puppy raising a service dog

Where’s Dotty?

Pam Hogle Main Blog, The Thinking Dog Blog ,

Dotty, a 7-month-old white golden retriever, wears a blue service dog-in-training vestIt has been a while since I wrote about Dotty, so I wanted to give an update.

Dotty is with her trainer, doing some intensive work on a couple of behavioral issues.

When I dropped her off in late February, just before heading out on a trip, I thought I would see her again in a few weeks. It has been more than 2 months.

At first, I worried that I’d flunked puppy raising; that the issues were because I had done something terribly wrong.

As time passes, though, I have realized that I had flagged these issues last summer, and did what I could (& knew how to do) … and she needed more skillful training than I could provide.

I’ve joked that Dotty is at reform school but … that’s not fair to her. She’s not a “bad” dog and is not doing anything “wrong.” She’s a bit overly exuberant for the ideal service dog candidate, and a lot to handle for the average dog handler, but also a sweet, affectionate pup who really wants to be a good girl.

Orly seems ambivalent. I am sure that she misses her playmate, and she seems bored a lot. But … she also seems to enjoy being the pampered “only princess” in the house.

Reactions to seeing people …

One of her issues is termed “reactivity.” This is a very broad term that refers to a dog who, well, reacts to a trigger in a way that the humans dislike. This is a very broad spectrum. Triggers can be cats, other dogs, squirrels, children, noises, things flapping in the wind … and pretty much anything else a dog might encounter. Reactions can be to startle and recover (fine), to growl or bark, to lunge and pull, to leap around excitedly, to show overt aggression, and more.

In Dotty’s case, the trigger is just about any living creature entering her field of vision, approaching her, and presenting the possibility of a social encounter. Her reactions vary: For a squirrel, her response is fascination. She’d sit and watch the squirrels in our yard for as long as 20-30 minutes, utterly fascinated — and utterly still and calm. For cats, deer, and squirrels encountered on the walk, she was interested and might pull a bit, but was responding well to a Leave it! and would walk on by (usually). For people, with or without dogs, and for familiar dogs in a yard — that’s a whole ‘nother story. Especially people.

I have to say: Dotty is the only dog I have known to leap off the ground, almost to my shoulder height, clearing all four paws. Over and over, maybe 5-6 times within a minute or two. It’s quite an athletic feat. It also gets people to laugh, which encourages it …

Cooperative repeat visitors to my house ignored the antics, waiting until Dotty sat to greet and pet her. But on walks, I was not having much luck breaking this habit.

A different sort of reaction

Her other Big Issue has to do with anxiety, lack of confidence or both. When something unexpected happens, she startles, which is normal. But a confident dog will recover quickly and move on, or (even better) quickly go to investigate the weird thing or noise, whether it’s a paper or plastic bag blowing down the street, a noise when something falls, or something else.

Dotty neither recovers nor goes to investigate. In fact, she seems to hold a grudge against the place where the unexpected thing happens, avoiding a room or area of yard or sidewalk where she was startled, sometimes for days. I first noticed this when I started taking her on public “field trips” — a critical element of training a service dog puppy. She wasn’t keen on automatic doors or the freezer doors at the local small grocery store. And after the first encounter, she refused to enter the store.

Again, I worked on this with what I knew and have done in the past, and hadn’t seen many more examples of it happening. I worked through her discomfort with a couple of large statues at the mall, for example — an 8-foot wooden park ranger and a life-size dog mannequin. But she’s still responding that way to new surprises.

This might be tougher to resolve and could disqualify her for service dog role, where she’d need to be confident enough to accompany her person out in public, naturally encountering new and weird things.

What’s next?

When Dotty’s trainer is confident that he has made significant progress on these issues, Dotty will likely come back to spend more time with us. She’s still got quite a bit of growing up to do, though she’s 14 months old already.

Or, the trainer could decide that she’s not able to work as a service dog and place her in a permanent pet home. We’re not there yet. Dotty’s a smart girl and an eager learner, and the trainer is very skilled and patient. I’m hoping it all works out!

 

 

Mall Pup

Pam Hogle Main Blog, The Thinking Dog Blog , , ,
White pup Dotty holds a plastic tube. She's wearing a blue service dog cape.
Dotty got used to wearing her new cape by practicing a few retrieves while wearing it at home.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, Dotty met up with her sisters at the mall. A friend joined them as they hung out in the mall, greeting people who were shopping or also hanging out. The pack then visited Scheel’s for some light shopping and, it must be said, sightseeing.

(The Missoula Scheel’s has both a country fair-style shooting gallery and a 2-lane bowling alley, ensuring mobs of kids on a Saturday afternoon. And dogs. So many dogs.)

That Dotty and her sisters are 4-month-old golden retrievers and their friend Geo is a doodle is what makes this outing unusual. The girls are in training to become mobility-assistance service dogs, and learning to be calm, confident, and competent in public settings is an important part of their preparation.

