Susquehanna Service Dogs

Find Fire and You Could Win!

2012-01-30T16:36:00.005-05:00

Can you find SSD Fire? We've hidden SSD Fire's image somewhere on our PawsAbilities website. If you find him, you could win a free spin at Paw Draw at PawsAbilities on March 10-11!

With your free spin, you could win prizes such as dog toys, treats, gift certificates, dog beds, leashes and more!

How to play

Find the hidden image of SSD Fire on www.pawsabilities.net.
Complete and submit the online form to tell us where you found him. You must use this form to be eligible.

If you correctly identify Fire's location, you'll be entered into a drawing. Every Thursday at 2 p.m., we will randomly select two people to win a free spin at Paw Draw!

Winners can pick up their free spin tokens at the Information Booth at PawsAbilities.

Don't forget to buy your PawsAbilities tickets!

Visit www.pawsabilities.net and start looking for Fire!

PawsAbilities: Paw Draw

2012-01-24T12:43:00.004-05:00

PawsAbilities is less than two months away and we're busy planning all sorts of fun things for you and your dog to do! One of those things is Paw Draw.

Paw Draw is a raffle where you can win prizes, such as a new dog bed, tennis balls, gift certificates, dog toys, treats and more!

We want to make Paw Draw as fun as possible, which means we need lots of great prizes. We're looking large and small items for either people or dogs. If you would like to donate an item or two, please let us know!

This could also be a great opportunity for a project for girl scouts, boy scouts or other community groups.

Thank you for your support and for helping us make PawsAbilities great!

PawsAbilities is on March 10-11 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. Tickets are now on sale: www.pawsabilities.net.

SSD Hale Takes on the Farm Show

2012-01-18T10:22:00.007-05:00

The Pennsylvania Farm Show. These four words bring to mind images of milkshakes, fried cheese cubes and a giant butter sculpture.

These four words also strike terror in the hearts of puppy raisers.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show is an extremely challenging place for service dogs in training of any age. Between the crowds, dropped food and animals, there are so many opportunities for dogs to lose their minds and completely forget all of their training.

Donna, SSD Hale's puppy raiser, knew that the Farm Show was a challenging experience, but instead of concentrating on all the ways Hale could fail, she saw opportunities for success. She came up with a training plan to ensure that she and Hale had a good experience at the Farm Show.

She knew from last year, when she took Nubble, that the Farm Show can be overwhelming. Donna recognized that her own stress level affects the dog at the end of the leash, and she was determined to stay calm and keep her own stress level from affecting Hale. Hale loves people, so Donna wasn't worried about the crowds. She decided that if she saw any signs of stress, she would retreat and give Hale a chance to relax. During that time, Donna planned to reevaluate whether they should call it a day or continue their outing.

Hale went into the Farm Show with her usual gusto! The first thing they did was visit the cows, and the floor was full of all sorts of things a dog finds interesting. Hale may not have even noticed the cows because she was so interested in the things on the floor! To help Hale refocus, Donna moved back into a quiet corner where Hale could sniff the air without actually eating anything. After that, they stuck to the perimeter of the bovine hall, and then headed for the goat hall.

Hale didn't even blink at being around the goats. Her puppy raisers have goats, so she just wanted to greet them. Donna made sure Hale kept her distance, though. While Hale was perfectly fine with the goats, the goats were not as happy to be around a dog. Donna didn't want to add to their stress. The sheep, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by Hale, although Hale wasn't as comfortable around them. Donna used lots of treats, especially power treats like cheese whiz. At one point, Hale barked, so Donna moved her away. Once she settled, they approached the sheep again, and Hale did a little better. Donna decided to leave the sheep while Hale was still having a positive experience.

In the rabbit area, Hale sat down right next to a row of bunnies in their cages. She just rested and drank some water. Donna also took her to the chicken area, but they kept their distance because the birds could get agitated by a dog.

Although Hale did very well around the animals, she did manage to get into a bit of mischief. The children at the Farm Show loved Hale, and of course, she loved them! She even managed to give out a few kisses. However, considering the number of children who came up to her, she did very well. She even did well when one toddler tried to tickle her with a peacock feather! Many of the children asked if they could give her a treat, and Donna used it as a teaching experience as she explained that Hale is a service dog in training and only her handler can give her treats.

Of course, you can't go to the Farm Show without getting some fried cheese cubes and a milkshake! Hale was very patient while waiting in the long line, although she didn't tuck herself up close to Donna. She always seemed to lay down so that she was in the way. People just stepped over her, though, and Hale didn't seem to mind. She did manage to scarf down a cheese cube that ended up on the floor. She was so quick about it that Donna barely got out the first syllable of "leave it."

Since Hale was doing relatively well, Donna and Lindsey headed to the rodeo for a while. Even though they both wanted to see the rodeo, they decided they would leave if Hale was showing signs of stress.

They had to go up a very narrow, steep staircase to get to some empty seats, and when they got to the top, Hale shook herself, which Donna recognized as a sign of stress. However, Hale relaxed and settled easily under the seats. There were two empty seats next to Donna, so Hale had some extra room to stretch out. She even relaxed so much that she rested her head on her paws.

Once they settled into their seats, three teenagers, an 8-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy sat in the seats in front of them. Their heads were at the perfect level for Hale to try to sneak in some doggy kisses, and she managed to lick the 8-year-old's ear. Luckily, he just laughed, said "hi" to Hale, and went back to watching the rodeo. Hale also tried to sniff the teenage girl's prayer cap. The 3-year-old occasionally watched Hale and reached back and scratched her back, but Hale was wonderful with him. Every time he interacted with her, she looked to Donna, even when he tugged gently on her tail. "I was quite proud of her then," said Donna. "She has definitely figured out that little kids are not her toys to play with."

Although Donna was watching carefully, the only time she saw any signs of stress that concerned her was during the rodeo. At the very beginning, all of the lights went out and the crowd got very quiet, then very loud. Hale seemed a little worried, licking her lips and yawning. She did the same thing halfway through the rodeo when the lights went down again and the music got very loud. But other than the lip-licking and yawning, she was fine.

As they were leaving, Hale tried one more time to scarf down some treats on the floor, but this time, she grabbed a bead! Donna had to reach in her mouth to get it. Hale knows the cue "leave it," but she doesn't follow it 100% of the time. Donna plans to work on it with her.

All in all, Hale did very well at the Farm Show, especially for an 8-month-old puppy. "I am so glad I took her," said Donna. "It was a great experience for her, and I think I had a good training plan in place so that I was able to enjoy our outing as much as possible."

For Donna at least, the words "Pennsylvania Farm Show" aren't quite as scary.

It's PawsAbilities Time!

2012-01-13T10:57:00.003-05:00

It's a dog's favorite time of year - PawsAbilities time! PawsAbilities is coming up on March 10-11 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. We're working on an all-star line up of fun things for you and your dog to do.

Dog Olympics
Agility try-outs
Kody Kup Walk
Cutest Dog Contest
Abrams & Weakley Parade
Costume contest
Great Biscuit Bite-Off
and more!

Tickets are on sale now! Tickets cost $8 for general admission, $4 for children ages 4-12. Dogs are free! You can buy your tickets at www.pawsabilities.net.

SSD Hale's Leaps and Bounds

2012-01-09T13:29:00.009-05:00

SSD Hale is growing in leaps and bounds! Well, maybe she's just leaping and bounding. It's hard to tell if she's getting bigger. Donna, Hale's puppy raiser, has even had people ask her if Hale is a miniature Lab! They're always surprised to find out that she's only about seven months old, which is quite a compliment. It means Hale is very well behaved in public!

This month, this little dog had her first real bath. She had been hosed off in the summer and wiped down with a damp cloth lots of times, but this time, she got a full bath in a grooming tub. Hale's first real bath is the perfect example of how we train our dogs to do almost everything. The grooming tub had a ramp, and Donna used shaping to get Hale to walk up the ramp. The hose was louder and had more water pressure than the garden hose, so Donna used treats to reward Hale for good behavior. At the end, Hale was very interested in the dryer, and she didn't mind having the air on her fur at all. Hale emerged happy and smelling great, all because Donna set her up for success.

Since Hale was all primped and pretty, Donna and Lindsey brought her to the SSD holiday party. The other dogs and puppy raisers from the Northeast Puppy Raising Program also joined us. We had a lot of dogs at the party, but Hale did great! Donna and Lindsey took her through the line at the buffet table, but while she sniffed at the table a little bit, she didn't try to steal anything. Lindsey was even able to walk with her while holding two drinks in her hands!

The same week as the holiday party, Hale took a scaled down version of the public access test as an evaluation. "She did pretty well," said Donna. "I was please with almost everything." Evaluations like the public access test often help puppy raisers discover strengths and weaknesses, and Donna realized that she needed to work on "under" with Hale. Since the evaluation, they have taken every opportunity to practice "under." Hale will go under with a hand signal, although Donna has to guide her sometimes. Once Hale has a solid "under," Donna will introduce the verbal cue.

In the Northeast puppy classes, Donna has been working on helping Hale differentiate between the cues "up" and "all the way up." "Up" means the dog puts two feet up on an object, while "all the way up" is exactly what it sounds like - the dog puts all four feet on an object. Depending on her mood, Hale might give an "up" or an "all the way up" for either cue. Susan, one of our other puppy raisers in the Northeast, suggested that Donna try working on "up" and "all the way up" at the same time. That would make it necessary for Hale to listen closely to the cues and not just do what she things she should do. Donna has been practicing both cues at home.

Hale has also been making good progress with the cue "back." She walks backwards nicely as long as she has something like a wall or table to align herself with. She doesn't yet back up in a straight line if she's in an open area, but Donna believes that with a little more work, she'll have it.

The Northeast group also likes to incorporate games into puppy class. At one class, they played "Duck, Duck, Goose" with all of the dogs. Hale and all of the dogs did very well! It was an excellent way to practice their focus. The dogs enjoy the mental stimulation of the games.

Hale and the other Northeast dogs in training also practiced "leave it." Look at their amazing self control!

If you've been following Hale's progress here on the blog, you know that she gets very wiggly when she greets people. Donna has been working with other puppy raisers to teach her to stay calm when people are petting her. It's much easier to practice in a controlled setting with people who understand what you're trying to accomplish. Donna has decided that when strangers want to pet Hale, she needs to be in a "down." Once Hale is down, Donna lets people pet her, although she asks them to stop petting her if she stands up. This has been helping Hale learn to be calmer during greetings.

Lindsey went to the DMV to renew her driving permit, and Hale got to go along. It was crowded, and really tested Hale's self control, but she did great! She also did a very nice "under" while Lindsey was filling out paperwork.

Over the holidays, Hale went with her puppy raisers to pick out a tree. It was the perfect opportunity to practice "stay" and recalls!

In December, Donna and Hale went to one of Lindsey's indoor soccer games. It could have been very stressful for a dog because the bleachers were very close to the field, and there was nothing separating them but a four-foot-high glass wall and a net above that. Hale did very well, though. She stayed under Donna's bench for the entire game. She didn't even flinch when a ball hit the wall right in front of them! There was also a toddler with food and toys about 20 feet away from her, but Hale only watched her without trying to pop up out of her spot.

Hale was able to be so successful at the soccer game because Donna planned ahead and set her up for success. "One thing I do before events that could be stressful is make sure Hale gets plenty of exercise," said Donna. "I really think that dogs (and humans) can handle things much better when they have the proper amounts of exercise. The day of the game, I got there early and walked Hale around the outside of the building for about 20 minutes. The exercise gave us both a chance to clear our heads."

"December was a good month for Hale," said Donna. "I'm hoping that January will be even better."

Holiday Fun!

2011-12-27T13:36:00.013-05:00

We hope that you, your family and your dogs had a wonderful holiday! Here's how some of the SSD dogs celebrated.

Is this SSD Chamberlain? Or a reindeer?

SSD Parks models her new antlers.

SSD Grace is in the holiday spirit!

SSD Onyx also turned into a reindeer!

SSD Opal and her mom SSD Pearl pose in front of the tree.

Every dog needs a special holiday outfit! SSD Opal models hers.

New toy! SSD Parks loves it.

SSD Parks and her puppy raiser

Pearl gets a hug, the best present!

SSD Quinn hides behind the tree. He's not quite sure why the tree is inside!

SSD Ripley helps to pick out a tree.

SSD Stanley and his puppy sitter

SSD Stanley was exhausted before the day even started!

SSD Wish opens her presents.

SSD Lil looks cute in her hat.

How To Keep Dogs Safe This Holiday Season

2011-12-23T09:26:00.008-05:00

The Eastern Star puppies are going to their puppy raiser families tonight, just in time for the holidays! While raising a puppy is an exciting time, it can also add stress, particularly at this time of year. Here are some holiday safety tips to make sure that you and your dog have a joyful holiday.

Christmas Trees
Be extra careful if you put up a Christmas tree. If dogs eat the tree or ornaments, they can get blockages in their intestines or worse. To keep your puppy from getting to the tree, you can surround it with a baby gate, or if you don't want to do that, put ornaments and tinsel above the dog's reach.

Also, if you have a live tree, do not let your dog drink the tree water. There can be chemicals in it, particularly anti-freeze, which can be deadly to animals.

Other Holiday Plants
Other seasonal holiday plants, such as mistletoe, poinsettias and lilies, can be poisonous to dogs in ingested. Keep them out of reach.

Holiday Lights
The twinkle of holiday lights always brings out the holiday spirit, but be sure to keep cords away from curious puppies. They could chew on them and get an electric shock.

Food, food and more food
The holidays are a wonderful reason to get together with family and friends and eat lots of delicious food. However, while that food might be okay for you, it could be harmful to your dog. Holiday foods are often rich and could give your dog vomiting and diarrhea. SSD dogs should never be fed people food from the table, counters, plates, etc. Part of their service dog training involves learning to chill out at people meal times.

Greeting Guests
If you're having people over to your house, you want to make sure your dog can calmly greet them. This means that the dog keeps all four paws on the floor. No jumping and barking. If you have time, proper greetings are a good thing to practice before any guests arrive. It may be helpful to have your dog on a leash while guests are arriving, and be sure to have the clicker and lots of treats ready. When guests arrive, keep your dog's attention on you by giving him treats, especially if people are petting him. It may also be helpful if you talk to your guests before they arrive to let them know they should ignore the puppy if he jumps on them.

Relaxation
Being around lots of people and activity can be very stressful for dogs. Make sure they have a quiet, calm place to go if all the excitement gets to be too much for them. Watch for the signs of stress, and if your dog starts exhibiting them, remove him from the situation.

When dogs get stressed, they may pant more and will be more thirsty than usual. Give them free access to cool, fresh water.

Also, it's a good idea to stick to your dog's routines as closely as possible. Continue feeding your dog on his normal schedule and take him outside for potty breaks and walks as close to your normal time as possible. And don't forget play time!

Finally, make sure you know what your dogs are doing at all times, especially if you have a young puppy. By keeping an eye on him, you can often prevent him from getting into mischief and make sure that the holidays are safe and happy for everyone.

Happy holidays from all of us here at SSD!

"It's Time to Play the Music! It's Time to Light the Lights!"

2011-12-19T11:27:00.008-05:00

"It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights"
It's time to name the puppies of SSD Scotia tonight!

These puppies are going to be the Jim Henson litter!

Scotia was bred to Lord Byron of Kerrybrook, and according to her ultrasound, she's going to have 8-10 puppies!

We need your help to come up with at least 10 puppy names based on Jim Henson's characters. Do you have a favorite Muppets, Sesame Street or Fraggle Rock character? Let us know in the comments! It could become the name of a puppy.

Please suggest both male and female names, and feel free to suggest as many names as you like. We'll announce the names once the puppies are born.

Have fun! We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Meet Dee's Second Litter!

2011-12-16T09:38:00.004-05:00

The names are official! SSD Dee's puppies are SSD Kindle, SSD Nook and SSD Odyssey! The fourth puppy was named SSD iPad.

Although they're only a few days old, Kindle, Nook and Odyssey are already ready for the holidays!

Welcoming SSD Dee's Puppies

2011-12-14T15:28:00.005-05:00

There are three new puppies in the SSD program! SSD Dee gave birth to her puppies on Dec. 13.

Dee delivered her first puppy in the wee hours of the morning while she was still relaxing on the couch. After a nice nap, she gave birth to her second puppy at 5:30 a.m., and our whelping team was right there to assist her. When she was having trouble with the third puppy because it was so big, we decided to take her to the vet. Dr. Hann was wonderful and was able to assist the third puppy out. However, the puppy could not be revived. The fourth puppy was born by c-section.

The third puppy who did not survive was buried in a special place at the home of one of our volunteers.

Although Dee is a wonderful mother once her puppies are born, we decided that it would be best for her well-being to have her spayed. We're always excited to have more puppies, but we always consider the health and well-being of our dogs first.

Dee and her three little puppies are doing great. Dee is such an attentive mother! We will be announcing the names of these three female puppies soon.

Thank you to our whelping team and to Dr. Hann at the Palmyra Animal Clinic for taking such good care of Dee and her puppies!

The Public Access Test - SSD Puppy Evaluation Style

2011-12-09T10:08:00.001-05:00

SSD Julia is only 10 months old, but she already took the public access test. No, she's not quite ready to be placed with a partner. She simply took a version of the public access test as her puppy class semester evaluation.

At the end of every semester, we evaluate the puppies' progress. Since we have this wonderful new space in the Harrisburg Mall for our puppy classes, what better way to see the dogs' overall progress than to have them take a version of the public access test in the mall?

