Irwin and His New Puppy Sister

Irwin (left) snuggles with Carrie Ann (right)

Irwin has a new puppy sister living with him—SSD Carrie Ann from Canine Partners for Life. She’s a young puppy, and Irwin has enjoyed having a playmate to hang out with. They have gotten used to romping around the snow together and just chasing each other around.

Before Carrie, Irwin tended to stay with his puppy raisers, never leaving their side. Now, there have been times when he and Carrie are just hanging out together at night.

Irwin also loves showing off to Carrie and showing her what he knows. He has learned that all he has to do is steal one of Carrie’s toys and start running around, and she will start chasing him. He loves it when she chases him around!

He is also doing very well in advanced training and is learning lots of new behaviors. He enjoys running around with the other dogs in advanced training and playing with them every morning.

He has missed some training recently because he was neutered and needed to rest for two weeks. He’s all healed up now, though, and you can’t even tell that anything has happened. He’s still his energetic and happy self. The two weeks he was healing were tough for him because he’s so used to being active, but he got through it. Both he and Ryan, his puppy raiser, are happy about that!

Right now, Irwin is set to go to Team Training in October. Keep up the good work, Irwin!

Bobcats, Alligators, Elk, Oh My!

Bobcats, alligators, elk—these are just some of the animals that SSD Irwin saw when his puppy raisers took him to Zoo America. He also saw lynx, ocelots, marten, and lots of birds. He was especially interested in the wolves and watched them from across the park for a long time.

During our annual Zoo America outing, we used to take the dogs down to the wolves’ viewing area. However, the wolves had begun to get very agitated when they saw the dogs, even though most of the dogs simply looked at them. We try to be mindful of our own dogs and the other animals, and if either one get too worked up, we leave the area.

Every Tuesday, Irwin goes to the bowling alley in Elizabethtown, where he gets to experience the bowling alley itself and the attached restaurant. He also went to a Hershey Bears hockey game and did a great job handling the noise, crowds and food distractions.

Irwin recently had his 12-month evaluation. During evals, he stayed in the kennel for two nights so that our training staff could see how he handled kennel life. Twelve month evaluations are one of the mile markers in a service dog in training’s life. Most of our dogs in training enter advanced training when they’re 18-24 months old, which means that Irwin is about halfway through his journey to becoming a service dog.

Irwin’s Next Adventure

SSD Irwin has found a new home with Ryan, one of our trainers. As sometimes happens, the life situation of Irwin’s puppy raisers changed and they were no longer able to take care of him. His routine is a little different now, but he has done very well adjusting to his new home.

Irwin helped Ryan get ready for a 5K race at the beginning of October. They ran about four miles together every other day. “He’s a great runner and will actually pace himself with you as you run,” said Ryan.

If you’ve been following Irwin, you know that he went almost everywhere with his puppy raisers. He has continued to go out in public frequently. He’s gone to the grocery store, multiple restaurants, and of course, Petco.

Irwin goes to work with Ryan, which means Irwin has been getting a taste of kennel life. He seems to be enjoying his time at the kennel and play with the other dogs.

Overall, Irwin has done quite well adjusting to his new home—which is exactly what we would hope for and expect from a service dog in training.

Irwin's "Summer Camp"

Since service dogs go almost everywhere with their partners, they need to learn how to relax and chill out for long periods. Service dogs may find themselves in a two-hour meeting at work, or at a relaxing dinner with friends at a restaurant. Regardless, they need to be able to lie down and chill out, even sleep.

During Irwin’s last evaluation, he had trouble chilling out. There were so many good smells and interesting dogs around. While he did well considering his age and where he was, his puppy raisers knew he could do better. They’ve been working on “chill time” at home, and he has been getting really good, even when other people are around.

Donna and Jim invited Carol and Mark (SSD Outback’s puppy raisers) over for a Sunday afternoon of wine tasting and snacks. Since it was raining, Carol and Mark left Outback at home, letting him practice crate time. Irwin worked on chill time in the mudroom off the kitchen where the four adults were sitting. They spent several enjoyable hours at the table, and Irwin stayed in the mudroom, not crossing into the kitchen the entire time.

