Recording accomplishments in training is always exciting. Like baby's first steps, there is always something new to learn and be proud of when training a working dog. One of the first sections in Robbie's training journal is devoted to goals and accomplishments, because while it's important to keep track of overall progress and problems, I believe it is equally important to celebrate achievements no matter how big or small. It's easy to get wrapped up in him not doing something right or a certain command taking forever to learn, so being able to look at a long list of all the things so far that he's done amazingly is a pretty great feeling as a trainer, partner, and best friend. In this post, I'll talk about Robbie's latest accomplishment - dragging a laundry basket for the first time - why I wanted to teach this task, how I taught it, and include a video of his first time pulling a basket with clothes in it!
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As most of you know by now, I don't do treat-training with Robbie. Instead, we use vocal praise and sometimes toys as a reward. It is my belief that creating a reliance on the expectation of food reward can be disastrous when the dog's job is t save your life one day. If you miss a treat once or twice and then more, you create an inconsistency in your training that the dog will pick up on, making it more likely that they won't be as reliable as you need them to be. I will use treats under special circumstances, but they always get phased out. In this post, I will talk about the few times when I do use treats in Robbie's training, how I phase out the treats, what types of treats we use for him, and even a recipe for making your own deer jerky treats! Robbie knows over 40 commands, and every single one has a purpose. None of his commands are superfluous, or simply "for show." It irks me to no end when people call Robbie's tasks, "tricks." His tasks are life-saving, pain management strategies. It's a job; it's also fun, but it's not some circus show. I imagine most other handlers feel the same way, so please don't call our dogs' tasks tricks. Even the commands that are not related to his tasks have been trained for a very specific purpose, and some aid in his overall precision and the ability to perform his more complex tasks. Everything we have taught Robbie gets used either on a daily basis at home or out in public for ease of positioning and ease of handling.
That being said, I imagine that some of our commands may seem strange or trick-like. In this post, I'll talk about 5 commands of Robbie's that may seem like a trick, but are actually very useful and why/how we taught them. Everybody needs a friend. For service dogs, this is extremely important for several reasons.
In this post, I'll talk about why we are so picky about who Robbie plays with & advice for others choosing doggy friends, some of his friends, how playtime aids in his training overall, and share some photos of him having a good time!
There are various types of service dogs, but for the purpose of simplifying things in this post, I'll cover 6 categories. Keep in mind, though, that within these categories the type of work the dog does can get very specific depending on their handler's needs. The purpose of this post is to give a quick overview of the types and what tasks they may perform. Many people believe that service dogs only help the blind or deaf, but there's so many more disabilities that service dogs can help mitigate. Robbie, as you know, is a mobility dog, and I'll cover what that means here as well. Definitions
Example Tasks
*Not all possible tasks are described here, check out below resources for more information* Resources to Check Out |
My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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