When service dogs and their partners take their public access test, it starts from the moment their partner opens the car door. The dog must wait patiently until cued to leave the car. After the required potty break, the dog and partner enter the building. At the beginning of her evaluation, SSD Julia and her puppy raiser Susan demonstrated loose leash walking. Not only did Julia need to walk on a loose leash in open spaces, but she had to stay right next to Susan when then went around corners. Watch the video of Julia and Susan turning the corner around a kiosk. Listen to how often Susan clicks Julia for staying on a loose leash. Lots of reinforcement in a challenging environment means the puppy has a greater chance of succeeding!

As part of loose leash walking, Susan had to drop the leash and Julia had to continue to remain focused and stay right by Susan's side. She did! She even picked up her leash afterwards. (For our puppy raisers, please note that picking items up is an advanced skill and you shouldn't attempt to put it on cue unless you have received instructions from one of our trainers. We have a very specific method for training it. Some of our experienced puppy raisers have learned this method and have trained their puppies in it, but it is not a cue the dogs need to learn before entering advanced training.)

Another part of the public access test looks at the dog's ability to settle nicely under a table. For this, we headed to the food court. Susan selected a table and had Julia do a "down" so she was out of the way. Although she didn't go under the table, she was in a down between two chairs, so she was out of the way of anyone walking around the table. While in the food court, Julia also demonstrated "sit" and "down," with and without the distraction of food on the floor.

Since we have been working on the cue "lap" and having the dog get dressed in a comfort trainer, we added those skills to our puppy class version of the public access test. Watch Julia rest her front legs on Susan's lap. Note how Susan patiently re-cues her until she gives the correct behavior.

When our dogs are placed with their partners as working service dogs, they sometimes wear a comfort trainer to make it easier for their partner to handle the dog. Since we already have our dogs "get dressed" in their service dog harness, we thought it would be great if they could also stick their noses right into the comfort trainer. We actually got the idea from SSD Dylan's puppy raisers. In one of their semester evaluations, they demonstrated how Dylan sticks his nose right through the comfort trainer to make it very easy for his puppy raisers to put it on him. In this video, Susan uses the loop of the leash instead of a comfort trainer to practice the behavior. See how Julia sticks her nose through the loop and stays there?

We also evaluate the dogs' focus around distractions. While Julia was walking on a loose leash, we dropped a clipboard a few feet behind her. We also pushed a shopping cart around her. We even enlisted the help of a young boy walking through the mall with his older siblings. He got to pet Julia while she demonstrated how she can stay focused on her puppy raiser!

Julia also had to demonstrate walking calmly up stairs and entering and exiting an elevator.

We hope that by using the public access test as the basis for this semester's puppy evaluation that our puppy raisers got a better idea of what the dogs will need to learn before they can become working service dogs. The semester evaluations are less of a test and more of a way to discover each dog's strengths and areas that need a little work. We're looking forward to the next semester and watching the dogs build on what they have already learned!

Getting Together at the Holidays

2011-12-07T10:16:00.007-05:00

Although this time of year can get very busy, it's one of our favorite seasons. Every December, many of our partners, puppy raisers, sitters and other volunteers get together for our annual Holiday Party. We love seeing this many people and dogs together!

A big thank you to Candi and our other volunteers who organized the party for us!

Name that Duo

2011-12-02T10:14:00.003-05:00

SSD Dee is going to have her puppies in the middle of December. That means it's puppy naming time!

Since the vet says that Dee is going to have two puppies, Dee's whelpers decided that the theme for this litter will be Duos! Now we need your help coming up with names. We encourage you to think broadly when you're coming up with names. They could be people (Sonny and Cher), cartoons (Tom and Jerry), objects (salt and pepper), etc. Be creative!

We don't know whether Dee's pups will be male or female, so please come up with duos that work for a female-female litter, female-male litter and a male-male litter.

Also, there's a chance that there is a third puppy hiding behind its siblings. If you know of any good trios, feel free to include them as well!

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

SSD Hale's Adventures in Learning to Become a Service Dog

2011-12-01T09:50:00.009-05:00

When she's not hard at work learning how to become a service dog, SSD Hale is a cuddlebug. She loves to lean against her puppy raisers, and she loves the cue "visit," where she puts her head in someone's lap.

Hale has been visiting a lot of different places lately. She went to the movies last week, which really tested her ability to "leave it." The floor was covered in popcorn! She did well, though, especially considering that popcorn is one of her favorite treats. While she and Donna were walking, she left the popcorn alone. However, sitting in the theater with the popcorn around her proved to be a bit too much temptation. Other than that, she stayed in a down for the whole movie.

While they were finding their seats, Donna took the opportunity to work on the cue "back" with Hale. "Back" is a little challenging for her. She sometimes just sits and scoots backwards instead of walking backwards. In the movie theater, Donna used the rows of seats to guide Hale in a straight line backwards. Someone had also suggested using the curb at the edge of the street. The curb works well because it keeps Hale moving backwards in a straight line without making her feel like she's confined in a narrow space.

During the movie, Donna took Hale outside to potty once, just to be certain she would be successful during the entire outing. All of our dogs are trained to go potty or "get busy" on cue and Hale has certainly figured that out. In fact, if she doesn't need to go, but she's given the cue, she will still pretend to go and then look up at Donna as if to say, "See, I went. Now can we go back to doing what we were doing?"

In October, Hale went to the King Frost Parade in Hamburg. Parades can be very challenging for dogs because of all the people, loud noises, strange objects, and of course, candy, but Hale did very well. She ignored the entire parade. She did get to practice lots of greetings. Donna has her sit when people pet her because she gets so excited that she wiggles and bumps into people, although she does stay focused on Donna. When Donna was first teaching Hale how to do proper greetings, she would click her for simply looking at her. However, Hale thought that they were in a shaping session and would then touch the person with her nose. (When we shape dogs for behaviors, we sometimes start by having the dog look at an object and then touch it with their nose.) Once Donna figured out what was happening, she started concentrating on her clicks and made sure she clicked when Hale sat.

If you live in Pennsylvania, we're sure you remember the snow we had at the end of October. That was Hale's first snow! She had a blast playing in it!

Hale also went with Lindsey and Donna to A.C. Moore for craft supplies. Lindsey was handling Hale that day, and at one point, she had to go back to a previous aisle. Instead of taking Hale with her, she put her in a down-stay and went to get the item she needed. Donna stayed behind Hale just in case. However, Hale didn't budge! She just watched the spot where she last saw Lindsey and didn't move until she came back and clicked and treated. Great job, Hale!

Two weeks ago, the dogs in the Northeast Puppy Raising Program went to the Wyoming Mall for an outing. Hale was very well behaved, even though all of her dog friends were along. Donna frequently takes Hale to the mall, especially at this time of year, because it's a great place to practice stairs, going under benches, greetings and getting on and off the elevator. Donna always makes sure they take the elevator at least once every time they go to the mall, which is wonderful. Service dogs need to be comfortable with both stairs and elevators. If the dog's partner uses a wheelchair or even if the elevator is simply the most convenient way to get from one place to the next, the dog must calmly enter and exit the elevator on cue.

As our puppy raisers quickly find out, having a puppy in training is an instant conversation starter! Donna took Hale to her 25-year class reunion and Hale did great! Donna set her up for success and they just sat at the table in the beginning so Hale wouldn't get overly excited. Once Hale seemed to settle in, Donna got up and mingled with her. Dinner was a buffet, and Donna went through the line with Hale. The dogs need to learn to ignore food whether it's on the floor on on a table right above their noses. To make sure the buffet was a success, Donna's husband carried Donna's plate so that Donna could focus on Hale as they went through the line. It was a good decision and it worked because Hale did quite well. She only tried to sniff the chicken, although she didn't get close to it.

Although service dogs in training are working, they do have their silly moments. Hale saw herself in a wall-to-wall mirror at the reunion and got so excited that there was another dog there! She didn't bark, but she kept bumping her image and trying to figure out how to get around the mirror so she could get to this other dog!

Recently, Donna took Hale with her to Wawa to get a cup of coffee. Donna dropped an empty cup by accident, but Hale was right there to pick it up! Several people saw Hale do this and Donna ended up having a great discussion about service dogs and how they can assist people. She used the empty cup several times to demonstrate how a dog can pick things up. While they were taking, Donna accidentally dropped her keys, but again, Hale picked them right up. The other people thought that was great! Donna does not use any cues for Hale to pick objects up because we will teach the dogs how to do that in a certain way once they're in advanced training. However, it's great that Hale doesn't seem bothered by having different types of objects in her mouth.

Later that same day, Donna and Hale went to the grocery store. Everything went smoothly until checkout. Donna put Hale in a down-stay and began checking out, when her treat pouch came undone and all of the treats scattered all over the floor! Hale jumped right up to help clean up the mess. She must have thought it was her lucky day! But when Donna cued her to "leave it" and then put her in a down-stay, Hale listened immediately. She stayed there and watched Donna pick up the food. She only got up once when the cashier came around to help, but when Donna re-cued her, she went right back into her down-stay.

Last week, the principal at the Votech school allowed Lindsey to bring Hale. Hale fit right in! She walked the hallways and didn't seem concerned about all of the students around her. In class, she tucked herself nicely under Lindsey's desk and settled down for a nap.

Hale's training is certainly coming along! With the holidays coming up, she will probably have quite a few new adventures as she continues to learn the skills of a service dog.

Boots and Bling: An Evening with the Dogs

2011-11-15T09:12:00.011-05:00

When SSD Fire got a sneak peak at the silent auction items for Boots & Bling, he knew that Boots & Bling was going to be something to write home about. And he wasn't disappointed!

On Sunday, guests and their dogs arrived at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey decked out in their finest western or formal wear. Each dog received a goodie bag full of tasty treats, and guests had the opportunity to have their portrait taken by Terry Rowe Portraiture.

The ballroom was surrounded by tables full of items guests could bid on in the silent auction, including a basket of fine fragrances donated by Macy’s, automotive detailing donated by Bobby Rahal Automotive Group, an oak finish jewelry box donated by Mele & Company, a portrait sitting donated by Willow Street Photography, a gift basket and gift certificate donated by Classic Drycleaners, doggy gift baskets filled with leash and collar sets, treats and toys, and much more! Guests and their dogs strolled around the room to the boot-stomping music of The Waves.

Our canine guests had the spotlight in the parade of dogs, and our mistress of ceremonies, Flora Posteraro of ABC27, formally introduced each dog.

After dinner and the live auction, where several lucky people got a Yappy Hour for 10 people and their dogs, naming rights to an SSD puppy, an oriental rug, a dog-themed dinner party and a trip to Siesta Keys, Florida, it was time to dance! Even some of the dogs strutted their stuff on the dance floor!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the first Boots & Bling! We hope you and your dogs had a boot-stomping good time. And a special thank you to all of our sponsors!

We hope to see you all next year!

Building a Relationship with Dogs: ADI North American Trainer's Conference

2011-11-09T14:27:00.010-05:00

“Every dog is a unique individual,” says Suzanne Clothier. Having worked professionally with animals since 1977, Suzanne has a wide range of experience, including obedience, agility, breeding, canine midwifery, puppy testing, and kennel management. She teaches relationship centered training methods, and we’re happy to have her as the presenter for the Assistance Dogs International North American Trainer’s Conference.

Today is the second day of the Trainer’s Conference that we are hosting at the beautiful and serene Camp Hebron. The conference is focused on Suzanne’s Clothier Animal Response Assessment Tool (CARAT™), an assessment tool for creating a profile of a dog with well-defined traits. This tool can be used for any dog, and for assistance dog organizations, it can help with assessing puppies, breeding stock, and potential assistance dogs, as well as help trainers create training plans for each dog.

Although other assessment tools exist, CARAT™ is unique in that it is much more detailed and is one of the few tools with statistical validity. Guiding Eyes for the Blind uses CARAT™ to assess their dogs, and they have found that they could correctly predict whether a dog would be successful in the guide dog program in 87.4% of the cases. Susquehanna Service Dogs has been using CARAT™ since 2008, and we feel it has helped in our formal evaluations of our dogs, as well as helped us see and understand each dog’s behavior. As a result, we can make better choices about each dog’s role in our program.

Over 50 people from 25 different assistance dog organizations are attending the conference. All of them are members of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), a coalition of nonprofit organizations that train and place assistance dogs. All members of ADI must adhere to certain standards and ethics in their training and placement of dogs, and members meet regularly to share ideas, attend seminars and conferences, and work to make improvements in training methods, placement and the use of assistance dogs.

We are very excited to see members from so many service dog groups here at the North American Trainer’s conference. As we all learn more about CARAT™, we will all use similar language when we assess and talk about the dogs in our programs, which is especially important. Many assistance dog organizations build strong relationships with each other and often exchange puppies or use breeding stock from other organizations. If we all use the same language when we describe a dog and its traits and personality, we will have a greater chance of training that dog within our programs and successfully placing the dog with its partner.

The assistance dog organizations at the conference include:

Assistance Dogs of the West

Blue Ridge Assistance Dogs

Canine Partners for Life

Canine Partners of the Rockies

Circle Tail, Inc.

Dogs with Wings

Eagles’ Wings Service Dogs, Inc.

Eyes Ears Nose and Paws

Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation

Fidos for Freedom

Hawaii Fi-Do Service Dogs

Indiana Canine Assistant Network

Japan Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

Kids and Canines

KSDS, Inc.

New Horizons Service Dogs, Inc.

Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS)

Pacific Assistance Dogs Society

Paws with a Cause

Pawsitive Perspectives Assistance Dogs

Paws’itive Teams

Prison Pet Partnership

Saint Francis Service Dogs

Service Dogs of Virginia

Susquehanna Service Dogs

And we don’t want to forget about the canine attendees. Although Camp Hebron does not allow pets, they have graciously welcomed the assistance dogs to the conference.

Prescott from Canine Partners for Life

Padriag from Blue Ridge Assistance Dogs

Jabin from Eagles' Wings Service Dogs

Alepo from Canine Partners for Life

Dexter from Fidos for Freedom

Basil from Susquehanna Service Dogs

We are learning a lot from Suzanne, and we hope everyone is enjoying the conference as much as we are!

Watch the Eastern Stars on the Puppy Cam

2011-11-01T15:16:00.002-04:00

SSD Buster, Hope, Carol, Kate, Maggie and Lucy are now on the puppy cam! You can watch them play, eat and explore their world. Right now, they're only 10 days old, and their eyes and ears aren't open yet. They rely on their noses to find their mom and their siblings. Soon, though, they're eyes and ears will open and they'll start to take their first steps. And you can watch it all on the puppy cam!

When Dogs Become Mummies

2011-10-27T11:10:00.006-04:00

Halloween is a time when things are not what they appear, and sometimes they turn into something else entirely. This Halloween, our dogs in training became mummies!

At our Halloween party, we played a game where teams of our puppy raisers had to completely wrap their dogs in toilet paper. Check out the results:

We also played Musical Hoops, the popular PawsAbilities Dog Olympic Game. All of our dogs walked on a loose leash around a circle of hoops, and when the music stopped, puppy raisers had to get their dog to sit in the hoop. This is a great game for the dogs to practice their skills. Not only do they have to walk on a loose leash, but they have to ignore other distractions and listen their puppy raiser. Watch how Susan works with SSD Julia to get her to sit in the hoop. Even though there is lots of noise and movement around them, Susan stays calm, which helps Julia stay calm and focused. Susan is also very patient when Julia get distracted and quickly redirects her. And look at the beautiful "sit" that Julia gives at the end!

Our staff transformed our puppy class room for the Halloween party, complete with a haunted house! The dogs and some of their puppy raisers came in great costumes, and we had so much delicious food! We hope everyone had as much fun as we did!

And the Stars Are...

2011-10-26T09:13:00.010-04:00

Are you ready to meet SSD Midge's Stars?

SSD Hope, named after Bob Hope (female, teal collar)
SSD Kate, named after Kate Smith (female, pink collar)
SSD Maggie, named after Ann Margret (female, tan collar)
SSD Carol, named after Carol Burnett (female, orange collar)
SSD Lucy, named after Lucille Ball (female, purple collar)
SSD Buster, named after Buster Keaton (male, red collar)

The Eastern Star selected the names for this litter, and they have chosen famous actors and actresses who have given their support to our nation's veterans during war time through the USO shows and hospital visits.

The Eastern Star has graciously allowed us to call one of the females SSD Carol, in honor of one of our puppy raisers who passed away suddenly on the day the puppies were born. Carol, her husband and her family raised three SSD dogs for us - SSD Cypress, SSD Penny and SSD Jasmine II. She was a dedicated volunteer, and we will miss her.

SSD Carol and her brother and sisters were born on Thursday, October 20. Midge was due to give birth the following Sunday, but on that Thursday, Midge's breeder caretaker Susan thought that Midge might be showing the very beginning signs of labor. However, Midge was sending mixed signals, and Susan decided it was too soon for the puppies to arrive. She continued her day as usual, leaving Midge at home with her husband, Bill.

Midge hung out with Bill in his shop and took treats just like any other day. In her previous pregnancies, Midge didn't really care about food when she was in labor. That Thursday, however, she loved food! But later when she went into a strange squatting position, Bill was instantly suspicious - and it's a good thing he was watching, because all of a sudden he had to catch a puppy before it hit the ground!

After cleaning the puppy and taking care of the placenta, Bill let Susan know that Midge was, in fact, having her puppies that day. Pretty soon, the entire whelping team was on their way.

