The Smart Dog U Blog

Service Dogs and Social Media

What do service dogs and social media have in common? Me, I love 'em both. 

I attended a day-long conference on social media last week and Ike, service pup in-training, went with me.

This was the third New Media and Technology conference put on by the Frederick Chamber, and this was also the third year a service dog in-training attended.

The first two years, Talos the Great Dane was my date. 1st conference. 2nd conference (where Talos helped me present a talk on Twitter).

Public outings like this are priceless for service dogs in training. There are lots of people, different noises [microphones screeching and popping], different surfaces [carpet, shiny linoleum tiles], and lots of laying around doing nothing. 

Doing nothing might sound easy, but it's pretty hard for an 8-month old dog who's never really had to do that before. It takes practice, believe it or not. 

Often, trainers work the dogs in a training session, then let them go do whatever they'd like: play, sleep, hang out with us. Rarely do they need to just lay still in one spot for any length of time. We changed rooms after each session, which meant Ike had to get up, move about 100 feet to the next room, then lay back down and settle again for the next hour. After the first two sessions, Ike got the hang of it and conked out pretty quickly. 

Another new experience for Ike: applause. This isn't something most dogs accept right away. Imagine for a moment that you're in a room with 100 dogs. Without warning, they all start barking, for seemingly no reason. You'd be pretty startled, right? I think that's the way dogs experience our clapping in appreciation for a good speaker. 

Ike's dead-out asleep, minding his own business when, without warning, the entire room erupts into thunderous applause. It's enough to un-nerve even the calmest of dogs (which Ike definitely isn't). I'll bet it's not fun to wake up from a nap that way!

To help turn something potentially scary (and annoying) into something fun and enjoyable, I simply gave Ike a handful of treats the same time the clapping started. By the end of the day, the clapping would start, Ike would wake up, and look to me for treats. Perfect!

For you social media peeps: If you're on Twitter, search #FredNMT3 to see all the chatter that went on at the conference. Lots of good stuff if you're into social media. I'm there, just look for me @smartdogu and see if you can find out why wearing heels that day wasn't a good choice for me...

 

The Dead Sock

Ike is now a mature 8 months old. [Insert snicker here.] I left Ike in my closed bedroom while I took a shower. Figuring that if I limited his domain to just the bedroom, he'd be ok. 

Big mistake. 

Within ten minutes, Ike found my sock and did his damage. 

Bad Ike? No, this one's on me. I left Ike out. I left the sock out. Together. Ike + sock = chewed sock! Elementary, my dear Watson. 

Ike likes his crate. Runs to it, actually. So since the death of the sock, we've been using the crate religiously. Even if I'm just going to check the mail. 

Ike is safer in the crate. So are my socks. 

Premier Fun

I'm a big fan of providing fun things for your dog to do. As a puppyraiser of service dogs, I'm always looking for fun toys and ways to keep young dog minds active and engaged. A company called Premier is my go-to source for dog toys that fit the bill. They make Busy Buddy Squirrel Dude, the Kibble Nibble, and the Linkables toys. Ike -- and all the service pups before him -- have learned to problem solve thanks to those three toys. I feed the dogs their meals from a combination of those toys and the dogs are (1) entertained, (2) mentally challenged, and (3) busy long enough for me to get my morning routine accomplished. 

Last week I had the good fortune of visiting Premier's headquarters near Richmond, VA. They've got a fantastic Training and Behavior department and are constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas for both toys and training.

They're a dog-friendly company in more ways than one: not only do they make fantastic dog toys, but they're a dog-friendly workplace. I saw several dogs at the headquarters relaxing alongside their human counterparts. It was a fantastic sight. Nary a bark or a growl, but lots of wagging tails. I love working for myself here at Smart Dog University, but if I ever had to work for a company, it would be Premier! Dogs are welcome at the office all the time, no limit on the number of days per week an employee can bring their dog. Each person who has a dog with them uses a gate or ex-pen (exercise pen) to safely contain the dog in their cubicle. Of course, the dogs' spaces were aptly appointed with lots of Premier toys, which kept the dogs occupied and happy. 

I've heard of dog-friendly employers, but seeing one in action was a real treat. The cubicle walls had both the employee's name and the dog's name. Often, the dog's name was larger than the person's name! Dog pictures were pasted on every cubicle, both inside and out. It was a refreshing sight to see!

Everyone, from accounting to marketing to design and development was dog-centric. Some employees didn't have a dog, but they appeared to enjoy working alongside the dogs at Premier. Seeing a dog-friendly workplace in action was a real treat - it's nice to see that Premier talks the dog-friendly talk AND walks the dog-friendly walk. 

 

Valentine's Dogs (And Husband)

It's Valentine's Day and I started thinking about how much I love my dogs. And then about how extra happy I am that my husband is also happy with all the dogs around. Which is one of the many things that make him pretty special.

My husband and I have been married 10 years. That's 70 in dog years! When we first started dating, I had "bad-dog Lucky." Lucky was the Aussie who liked to bite people, especially strangers and kids. He wasn't easy to like until Lucky decided he liked you. Then you were in like flint. Never to be given the stink-eye again. My husband made it into that circle pretty darn quick. A good sign.

When my husband traveled three hours with me to Philadelphia to take Lucky to a veterinary behaviorist (Dr. Karen Overall, one of the best in the country), I knew he -- the future husband -- was going to fit in just fine. 

We've raised ten service pups and he's endured my tears and heartbreak at every turn-in. He's lived through hair-on-everything-imaginable. He's Nemo's permanent lap-of-choice. The poor man's surrounded, immersed, and is drowning in dogs. 

