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| SSD Lucky explores a new object |
SSD Lucky has now finished the first part of his service dog
training—Early Socialization Class (ESC). During ESC, he and other puppies his
age met every week for eight weeks to learn the basics of being a future
service dog. They practiced cues like “sit,” “down,” recalls, loose leash
walking, and many more. These weekly classes help give puppy raisers a strong
support system as the puppies grow and learn quickly.
At the end of those eight weeks, SSD schedules a one-on-one
meeting with the training staff called a “Walk and Talk.” Other programs
accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) also use Walk and Talks to
assess their puppies in training. By using the same assessment tool, SSD is
able to collaborate with other ADI programs about puppies in training and
breeding. SSD Lucky did his first one around four months old. He’ll do another
one later in his training.
Walk and Talks take place in a neutral space, ideally
somewhere the dog is not familiar with. Lucky had his at Keystone Human
Services’ main office in Harrisburg, PA. When we arrived, Lucky demonstrated
how to safely exit a vehicle and he was given a chance to potty before entering
the building. Inside, we met Lauren Holtz, the Puppy Development Coordinator,
and a volunteer who was filming the session.
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| Lucky walks across new surfaces |
Lauren guided us through the building, giving us
instructions as we went. Lucky was given the chance to explore the new space
without guidance from me, which gave Lauren the opportunity to see what choices
he makes on his own. These choices can be different than the choices he would
make when working with a person. There’s no correct choice.
We then demonstrated basic cues like “sit” and “down” on the
verbal and hand cues separately.
We practiced walking up and down stairs. Lucky does better
going down stairs in a controlled manner than he does going up, so we are
continuing to practice going up. Lauren reviewed the video with me after the
Walk and Talk and explained that Lucky might be pulled ahead of me on the way
up because I’m clicking slightly later than I should be. I’m marking his
position when he’s slightly in front of me instead of directly next to me. When
he walking on a loose leash, I will work to correct his position next to me. It
was great to be able to see this on video.
Another big part of service dog work is walking on different
surfaces, body handling, and maneuvering in tight spaces. One place to practice
is in a public restroom setting. Service dogs should enter the stall first,
turn around, and then back up next to the toilet. This is also a great place to
practice self-control so he doesn’t sneak a drink!
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| Lucky sits exactly where he's supposed to |
What does Lucky need to continue to work on? Good loose
leash walking and proper positioning on the stairs, especially when going up.
He also had a hard time settling in a crate at the end of the session. While we
practice good crate behavior in different rooms at my house and at work, we
need to continue to practice in different locations. This is a little more
challenging to do since it requires me to have a crate with me, but I plan to
practice at other people’s houses where they have crates. I also have a travel
crate.
Want to help Lucky
with his training? Donate to build a new training center for Susquehanna
Service Dogs! Give here: https://crowdrise.com/susquehanna-capital-campaign
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