The rest of the delivery went very smoothly. Midge delivered the other five puppies quickly, and she was attentive to each puppy. She's a great mom!

We took Midge and the puppies to the vet the next day, and the vet gave her and the pups a clean bill of health. Each puppy had gained weight overnight, which is wonderful news.

Thank you to our whelping team and our vets at the Palmyra Animal Clinic!

The Stars puppies will be making their debut on the puppy cam next week. Check back early next week for the official announcement!

Meet SSD Midge's Stars!

2011-10-24T11:33:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, October 20, SSD Midge gave birth to six puppies! She had five black females and one black male. Mom and pups are all healthy and doing great!

SSD Midge's Upcoming Stars

2011-10-18T15:36:00.003-04:00

SSD Midge is getting close to her due date, and her puppies are going to be stars! Each pup will be named after a star, either the celestial kind or a movie star.

The Star Litter's theme was chosen by the Eastern Star, and their membership will be selecting the puppies' names. Big thank you to the Eastern Star for their generous donation!

We will post photos of the puppies soon after they're born. And watch for the puppy cam, coming in the first week of November!

Healthy Pet, Healthy You

2011-10-17T15:18:00.003-04:00

What are you and your dog doing on Saturday, October 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.? Make plans to attend Healthy Pet, Healthy You!

Capital BlueCross and the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area are teaming up for a unique health fair. You'll learn new tips on how you and your pet can stay healthy and live well.

Admission is free, and it will be held rain or shine on the grounds of Capital Blue Cross, 2500 Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg, PA.

Special features include a service dog demonstration by one of our demo dog teams!

You'll also find health information for you and your pet, health screenings, low-cost pet vaccine and microchip clinics, pet-friendly vendors, healthy food vendors, cooking and fitness demonstrations, and more! There will also be a dog walk at 1 p.m. You can even bring your pets in costume. Please make sure your pets are on leash.

Come out and see our service dog demonstration and check out all of the other fun activities and important information about living well and staying healthy.

Team Training

2011-10-12T11:05:00.002-04:00

This October, SSD Cabo, Denim, Slate and Tundra are going through Team Training with their new partners! Watch a video snapshot of the first few days of Team Training.

SSD Hale's Secret for a Good Play-Retrieve

2011-09-30T11:59:00.005-04:00

The trick to a good play retrieve is a squeaky ball. Or at least that's what worked for SSD Hale.

All of our puppies in training learn how to play-retrieve, a skill that comes in useful later in their service dog training when they learn how to retrieve items for their future partner. For a while, Hale wasn't quite sure what to do when Donna tossed a toy for her to retrieve. Sometimes she just sat on the toy. Meg, our volunteer trainer in the Northeast Puppy Raising Program, suggested the squeaky ball, and now Hale has been making tremendous progress with her play-retrieve! First she started actually picking it up, then she started bringing it back to Donna and dropping it right at her feet. Last week, Max (Donna's husband) and Donna took Hale out to the unfenced part of their yard to practice. Max threw the ball hard, and Hale bounded right after it, time and again! She even put the ball directly into Donna's hand. Persistence was the key. Donna didn't give up trying to teach the play-retrieve, and she tried many different methods before finding the one that worked for Hale.

Hale has also been making good progress with the stairs. She used to bunny-hop down them, but now that her legs are a little longer, she walks down them. Right now, Donna is working to teach her self control on the last few stairs. Whether they're going up or down, Hale wants to jump off the last few stairs and pull Donna with her. Now, Hale is able to pause when Donna pauses, as well as speed up or slow down with her. Donna is still paying close attention to make sure that she doesn't go back to jumping off the stairs.

She also worked on stairs at Cabela's, and she finally noticed the real stuffed animals there. She was curious but not afraid. She also went school shopping with Donna and Lindsey. Because Hale is a young puppy, and school shopping can be stressful all by itself, Donna was prepared to take Hale home if she was having a difficult time. But Hale did great!

On Wednesday, Hale went to Red Robin for her first actual meal in a restaurant. Technically, Hale didn't eat the meal. Donna and her family did, while Hale stayed tucked away under the table. Even when a gentleman stopped to pet her, she only popped her head up and then looked right at Donna. Hale definitely knew when the burgers arrived at the table, but she still behaved nicely. Good job!

Hale also attended a Puppy Raiser Council meeting with Donna. SSD has a group of experienced puppy raisers, sitters, volunteer trainers and partners who support our staff and help us make decisions. Puppy Raiser Council members also act as mentors to our new raisers. Like any of our meetings, there are always 6 or 7 dogs hanging out under the table. Hale did very nicely during the meeting, even with all of the dogs nearby. Donna took a minute to get her settled at the beginning of the meeting, but after that, Hale was able to stay at the table. Although she was a little distracted by SSD Fire and she sniffed SSD Sonora, she showed good self control and turned right back to Donna when cued.

Hale also went to a ballgame and the Strasburg Rail Road with other SSD dogs, and she is starting to learn that she can't jump on and play with other dogs.

Whenever Donna takes Hale out in public, she meets new people and hears many comments. When one child saw Hale, he asked his mom, "Why is a dog in the store?" His mother replied, "Don't pet him. He's a rescue." Although Hale is not a rescue dog and rescue dogs wouldn't necessarily be allowed public access (unless, of course, they have been trained as service or guide dogs), we appreciate when people recognize that the dogs should not be petted. Our puppy raisers do a very important job for us besides actually raising puppies. They help educate people about service dogs so that people know that they shouldn't interfere with a working dog.

At home, Hale has discovered that the couch is a wonderful piece of furniture, and she was always hopping up on it. Because all SSD dogs must be trained to ask permission before getting on the furniture, Donna has been removing her from the couch every time she jumps up without permission. One time during this learning process, Hale bounded up on the couch and then hopped right up over it! However, she quickly caught on that she needed to "ask" first by putting her chin on the couch or sitting. When Hale asks, Donna sometimes invites her up. A funny thing happened though. Hale lives with two other dogs - Nubble and Gizzy - and whenever Hale or Nubble are given permission to jump on the couch, they always look to the other dog to make sure that dog also gives the okay.

When Hale was a little puppy, she slept in a crate at night. However, she has now progress to being able to sleep outside her crate. She either sleeps curled up with Donna or she joins Nubble in his crate.

Hale will be in Gettysburg this weekend for a Ghosts of Gettysburg tour with many of our other dogs in training. We'll have lots of photos next week of the outing!

New Puppy Raising Program at Vision Quest!

2011-09-29T14:26:00.003-04:00

SSD Wish

SSD Stanley

Meet SSD Wish and SSD Stanley! These two golden retrievers are part of our new puppy raising program at the Madalyn Program for Young Women at Vision Quest!

The Madalyn Program for Young Women provides a place for troubled young women to receive support and develop new skills and self-confidence. In addition to academics, young women participate in therapy sessions, outdoor programs, sports, and life skills training.

We are working with six young women who are very interested in raising puppies for us. SSD Wish and SSD Stanley are each placed with one girl who acts as the puppy raiser, while the other girls support her as puppy sitters. Gary, our staff representative for the Vision Quest puppy raising program, visits twice a week and holds puppy classes. We also have some wonderful volunteers who go with him and we try to take several dogs so that each young woman has a chance to work with the dogs. Just like our puppy classes here in Harrisburg, the puppy raisers and dogs practice different skills and behaviors and go on public outings to get the dogs used to working in public.

SSD Stanley

When we're not there, the program is overseen by the Vision Quest puppy raising program representative, Deb. Knowledgeable about our training techniques, Deb provides support for the young women as they continue training Wish and Stanley.

We're very excited about the Vision Quest puppy raising program! Working with the dogs is a wonderful opportunity for the young women in the Madalyn Program. Not only are they learning responsibility, but they are also learning skills that can by applied to parenting. Additionally, the dogs will benefit from having many different handlers, which is an important part of their training as service dogs.

SSD Wish joins us from Birdwing Golden Retrievers in Massachussets, and SSD Stanley comes from Tarameg Goldens. Thank you to Birdwing Golden Retrievers and Tarameg Goldens for donating them to us! These dogs are well on their way to changing lives.

SSD Stanley

SSD Wish

Dogs Play Golf?

2011-09-19T12:51:00.001-04:00

Our dogs may not be able to swing a golf club, but that doesn't mean they can't play golf! Our trainers and puppy coordinator created a new game to practice stays and recalls - puppy mini golf! We marked off two squares approximately 10 yards apart. Each puppy raiser had to put their dog in a down- or sit-stay in the first square. While the dog stayed, the puppy raiser walked to the other square and called their dog. At the cue, the dog needed to run directly towards their puppy raiser and sit inside the other square. If the dog successfully did that, they got a hole in one!

Every time the puppy raiser gave the cue "come," the dog got a point. And just like in mini golf, sometimes it takes more than one try to sink a putt, or in this case, get the dog to sit in the square. Some of our puppy raisers chose to take the extra points to make sure that their dog was successful - which was great! Instead of walking all the way to the other square while the dog stayed, some puppy raisers only walked a few feet away and then called their dog. It may have taken a little longer, but by breaking the distance into smaller increments, the dogs were successfully able to reach the second square and sit.

Whenever we play games in class or work on any cues and behaviors, we love to see our puppy raisers setting their dogs up for success!

Watch videos of some of our dogs playing puppy golf.

SSD Dylan demonstrates his speedy recall. Look at how quickly he gets to his puppy raiser!

SSD Rummy learned the hand signal for "come" and as soon as she sees it, she trots right over to her puppy raiser.

Watch how SSD Yahtzee's puppy raiser sets him up for success. Because down-stays are challenging for him right now, she doesn't go very far away before calling him. And watch what she does to reward him for successfully completing the behavior!

We also started shaping the dogs to perform a new behavior - sticking their nose through a comfort trainer! When our dogs are placed as working service dogs, they sometimes wear a comfort trainer. The comfort trainer gives their partner more control over the dog, which can be very helpful for the person, depending on their disability. And if the dogs learn to put their nose through the comfort trainer right from the start, it will be much easier for their future partners.

Watch SSD Topaz learn to stick his nose through a loop. Rather than give all the dogs a comfort trainer, we had their puppy raisers start shaping the behavior by having the dogs put their noses through a loop in the leash. For now, Topaz's puppy raiser is just clicking and treating him for touching the loop with his nose.

The dogs in training are also learning "lap." On cue, the dog rests his front paws in his handler's lap. This behavior is especially helpful for bringing the dog closer to his handler. While the dog in on the person's lap, his ears and teeth can be cleaned and he may even get dressed in his comfort trainer, if he wears one.

SSD Lily also practices "lap." Watch how her puppy raiser treats her while she's still in her lap.

This was an exciting puppy class for us, and not just because we played a new game. This was our first puppy class at our new location! We now hold puppy class in our new "store" in the Harrisburg Mall. We're very excited to have more space for the dogs to learn and practice new skills! If you're in the Harrisburg Mall on Wednesday evenings, you'll be able to see the dogs practicing.

Stay Safe and Be Prepared in this Weather

2011-09-08T12:15:00.003-04:00

Harrisburg is in a state of emergency, and many people in other areas of Pennsylvania are experiencing flooding. Roads are closed and people are being evacuated. Water levels are expected to continue to rise through Friday.

Because of the weather, we have put our evacuation plan in place. All of our dogs in training at the kennel have been returned to their puppy raisers or puppy sitters, and they will stay with them until Monday. As long as roads are open on Monday, the dogs will be able to return to the kennel.

When our puppy raisers first receive their puppies, they all fill out an evacuation form to let us know where they would be taking shelter in case they are evacuated. So far, this evacuation plan has been working smoothly, although we did have one puppy raiser let us know that they had to take shelter at an alternative location. If you have an SSD dog in training, please let us know if your evacuation location is different than the one you listed on your form. All of our dogs are safe and accounted for.

We hope that everyone continues to stay safe and dry. Even if you haven't been evacuated, you should be prepared, just in case. The water can rise very quickly. It's much better to get a few items together now rather than try to find them later.

Items you should pack for your dog

dog food for several days
dog bowl
leash
collar and licenses (if your dog isn't already wearing them)
SSD harness
emergency evacuation letter from SSD

Whether you're caring for an SSD dog or not, please stay safe and be prepared. The American Red Cross has opened several shelters throughout Central PA. Please visit their website for updated information about shelter locations.

Remember, if you have an SSD dog with proper documentation, you can go to any shelter. Please remember your evacuation letter. Several shelters are also working in conjunction with local SPCAs and other animal shelters for family pets.

Save the Date for Boots and Bling!

2011-08-31T15:49:00.003-04:00

New this year, Black Tie and Tails presents Boots and Bling, a Western-themed evening for you and your dog! Come in your best Western wear or formal attire and bring your dog dressed to impress. We'll have live music, dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing for you to enjoy. And don't forget to have your portrait taken of you and your dog!

Tickets will be on sale soon.

For more information, check out Boots and Bling on our website.

Riding the Strasburg Rail Road

2011-08-29T13:13:00.008-04:00

Our dogs in training took the train! On Saturday, August 27, some of our puppies in training went to the Strasburg Rail Road. It was a cool, rainy day, but we still had a great time!

The Strasburg Rail Road was the perfect place for the dogs to gain some new experiences. Most of them had never been near a train before. Our puppy raisers and the dogs huddled under the station's overhang as the train chugged through the rain into the station. Even with all of the new sounds and sights, the dogs did very well.

To get on and off the train, the dogs had to climb a few very steep steps. Our puppy raisers did a nice job keeping their dogs walking in a calm, controlled manner on the stairs. The dogs need to practice walking calmly on stairs because they'll need that skill with their future partners, and to prevent injuries to themselves.

On the train, the dogs needed to fit themselves under the seats and relax for the 45-minute ride. Although the train made three stops along the way, we all decided to stay on board and out of the rain!

Thank you to the Strasburg Rail Road for donating tickets for our puppy raisers and for welcoming us to the station! We had a wonderful time, and it was a great learning experience for our dogs.

SSD Hale's Progress

2011-08-23T15:55:00.001-04:00

SSD Hale has been busy practicing lots of service dog behaviors. She has gone out in public to the grocery store, the mall, a tack shop, the bank and Pizza Hut, as well as a few nature walks and Fire Safety Day at Outdoor World in East Berlin, PA.

With all of this traveling, Hale has learned how to settle down nicely in the car. She no longer needs to be crated. Instead, she settles down nicely in the front or back seat.

Fire Safety Day included a BBQ fundraiser for SSD, and many of our demo dogs and dogs in training went. Hale met lots of older dogs, and she seemed to handler herself fairly well, although she did bark occasionally. There were lots of emergency vehicles on display, and Hale sat nicely by the Medivac. She wasn't even fazed when it started up and took off, although by that point, they were no longer right next to it.

Because Fire Safety Day was located close to the Dillsburg Canine Spa, Donna stopped to see whether Hale likes to swim. The answer - nope! She was content to just get her feet wet. She did retrieve a toy from the edge of the water and bring it to Donna. She also got to run around with a large golden retriever and another large dog. She had a great time running with them, taking a few breaks to run behind Donna's legs.

At the mall, Donna, Hale's puppy raiser, always takes time to work on stairs. Hale is very calm going up and down stairs, although she hops like a bunny on the way down. They also practiced entering the glass elevator. To safely enter the elevator, we train our dogs to wait while we block the door, then have the dog go on through on cue. By blocking the door, we ensure that the dog isn't going to get caught in the doors or that the doors don't close with the handler inside and the dog outside. Hale did well entering the elevator.

A family with three little children got on after her, and Hale still did great! She looked at the children, looked out the window, and then focused all her attention on Donna. This is great progress for Hale. Children are a big distraction for her - she just wants to jump around with them! But she's learning that she can't play with all of the little kids she sees. She tries very hard to stay focused. Donna helps her out by staying focused as well and making sure she can't get to the end of the leash and reach the children.

They also practiced "up" and "under" with the benches at the mall. Hale needs some more practice with "under," but she loves the cue "up."

Leave it and loose leash walking are two of the most important and challenging skills for dogs to learn, and Hale has been doing very well at both. Lindsey, one of her puppy raisers, can put a big pile of kibble in front of Hale while Hale sits about eight inches away. Even when Lindsey adds pieces of meat to the pile, Hale just looks at her. Hale also keeps her self control when Lindsey tosses a piece of kibble past her!

She also walks nicely on a loose leash. Donna and Lindsey take Hale, Nubble (formerly SSD Nubble, but now a member of the family), and Gizzy for walks in the evening. Of the three of them, Hale is the best loose leash walker! Donna uses the evening walks to practice "leave it" with other objects, such as pine cones, worms, falling leaves, even Nubble. Yes, Nubble is sometimes a distraction for Hale because she loves to walk next to him and jump on him. Gradually, she is learning that it's not always proper to play with other dogs.

Hale has been learning how to play-retrieve - fun things like retrieving tennis balls and other toys. However, she's not really interested in it. Sometimes she runs right after the toy. Other times, she just looks back and forth between the toy and Donna. Sometimes she just sits on the toy and stares. From working on shaping skills, Donna has learned that when Hale gets frustrated, she starts offering any behavior, but then she just goes and sits on the object, whether it's a tennis ball, a bed, a box or her leash.

When Hale is practicing her skills at home, Nubble and Gizzy will sometimes be in the same room, depending on how many distractions Donna thinks Hale can handle. During these training sessions when all the dogs are present, a curious thing happens. The dogs sometimes compete with each other! When Donna is working on "stay," Nubble and Gizzy compete to see who could stay the longest. "I would see them eyeballing each other to see who is winning," says Donna. This competitive streak has been very useful for training Hale. Hale learned by watching the other two. If she broke the "stay" but the other two stayed put, they got treats and she didn't. But if she stayed, she got treats.