At one point, Irwin gave Donna the “puppy please” stare, so she gave him permission to come. He trotted right over to her under the table. He was allowed to greet everyone, and he did very well. He wiggled in excitement but kept all four paws on the floor.

Donna and Jim’s two grandsons stayed with them for a week. Sam, who’s eight, likes to be Irwin’s raiser when he visits, so they pretended to have summer camp like the SSD Summer Dog Camp. They even made tie-dyed shirts! Sam cleans Irwin’s ears, brushes his teeth, and combs his fur. Jack, who’s five, does the same thing with Hunter, their Jack Russell. They play the “Dress ‘Em Up” relay, where they dressed Irwin in t-shirts, socks, and more.

In the morning, the boys play reveille on a Civil War trumpet. Irwin stays right next to them as they take turns waking everyone up. One morning, the boys were still sleeping when Donna and Jim gave Irwin permission to go into their room. Irwin laid down on the floor next to Sam until he woke up. 

The boys also take over feeding both dogs. (Sometimes it takes a while for Hunter to sit for his food, and poor Irwin has to keep waiting, drooling until he hears the “okay” to eat.) Irwin continued to practice chill time while the boys played at the table or in the family room. When they’re outside eating, they put Irwin under the table, and they ask him for a down-stay when they’re playing in the sand box. The boys love to watch him swim and Irwin LOVES the extra belly rubs they give him. 

They all went to the South Mountain Fair, which was perfect timing since Irwin’s puppy class homework for next semester is to visit a fair. They visited all of the animal barns. Donna and Irwin went through the animal barns rather quickly in order to keep his attention. Irwin did well, but Donna could tell by his body language that he was a little excited, and she wanted to make sure he had a successful visit. The animals, especially the sheep, knew that he was there. All the sheep were bleating. 

Next they rode a hay wagon. Irwin had to climb metal steps in order to get into the wagon. He then rolled in the hay! However, he was able to sit and greet all of the kids in the wagon. “Actually, the boys shared about raising and training SD dogs for people who need them,” said Donna. “They even answered the #1 question we always get—‘I could never do that. I would not be able to give them up.’” Almost in unison, the boys said, “But you know it’s not a pet dog you’re giving up. It’s someone’s bestest Christmas present ever!”

The rest of the day, they rode the rides, won teddy bears, ate funnel cake, and watched the fireworks. They didn’t know they were being watched, but as they were leaving, one of the police attendants came up and remarked on how well behaved Irwin was and thanked them for cleaning up after him. Sam and Jack smiled and said “Thanks! We train him to have good manners or it’s ‘puppy time-out.’”

Overall, it was an excellent week!

Down on the Orchard

With all of the rain and humid weather that we had a week ago, the weeds in Jim and Donna’s orchard have taken off. They generally maintain them by hand, or using a hoe or weed mower, but to save time, they decided to look into a burner. A farm in Lancaster uses a flame burner, and Donna and Jim took Irwin along when they visited to check it out.

At the Lancaster farm, Donna and Irwin followed behind the tractor and propane burner, careful to keep some distance between them and the tree row that was being burned. 

“Quite frankly, I was a bit afraid, thinking it was going to be flames and fire,” said Donna. “It wasn’t scary, though, although it did throw a good bit of heat, and you could smell the burning grass and weeds and the smoke.”

Because it was a potentially scary outing, Donna had brought along plenty of treats. And those treats worked like a charm because Irwin was much more interested in the treats than in the noisy tractor and propane burner, not to mention all the smells. The farm was also located next to an Amish farm, and the entire time Donna and Irwin were in the orchard, horse-drawn carriages were traveling up and down the road. Irwin would glance their way, but it still didn’t distract him from getting treats.

To sell their fruit this year, Donna and Jim are cooperating with another local family who started an organic market in Adams County. They pick about 10 bushels each morning and take them right to Oyler's Organic Market. Irwin has been very good about staying by Donna’s side as she picks. He seems to do better when he’s wearing his SSD harness. For him, the harness means it’s time to work. 

