# Service Dog Test



## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

I am pretty nervous. I take Lucky to get tested on his progress this coming Sunday. He is almost 2 years old this April so I suspect this is an important exam. Lucky does so much better in my home than in foreign environments. I am not sure what to expect. 
Lucky knows the following commands:
1. Sit, 2. Stay, 3. Come, 4. Down, 5. Leave it, 6. Focus, 7. Wait, 8. front, 9. Left heel, 10. Right Heel, 11. Off, 12. Up, 13. Right Paw, 14. Left paw, 15. Nudge, 16. Pull, 17. take it, 18. fetch, 19. Give, 20. drop it, 21. Spin, 22. Place, 23. Open and close door, 24. Hug, 25. back, 26. jump on chest, 27. bow, 28. alert to phone in a purse, 28. alert to the doorbell, 29. alert to alarms of different kinds, 30."go find it" usually find the phone, 31. hug, 32. Deep pressure therapy, 33. turn on light, 34. be a doorstop/ hold the door, 35. under (for sitting under tables). 

Things Lucky will never do despite my efforts: 1. rollover or 2. bark 

I am still nervous because he is inconsistent when he gets nervous esp after a 2-hour car ride getting to the service dog school. I did notice that Lucky is much easier to train now that he is older. One important difference is that his recovery time is substantially shorter. He used to get spooked very easily by certain sounds but now he has learned to ignore. Does anyone have any advice? I will be practicing pretty hard this week.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

He will be fine if you don’t transmit anxiety down the leash. He’s got this or it’s a trial run and you both will be more confident the next time. Be positive, he’s got the right name!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

snow0160 said:


> Things Lucky will never do despite my efforts: 1. rollover or 2. bark.


I won't even try to teach my dog to rollover - she is fine rolling on her side to get a tummy rub, but she hates to lie directly on her back and I have never seen her rollover naturally. OTOH I know plenty of dogs that love to rollover naturally. I'm not fighting with her natural behavior for something that really is meaningless. You don't need it as a hearing service dog either. As for the barking - would it be helpful for your service needs? If not, then don't bother - work on what is functional.

I echo Mfmst - try not to be nervous as he will pick up on it. Easier said than done.

Lucky has an impressive collection of commands - I would focus on the ones that are important for his service dog work - both the public behavior as well as the specific tasks.

Dog trainers know that both you and the dog will be nervous and not working optimally under test conditions. Good luck


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

NO advice, just a great big....................GOOD LUCK!!!


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

You and Lucky will do great. Very impressed by his list of commands. Fingers crossed for you on the test.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Perhaps it will put your mind at ease to realize that, it is not the goal of the person testing you , to fail you.They are trying to ensure that Lucky can, indeed perform tasks that make him YOUR service dog.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Charmed, well said. Be chill my friend. You will be fine.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Charmed advice is excellent. Did this practice drill to brush up on the basics. I haven't really worked with him Nov or Dec. 
First video: Basic heel. I forgot to include "stop" and "slowdown" in the list. Lucky worked a long time to get heel to this point. 
Second video: This is just the basics. I am a big fan of Lucky's backup and down. He looks so pleased with himself.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

This videos are so adorable! I love Lucky's enthusiasm. He is doing so awesome! And what an impressive list of commands he knows. You guys have totally got this! Can't wait to hear about the test!


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

He's doing great. I love his exuberance - and that fast down is fabulous. You should be proud of the work you and Lucky have accomplished.


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

Snow,

Down. Whump! Hilarious. Such a good boy! You've done great work and you should be very proud. Of course you're going to be nervous. A trick I used on myself when I was suffering from stage fright before performances was naming that feeling excitement instead of afraid or nervous. So, I had stage excitement and performance excitement, rather than performance anxiety, and stage fright. I can manage feeling excited. I can do things with excited feelings to calm myself that I can't do when I'm nervous or scared. 

You should feel excited about this test. It's an important progress report and a chance to show off just how awesome Lucky is doing, because he is doing awesome. You've got this. You're both ready. Have fun. If you're having fun, you'll relax. If you're relaxed, Lucky will relax. All your feelings go down the leash into that amazing sweet dog. Breathe. Breathe. Sending you good luck and joy.
Frame those feelings as excited because it's a useful brain trick.


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## galofpink (Mar 14, 2017)

Based on those videos, you and Lucky have absolutely nothing to worry about! The repertoire of tricks that you have taught Lucky is impressive and the enthusiasm that he had reacting to your commands is even more impressive. You have this under control and you will do great! Rooting for you


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

You’ll do great! Lucky is such a good boy. I love how swishy his tail is


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

OMG! I LOVE his enthusiastic "down"!!!!!!!!!! What a sweetheart he is! Yup, you two will do just fine!


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