Donna used this same teaching method to work on proofing Hale's "stay." Service dogs often need to remain in a down-stay amid lots of distractions. When we train "stay," we also practice walking away from the dog, jumping around, clapping, stepping over the dog, etc. - all while the dog remains in a nice down- or sit-stay. At first, Donna couldn't do anything other than walk away from Hale. But then she put Nubble in a down-stay nearby and started walking around him and over him and clapping near him. After watching Nubble remain in a nice down-stay during all this commotion, Hale learned what she was supposed to do. Soon she was able to stay while Donna walked around her and over her. It's not perfect yet, but now she's off to a great start.

Hale still doesn't seem fond of going into a down. She usually takes her time giving a nice down with a hip roll, or else she stays in a "sphinx" down (crouched with her back legs still underneath her). She also paws the ground sometimes, and when she does give a nice down, she plops herself down very dramatically.

So far, Hale has encountered two objects that caused her some concern. The first was a fire hydrant. When she saw the hydrant across the street, she did not know what to make of it. Donna walked her over to it slowly while giving her treats. Once Hale realized that it was just a piece of metal, she was fine. (You may remember that Nubble was also unsure of fire hydrants the first time he saw them.) The other object was a child's stick horse that made galloping noises. The first time time she heard the noise, she jumped back. However, Donna was patient and gave her time to just sniff it when the horse was silent. Then Donna moved the horse away from Hale and turned it on. Hale just watched it. Donna gave her treats again, and then Hale walked toward the stick horse while it was making noises. In a little while, Donna could turn the horse on while Hale was close by and Hale didn't even care. Great job!

This Saturday, SSD and our dogs in training are going to ride the Strasburg Railroad. Hale will be coming, too! We will let you know what she thinks of her train ride.

Training Tip: Stress Signals

2011-08-09T10:55:00.005-04:00

We received a question on our Facebook page asking fear and stress in dogs, and we think this is the perfect opportunity to talk about reading your dog and knowing your dog's stress signals.

Do you know what your dog is telling you? Dogs speak with their bodies, and they're constantly telling us things. How well are you listening?

When training your dog or even when you're out for a walk or hanging out in the backyard, it's important to pay attention to your dog's body language so you know whether your dog is relaxed and happy or stressed.

As humans, we're very familiar with stress; we experience it several times a day, between traffic, deadlines, work, relationships, etc. Dogs are no different, although their stressors are very different from ours. Service dogs typically experience more stress than pets because they are being asked to enter new environments and perform challenging, specialized tasks.

What is stress? It's anything that throws the body out of balance. Causes of stress include a sudden increase or decrease in exercise, changes in the environment, pain or illness and unfamiliar animals. There are several levels of stress, and dogs display different behaviors and body language for each level.

Level 1 Stress
When a dog experiences level 1 stress, which is a low level of stress, the dog may try to avoid the thing that is causing stress. The dog may also lick his nose or lips, sniff, scratch, yawn, play bow, shake or paw at things.

What should you do if you see your dog doing these stress signs? You can give your dog more treats so they associate good things with the stressor. You can put some distance between your dog and the stressor or even remove your dog to a quiet place. This will help the dog calm down and help the dog trust you because he will learn that you will take care of him and remove him from scary situations.

Level 2 Stress
When a dog's stress level goes up, he may start panting, drooling, or even vomiting. He may get dandruff and bloodshot eyes, and his muscles will be very tense. He could also become extremely active or restless, drink excessively and develop sweaty paws.

If you notice any of these stress signs in your dog, you should remove your dog from the situation. Give your dog a chance to relax. This may mean going outside to sniff for a while or maybe you give the dog a puppy massage. You will need to use your judgment about whether your dog will be able to handle going back into the stressful situation. It may be time to end your training session.

Training
Stressors can change, so situations that didn't bother a dog when they were 3 months old may suddenly cause them stress when they're 8 months old. However, with training, you can help your dog realize that they don't need to be worried or fearful in that situation.

For example, let's say that a dog is afraid of people holding umbrellas. Whenever they see someone with an umbrella, they start barking and lunging. However, with training, the dog can learn that people with umbrellas are not scary and the dog will be able to remain calm and even interact with people with umbrellas.

One way to train it
If a dog finds something very stressful, such as people with umbrellas, we sometimes use constructional aggression treatment (CAT). This type of training uses negative reinforcement, meaning a behavior is reinforced by the removal of the aversive or stressor.

If the dog is barking or lunging at something, most handlers will remove the dog from the situation, which means that the dog learns that by barking and jumping, they don't have to stay in the stressful situation. When we use CAT, we're teaching the dog that the scary thing will go away if they give an appropriate alternative behavior, such as looking at their handler.

We'll use the example of the person with an umbrella to explain the training. We start this training by having the dog in a fixed spot. The dog can have toys, water, etc. around it. However, it's very important that you don't use any food or the clicker during CAT training because we want the dog to generalize the behavior regardless of whether their handler is wearing the treat pouch.

Next, we have a person with an umbrella approach the dog to the point where the dog notices it. We don't want the person to get so close that the dog starts barking or lunging. As soon as the dog sees the person and tenses up, the person stops. This person with the umbrella will stay in that spot until the dog gives an appropriate alternative behaviors, such as looking away, blinking, making eye contact with their handler, etc. As soon as the dog does that, the person with the umbrella moves away again to the point where the dog isn't bothered at all by him.

Training continues in this manner with the person moving a little bit closer. The dog eventually learns that they can make the scary thing (in this example, the person with the umbrella) go away by being calm around it.

At some point the dog may switch to being interested in the person with the umbrella. For example, the dog may sniff the air when the person comes forward. In this case, the person would leave as soon as the dog sniffs the air.

Eventually, the dog will realize that people with umbrellas aren't anything to be afraid of, and they should be able to remain calm and relaxed whenever they see a person with an umbrella.

During this whole process, you will need to pay very close attention to your dog's body language. You will be looking for very small signals from your dog - a head movement, a blink, a deep breath, etc. It takes patience, but if you pay attention to your dog, he will soon be able to remain calm and relaxed in stressful situations.

What's the Difference Between Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs?

2011-08-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

It's International Assistance Dogs Week, an entire week devoted to recognizing and celebrating assistance dogs and everything they do to change their partners' lives! The rest of the week, we're going to post stories of service dogs and training tips, but today, we want to make sure that everyone understand what a service dog is.

There are so many different types of assistance dogs that it can get confusing. Guide dogs, service dogs, hearing dogs, balance dogs, psychiatric service dogs, seizure response dogs, facility dogs, diabetic alert dogs - there are even dogs who have been trained to detect peanuts for people who have life-threatening peanut allergies! (Please note that this isn't a comprehensive list of the types of assistance dogs.) Each of these dogs is trained in specific tasks to assist their partners. Assistance Dogs International (ADI) defines some of these types of assistance dogs, if you're interested in more details.

Today, however, we would like to discuss the difference between service dogs and therapy dogs. People often mistake therapy dogs for service dogs and vice versa.

Service Dogs

What is a service dog?
According to the ADI website, a service dogs is "a dog that works for individuals with disabilities other than blindness or deafness. They are trained to perform a wide variety of tasks including but not limited to; pulling a wheelchair, bracing, retrieving, alerting to a medical crisis, and providing assistance in a medical crisis. "

Service dogs are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They are working dogs, not pets, and each dog must be trained to perform specific tasks for their partner. Under the ADA, service dogs have public access, meaning they can accompany their partner anywhere that is open to the general public. This includes restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, and other businesses and nonprofits. Legally, access to public places cannot be denied unless the dog is out of control or not housebroken.

Read the ADA's revised requirements for service animals for more information about service dogs and the law.

Therapy Dogs

What is a therapy dog?
A therapy dog is a pet that has been trained to provide affection and comfort to people. Therapy dogs often visit hospitals, nursing homes and schools to interact with the children and adults there. However, therapy dogs are not mentioned in the ADA and do not have public access. They must be invited to enter a public place, and business owners are well within their rights to ask a therapy dog to leave.

Emotional support dogs are similar to therapy dogs. While it may comfort their owners to have the dog with them, emotional support dogs are also pets that are not covered by the ADA and do not have public access.

Other Important Information About Service Dogs

How can you tell if a dog is a service dog?
Service dogs often wear a special harness to show that they are service dogs. However, the ADA does not require service dogs to be identified by a harness. If you aren't sure if a dog is a service dog, by law you are allowed to ask two questions: 1.) is the dog a service dog required because of a disability, and 2.) what specific tasks has the dog been trained to do.

You may not ask the person what their disability is, ask them to have the dog demonstrate a task, or ask for documentation for the disability or service dog.

Can you pet a service dog?
Please do not pet, feed or otherwise distract service dogs. Remember that they are working and must concentrate on assisting their partner. If you distract a service dog, you could even endanger the dog's partner.

The Norwegian Association of the Blind did a great public service announcement about the importance of not distracting assistance dogs.

You may, however, ask the person if you may pet their dog. Many times, the person will say yes, although they may make sure that the dog stays focused on them. Please don't be offended if the dog ignores you while you're petting it. This is actually a good thing! It means that the dog is most likely still focused on its partner, which is exactly what it's supposed to do.

If you ask to pet a service dog and the dog's partner says no, please respect their decision.

Can you talk to someone with a service dog?
Of course! People who have service dogs or who are training service dogs are often more than happy to talk to you. But please talk to the person and not the dog. After all, the person is the one who is going to answer you!

International Assistance Dogs Week

2011-08-04T13:06:00.007-04:00

Next week is International Assistance Dogs Week! All next week, we will be celebrating with a series of posts about service dogs, training tips, and photos of working dogs.

If you have questions about service dogs, public access or anything else related to service dogs, just leave them in the comments. We'll do our best to answer them. Your question may even provide the inspiration for a blog post!

Check back on Monday for a discussion about the difference between service dogs and therapy dogs!

Don't forget to check out our Facebook page. We'll post additional training tips and photos. If you have a service dog or are training a service dog, we would love it if you posted a photo or shared your story with us on our Facebook page!

Canine Pool Party

2011-07-25T08:51:00.004-04:00

Saturday was the perfect day for a swim, and that's exactly what some of our puppy raisers did with their dogs! We went to Sun Hill Kennels, where they have an outdoor pool just for dogs, as well as half an acre of fenced-in land for the dogs to run.

Sun Hill Kennels donated two hours of pool time to SSD so our dogs could enjoy the pool. And they certainly loved it! They wore themselves out jumping into the water after tennis balls and other toys, and when they needed a break from swimming, they chased each other around the yard. It was a great afternoon!

Sun Hill Kennels is open to the public, but they ask that you call ahead to make an appointment first. The pool is a popular spot in the summer, and they take care to make sure that it doesn't get overcrowded.

How to Keep Your Dog Safe in the Heat

2011-07-22T09:44:00.011-04:00

The Harrisburg area is under an excessive heat warning, and temperatures are breaking 100 degrees. Most people try to stay inside as much as possible, but if you have a dog, you know that you'll have to brave the heat at least two to three times a day. Here at SSD, we're in our last day of summer camp, and although we're trying to keep the campers and dogs in the air conditioning as much as possible, sometimes we just have to be outside.

Here are some tips for keeping your dog safe in the heat:

Give your dog lots of water. When you go outside, always make sure that your dog has access to cool, clean water. Your dog can quickly get dehydrated in this heat, and they'll need lots of water.

Avoid the hottest part of the day. Try not to be outside between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is the hottest part of the day, and your dog's risk of heat-related illness or injury increases. Your dog may still need plenty of exercise, but try to take those walks in the early morning or in the evening. Also, take shorter walks and bring water with you so your dog doesn't get overheated. (And don't forget to take some water for yourself!)

Stay in the shade. When you take your dog outside or for a walk, look for a nice, shady route. Avoid walking on asphalt, which can get extremely hot and burn your dog's paws. Always test the street or sidewalk before starting on your walk. If it's too hot for you to walk in your bare feet, then it's too hot for your dog to walk on it in his bare paws. If you must walk on asphalt, consider getting booties for your dog to protect his paws.

Don't leave your dog in the car. We cannot say this enough. Don't leave your dog alone in a parked vehicle. The inside of the car can get hotter than an oven in a matter of minutes, and your dog could have a heat stroke and could even die. In the hot summer months, it's better to leave your dog at home than to bring them along as you run errands, no matter how short you think it will be.

Be careful while swimming. Swimming can be a great way to cool off in the heat. Many of our dogs in training love the water. Just make sure to always keep an eye on your dog while he's swimming, no matter how good of a swimmer he is. After swimming, rinse your dog with cool, clean water to get rid of the chlorine or salt. Dogs can get sick if they ingest these chemicals.

Try some frozen treats. There's nothing better than an ice cream cone on a hot summer day! Your dog may enjoy some frozen treats, too. While dogs can eat ice cream (except chocolate!), it can upset their stomachs. If you're going to give dogs ice cream or other frozen treats, don't overdo it. The simplest thing to do is to just give your dog some ice cubes. Many of our dogs in training love ice, and some even play with the ice cube before eating it!

Here are a few recipes we've found, if you'd like to make some frozen treats for your dog:

Frosty Paws Dog Ice Cream
Pumpkin Pops
Peanut Butter and Jelly Frozen Pops

While you're busy making sure your pet is safe in the heat, don't forget about yourself! Drink lots of water, take a refreshing dip in the pool, stick to the shade, or relax in the air conditioning during the hottest part of the day.

We hope you and your pets have a safe and fun summer!

Read more about pet safety in the heat.

Introducing SSD Hale

2011-07-12T09:20:00.014-04:00

The American Heroes puppies have joined their puppy raisers, and SSD Clara Hale traveled to the Northeast group! She's being raised by Nubble's puppy raiser, Donna.

Donna and Lindsey picked up Hale from the kennel last Friday. Although Hale cried the entire ride home, just like her brothers and sisters did for their puppy raisers, she settled in well enough at home to sleep through the night. She must have tired herself out because she only woke up once to to go outside and "get busy." In fact, she has been sleeping through the night every night and she tends to wake up around 7 a.m., which is great. "That means that I am that much more able to be attentive to her," says Donna, "because I'm not exhausted from lack of sleep."

That first night, Hale met Gizzy, the family dog, and Nubble, who has come back to live with Donna and her family. They gated off the living room so that Gizzy and Nubble could greet her through the gate, and the dogs spent the rest of the evening that way. In the morning, Donna took Nubble and Hale outside to greet each other, and it went very well! Then Gizzy and Hale met each other, and it went much better than Donna was expecting. Soon, all three of them were doing wonderfully together.

Nubble absolutely loves Hale. He lets her climb all over him and chew on him. They play tug of war, and Nubble is very gentle with her. They even play with the same bone! Gizzy is also enjoying having someone her own size to play with, and all three dogs race around together. Yesterday, Donna put some ice cubes on the floor and the three dogs, plus Donna's brother's dog Rocky, ran around chasing the ice.

Hale and Nubble are best buds.

Nubble tries to escape to his crate when Hale plays too rough for him. It doesn't always work.

Hale likes drinking out of the hose, but she's not too keen on getting in the water yet.

Hale has already visited many public places already, although Donna is sticking to businesses without carpeting until she's more confident with Hale's housebreaking. So far, Hale has visited Pizza Hut, where Donna works, and Lowe's. Lindsey carried her into Wawa, and she took a very short trip to Redner's grocery store. Donna is keeping the trips very short, which is good because it sets Hale up for success.

Hale went to her first puppy class with the Northeast group and met SSD Ben, Cassie, Fred (a black, standard poodle puppy), Phoenix and Lewey. Hale and Lewey are just about the same size and they get along well. They went to a dog demo at Toybhanna Community Days on Saturday, and she met SSD Slate and SSD Sky, who are both in advanced training. Donna plans to expose her to as many different dogs as she can so she is comfortable being around strange dogs. Donna and Hale worked on greetings at Tobyhanna Community Days, and while Hale has a good start on them, Donna plans to regularly practice greetings. Hale is very much a puppy, and she does have a feisty streak.

Hale and Lewey take a break together at Tobyhanna Community Days.

Hale met all of Donna's cats. She is Baby's (the cat) size, and Baby already walks with her and lets her climb all over her. Hale is quite calm around cats, but she also doesn't seem to fear anything. One time a car door slammed, and instead of jumping away from the noise, she jumped toward it. She will also just walk right up to Donna's goats without even blinking.

She is learning very quickly. As long as Donna holds her attention, Hale soaks up new behaviors and cues like a sponge. She already sits nicely for her food. It did take her a few meals for her to figure out that she won't get her food if she barks at Donna or swipes at her or the food bowl with her paws. She caught Donna by surprise the first time she pawed at the food bowl, and she knocked the bowl right out of Donna's hands! But after that, Donna worked with her and now she sits nicely.

Most of the cues we teach our dogs involve both a verbal cue and a hand signal. Donna has noticed that Hale will sit with the hand signal, but if she gives the hand signal too far above Hale's head, she gets bored and loses interest. She's learning "down," but she tends to dig with her paws as she moves into a down. When Hale can't figure out what Donna is asking, she jumps at her and barks or puppy growls. Although the behavior is cute, Donna isn't letting her continue it. Behaviors such as jumping on people and barking are very cute coming from a puppy, but if that behavior is allowed to continue, soon it'll be a 60 pound dog jumping and barking - which is not nearly as cute and can actually be dangerous. We train our dogs to keep all four paws on the ground (unless cued otherwise).

