HOLLYS THIRD NIGHT AT THERAPY DOG BOOTCAMP

[Richard Crowe]

It is awesome how well Holly is reacting to these training sessions and how well she is accepting the other dogs. Holly was once frightened of big dogs but, through training and exposure like this, we have reduced that fright to almost a non-factor.

The training is completely reward centered and there are no corrections applied. All of the dogs have have had at least basic obedience training and all of the dogs know most of the basic commands such as sit, down and stay! Additionally, no one is bringing their dog to this training to correct unwanted behaviors such as aggression. This makes for a more congenial and relaxed atmosphere.

Even with these nice dogs, the instructors remind us not to let our dogs face off - that is stand and stare at each other's eyes. This type of face off can lead to confrontation between strange dogs. We are taught to distract the dogs when they stare at each other.

Additionally, if a dog responds to the training or association with other dogs in a way that is disruptive, that dog is asked to leave. We lost a Border Collie who tried to herd other dogs by staring them down and snarling. This behavior is fine when herding sheep but could lead to a confrontation with another dog. especially with a dog of alpha tendencies who doesn't desire to be herded!

We learned several new commands last night. Two of the commands were generic and are extremely useful in just about any venue while two commands were mostly aimed at the therapy venue.

"Touch!" - With this command, you hold your hand out and order "Touch!" and the dog will touch their nose to your hand and follow that hand. This is a great command for leading your dog anywhere or to distract the dog from unwanted behavior.

"Back Up!" - This is a useful command to extricate your dog in a tight situation in which the dog cannot turn around.

"Paws Up!" - This command has the dog placing its front paws on an elevated surface such as a bed without following it up by jumping to that surface. This can be used to enable a person who is confined to a bed to pet the dog.

"Head on Lap!" - This is a command which results in a cute and warm behavior by the dog placing its head in the lap of a person sitting in a chair or wheelchair.

The instructors were amazed at how fast Holly would catch on to the commands. last night, half the dogs were absent for some reason and so each dog and handler had one-one-one with an instructor.

The instructor who taught the "Touch!" command was an expert in the clicker training method and Holly really responded to that method. The instructor said that she could teach Holly to do anything because Holly is so intelligent and wants to please!

WELL, SHE IS A DOODLE, ISN'T SHE?

[LuvMyAbby&Kaela]

Thats the way Tamar Geller trains as well. I am a bit shied off of puppy classes because the trainer here is more of the "get it right or else" philosophy, and when they get it wrong the "else" was a snap of the collar and a NO!. I wasnt 100% comfortable with the class. A couple of my friends took their puppies too and thought that she was great and the class was great. When I saw her demonstrating I felt it was a tad harsh and I didnt like that she used my dog once as a demonstrator and made her squeak. Abby is awesome with her tricks and also a natural born pleaser, when she didnt go from lay up to sit I could tell she was confused thinking "hey I am already down what more do you want?" I didnt like the trainer yanking her over that. I went home and taught her the in the "nice way" to go from lay back up to sit. She got in a jiffy. So I wish there was a softer puppy class around here - the one you go to sounds fun.

[Richard Crowe]

There are absolutely no corrections used. It is totally positive reinforcement. As an example, the "Leave It!" command is taught by offering a small treat in the palm of your hand and saying "Take it!" after doing this for a while, you close your hand over the treat. The dog will naturally still be interested in the hand. Holly licked it and smelled it for a while. Then as soon as the dog turns away for an instant, you say in a light hearted tone, "Leave it!" and at the same time offering the dog a treat which you have been holding behind your back with the other hand. After doing this over and over again, the dogs begins to associate the "Leave it!" command as pleasant. After all, it gets the dog a treat. You can progress to having the treat on the floor and covering it with your foot. As soon as the dog turns away for an instant, you do the same as the training with the treat in your hand.

Within the first night, Holly progressed to the point where she could walk a line between a row of treats lying on the ground. Whenever she would look at the treat, I would say, "Leave it!" and reward her with another tiny treat.

Eventually, of course, you gradually wean the dog off getting a treat as a reward for each correct action and begin to just use lavish praise.

When you have a Doodle as intelligent and wanting to please as Holly, this training works so well that it is scary. However, I think I still might drive home from the training, I don't think that Holly is really ready to drive yet!

[Lorraine Bromley]

Thanks for your updates.

[Richard Crowe]

This really is fun! It is basic training to see how well a dog/handler team is suited for therapy dog work and to provide some basic training in the skills that the dog/handler team can use. The Pawsitive Teams is a San Diego organization that trains service dogs. The Therapy dog training is just an offshoot of their service dog training program which takes place one night a week for six weeks. We are learning some great skills which will be valuable even if we don't become a therapy dog team. Holly seems to love it but, she is dead tired when we get home. According to the instructors, that is typical for dogs attending the course.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Sounds like you are having so much fun! Isn't that what it is all about???

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Holly is so smart! We just learned "touch" too, and Peri loves it. What a game for her!