There are a lot of distractions while they’re in the orchard, and one really big distraction is Hunter, their Jack Russell. Hunter is their varmint controller. He runs through the orchard and around the trees to keep the rabbits, mice, snakes, turkeys, deer, and groundhogs away. (There are always lots of wild animals hanging around. Last year, a coyote ran by the outer fence as they were planting trees with SSD Judge.) But even with Hunter on varmint control, Irwin stays right by Donna’s side. He usually stands at her left side or lies down, and he seems to know when they’re ready to move from tree to tree. 

Irwin has developed great self control around the fruit, and he ignores it unless Donna gives him the “okay” to eat it. He’s not allowed to run in the orchard while they’re working. However, when they’re loading the fruit and Donna takes his harness off, he gives a “puppy please” look and sits as tall as he can, waiting for the “okay” so he can take off running.

At the market, Irwin has to walk across drainage grates while they’re unloading the peaches, and he has lots of opportunities to work on greetings with the customers. The store has a kitchen, where classes are held on preserving and canning fruits, veggies, jams, and more, and Irwin has become a class favorite. He also loves to go into the cold storage room to cool down from the heat. 

Once they get back home, he gives Donna the “puppy please” look again, asking for a swim in the pond—one of his favorite things to do.

Irwin is certainly becoming a pro at working at the orchard!

All Aboard!: Irwin Rides a Steam Train

Donna, Jim, and Irwin have been working long, hot hours in the orchard and vineyard, which means none of them have had much time for fun. So on Saturday, they took the day off and went to New Freedom to visit Steam into History, where you can relive the history of the railroad during the Civil War. They rode Engine #17, a replica of the Civil War steam engine that Abraham Lincoln used to get to Gettysburg to deliver the Gettysburg Address. The same tracks were later used by his funeral train. The day Irwin visited, there was a reenactor portraying Josiah Gitt, who was a farmer, dry goods merchant, and a community leader during the Civil War.  

While they waited for the “All Aboard!” they practiced cues. They did verbal cues in a normal voice and a whisper and hand signals. 

In order to board the train, they had to climb a series of wooden and then metal steps. Both sets were open and narrow. Donna wasn’t sure how Irwin would do. When she cued him to go up the stairs, he took them two at a time, while she only took one step at a time. However, Irwin waited for her each time rather than charging ahead. When they reached the doorway, Irwin automatically did a go on through and sat.

To get to their seats, they walked along a metal walkway, which was a little wobbly. Irwin didn’t seem to mind, though. Irwin went under their seat, but because they were so close together, he ended up partially underneath the seat behind them. The passenger cars were hot and sooty from the smoke from the steam engine. Irwin was panting, and Donna was hot, so they decided to move to the open air car. When Irwin got up from underneath the seat, he looked like a zebra because he was striped with soot. 

  

The open air car was much cooler, especially from the breeze of the moving train. It also wasn’t as crowded. Irwin was on his best behavior, even though the kids sitting across from him kept trying to pet and play with him. Once the train started moving, it didn’t take him long to settle in and fall asleep to the rhythm of the tracks. 

Before departing, Donna let the children, the conductor, and anyone else greet him. He loved it. He was very gentle with the kids and gave them puppy kisses.

Going down the steps at the junction was much more difficult. The steps were steep and you couldn’t see the next one until you took the step. Irwin did the steps one at a time with his toes spread wide as if he wanted to make absolutely sure he found the step.

At the junction, they has some time to stretch their legs and get a drink. Irwin had fun doing some play retrieves with his favorite Chuck-It ball!

Re-boarding so they could return to the station was also more challenging. There was just a step stool and then you had to take a huge step up to reach the next step. The conductor was going to entice Irwin to simply leap up, thinking that would be easiest, but Donna told them that Irwin knew cues that could help. While Irwin waited on the ground, Donna used the step stool and then stepped way up onto the next step. She then cued Irwin to join her and he leaped right up! Once he was beside her, they finished the rest of the steps side by side. Everyone broke out with cheering and applause for him!

As they walked through the train cars, Irwin matched Donna’s pace step for step. All that loose leash walking practice on and off leash at home is really paying off!

Overall, it was a fun experience, and Irwin didn’t have any issues with the steam engine, even when it let off steam, the smell of black smoke, or the train whistle. The first time he heard the sound of the engine letting off steam, he turned around to look but remained calm. Irwin wore his comfort trainer while they were doing the steps and walking through the cars, but otherwise, he just wore a flat collar.