Hale definitely knows her name, and she enjoys practicing recalls. She is also learning "stand," she loves doing "up" (putting her front paws on an object on cue) and she knows "off" (getting off furniture or other objects). Donna is working on hand targeting, and Hale will touch her nose gently to Donna's hand without trying to chew on it. She also takes her treats very nicely without being sharky (using her teeth excessively). So far, Hale doesn't really chew on things that she's not supposed to. This time, Donna is keeping lots of rope and chew toys and bones around so Hale always has an appropriate item to chew on. At first, she thought the clicker was also a fun thing to chew on, but now she has realized that it's not a toy.

Hale helps with some interior decorating.

Each dog has their own personality and temperament, and Donna has noticed that Hale and Nubble are very different dogs. "Both are great in their own way but they're definitely very different," she says.

We can't wait to learn more about SSD Hale and her progress with her puppy raisers!

Nubble Starts Down a New Path

2011-06-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

Nubble is once again at the start of a journey. For nineteen months, he has worked hard to learn the skills and behaviors of a service dog. He has matured into a fun, loving dog who loves to work and please others.

But Nubble has decided to take a new path. Instead of becoming a service dog, Nubble is going to find his forever home as a beloved pet.

Not all of the dogs who begin our service dog program graduate as working service dogs. Some dogs have personalities and traits that better suit them for other careers as police dogs or explosive detection dogs. Other dogs make people very happy as family pets.

Nubble met with the state police to see if he would be a good fit for their program. After going through their evaluation, we learned that Nubble would be happiest as a family pet.

Whenever a dog is released from our program, we always find a loving home for him. Donna and her family are unable to adopt Nubble, and we are currently going through the adoption process. We will make sure that Nubble's new home is a good match for both him and the family so that everyone will be happy.

"This will be very difficult for me," says Donna. "It seems that him being someone else's family pet is a let down for me. But I keep telling myself what another puppy raiser said to me: 'I wanted my son to be a lawyer, but he is an artist. It may not be what I had planned for him, but he is good at it and he likes what he does.' "

Sometime after Nubble joins his new home, Donna plans to continue being a puppy raiser for us. We're very happy that she has decided to raise another puppy. "I love being a part of SSD," says Donna. "I have learned so much from Nubble that I think the best thing to do would be to take that knowledge and continue to learn and grow as a puppy raiser. But, boy, will I miss him."

While we search for a good match for Nubble, he continues to live with Donna and her family, and she continues to work with him on his skills. After all, he does love to work and learn new things. They've been practicing walking on strange surfaces like grates, trash bags and a rough board. They went to the grocery store, and when Donna saw a Golden Retriever nearby, she gave Nubble a cue to keep him busy, and he stayed focused on her. He knew there was a dog nearby, but he used his self control and ignored the other dog.

Nubble even met the new puppy, SSD Lewey, and did very well. He barked for a while until Donna moved him into another room to calm down, but then he was able to greet Lewey. Lewey was a big help for this first meeting because he stayed focused on his own puppy raiser, and Nubble ended up ignoring him.

Over Memorial Day, the Northeast Puppy Raisers had a picnic at one of the puppy raiser's houses. Nubble had a great time playing with SSD Ben, Slate, Cassie and Lewey, as well as two family dogs. He also got to meet two Shelties that were visiting for a few hours. Nubble did very well with all of the dogs. The puppy raisers organized some dogs games, including a version of musical chairs where the people couldn't sit until the dogs did. The dogs also got to bob for biscuits. (Little Lewey bobbed for Cheerios instead of biscuits.) Slate won bobbing for biscuits and Nubble came in second. Nubble even tried to go swimming in the dog pool! The water was only eight inches deep, but Nubble lay down and moved his paws! He's quite a character.

"Nubble is a fantastic dog," says Donna. "He makes me smile every day. I'm glad he will make someone else smile, too."

We Reached Our Goal for the Highmark Walk!

2011-05-31T13:35:00.004-04:00

For the first time ever, we reached our goal for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community! We wanted to raise $20,000 to raise and train one service dog, and we did it!

We had such an amazing group of walkers this year. One hundred and forty-two people signed up to walk and raise money for us. Thank you so much to everyone who raised money or donated! We still have some checks that we need to add to the total, but we will let you know the final tally soon!

The success of the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is a perfect example of what people can do when they come together for a cause they believe in. Just one example is the school students who came together to raise over $650 for us!

SSD Hendrix's puppy raiser is a teacher, and she started an after-school walking club. The fourth graders walk two miles with Hendrix every Tuesday and Thursday. When the Highmark Walk was coming up, Hendrix's puppy raiser asked her walking club if they wanted to join the Walk. With permission from the principal, the walking club began building their endurance so they could walk three miles, and Team Hendrix began.

They didn't stop there, though. Team Hendrix got the entire school involved in raising money. They asked the students in each classroom to bring in a dollar to support SSD. Daily announcements were made about helping to raise money to train dogs like Hendrix to assist people with disabilities. The fourth graders even got on the morning announcements to talk about how they were walking and having fun with Hendrix. It became a school project. When Hendrix and his puppy raiser walked through the halls, students would stop and say "I'm bringing in a dollar!" or "I brought in a dollar!" In the end, Team Hendrix and the entire school raised over $650!

This is just one example out of many of people who opened their hearts and came together to raise money to change a life. Thank you so much!

Watch the American Heroes Pups on the Puppy Cam

2011-05-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

The American Heroes puppies are live on our puppy cam! Ripley, Judge, Parks, Keller and Hale are growing quickly, and now you can see for yourself how they're learning to play and explore their surroundings.

Watch the puppy cam.

In a few weeks, these pups will need puppy raisers. Would you like to give them a home for 15-18 months? You'll get to teach the puppies basic obedience, good house manners and various other skills - and of course, give them lots of love. If you live in central or northeastern PA, just complete our online puppy raiser application to become a puppy raiser and change a life.

We hope you enjoy the puppy cam!

Nubble opens doors to conversation and new friends

2011-05-10T10:58:00.000-04:00

When service dogs or dogs in training go out in public, they always draw attention. For the past year and a half that Donna has been raising Nubble, he has opened the door to many conversations with people. In fact, many local people are no longer strangers because of Nubble. They often stop and greet him by name.

Many adults ask if they can pet him, and most people know that they shouldn't just stop and pet him without permission. One time, as Donna and Nubble were walking through a store, she heard a little girl whisper, "Mom, I thought doggies weren't allowed in stores?" Donna likes when she hears parents explaining what a service dog is to their children. She also really likes when people ask about him. "I never want someone to feel like they can't ask me a question," she says. Many people don't really know what a service dog is. They often assume that Nubble is going to be a guide dog or a police dog, and Donna enjoys having the opportunity to educate people about service dogs.

When people learn that Nubble is being trained as a service dog, they usually ask many more questions. They ask Donna what she feeds him, what's in the treat pouch and what is the clicker. Some kids ask if they can give him one of the treats, and some adults actually have their own treats in their pockets. Although Donna feels bad telling them that Nubble can only get treats from her, most people understand, especially once she explains that if she let's them give him treats, he'll start to expect treats from everyone he meets. As a service dog, he will need to stay focused on his partner, not on other people.

If you would like to see more of Nubble in public, come to the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community this Saturday! He would love for you to join him. If you can't make it to the Walk, please make a donation to support Nubble and Susquehanna Service Dogs!

A Month of Outings for Nubble

2011-05-09T09:25:00.007-04:00

In April, Nubble had a lot of opportunities to go out in public. Donna, his puppy raiser, had time to take him almost everywhere she went. Whenever our puppy raisers take their puppies in training out in public, they want to make sure the dogs are going to have a successful outing, which means they may need to slow down and focus completely on the dogs, especially if it's a challenging public place, such as the grocery store. If our puppy raisers are pressed for time, they may choose to leave their puppy in training at home to avoid a stressful situation.

This past month, Nubble was one busy, traveling dog! He went to two of Lindsey's soccer games, Cabela's, the grocery store, the bank, Wawa, the kennel, the airport, Walmart and several nature walks.

Lindsey plays on her high school soccer team, and Donna decided to take Nubble to his first soccer game. The first time was very challenging for Nubble. The game had already started when they arrived, and not only was there a ball flying around the field, but Lindsey was playing. Donna and Nubble made it to the bleachers, but he became even more excited rather than calming down. When Nubble is in a situation where he is unable to calm down, Donna moves him back to the place where he can see the situation but still be calm. Then, they slowly move forward a little bit at a time as long as Nubble is able to stay calm. At the soccer game, Nubble was only able to calm down when he was next to the car. It was actually very discouraging for Donna because she was hoping to take him to her daughter's soccer games.

However, although she was discouraged, she didn't give up on Nubble. Three weeks later, she and Nubble tried attending another soccer game. This time, Donna went to Lindsey's junior varsity game by herself so she could be sure to see her play. Then she went home to get Nubble for the varsity game. That way, if Nubble wasn't able to calm down enough to enter the stadium, Donna wouldn't get stressed because she couldn't see Lindsey play, and that stress wouldn't be communicated to Nubble. At Nubble's second soccer game, he successfully made it into the bleachers for the game!

Although he barked in the beginning, he did settle down. They went up the ramp, so Nubble got to walk on a strange surface. And then he settled down nicely in the bleachers. he was very aware of the ball and the soccer game, but he was good. Excellent progress! After the game, Donna had him practice stairs on the bleachers, and even though he stopped and started again several times, he didn't try to turn around and go up the stairs backwards!

Nubble went to Cabela's, and of course, he practiced stairs. Donna and Lindsey also took him to the shooting gallery arcade, where someone was practicing his marksmanship. Nubble barked at first, but after Donna clicked and treated him for being quiet, he soon got the idea that he should be calm, and he settled down. He watched the shooting area and noticed every movement whenever another target popped up. Then Lindsey helped work on "leave it." She bounced a ball, which Nubble tried to pounce on. He eventually figured out that he got a treat if he didn't pounce on the ball. By the end, it was in a nice down, watching Lindsey bounce the ball and the man practice shooting targets. It was a challenging situation for Nubble, but he did very well.

At Walmart, Donna found a blue bench to use as a training prop. Nubble practiced "up," "under," and "leave it" here at the bench and at the checkout.

Now that the weather is getting nicer and the days are getting longer, Donna and Nubble have been taking some nice trail walks. One time they got caught in the rain. Nubble had a grand old time walking from puddle to puddle! They were walking near the lake, and startled a couple of ducks. Although Nubble flinched, he then stood perfectly still without barking!

Gizzy, the family dog, came along for another trail walk, and she and Nubble saw a herd of deer. Five deer came out of a meadow and crossed in front of them, and the dogs didn't know what to think. At first, Donna thought Nubble was just going to watch them, but then Gizzy barked, which set Nubble off. Both dogs were barking, but those deer just continued moseying along. Then Nubble took an odd step and stepped right out of his EasyWalk! Donna had to quickly grab his collar and redress him in the EasyWalk while holding on the Gizzy at the same time. But other than the adventure with the deer, the walk went quite well.

The Northeast group held one of their meetings outside, and they practiced recalled in a fenced-in field. Nubble played very nicely with SSD Ben. The dogs played on a jungle gym, and Nubble even went up and down some steep steps! All the dogs wend down a short slide, and they practiced walking on a textured ramp. Kids were playing nearby, but Nubble didn't focus on them. He did great!

At the end of the month, Nubble had his end-of-the-semester puppy class evaluation in Harrisburg. He and Donna were in a different room than the room where we typically hold puppy class, and at first Nubble was very uncertain about being in a new place. It took him a while to settle down, and even then he was still very interested in what was going on in the other parts of the building where other dogs were also being evaluated. He did do some very nice shaping, and he gave a nice "under." He needs to work on paying attention to his handler and "leave it." Donna has been working on "doggie zen," ignoring food and other distractions, each day, and she does see an improvement. She plans to spend more time practicing doggie zen with him.

Check back tomorrow to read about Nubble and the people he meets when he goes out in public!

Meet the American Heroes Puppies!

2011-05-06T09:00:00.002-04:00

Guest post by Diane and her family, who are taking care of SSD Dee and her new puppies.

Thank you to everyone who submitted names for SSD GEB Dee's American Heroes litter! We received many wonderful suggestions that were carefully considered as we made our final selections. We believe the names we selected attests to the variety of significant contributions American heroes have made in establishing the rich heritage that is our great country, America.

After a difficult selection process, we have chosen to honor the following men and women for the substantial and enduring impact they have made in setting examples for our children in today's America. Each person has a unique story; however, they all consistently demonstrated exceptional courage and commitment in the face of extraordinary challenges that will forever distinguish them as heroes.

We hope you enjoy the names!

Colonel John Ripley ("Ripley") - blue collar
John Walter Ripley (1939-2008) was a United States Marine Corps officer who received the Navy Cross for his extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War. On Easter 1972, Captain Ripley repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while he attached explosives beneath the bridge at Dong Ha, successfully destroying it to hamper the North Vietnamese Army's advance into South Vietnam. His action is considered one of the greatest examples of concentration under fire in US military history, and he is legendary among the Marine Corps.

Father Mychal Judge ("Judge") - red collar
Mychal Judge (1933 - Sept. 11, 2001) was a Roman Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order and the chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, and he became the first official casualty on September 11. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, Judge rushed to the World Trade Center when he heard it had been hit. He immediately began praying and administering aid to the rescuers, the injured and the dead in the lobby of the North Tower. He was killed when debris from the collapsing South Tower flew through the lobby and struck him in the head while he was praying.

Rosa Parks ("Parks") - yellow collar
Rosa Parks (1913-2005) was an African American civil rights activist. In 1955 during the Civil Rights Movement, she refused to give up her seat on the bus to make room for a white passenger. Her action sparked the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott, and she became an icon of resistance to racial segregation. She collaborated with civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Congress has called Rosa Parks the "first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement."

Helen Keller ("Keller") - purple collar
Helen Keller (1880-1968) was an American author, political activist and lecturer, and she was the first person who was deaf and blind to earn a bachelor's degree. The story of how Anne Sullivan, Keller's teacher, taught her to communicate has become well known. For forty years, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan traveled around the world, helping the public overcome their misconceptions of people with disabilities.

Clara Hale ("Hale") - green collar
Clara Hale (1905 - 1992) was an African American humanitarian who raised over forty children in her small home in Harlem. At the age of sixty-three, she founded the Hale House Center, a home for unwanted children and children who were born addicted to drugs or who had HIV/AIDS. Throughout her life, Hale helped over one thousand children of every race and ethnicity.

Dorothy Harrison Eustis ("Eustis")
For Dee's stillborn puppy, our son Joe suggested naming her after someone who had a continuing legacy. After reviewing your suggestions, we selected Dorothy Harrison Eustis, whose legacy involves service dogs. Eustis (1886 - 1946) was an American philanthropist and dog breeder who worked with German Shepherds. She established and endowed The Seeing Eye, Inc., and other groups for training guide dogs.

Honor Your Mother's Love This Mother's Day

2011-05-05T11:02:00.006-04:00

Your mother fed you when you were hungry, made all your cuts and bruises feel better with a kiss and a bandaid, and rocked you to sleep at night. She was a guiding hand as you took your first steps out in the world. As you started to make your own way, she offered you wisdom, support, a shoulder to lean on, and always, her unconditional love.

Just like mothers do, service dogs change lives, whether they're assisting their partners or caring for a future generation of service dogs, like new mother SSD Dee and her American Heroes puppies. Their loving dedication gives their partners the confidence to go out on their own and fulfill their goals and dreams.

This Mother's Day, show your mom how much she means to you by giving a donation in her name to Susquehanna Service Dogs. Celebrate your mother's love and dedication by giving the gift of independence to someone just like you.

Give a gift in honor of your mother.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers whose love and dedication makes all things possible!

Welcoming Dee's New Puppies

2011-05-03T14:28:00.006-04:00

SSD Dee gave birth to her puppies yesterday! We're very happy to welcome these new pups into our program!

We knew that Dee was due to give birth in the beginning of May, so when we found that she had gone into labor in the morning on May 2, our whelping team was ready. At 2:13 p.m., Dee gave birth to her first puppy, a large, black male that weighed 19 ounces. Because this puppy was so big, she had some difficulty delivering him, but our whelping team was right there to help her. Her second puppy was born easily at 2:32 p.m. - a slightly smaller black female.

Anytime one of our dogs give birth, we always have the vets at Palmyra Animal Clinic on call, just in case. Our first priority is to make sure that the mother and puppies are safe and healthy. Dee was having a difficult time delivering her third puppy, and we stayed in close contact with the vet. We had Dee walk around a little bit and gave her massages and nutrients to keep her energy up. One puppy may sometimes take several hours to be born, but after a few hours, we decided that it would be best to take Dee to the vet. We carefully loaded her and her two puppies into the car and drove them to the Palmyra Animal Clinic.

The vets took wonderful care of Dee and her puppies. Dr. Clements and Dr. Hahn performed an emergency c-section and delivered four more puppies - two yellow females, one black male and one black female.

Sadly, one of the yellow females was stillborn. She will be named and buried in a special area at the home of one of our volunteers. We were thankful to leave the vet with five large, healthy puppies and a healthy Dee. Dee went home on IV fluids to make sure she stays hydrated after her surgery, but she and her puppies are doing fine.

Thank you so much to our whelping team, Dee's breeder caretakers and the wonderful vets at Palmyra Animal Clinic!