But he seems to like it. He's a keeper. 

Night Freedom

Ike's graduated to sleeping on the floor instead of staying in his crate at night. Funny thing is, he still dives into his crate at bedtime. Habits die hard. Remember that when you're raising your next pup. If you start them out with good habits, chances are you won't have to undo many bad ones. 

Ike's still in his crate when we leave the house, of course. We're not crazy. 

I'm still trying to figure out if Ike prefers the crate or the dog bed on the floor for his night-sleeping preference. I know I like having Ike sleep on the floor. It's a lot quieter when he's not flailing about in the crate. 

I put Ike's dog bed in the exact same spot his crate's been for the past five months. Again, old habits die hard. To Ike, that's his sleeping spot. Only now it's minus the crate. 

By the way, we shut the bedroom door at night to minimize the roaming abilities of this seven-month old adolescent Labrador. Again, we're not crazy...

 

Like a Labrador to Water...

Ike was initiated into the "Lake Anna Labrador" club over the weekend. I took all the dogs to the lake with me when I went to visit Talos at Transfer Camp. 

Before I left to visit Kathy and Talos for the day, I let  all four dogs out the back door and they beelined straight for the lake, Ikey in hot pursuit of the other three. Three Labradors and one Dane/Hound mix. There wasn't a dry dog in the bunch. 

Tango was first in the water, chasing a floating toy. Ike bounded in, oblivous to the fact that he'd never been in the water before. He looked positively thrilled with this new liquid!

They would've stayed in the water all day, I'm sure of it. Tango is the retriever - bringing anything out you throw in, Nemo and Ike are the chasers - all they do is chase Tango and grab onto whatever he brings out, and Lily is the fisher - she wades belly-deep looking for blue gill and bass to chase around. 

I took some video and have some great shots of Ikey doing the "butt tuck" run around. It's classic crazy-Labrador footage. I'll get it up later this week. 

Needless to say, I think Ike's counting the days until he sees the lake again. Typical Labrador...

 

 

Transfer Camp: The Beginning

I was 10 minutes late for Transfer Camp at Service Dogs of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA). I parked in a hurry, rushed inside and found...no one. Well, no one as in Kathy and Talos. Peggy broke the bad news to me: Kathy and Talos went home late the night before - they thought the weather was going to be bad and they wanted to get back to Williamsburg for the weekend break. They'd be back on Monday. 

We've moved the blog to some really cool new digs. Read the rest of the article there!

 It's just one click and you'll be taken directly to this page on the new blog. 

Talos Makes the News! (Again!)

Here's a quickie sneak peek into what went down at Transfer Camp on Friday. I got to meet T's new person, Kathy, for the first time ever. And I got to see Big T again -- both of which were fabulous. The local news station came to do a follow-up on T and Kathy's progress after working together for a week.

This'll have to hold you 'til I can get a proper blog post (or three) together.

That's a picture of Kathy, Big T, and me, right before I headed home after a full day of watching the two of them together. It was a terrific experience. Service Dogs of Virginia's Peggy Law (not pictured here) deserves a big thank you for allowing me to tag along all day Friday. For another reason, too: she was Talos' second "mom" after I turned him in. Big T lived and trained with Peggy from turn-in (July 23)  until Friday, when T's third "mom" took him home for the weekend. 

Both Peggy and I know the hole that a big dog (both in personality and stature) leaves. But what a great thing he'll do for Kathy!

Kathy and Talos will return to Service Dogs of Virginia on Monday for another week of coaching and testing before being officially turned out into the world. I'm confident both will pass with flying colors. More to come...

Clicker Training a Service Dog (Talos, to be exact)

As you read this, Talos and his new partner, Kathy, are learning how to become a fluent, confident, efficient working team. She and Talos are in Transfer Camp. Friday, I'm headed to Charlottesville to (1) meet Kathy for the first time ever, (2) have a joyful, but brief reunion with Big T, and (3) witness the transformation and the teamwork that's happening between Talos and Kathy. 

Earlier this year, I created a video that shows Talos' journey. I hope to have more footage after my visit with the two of them on Friday. Until then, click here to watch Talos' journey from gangly Great Dane to life-changing service dog.  

Ike's Challenges

Oh, Ikey. My dear, sweet, rambunctious pup. You need to settle it down just a bit. 

(If only dogs could understand our sentences...)

Yesterday, Ike and I went to Tractor Supply (for dog food) and WalMart (for dog toys). At seven months, Ike's doing a lot of things right. His down is so fast and with so little latency, I barely get the word out and he's already in position. It's challenging to get the click in there with accurate timing!

But, ah, the distractions are...well...distracting! For a social dog -- and an energetic one like Ike -- distractions are the toughest. The behaviors are easy. No problem. But those danged people. And displays. And carts. And spots on the linoleum. THOSE are exciting!

That means more foundation work for us. Lots more store visits, lots more training, lots more treats, lots more practice. Thankfully, it's clicker training, so it's fun (for me and for Ikey). 

I need to get my husband to go with us to the stores to get video so you can see the before and after. Improvement is much more impressive if you know where he started. Believe me, Ike's "before" behavior could improve quite a bit! Keep an eye on the blog, I'll keep posting our ups and downs...

On a high note, we got lots of socialization exposure. Men in coveralls, mountains of snow piled up high around light poles (making it look like people just appeared out of thin air when they come from around those piles of snow), trucks with snow plows attached to the front, and little kids in snow suits (that must look awfully strange to a dog).