This outing was a doozy. So many people, dogs, noises, smells, and experiences. We did spend much of the time in a quiet(er) meeting room, but navigating the store, which allows pet dogs, with its interesting features, was a challenging first public visit.

Dotty did amazingly well, calming down to watch people walking by in the mall, appropriately greeting people (sitting quietly) when given permission, walking confidently next to me through the gauntlet of people, dogs, and noises.

She did start to show some nervousness as we walked out. At this point, it was just the two of us, each sister-and-human pair having headed out separately. Near the bowling alley, a couple of girls asked if they could pet her, and I paused. So far, so good. But then a bunch of their friends came over at the same time that someone started bowling… and it was too much.

Dotty’s tail went down. I immediately apologized to the kids and headed out. Dotty recovered quickly and bounded happily to the car.

We’ve since had one additional outing: We visited the best pet store in Missoula. Dotty got to try out her new superdog cape, get treats, and explore a very exciting (from a puppy’s perspective) new place.

Dotty's cape is blue with patches that identify her as a service dog-in-training.The ADA, a federal law, allows people with service and guide dogs to take their dogs into public spaces that usually bar dogs. The ADA does not include access for people training service dogs, however. Montana is among the states that allows service dog trainers the same public access with dogs in training that a person who works with a service or guide dog has, with the stipulation that the dog in training wear an identifying cape or vest. So Dotty’s “superdog cape” grants her the super power of going where other dogs cannot. Much to Orly’s dismay.

 

 

 

 

A “Little Sponge” Indeed

Pam Hogle The Thinking Dog Blog ,

White golden puppy Dotty jumps on big sister Orly, a blond golden retriever As I said in the little news story on Dotty’s service dog program, Dotty is a “little sponge” soaking up, well, everything. (That includes what Orly is teaching her …)

However, on the positive side, she:

  • Learned how to go down the 3 steps from the deck into the back yard
  • Learned how to go back up those 3 stairs
  • Discovered the wonders of string cheese as a training treat
  • Figured out how to get food out of multiple types of food toys
  • Encountered & conquered an ice cube
  • Mastered the snuffle mat
  • “Paddled” in her water dish
  • 10-week-old white golden puppy sniffs a snuffle mat made of strips of fleeceTaught Orly to snuggle with her
  • Helped me mow the lawn and pull dandelions
  • Had a bath and pawdicure
  • Stole the hearts of dozens of Missoulians and countless email and text friends

… All in her first two days.

She’s learning how to go up and down larger flights of stairs, brush her teeth, walk on a leash, and more. In between her many short training, learning, and exploring sessions, she sleeps. A lot. She settles down nicely in a large crate or pen, but prefers to lounge in the grass or on a huge dog bed. She loves toys, especially ducks and the small chirpy chick that was one of Orly’s baby toys. And anything that makes a crinkly sound.

Orly is teaching her to eat grass, try to break into the newly reinforced raspberry patch, stare down squirrels, chase her tail, wrestle, and collect her fair share of the egg tax.

 

 

WHAT Have I Gotten Myself Into?!

Pam Hogle The Thinking Dog Blog , ,

Golden retriever Orly, standing on grass, play bowsSeveral years ago, I trained service dog puppies. I also taught at a school for service dog trainers. I worked with dozens of volunteers, including many puppy raisers. But, until now, I had never been a puppy raiser.

Missoula used to have a mobility service dog program called Pawsibilities, run by Glenn Martyn. Glenn also was one of my teachers; he’s an outstanding dog trainer with deep and varied experience. And he’s working on re-establishing his service dog organization.

Through a series of events that could only happen in a place like Missoula, where all the dog people know each other, Orly’s dog hiker met Glenn because Glenn was training my friend/neighbor’s puppy (who hikes with her because I made the match …). They seemingly cooked up this idea during a training session. Orly was on board too.

So, by the time Glenn asked whether I would be interested in puppy raising … well … I am not sure that “no” was an option.

9-week-old golden pup Dotty runs with hears flying out to the sides
Photo by Christina Phelps

So here we are.

Dotty, named for my late grandmother, came home last night. Orly immediately invited her to play. Despite tumbling Dotty over a couple of times, Orly showed exceptional manners and is already a great big sister.

Dotty has learned to use the steps from the back deck to the grass — she went down last night and figured out “up” this morning. She’s also been introduced to food-filled chew toys, string cheese, and a water bowl (almost) big enough to swim in. She is learning to sit for meal prep. She already knows to ask to go outside and has not (yet) had an accident in the house. She seems to know about the magic sit, in fact, and takes treats very gently. She had a bath and had her very sharp little nails trimmed this morning, and behaved perfectly throughout.

We’ll follow her adventures over the next several months, as she learns all the skills she needs to be a great service dog!

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