We will be announcing the names of these American Heroes puppies soon. There's still time if you'd like to suggest a few more names!

We're looking forward to watching these big puppies grow and learn to be service dogs.

Congratulations to Our 2011 Service Dog Team Graduates!

2011-05-03T10:22:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to all of our service dog teams who graduated on Friday! We held our annual Graduation and Volunteer Appreciation Celebration last week. Fifteen service dogs and facility dog teams, three companion dogs and two demonstration dogs graduated. We're so happy for all of our graduates, and we wish them well in their lives together!

Thank you so much to all of our volunteers who made it possible for these dogs to become service dogs they are today!

Thank you to our puppy raisers for raising them, teaching them good house manners, taking them out in public and giving them lots of love.

Thank you to our puppy sitters and kennel sitters for taking care of the dogs in training on weekends or whenever they're needed.

Thank you to our breeder caretakers, who take care of our breeding dogs, and thank you to our whelping team who go on puppy watch for hours so they can be right there to care for mom and puppies during the birth.

Thank you to our volunteer trainers for helping us train the advanced training dogs in public.

Thank you to our Team Training volunteers who assist our new service dog teams as they first learn to work together. And thank you to everyone who provided those delicious lunches during Team Training!

Thank you to everyone who did a demonstration or spent time at a booth to show the community what service dogs can do to assist people to be more independent.

Thank you to everyone who helps out with the office work. You help keep us running smoothly!

Thank you to our volunteers who do preliminary interviews and home visits with individuals who have applied for a service dog or who have received a service dog, and thank you to everyone who helps us re-certify our working teams.

Thank you to everyone who helps at our events, such as PawsAbilities and Summer Camp.

Thank you to all of our volunteers who work with our volunteers!

And finally, thank you to everyone who supports us by donating, reading our blog, visiting us on Facebook and Twitter, and helping us raise awareness about service dogs and the incredible ways they change lives!

We would not be able to raise and train service dogs without the help of all of our volunteers. You make Susquehanna Service Dogs possible. You change lives!

Puppy Class for the Civil War and Games Pups

2011-04-29T09:39:00.007-04:00

It seems like only yesterday that the Civil War and Games puppies were playing on the puppy cam. These puppies are now in the their last month of early socialization classes, and then they'll be able to join the rest of the dogs in training in our regular puppy classes.

Early socialization classes help the puppies get used to being around other dogs and performing behaviors in that environment. When these dogs grow up and become service dogs, they will need to be able to perform behaviors regardless of where they are. Early socialization lays the foundation and helps the dogs become very adaptable to change in their environment.

At the beginning of class, we had all of our puppy raisers take their dogs off leash so we could practice recalls. As soon as the puppies were off leash, they started romping around together, happy to have some playtime. Many of the puppies still came to their raisers when called. Our puppy raisers practice recalls as often as they can. A good recall can save a dog's life. Watch SSD Chamberlain bound back to his puppy raiser in the midst of playing with his littermates.

The puppies then practiced basic obedience. Each puppy does "sit" and "down" on cue, some on both the verbal and hand signal. Watch SSD Atari sit and give a down on cue.

SSD Harriet focuses on her puppy raiser and sits when asked. From a sit, she easily slides in to a down on cue.

When the puppies go out in public, they always draw quite a crowd of people wanting to pet them. Usually when people pet a dog, the dog will give that person it's attention. You've probably seen a dog wagging its tail and getting very excited when someone pets it. However, a service dog needs to stay focused on its handler, even when someone else is petting it. We start practicing greetings right from the start. When someone asks to pet a puppy in training, the puppy raiser makes sure their puppy is standing calmly with all four paws on the floor or is in a sit or down. Then while the person is petting the puppy, the puppy raiser gives the dog treats to keep them focused. If the puppy gets too excited, the puppy raiser may ask people to stop petting the puppy until they get them back under control.

Watch SSD Rummy stay focused on her puppy raiser while she's being petted.

In the next video, SSD Clara practices greetings. Note that as soon as she gets up and starts to pay attention to the person who's petting her, the person stops and Clara's puppy raiser works to get her attention again. Once Clara is sitting and focused again, she can be petted.

The last thing we worked on in class is the cue "go to bed." When given the cue, the dog should go to their dog bed or mat and lay down. This cue comes in handy when you're preparing food in the kitchen or when you're eating meals. Instead of being underfoot or begging for food, the dog should stay in a nice down-stay on their bed. Watch SSD Meade learn "go to bed." His puppy raiser is shaping the behavior, starting with tiny steps. Note how as soon as Meade puts his paw on the mat, he gets a click and treat. Eventually, he will only get a click and treat for having two paws on the mat, then three, then all four, then laying down and staying.

The Civil War and Games puppies are doing very well in their training, and we're looking forward to having them join our regular puppy classes at the end of May.

Don't forget about the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on May 14! Some of these puppies may be there, and if you sign up and raise money for the Walk, you may get to help some of these puppies practice their greetings!

Sign up for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.

Help us name Dee's puppies!

2011-04-25T10:55:00.000-04:00

Who are your heroes? A president, teacher or an activist? Perhaps your hero is a musician, a scientist or an artist.

We'd like to know who your heroes are! SSD Dee is going to give birth to her puppies in early May, and the theme of her litter is American Heroes. We need your help to create a list of names for these puppies!

We're looking for names of real people, not fictional characters. When you suggest a name in the comments, tell us a little bit about that person and why you think they're a hero.

You may suggest more than one name. Don't forget to suggest both male and female names. We don't know exactly how many puppies Dee will have! We'll announce the puppies' names when they're born in early May.

This will be Dee's first litter and so far, she's doing great! When you look at her, you can definitely tell she's going to have puppies. She recently visited the Milton Hershey School, and her breeder caretakers had to adjust her service dog harness.

She still gets plenty of exercise, although her breeder caretakers have cut back her exercise to three short walks during the day instead of one long 40 minute walk. Dee tires easily and needs frequent naps and potty breaks. Now that the weather is warming up, her breeder caretakers are being very careful to make sure she doesn't become overheated.

To help her get ready for motherhood, they set up the whelping box. Several times a day, Diane, one of Dee's breeder caretakers, puts some treats in the whelping box to encourage her to feel comfortable there. Dee will give birth in the whelping box, and her puppies will spend several weeks there. It's very important that she feel as if the whelping box is her space.

One week before her due date, Diane will start taking Dee's temperature several times a day. Temperature is one way that we determine when a dog is going to give birth. A dog's normal temperature is between 101 and 103 degrees. When it drops to 98 degrees, we know that labor will start soon, and we keep an even closer eye on her.

We will keep you updated on Dee and her puppies. Don't forget to suggest names in the comments!

Northeast Puppy Raising Program is ready for takeoff!

2011-04-21T14:09:00.006-04:00

The puppies in our Northeast Puppy Raising Program are ready for takeoff! Or at least they're ready to take on the airport.

Yesterday, SSD Cassie, Ben, Burnaby and Nubble were joined by SSD Cabo, Yukon, Scotia and Phoenix from Central Pennsylvania for a public outing at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport. Most of the dogs from our two locations had never met before, and it was great for them all to be around strange dogs.

All of the dogs practiced loose leash walking to enter the airport. After going through several automatic doors, the dogs then practiced the elevator and stairs to get to the second level. There we met with a member of airport security who guided us through the airport.

SSD Yukon walks up the stairs next to her puppy raiser.

First, we took the dogs to baggage claim, so they could experience the noise and movement of the suitcases moving along the belt. Once the belt stopped moving, the dogs gave very nice down-stays.

SSD Cassie stays in a down by baggage claim.

After some more stairs, we were allowed to go through security. The dogs had to wait patiently while their puppy raisers removed their shoes and placed personal items in the bins, and then the dogs had to walk calmly next to their puppy raiser when the security guards waved them through. After going through security, the dogs practiced nice down-stays and unders while their puppy raisers put their shoes back on.

SSD Nubble practices "under."

The airport can be a very challenging place for a dog, especially with all of the people, luggage and noise. We were lucky that the airport was relatively quiet while we were there, making it a little easier for the dogs on their first outing to the airport. The dogs did very well, although they were tired by the end of the outing!

SSD Ben is ready for a nap by the end of his trip to the airport.

Thank you to the staff at the Wilkes-Barre Scranton International Airport for being so friendly and welcoming to us!

Look for more posts about our Northeast Puppy Raising Program every month. And don't forget that you can always follow the adventures of SSD Nubble as he learns how to be a service dog!

Win the Rights to Name an SSD Puppy!

2011-04-13T13:59:00.010-04:00

Would you like to name an SSD puppy?

You'll have the opportunity to win the rights to name an SSD puppy in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community!

The individual or team that raises the most money for Susquehanna Service Dogs in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community will win the rights to name one of our puppies. You must be registered for the Walk in order to be eligible to win.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 - the actual cost of raising and training one service dog. With your help, we'll reach our goal!

Register for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community.

The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community takes place on May 14 on City Island in Harrisburg, PA. The 5k walk begins at 9 a.m. and the one-mile fun walk starts at 9:15 a.m. Visit our website for more information.

Will You Walk With Us?

2011-04-12T09:57:00.004-04:00

As soon as SSD Jasmine walks into the classroom, she trots over to a boy who is crying. She licks his face, makes him laugh and helps him continue his day with a smile.

Jasmine works as a facility dog for students with disabilities in an elementary school. "Jasmine's presence in the classroom has made a huge difference," says Gina, a school social worker and Jasmine's handler. "Students pay attention to their comments and behaviors, and their confidence when they're walking with her is incredible!"

You can help us raise and train more dogs like SSD Jasmine to change the lives of children and adults with disabilities. Susquehanna Service Dogs is participating in the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community on May 14 on City Island in Harrisburg, PA.

Our goal is to raise $20,000 - the actual cost of raising and training one service dog. With your support, we will reach our goal!

How Can You Help?

Register for the Walk and start raising money! It's easy to sign up. Just use the online form. Then ask your friends, family, coworkers and neighbors to help you reach your fundraising goal.

Or you can become a virtual walker! If you already have plans for May 14, you can still support us! Make an online donation and then treat yourself to a nice walk in your community when you have time.

SSD is entirely funded by donations from people like you. Your financial support is the reason we are able to raise and train service dogs like SSD Jasmine to change lives.

We hope you'll join us for the Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community!

Nubble Keeps Practicing His Cues

2011-04-08T09:48:00.005-04:00

SSD Nubble and his puppy raisers are working hard on his cues. Last month, he went spent the afternoon at Berks Career and Technology Center with Lindsey. He handled the busy hallways well and practiced "under" in her geometry class. Then, the principal let Lindsey and a classmate spend time in the cafeteria with the doors closed so that Nubble could stretch his legs! Lindsey used that time to practice "stay" and "come." It was a great afternoon. Thank you to BCTC and the principal for welcoming Nubble into the school!

Nubble picks up some cues very quickly. Others are more challenging for him. "Leave it" and "paw" are his latest challenges. When Donna starts working on "leave it" with him in a training session, he understands what he's supposed to do, and he doesn't touch the object. The challenge comes into play when he has to apply "leave it" to real life.

The cue "paw" signals to the dog that he should pick up his paw and place it in his handler's hand. When Donna gives Nubble the cue, he picks up his paw and moves it at or near her hand, but he won't actually set it in her hand. In a relaxed situation, such as when he's laying on the couch, he will let her touch and pet his paws, so he's not opposed to having someone touch his paws. Donna has been working hard to help him learn the cue "paw." At puppy class, she used a target stick and had him target the stick with his paw. She started with the target stick on the floor, making it very easy for him to succeed. Watch the video of Nubble practicing "paw" in puppy class. See the progress he makes by the end of the training session!

Other cues come very easily to Nubble. He learned "go to bed" very quickly! He has also been working on "under." He knows the cue, but he doesn't always do it perfectly. When given the cue "under," a dog should go under the table, bench, chair, etc. and lay down. Sometimes Nubble just sticks his head under the bench or chair. Other times he'll go under, circle around, lay down, and then scoot back out. Donna is always looking for opportunities to practice "under." When the Northeast Puppy Raising Program went bowling for one of their outings, Donna and Nubble practiced "under" with a stool. Nubble managed to get his torso under the stool, but his back end and shoulders were sticking out! He did eventually figure out what he was supposed to do, although he never actually fit under the stool.

The bowling outing was a lot of fun. Nubble couldn't figure out why he couldn't chase the bowling balls down the lanes, though, and he barked. Our volunteer trainer has Donna work with Nubble, removing him from the situation, and then coming forward again to the point just before he started barking. Then Donna and Nubble slowly worked their way forward. Although Nubble wasn't able to get very close to the bowling lanes this time, it was still progress.

Nubble loves to swim! He went to the Canine Spa in Dillsburg. He's funny about the water, though. He doesn't like to get in the water right away. Once he gets wet, though, he has a great time swimming!

Next week, our dogs in training in the Harrisburg area have their evaluations. These evaluations are less of a test and more of a one-on-one training session with one of our trainers. Now that Nubble is coming to our Harrisburg puppy classes, he will get an evaluation, too. Wish him luck!

A Tempting Puppy Class

2011-04-07T11:02:00.003-04:00

All of our puppy raisers came to puppy class with their dog in training, but this time, they didn't work with that dog in class. Halfway through puppy class, we had all of our raisers switch dogs. This was good practice for both the raisers and the dogs. The dogs had to learn to work with a new handler, and the raisers had to learn to communicate with another dog, and usually that dog was very different than their own dog. Both the dogs and puppy raisers improved their skills.

After switching dogs, we had everyone practice loose leash walking. Even though the dogs were working with different handlers, they did great! Watch the video of SSD Zappa, Topaz, Nubble and Yukon walk beside different handlers.

"Leave it" ranks right up there with loose leash walking when it comes to important service dog skills. It can be used to cue the dog to ignore a number of things, including food, people, other animals and objects. At puppy class, we had our puppy raisers practice "leave it" with their new dogs. To make it interesting, we played a version of Temptation Tower, the newest Dog Olympic Game!

We gave each raiser a four dog biscuits, and they had one minute to build a tower and have their dog practice leave it. At the end of the minute, we gave everyone four more biscuits. They rebuilt their tower. Each time we increased the difficulty for the dogs by adding more biscuits, but the dogs were doing so well that we had to make it even more challenging. We had our raisers build a tower, then stand up, all while their dog remained in a down-stay. When the dogs succeeded at that, we had our raisers not only stand up, but also walk to the middle of the room. And the dogs didn't budge!

In this video, SSD Taz watches his handler build a tower of dog biscuits. Watch his face. You can tell that he really wants those biscuits, but he still doesn't try to eat them.

SSD Rio is like a statue when she plays Temptation Tower. Her handler told her "leave it," so she doesn't try to eat the biscuits, but she stares at them.

Before everyone switched dogs, we practiced the cues "under" and "paw." Watch SSD Dylan present his paw in cue for his puppy raiser. "Paw" is useful for nail clipping. We clip all of our dogs' nails, and we want the dog to be a willing participant. We train the dogs to offer their paw and let us clip their nails.

It was a fun puppy class, and we think our dogs and puppy raisers are going to be well prepared for their evaluations next week!

Onyx learns to be all business in public

2011-04-04T10:48:00.007-04:00

SSD Onyx has her own business cards. She carries them with her whenever she goes out in public, and her puppy raisers hand them out to anyone who stops to ask questions about Onyx.

When people see her purple SSD harness, they usually assume that she's being trained as a guide dog for someone who is blind. Very few people realize that dogs can be trained to assist people who use wheelchairs, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, children and adults with autism, and people who may have a psychiatric disability, such as veterans with PTSD. Carol and Mark, Onyx's puppy raisers, have been educating people about service dogs and raising awareness in the community.

Onyx recently went to Hollywood Casino for our puppy outing. With all of the people, loud noises and other dogs, it was the perfect place for Onyx to practice her loose leash walking and attention to her puppy raiser. In our last post about Onyx, we mentioned that she gets very worried when there are other dogs or other dog smells, and she has trouble focusing. Carol and Mark have been working with her to get her comfortable with other dogs and dog smells. For example, at the pet store, they will walk in the parking lot toward the pet store to the point just before Onyx starts to get worried. Then they'll turn around and go back to the car. When Onyx is refocused, they'll try again. In theory, each time they move toward the pet store, Onyx will be able to get a little closer because she will realize that there's nothing to be worried about. She also learns to trust that her puppy raisers will take her away from whatever is worrying her.

Onyx practiced this training method at the casino, with the help of SSD Rossi. Onyx and Carol started several yards away from Rossi and slowly moved toward her. As soon as Onyx started to lunge forward to see Rossi, Carol turned and they walked back to their starting point. They slowly proceeded, moving forward and going back until Onyx was able to greet Rossi.

This method is working very well for Onyx. Her puppy raisers have noticed that as soon as she starts moving away from the other dog or dog smells, she calms down and refocuses, and each time she moves forward again, she is able to get a little bit closer.

Onyx had more success at our Chocolate World outing in February. Last year, she was too stressed to get on the Chocolate World ride, so this year, Carol planned to just take Onyx through the store. However, Onyx was doing so well that Carol decided to try the ride - and Onyx did it! They started out by just walking in a circle near the cars, and when Onyx seemed fine with that, they tried getting on the cars. Onyx did it! While she was on the ride, her puppy raisers used one of Onyx's favorite power treats - spray cheese!

