it. Then you reward the dog with treats and praise. Play this game until the dog releases tension instantly and looks to you for rewards and praise. Might take half an hour, might take a month. Both are OK. You put tension on the leash, the dog releases it. When the dog pulls, it's the dog's job to make that pulling stop. 

Second thing, that kind of heeling you're watching in the video is an emergency behavior for a service dog, and not something to strive for in public. It's very hard on the dog to maintain that level of focus. Heads up heeling is very useful for when a child is walking directly into your path with an ice cream cone at dog nose level. 98% of the time, when a SD is working they should be loose leash walking, roughly in heel position. True heeling is a short burst task, even in a obedience trial, it is still a short burst activity.

Start with making eye contact with your dog in heel position. Watch, treat, release.
Next step is one step while the dog is watching. Step, stop, reward, release. 
After a few tries, name that behavior, "heel." Step, stop, reward, release.
Expect moving while watching you to take at least a month of daily effort before you can walk from one end of your hallway to another without losing eye contact.

Because Noelle is smaller, I have treats in my left hand when we work on heeling. My treats are in my palm, and my hand is across my belly. You'll have to experiment where to hold your treats when heeling. 

Keep working on it. You're doing great.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Click-N-Treat said:


> Second thing, that kind of heeling you're watching in the video is an emergency behavior for a service dog, and not something to strive for in public. It's very hard on the dog to maintain that level of focus. Heads up heeling is very useful for when a child is walking directly into your path with an ice cream cone at dog nose level. 98% of the time, when a SD is working they should be loose leash walking, roughly in heel position. True heeling is a short burst task, even in a obedience trial, it is still a short burst activity.




Thank you for your support. This was something I pondered for quite some time now. I’ve been around service dogs that does this and some who don’t. The one that does it is a guide dog. The other one is just an incredibly well trained pyr/ husky mix. My pug Nibbler also has a heel this good whenever we go out on walks. It was something we practiced when she was very very young. Lucky will pull but with a pinch collar, it has gotten so much better. The method we used is exactly what you’ve described and it works perfectly. Unlike, Nibbler who is laser focused on food, Lucky can sometimes get overstimulated and he would lose his concentration or get bored. This is when the pulling starts. He would want to sniff the floor and look for acorns or stare at the newcomers. Sometimes he just likes to make his own decision where to go and I am not as assertive as I should be. He is easily distractible and I just shake my hand and say “easy”. We are getting there. Around age 2.5 his confidence improved and his aptitude to learn new or abstract skills has gotten a lot better. 






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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I also use a pinch collar on Renn. I tried a flat collar and did the treat thing too. What finally worked for us was the pics collar along with treats, the not always treats. He has a very good heel now and will look at me, we also do the LAM when he gets distracted by something. I also used clicks advise on talking and when I see something he may not know I say oh look here comes...oh thats a bicycle.. We are not training as a service dog . I had hopes of possibly a therapy dog in the future but I think that may not work with his personality. He seems to only want me and really not so interested in other folks. He is young so we will keep at it, but I am happy with him as a companion for me. He is now beginning to alert me when we walk if he sees something out of the normal. He will stand there at attention looking back at me and then to where he sees or hears something. I really don't want him barking but the other urning it was dark and he did this and gave a bark and out came a jogger from no where, I told him it was ok and to heel and we continued on our way. I was happy with that. Renn will need more training and more new experiences to get better. We shall see. How old is Lucky now, he really sounds like he is doing great.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Lucky is 2.5 years. Like Ren, he also does not show much interest in strangers. He enjoys being petting by strangers but no over excitement. He will not go out of his way to greet them like Kit. Maybe it is a poodle thing? 

For barking, I’ve been teaching Kit “speak”and “no bark” commands. I had initially only taught kit the no bark but our new SD trainer at the school said we needed to add the “speak” command as well. It will work better. So far he is correct but it is a process. Kit barks less and will stop barking miraculously when I tell her to. Instead of letting out five barks, she only does one. Turns out he is right. I don’t know why it works but he is correct. It just does.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I went to Rally for the first time in a loooong time this week!! Under positive encouragements of Click, I decided to give rally a second chance. I am so glad I did because Lucky is SO MUCH more confident. He used to be scared of the warehouse but this time he was a little hyper but very happy to work. I am so grateful for Click’s Noelle stories. It was the number one reason I was inspired to go. 

Now I can see why zooeysmom is such a big fan. Hehe. I had disliked my local club after a few bad experiences there when I took Lucky and Kit to train there as a puppy. I thought I was going to have a horrible time being judged and shouted at inside the ring. A good instructor makes a huge difference! In my experience, the best instructors are always patient and attentive. 

This time, we did a drop in rally class and the instructor and its members were wonderful and friendly. We are starting at Novice and it is all about the signs. So far Lucky doesn’t have trouble with any of it and it is rather about me learning what to do. He didn’t do any of the signs wrong but I had a hard time with sign #7, which required me to turn into my dog. This almost reminds me of a dance class. I don’t got the moves lol. A wonderful woman in the class told me about a new app called K9Rally. This is a big help because it is a quick reference guide. I also have the pocket guide rally app. 

On service dog training:
The new instructor at service dog school is strict but I love a challenge because it makes me work harder. He seems to be very impressed by Lucky’s progress thus far. He said Lucky is a really smart dog and doesn’t seem to need that much training to pick up new task. He is wrong. I think it is a cumulative effect where all the past training is paying off finally and him reaching maturity. 

To be honest, a lot of it was just continuing with training even though there were rough patches. There were so many times I felt hopeless and frustrated. I am so grateful I got support from people on this forum and continued with his training. Rally and this week’s service dog training was the reason I started the thread thanking poodle forum. I am so grateful for all the advice and inspiration here. I am especially grateful to Click-N-Treat, Skylar, Zoeeysmom, Lilyrecd. 


What we are working on now: 
No more voice commands and the ability to work off leash 100% of the time. The trainer also said I should not repeat a command more than once at this point. I find myself having to get his attention sometimes, the Lucky man enjoys searching the floor for acorns. 


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

So glad you are enjoying Rally, snow! :thumb: Practice and persistence pay off. Keep having FUN!


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

Snow you are doing a great job with Lucky's training, good for you. I really should try rally again too, I got a little turned off and frustrated last time. Click n treat, I love the way you explain things, so helpful, thanks.


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