When they left Chocolate World, Onyx had to walk over a large grate. She is not fond of walking on grates, but this time, she walked right over it, although she did pause at first. Carol and Mark plan to practice grates more often with her.

Carol and Mark are also working on Onyx's attention and focus in their own backyard. Now that it's spring, the ducks are back in the yard, and Onyx loves to chase them. Carol has been taking her out on leash and clicking and treating her for attention. It's challenging for Onyx because she would rather play with the ducks, but she has been doing well.

Since she was a puppy, Onyx has stalked things. She will slowly sneak up on something, hold her position for a long time, and then suddenly pounce! Watch a video of Onyx trying to sneak up on Carol. Look at how long Onyx holds her position before the big pounce!

SSD Dee is having puppies!

2011-04-01T10:15:00.004-04:00

Late in February, SSD Dee was bred to GEB Venture from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Yesterday, she went to the Palmyra Animal Clinic to find out if she was pregnant.

The ultrasound revealed about six puppies!

GEB Venture

Puppy Hugging

2011-03-30T14:05:00.004-04:00

SSD Julia, Harriet, Clara, Chamberlain, Meade, Yahtzee, Rummy and Atari are in the middle of a week full of puppy hugging!

Puppy hugging is one of our favorite activities, and not just because of the cute puppies. We enjoy it because we get to meet a lot of people from the community. We were very happy to have some potential puppy raisers and sitter visit the puppies, as well as an entire troop of Girl Scouts!

Even though these puppies are only eight and nine weeks old, they are already bringing people together. And that is ultimately what they will do - bring people from the community together. When they join their puppy raisers and go out in public, these dogs will spark conversations between strangers. Whether it's in the grocery store, at a sporting event, or on a walk through the park, people often pause and ask questions about the dogs - which we think is wonderful!

And once a service dog is placed with their partner, the dog will not only assist them in daily tasks, but will also act as a link to the community. Many people who have received service dogs from us have told us that their service dog has opened the door to conversations with people in the community - conversations that may not have happened before they received their service dog.

That is why we train service dogs. We may train them to literally open doors, but it is our goal that the dogs will open other doors to inclusion and participation in the community.

We hope you enjoy our videos of the puppies as they begin their important journey to become service dogs.

SSD Julia learns that if she looks at her puppy hugger, she'll get a click and a treat.

SSD Meade trots over to his puppy hugger when he's called. He knows he'll get a treat!

The puppies spent some time exploring the field at the kennel. Playtime and walks in the woods or parks is important for puppies because it stimulates their minds and increases their capacity to learn.

In this video, SSD Chamberlain plays in the field. He seems to very focused on exploring, but watch what he does once he realizes he's on camera!

SSD Atari trots through the field with confidence!

Nubble Knows the Routine

2011-03-29T14:29:00.004-04:00

It's funny how dogs quickly pick up on our routines. SSD Nubble certainly knows his puppy raiser's work-day routine. Every morning, they do a little bit of training before Donna gets ready for work. Nubble then curls up on his favorite spot on the couch and relaxes. As soon as he sees Donna in her uniform shirt, he hops off the couch and goes right into his crate. Donna hasn't had to cue him to go into his crate for at least three months!

If you've been following Nubble, you know that stairs are a real challenge for him. One year ago, he would pull Donna up the stairs. Today, he will walk calmly beside Donna as they go up the stairs. How did this change happen? Lots of practice! They would practice stairs any chance they got. In fact, it got to the point where Nubble just assumed they would be going up any stairs they came across. Once Donna realized this, she eased up on practicing so that Nubble wouldn't start to get stressed every time he saw a set of stairs. The big breakthrough came in February. Nubble finally went down Donna's basement stairs! They have also been practicing going up those stairs. Last time, he walked up, stopped midway and turned around to go up backwards, then changed his mind and walked the proper way up the rest of the stairs! Now Donna can sometimes stop midway up the stairs and Nubble will continue going up the correct way. Great job, Nubble and Donna!

Nubble has been going to puppy classes in our Northeast Puppy Raising Program and in Harrisburg to help him get used to being around other dogs. He has made wonderful progress! At the Harrisburg puppy class, he would bark at some of the dogs, particularly SSD Taz, but last week, both dogs made it through the entire class without barking! And when Nubble does bark at another dog, he now does a much better job re-focusing and ignoring the dog. Although he still isn't too sure about puppies SSD Ben and SSD Cassie in the Northeast, he and Donna are working on it.

Nubble certainly enjoys going to puppy classes! When Donna and Lindsey go to classes in the Northeast, they take the turnpike. Puppy class is located about 1/4 mile off the exit. Nubble relaxes in the car, but as soon as they go through the toll booth, he lets out a little excited whine. He knows he's going to puppy class, and he's happy! Last week on the way home from the Harrisburg class, Donna and Lindsey took the turnpike. When they got to the toll booth to get off the turnpike, Nubble looked around and let out an excited whine, but he seemed confused. As soon as he realized they weren't going to the Northeast puppy class, he laid down and went back to sleep.

Nubble enjoys shopping, and regularly goes into stores with Donna. When they go into pet store, though, he has a tendency to pick out his own stuffed animals from the lower shelves. And while Donna puts the stuffed animal back, Nubble grabs another one! Our volunteer trainer in the Northeast suggested putting Nubble in a down-stay while Donna is returning the toy. So far, it has been working very well. Donna has also become more aware of Nubble's environment, and they practice "leave it."

This past weekend, they went to the Berkshire Mall. It was packed because there was a car show inside. Despite the crowd, Nubble did very well with greetings.

He has certainly come a long way!

Fun and Games at Puppy Class

2011-03-28T13:52:00.003-04:00

An obstacle course, Doggy Limbo, tickets for prizes - sounds more like PawsAbilities than puppy class!

We decided to do something a little different at last week's puppy class. Instead of having everyone sit around the room and practice different skills, we created an obstacle course through the hallways. In the obstacle course, the dogs had to practice going under a chair, down with distractions, self control at the food bowl, leave it, go on through a tunnel, walking over strange surfaces, and loose leash walking. The dogs and their puppy raisers had a blast!

We also played Doggy Limbo - a great way for the dogs to practice maneuvering themselves through challenging spaces.

SSD Jagger waits patiently for his puppy raiser to ask him to go through to the other side.

SSD Opal scoots under the limbo stick. To help her keep her body low, her puppy raiser drags a treat along the floor.

Eventually, it came down to SSD Falcon, a black poodle, and SSD Peach Pie, a black lab.

SSD Falcon demonstrates the "poodle scooch" method of moving under the limbo stick. Even though he's a tall dog, he was able to keep himself right next to the floor as he scooting under the limbo stick. Eventually, though, the limbo stick moved down too low.

SSD Peach Pie stays in a nice down before she did the "lab crawl" under the limbo stick to win the game!

We also introduced a new method of training, called TAGteaching. We learned this method of teaching at the Clicker Expo.

What is TAGteaching? It's clicker training for people! Everyone puts their name on a bunch of raffle tickets, and then when they see someone doing something good with their dogs (such as loose leash walking, recognizing when their dog needs a break, etc.), they give that person a raffle ticket. Recipients also put their names on the tickets. Those tickets can then be used for the raffles at our puppy lectures, and every time a ticket is drawn, the people who gave and received that ticket win a prize!

We think this will be a fun new way to train our dogs and reward our puppy raisers for doing an awesome job!

Rummy, Atari and Yahtzee Visit the Mall

2011-03-24T12:05:00.007-04:00

The Game puppies went to the mall, but not to shop. They were there for their first public outing!

Rummy, Atari and Yahtzee are seven weeks old and they got their shots on Tuesday, which means that they can now go out in public. They visited the Colonial Park Mall this morning and were quite a hit! As soon as they walked into the mall, people came over to see them.

Normally, when you see a dog wearing a service dog harness, you should not go up and pet them. You should always ask first, and if the dog's owner says no, you should respect their wishes. The dog is working and should not be distracted. For the Game puppies' first outing, however, we encouraged people to pet them if they asked. When the puppies are this young, they need to learn that people are friendly and not something to be afraid of.

Rummy, Atari and Yahtzee had a great time running around in the mall! At first, all of the puppies were running and prancing all over the place, exploring their new environment. Look at Rummy go!

Did you notice the leash? Watch Rummy run again, and pay careful attention to the leash. Even though Rummy is moving as fast as she can, her handler is careful to keep the leash loose so Rummy doesn't learn to pull. Loose leash walking is one of the most important skills a service dog can have, and we start training it right from the start because it's also one of the most difficult skills a dog learns.

Already the puppies are learning that if they come when called, they'll get some tasty treats! Look at how eagerly they follow one of their handlers!

Atari picked up on this concept right away. She scampered to her handler when called, even though she's looking at something interesting. Listen to how her handler gives her lots of verbal praise in addition to treats. This is a great way to let Atari know that she did good job!

After getting a few treats, Yahtzee started giving his handler nice attention. He focused on her instead of all the interesting things in his environment. He's still a little puppy, and his focus didn't last a long time, but he's already off to a great start!

Soon, though, Rummy and Yahtzee started to slow down, and by the end of the outing, they were stretched out on the floor. Atari, on the other hand, still had lots of energy, even after 30-45 minutes of romping around the mall!

These puppies will be going to the kennel on March 28, along with the Civil War puppies. They'll spend a week at the kennel, and then they'll go to their puppy raisers.

Civil War Puppies' First Outing

2011-03-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

The Civil War puppies have had their shots, which means they're ready to go on public outings. Guess where we took them for their first official time in public? That's right - the National Civil War Museum!

Meade, Chamberlain, Clara, Julia and Harriet were there for the opening reception of the Civil War Museum's new exhibit "Among Soldiers: Animals in the Ranks of the Civil War." The puppies had a great time meeting new people and exploring a new place.

SSD Chamberlain

SSD Clara

SSD Harriet

SSD Julia

SSD Meade

The Civil War puppies are seven weeks old. At the end of the month, they'll come to the kennel for temperament testing and then they'll go to their puppy raisers!

If you're interested in raising a puppy, visit our website to apply.

Nubble at PawsAbilities

2011-03-16T15:08:00.005-04:00

Nubble went to PawsAbilities for his second year in a row! He loved it!

He got his paw stamped so he could come and go as he pleased at PawsAbilities.

Nubble and puppy raiser Lindsey tried out the Fun Agility course.

Nubble watched the hunting retriever dogs demonstrate retrieving. At first, he was very focused on the dogs playing fetch, and he pulled on his leash. All he wanted was to play with them!

Donna kept working with him, however, and soon he was once again focused on her, even though the hunting retriever were still playing fetch in the ring. Later, Nubble was invited to try hunting retrieving, so he got to go in the ring and play. What a happy dog he was!

After a fun day at PawsAbilities, Nubble was all tuckered out! It was a good day!

What a Weekend at PawsAbilities!

2011-03-14T09:42:00.010-04:00

What a weekend! Did you have as much fun at PawsAbilities as we did?

On Saturday and Sunday, the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex was full of dogs playing, barking and greeting each other.

Dogs had fun playing our new Dog Olympic Game, the Temptation Tower! Handlers tried to build the tallest tower of dog biscuits while their dog watched.

The Ultimate Air Dogs were a favorite among people and canines. Watch one dog leap right off the dock into the pool to retrieve a favorite toy!

Other dogs weren't quite sure they wanted to make the big leap, even if their favorite toy was in the water. You could almost see one dog's thoughts as he runs around the dock trying to decide if he's going to make the jump. What did he finally decide? Watch the video to find out!

Dogs had lots of fun leaping over hay bales, sitting in hula hoops and running through tunnels in the new Obstacle Gambler's Choice game. Big thank you to Dog Scout Troop 161 for running it!

You should have seen the costumes on some of these dogs for our Costume Contest! They were great!

What was your favorite part of PawsAbilities? Let us know in the comments.

And don't forget to check out our Facebook page! People have been sharing their favorite photos of their dogs at PawsAbilities. We love them! If you have a favorite photo of your dog at PawsAbilities, post it on our Facebook page so everyone can see it!

Thank you to all the people and dogs who attended! We hope you had a great time!

Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers for helping us set up, run the big event, and tear down afterwards. We couldn't do it without you.

And of course, a special thank you to Vikki, our events coordinator, and the PawsAbilities committee for making PawsAbilities a reality. We certainly appreciate all of your hard work!

We're looking forward to next year!

It's almost time for PawsAbilities!

2011-03-11T13:26:00.003-05:00

It's almost time for PawsAbilities! Our cars and trucks are packed and we're heading to the Farm Show for an entire day of set-up.

And tomorrow the big weekend begins! Come to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for two whole days of canine fun! Bring the entire family, and don't forget your dogs!

Countdown to PawsAbilities: 3 Days!

2011-03-09T11:05:00.006-05:00

Three more days until PawsAbilities! Do you know what your and your dog are going to do?

On Saturday and Sunday, we have a solid lineup of presentations and demonstrations on the PawsAbilities stage. You'll be able to learn about doga and see a demonstration, find out how K-9 Loki figures out where a fire started, see how a blood hound searches for a missing person, and learn about dog safety, clicker training, and our puppy raising program. Check out the stage schedule online for times.

This year, you don't want to miss the Kody Kup Walk! Three Dogs Barking generously donated the grand prize - a tower of Kody Kups, toys and treats! Make sure you sign up at the Dog Olympics registration booth so you have a chance to win this prize.

And don't forget about the fun agility course, where you and your dog can find out if agility is a new, fun activity for you. There will also be the frisbee-catching Appalachian Air Canines, freestyle dancing with dogs, flyball, and of course, the Ultimate Air Dogs! Visit www.pawsabilities.net for more activities.

Tickets to PawsAbilities are available at the door, $10 general admission, $5 children ages 4-12. Please be aware that the Farm Show Complex charges $8 for parking.

What's New at PawsAbilities 2011?

2011-03-03T10:10:00.010-05:00

We want this to be the best PawsAbilities ever, and we've added some new, fun things for you and your dog to do!

What's New?

At the Dog Olympic Games, play the new game, Temptation Tower, at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day!

Test yourself and your dog in the Obstacle Gambler's Choice event. In this obstacle course run by Dog Scout Troop 161, each obstacle has a different point value, and you must choose which obstacles you and your dog want to complete. But choose wisely because you only have a certain amount of time to rack up as many points as possible!

Help your dog reach a state of zen with doga (yoga for dogs). After watching a demonstration on the PawsAbilities stage, you and your dog can try doga. This is a great way for you and your dog to relax!

You don't want to miss the demonstration of Newfoundland dog carting! You and your dog will also have a chance to see if cart pulling is for you!

The cake walk is an annual favorite in the Dog Olympic Games, but this year we've put a new twist on it. In the Kody Kup Walk, you and your dog could win the grand prize - a tower of toys and Kody Kups, those delicious frozen apple peanut butter treats.

Returning Favorites

Once again, the Ultimate Air Dogs will be leaping into PawsAbilities! Come watch these amazing dogs launch themselves off a dock into a pool of water.

Enter your dog in the Cutest Dog Contest. Hosted by Denny Logan of WINK 104 at noon on Saturday and by Jen Shade of 105.7 the X at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, this contest is always a crowd-pleaser. The contest is free, but there will be a limited number of entries. Be sure to come early to register your cute dog!

March in the Abrams & Weakley Parade! You and your dog will have the opportunity to win prizes for marching in the parade. We will be awarding prizes for the dog with the biggest ears, longest fur, shortest tail, most spots and more!

Vendors, vendors and more vendors! With over 70 vendors, you'll find everything you want and need for your dog, plus some things for yourself! Check out www.pawsabilities.net/vendors for a list of the 2011 vendors.

Check out www.pawsabilities.net for more fun things to do at PawsAbilities! And don't forget to buy your tickets so you don't miss this weekend for the dogs!

More Puppies?

2011-02-25T14:02:00.004-05:00

With the Civil War and Game litters on the puppy cams, it's hard to believe that we might be having even more puppies. But that just might be the case!

Today, SSD Dee traveled to Guiding Eyes for the Blind to be bred with GEB Venture, a solid, handsome yellow lab. Dee originally came from Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and we're very excited that she is returning to her home program to be bred. We're hoping for more puppies in about two months!

We're very lucky to have such wonderful relationships with other guide dog and assistance dog organizations like Guiding Eyes for the Blind.

SSD GEB Dee. She's a small, very sweet dog.

GEB Venture. We hope this handsome guy becomes the father of Dee's puppies!

New Dog Olympic Game at PawsAbilities 2011!

2011-02-22T16:15:00.003-05:00

We have exciting news for all of your canine Olympians! This year, we have a new Dog Olympic Game at PawsAbilities - Temptation Tower!

In this game, you have one minute to build a tower of tasty dog treats while your dog watches. If you have the highest tower when time runs out and your dog hasn't eaten any treats, you win!

It sounds simple, but this Dog Olympic Game will test not only your dog's "leave it" skills, but also your skills at stacking dog treats!

Temptation Tower will be played on March 12 and 13 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. You don't want to miss it!

And don't forget to buy your tickets to PawsAbilities so you can play Temptation Tower and our other fun Olympic Games.

Learning to Work as Teams

2011-02-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Today is the third day of Team Training, and our new service dog teams have been doing great! Although each person has a lot to learn in two and a half weeks, we've been having fun doing it!

Our new partners have been learning clicker training, shaping, how to care for their dog and lots of new cues.

Even though it was cold outside, the dogs still need to go outside for a little bit, and we all went out for a short walk around the parking lot. Learning how to work with their dog outside is an important part of training, especially since there are so many interesting smells and other distractions. Watch SSD York and his new partner take a brisk lap around parking lot, and look at York's attention on his partner when they stop!

Yesterday we worked on retrieves. SSD Misty has learned how to pick up all sorts of objects for her partner, and she can also take a piece of paper from the printer and hand it to her partner. Watch her do it:

After she successfully retrieved the paper, we moved the printer from the chair to the table. Her partner's printer at home sits on a desk that at is about the height of the table, so we had her and her partner practice the cue at this new height. Changing something as seemingly simple as the height of an object can make a behavior very challenging for a dog, and Misty had never retrieved printer paper from this height before. But she quickly figured it out, and successfully handed her partner the paper.

We're looking forward to seeing many more successes from all of our new teams!

Meet the Game Litter!

2011-02-07T10:22:00.011-05:00

We have more puppies in our SSD family! On February 2, SSD Pearl gave birth to the Game litter!

Because of the snow and ice storm that was predicted for her due date, our whelping team camped out with Pearl at her breeder caretaker's house, and it's a good thing they did! Not only did the snow and ice show up as predicted, but the puppies showed up, too! Pearl delivered three heathy black puppies - SSD Rummy (female, red collar), SSD Atari (female, purple collar) and SSD Yahtzee (male, yellow collar).

Sadly, this delivery didn't go smoothly. Pearl also gave birth to two yellow females - SSD Jenga and SSD Taboo. Both of them were stillborn. Our whelping team reacted immediately to try to revive these two puppies, but they were unable to resuscitate them. We stayed in contact with Dr. Clemens, one of our veterinarians at Palmyra Animal Clinic, throughout the delivery.

We have been very fortunate that so many of our puppies have been born healthy. Sometimes, though, some puppies do not make it, despite our best efforts, and this is always a sad time. Jenga and Taboo were given their collars (tan and green), and they have been buried in a special area at the home of one of our volunteers.

Despite our sadness about Jenga and Taboo, we are very thankful to have three beautiful, healthy puppies. Pearl and her puppies went to the Palmyra Animal Clinic the next morning, and after examining all four of them, Dr. Hahn told us the new family was healthy.

Rummy, Atari, and Yahtzee are doing great! Pearl is an excellent mother, and the whole family is happy and healthy.

Thank you to our whelping team and our breeder caretakers for all of their efforts. We're looking forward to watching Rummy, Atari and Yahtzee grow!

January with Nubble

2011-02-04T09:06:00.010-05:00

With all this snow, Nubble is having the time of his life! He loves to be outside playing in it. He went sledding with Lindsey and her cousins. At first, he climbed onto the sled and sat down. But once it started moving, he decided it would have much more fun running alongside the sled. He even helped pull the sled back up the hill! (Well, actually he grabbed it and ran off with it. But he did bring it back when Lindsey and her cousins called him.)

While Nubble was playing in the snow, Donna took the opportunity to practice recalls. It wasn't easy for him to stop playing with Lindsey and her cousins, but he did it! After Nubble came to her, Donna let him go back to playing so he would realize that recalls don't mean the fun has to end. Nice training technique!

Every January, the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex hosts the Farm Show. Thousands of people come to see the farm animals and equipment, agricultural displays, vendors, the famous butter sculpture, and of course, the Farm Show food. Donna took Nubble on a Sunday, one of the most crowded days at the Farm Show. There were so many people that it was difficult to walk, but Nubble did great with the crowds! People don't bother him at all.

Unfortunately, the crowds meant that Nubble didn't have as much exposure to the animals. He and Donna stayed on the fringes of the crowds near the exhibits. They could have gotten closer, but then the crowds would not have allowed Donna to remove Nubble from the other animals if he started barking or became worried. This is good thinking - when we take our dogs in training into environments that could be stressful for them, such as the Farm Show, we always make sure that we can quickly and easily remove the dog from the situation if it becomes too stressful for them or the other animals.

Despite the crowds, Nubble got to see a cow, although he barked at it. Then they went to the chicken area. Donna and Nubble stook just inside the door so Nubble could watch the chickens. Donna clicked and treated him for watching calmly. He did very well for a while. Then he caught sight of an odd-looking chicken and started barking at it. Donna quickly removed him from the area.

They visited the large arena, where the horse teams were demonstrating what they do. Nubble did great, laying nicely at Donna's feet.

To get upstairs, they had to take the stairs because the lines for the elevator were so long. If you've been reading about Nubble, you know that he's not a big fan of the stairs. However, Donna has been working very hard with him to get him to walk calmly up them. At the Farm Show, he did fairly well with the stairs, even though they were crowded. Donna blocked people so he wouldn't get squished while they were walking up. The top of the stairs was challenging for him, though, because everyone seemed to stop right at the top. They had to do the stairs a second time later on, and again, he did okay until they got close to the top. Later, Donna took him outside and they practiced on the stairs out there, where there were no crowds. He did very well, as long as he could walk up at a long angle, moving from the bottom left to the top right.

Although they didn't stay for a long time, it was enough for a young dog. It was a wonderful experience for him!

Donna and Nubble are now attending some of our puppy classes in Harrisburg so that Nubble can get used to interacting with dogs he's not familiar with. They have been to two of them so far, and although the first class was a little stressful, they have been making good progress. One of our trainers suggested clicking and treating him when he's looking calmly at another dog. Nubble made great progress that first class! Although Donna had to take him out of the room a few times, he settled down quickly and was able to return to class.

When dogs get too excited or worried during puppy class, their puppy raisers take them out into the hallway to give them a chance to calm down and focus again. When Donna goes to puppy classes in the Northeast, she takes Nubble all the way outside when he gets too worried. She has decided, though, that she's going to stop taking him all the way outside. Since outside is a fun and exciting place for Nubble, she's just going to take him out of the room to calm down.

Their second puppy class in Harrisburg was even better. He ignored the other dogs most of the time. Nice progress!

Donna has been working on "paw" with Nubble. He is learning to pick up his paw and put it in her hand. Although he usually learns new cues fairly quickly, this one is a little challenging for him. Right now, he doesn't want to put his paw in Donna's hand. When Donna holds out her hand, he will lift his paw, but won't put it in her hand. If he's laying down, he'll let her handle his paws, but he's not ready to offer his paw to her. Donna is confident that he'll get there eventually. They're continuing to work on it.

They have also been working with the target stick, which is a stick with a piece of duct tape on the end. The dogs target the duct tape with their nose. Nubble likes the target stick, although he always wants to chew on it at the beginning of their training sessions. He eventually settles and uses his nose, though. Donna has started using the target stick to teach him "under." "I've never taught 'under' that way, so it is nice to see different techniques," says Donna.

At one point at puppy class when Donna and Nubble were outside, Nubble saw a covered outlet on the wall. It must have looked like a piece of duct tape to him because he targeted it! He used his teeth the first time, but when Donna gave him a look, he targeted it nicely with his nose.

We have stairs in the building we use for puppy class (Keystone Children & Family Services), so our trainers got to see Nubble navigate the stairs. Donna plans on practicing the stairs every time she and Nubble come to the Harrisburg puppy class. Right now, Nubble has a tendency to turn around and go up backwards if Donna stops partway up the stairs. They're working on it.

Then we played puppy tic-tac-toe, where the dogs are the Xs and Os. The dogs on the board must be in a sit or a down in order to stay on the board, and just like the game, the teams tried to get three dogs in a row. Nubble sometimes gets worried around other dogs, but even though he was in a down very close to another dog, he wasn't bothered at all. His main distraction that class was SSD Dee, a small black female that was visiting from advanced training. Nubble was very aware of her anytime she was moving around.

Two more fun facts about Nubble: He loves his Jolly Ball toy, and he loves being vacuumed! The Jolly Ball is a tough rubber ball with a handle that Nubble loves to grab and toss around. He'll usually grab the ball and run around, but because it has been so cold, he has had to adapt and play with it by grabbing the handle.

Yes, you did read correctly when you read that Nubble loves to be vacuumed. Donna noticed that Nubble always follows her around when she vacuums. Since she knows that some horses love to be vacuumed, she wondered if Nubble might enjoy it. Using the upholstery attachment, which is gentle, she ran it over his back. He just stood there and looked at her, so she did it again, and this time, he leaned into it! She did both of his sides and he loved it!

Canine Therapists

2011-02-03T13:37:00.008-05:00

Those of us who have dogs know that they have an amazing ability to make us happy. Even if you don't have a dog, you may have noticed that petting or even just seeing a dog can lift your mood and make you smile.

But did you know that your dog can become a certified therapy dog. As a therapy dog, your dog will have the opportunity to bring smiles to lots of people. At PawsAbilities, you and your dog will have the chance to take the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and the Therapy Dog International (TDI) test to become a certified therapy dog.

In order to become a certified therapy dog, dogs must first pass the CGC test. CGC is a program of the American Kennel Club to certify that dogs have good manners at home and in the community. Dogs will be tested on ten different categories, including acceptance of a friendly stranger, recalls, and their reaction to other dogs and distractions. The TDI test builds on the CGC requirements to include the dog's reactions to medical equipment, leave it, acclimation to infirmities, and reactions to all people, especially children.

What is a therapy dog?

A therapy dog is a pet that has been certified as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs have wonderful temperaments and get along with people, especially children, as well as other dogs and animals. Therapy dogs may visit schools for reading programs and other activities, or they may visit hospitals, hospice, nursing homes, libraries and shelters. Some therapy dogs may even make home visits.

Many therapy dogs can sense when someone needs them, and they'll go right up to them for some cuddle time. The TDI website has a beautiful story about a therapy dog named Alex that helped a little boy come out of his depression and smile again. [Note: To read this story, you'll have to scroll down in the middle column on TDI's homepage.]

What is the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?

People sometimes confuse therapy dogs with service dogs, but they are not the same. A therapy dog is a pet, while a service dog is not.

Service dogs have public access, meaning they can accompany their partner anywhere that caters to the public. They can go into grocery stores, museums, movie theaters, restaurants, etc. - all places where you cannot typically take pets. Although therapy dogs can go into schools, libraries, hospitals, and other similar places, they can only go when they are invited for a therapy visit. Therapy dogs do not have public access and should not accompany their owners to places like the grocery store.

A service dog is trained in specific tasks to assist their partner in their daily life. Legally, service dogs and their partners are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A therapy dog, on the other hand, is trained to provide comfort and affection, and they are not mentioned in the ADA.

If you and your dog are interested in becoming a certified therapy dog team, register to take the CGC and TDI tests at PawsAbilities!

How to Teach Your Dog to Greet People Nicely

2011-02-02T12:57:00.004-05:00

Many dogs love love people. When visitors come to the house, dogs may run to the door, prance in place, and even jump up on the guests.

While this may seem cute when it's a puppy jumping up and placing his paws on your shins, it's not so cute when it's a ninety pound dog jumping to put his paws on your shoulders. When a ninety pound dog jumps on you, there's a good chance you'll get knocked over.

For service dogs, it's very important that they keep all four feet on the floor when guests come to their partner's house. Not only is it good manners for the service dog to keep all four feet on the floor, but calm greetings also allow the dog to stay more focused on their partner.

How to Train It

Start with your dog on leash. Have someone the dog is familiar with go outside, close the door, then come back inside. Click and treat if your dog keeps all four feet on the floor.
Have a familiar person go outside, knock on the door, and come inside. Click and treat if your dog keeps all four feet on the floor.
Have a familiar person go outside, ring the doorbell, and come inside. Again, click and treat if your dog keeps all four feet on the floor.

In addition to clicking and treating, the person who comes in the door can pet the dog and give him attention if and only if all four paws are on the floor. After all, what the dog really wants is attention from the new person.

Be careful not to move on to the next step too quickly. Make sure your dog is at least 80% successful before moving on to the next step.

Practicing this behavior will teach the dog that he only gets attention when he keeps all four paws on the floor. When real guests arrive, you may still want to have your dog on leash, and make sure your guests understand that they can only give the dog attention if he has all four feet on the floor. "Attention" includes petting, talking to the dog, and sometimes even looking at the dog. In order to be successful in training your dog to keep all four paws on the floor when he greets guests, you'll need to have the cooperation of all your guests. They will need to be prepared to completely ignore the dog if he jumps. You may want to talk to your guests before they arrive so they know to ignore the dog unless all his paws are on the floor.

What if Your Dog Does Jump?

If your dog does jump up on people, that person needs to completely ignore the dog. No petting, talking or looking at the dog. The dog gets absolutely no attention for jumping. If a dog is jumping on you, you have few options.

You can turn your back to the dog. When you turn your back, chances are the dog will get down. You will also be completely ignoring the dog.
You can walk through the dog. This technique is exactly what it sounds like. When the dog puts his feet on you, you simply walk forward as if the dog wasn't there. The dog will then be off balance and it will have two choices: put his feet down or tumble backwards.

Note: Never knee the dog, which can hurt him.

Whenever your dog has all four feet on the floor, you and your guests can give him lots of attention. Just remember that as soon as his feet leave the floor, the attention stops.

If you're consistent, you'll soon have a dog that keeps his feet politely on the floor when he greets guests.

It's the moment you've been waiting for!

2011-02-01T10:19:00.007-05:00

It's the moment you've been waiting for. You helped us make a list of names. And now, it's time to introduce you to the Civil War puppies!

Meet George Meade, Joshua Chamberlain, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe and Harriet Beecher Stowe!

PawsAbilities Trivia - Two Chances to Win!

2011-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

PawsAbilities is just around the corner, but we don't want to wait until March for the fun and games to start. Starting today, every Thursday until PawsAbilities will be trivia day on our Facebook page. Each Thursday at noon and 8 p.m. EST we'll post a trivia question on our Facebook page about PawsAbilities and Susquehanna Service Dogs. If you're the first person to comment with the correct answer, you win a voucher for a free Dog Olympic Game at PawsAbilities!

This game is exclusively for our Facebook fans and we will only be accepting answers on our Facebook page. Not a fan? We would love for you to become one!

PawsAbilities is coming up in less than two months and one of many things you and your dog will be able to do are the Dog Olympics! We will have over 20 games for you and your dog to play. Any dog of any skill level can play. Last year we had Great Danes playing right beside Chihuahuas.

Here's just a sample of the Dog Olympic Games you can play with your dog:

Musical Hoops
Just like musical chairs, but with hula hoops! When the music plays, you and your dog walk around a circle of hula hoops, but when the music stops, your dog must sit with at least two paws in a hoop.

Red Light, Green Light
Another childhood game adapted for canines! On green, you and your dog walk, and on red, you stop.

Doggy Limbo
How low can your dog go? Groups of small dogs and large dogs try to crawl under the limbo stick.

Kiss Off
If your dog loves to give kisses, this is the game for him! The dog that will kiss his handler's face for the longest time wins.

Clean Plate Club
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How to train your dog to eliminate on cue

2011-01-25T11:34:00.002-05:00

It's well below freezing outside, and if you're anything like us, you don't want to spend long periods of time outside. When you have a dog (or dogs), however, you know that you need to take your dogs outside several times a day. In today's Tuesday Training Tip, we will share how to train your dog to eliminate on cue. This can be especially helpful for people who live in apartments or in the city without a yard of their own.

If you take your dog for a walk in order to get him to go potty, you may have noticed that it sometimes takes longer and you have to walk farther in order to get him to go. By taking him for a walk to go potty, you're actually teaching him to hold it for as long as possible, especially if you have a tendency to go inside right after he goes. Your dog wants to go for a walk, so when you take him inside soon after he eliminates, you punishing him for going rather than rewarding him with a nice long walk.

How to train your dog to go on cue

You will need a lot of patience to train your dog to eliminate on cue, especially if you have an older dog who is used to going on walks to do his business. With patience, however, you will be successful in training your dog.

When you go outside, keep your dog confined to one area and wait. You may want to have him on leash. Make sure you stand still and don't walk around with your dog. When they start sniffing around and look like they're about to go, give them the cue. We use "get busy" for our current puppies in training, but you can use "go potty" or whatever cue you would like. Just be consistent.
When your dog goes, give him lots of praise! Clean up if it's not your yard.
Take your dog for a walk. This is one of the most important steps in training your dog to eliminate on cue, especially if he's used to going for a walk to go potty. Essentially, you are striking a bargain with your dog. He goes potty when and where you ask him to, and then you take him for a walk. To be successful, you must hold up your end of the bargain.

Soon, your dog will learn that the cue means to do his business, and he will happily go on cue for you.

But what do you do if your dog doesn't go when you take him out?

If your dog doesn't go when you take him outside, take him back inside. If you're training a puppy, you may want to crate him for 15-20 minutes. This crate time is not a punishment. It's management so your puppy doesn't go in the house. After 15-20 minutes, take your dog back outside and try again. If he still doesn't go, take him back inside. This is where you'll need lots of patience, because you'll need to repeat this process until your dog does go. But don't get discouraged. With a little patience from you and lots of praise for your dog when he does go, he'll soon learn to go on cue.

All of our service dogs learn to do their business on cue and on any surface. Their partners may not have a yard or even live near a convenient patch of grass for the dog to use to eliminate, so the dog must be comfortable using gravel, sidewalk, asphalt, etc. Because service dogs will be accompanying their partners almost everywhere, they need to be able to go when and where it is convenient. If their partner has a busy work schedule and only has ten minutes to take their service dog out between meetings, they don't have time for a 20 minute walk to make sure their dog goes potty. Or the dog's partner may not be able to take them for a walk, so the dog needs to be able to eliminate on cue. It's just another part of how service dogs fit seamlessly into their partners' lives to assist them to be more independent.