Do you know what this ONE important skill for leash walking success is? If you don't I'll let you know!
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It's offered attention 👀 aka, where the dog engages with you without prompting! But how do we get there?
A strong reinforcement history (rewards 🍖) and rewarding any attention the dog gives, even if it's half a second!
Is this something you struggle with? Book a session with us today to get started, we'd LOVE to meet your dogs and help your on leash walks be enjoyable 🐾
To book, send us an email at [email protected] to inquire OR go to sherbertservicedogs.com and visit our 'book online' page!
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#disabledentrepreneur #disability #smallbusiness #womanownedbusiness #dogtrainer #servicedogintraining #petdogtraining #dogtraining #newclients
Does your dog know this skill?
Service puppy in training Bucky had a big milestone in his training today... Going to COSTCO with his handler!
Our goal was to get the new @chuckitfetchgames buckets, and practice Bucky's skills in a new environment (and a busy one at that!!) Costco is loud, crowded, and has lots of different shelved both small and tall, and as you can see in this video, Bucky took it all in stride.
We stayed for 40 minutes because it's important to not force puppies into long outings unless they're ready and actively engaging with you! After this we went to a quiet bookstore and pretty quickly Bucky let us know he was done, so we wrapped up and headed home. For almost 10 months this is amazing and I'm super proud of this team and they're supportive family who helps with training!
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#disabledentrepreneur #disability #smallbusiness #womanownedbusiness #dogtrainer #servicedogintraining #petdogtraining #dogtraining #puppyclasses #reelswithdogs #reels #trending
Retrieval and "hold" training, using a clicker with SDiT Prince! 🦮
If you have watched any of our training videos you'll notice I often use my @dogmaacademyyyc clicker during my client sessions! My favorite sessions to use clickers for are:
• Retrievals
• hold training
• eye contact / engagement
• emergency stop cue
The clicker is great for quickly and accurately marking the desired behavior! It also is great for disabled handlers who may be non-verbal so they can mark and reward their dog for success 🙌
We are now affiliates with @clickertraining and you can use sherbert10 to save on all training tools (like clickers!) With our discount
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#disabledentrepreneur #disability #smallbusiness #womanownedbusiness #dogtrainer #servicedogintraining
SDiT Prince making some huge strides in his training! our main focuses lately have been task work (in the home and in public) and engagement!
The world can be an exciting and distracting place but service dogs need to be focused on their handlers! This doesn't mean they have to watch their handler every second of every day, however they shouldn't get overly distracted by something in public.
Prince is only 9 months so has a ways left of training, but his family has followed their homework well and he's making great improvements! 🙌 | #disabledentrepreneur #disability #smallbusiness #womanownedbusiness #dogtrainer #servicedogintraining
seeing my client puppies growing into the role they've trained for makes my heart happy. 🥹🫶
The goal is for Bucky to go to school when he's older, so a short session through the school and in the classroom is perfect for that!
When introducing a service dog into your school/resources I've found it helpful to sit and chat with the teacher ahead of time so they know what to expect. Bucky is one of two current SSD puppies who will hopefully go to school with their handlers full time !
accessibility: various clips of Bucky; a small standard poodle puppy walking around a school hallway and sitting on his handlers lap.
#servicedogtrainer #puppy #sdit #dogtrainer #dogtraining #canadianbusiness #smallbusiness #standardpoodle #womanownedandoperated #rplusdogtraining #positivereinforcementtraining
Service Dogs in Training don't have public access rights in BC; so how do I train for PA (public access)? 🦮
Service dog training in general can be stressful, but public access training is a lot of work and to some the most overwhelming part! In BC, service dogs in training don't have PA rights, so if you walk into a store with your training puppy/dog and are asked to leave, you have to.
With my personal service dog + puppy clients we always have plans in place if asked to leave, but oftentimes if you are polite and ask if you're able to train there, and staff are courteous and let us.
Now this doesn't mean we let our puppies run wild, sniffing stuff, grabbing products and being a general disruption. Before our dogs enter a non-pet friendly establishment, they need to have basic obedience, strong focus/handler orientation, be potty trained, and know/be learning one task.
I'm a big fan of looking for local businesses that are pet friendly if you want to practice for PA, but don't underestimate the usefulness of:
Parking garages, parks, parking lots, outdoor malls (pet friendly) to name a few!
A few of my favourite places to train, that in Langley are pet friendly:
@indigolangley
@canadiantire
@bestbuycanada
@winners
@homesalivepets
@petsmartcanada
@boneandbiscuitlangley
Outdoor patios (like @tradingpostbrewing )
But like with any business, contact your local store to ensure it's pet friendly!
Accessibility: various video clips of of standard poodle puppy Prince walking and training around a parking garage and a store.
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#dogtraining #standardpoodle #smallbusiness #canadianbusiness #servicedogintraining #womanownedandoperated #rplusdogtraining #positivereinforcementtraining
Service dog training can be STRESSFUL! But it's important to not flood dogs in training with too many stressors. Public spaces are full of scary and new things for dogs, so slow introductions at their pace is key.
SDiT Prince has been working through some uncertainty in elevators the last few weeks, and while he isn't 100% comfy, we've gotten to a point where he can walk in and sit! This is just a clip of this session, but we spent a good 10 minutes watching people board the elevator, the door open and close, walk in without riding and then go play in the parking lot to reset! Then in the last 10 minutes we rode the elevator up and down.
At the end you'll see a clip of us having a "puppy party" to celebrate! This is something I love to do with my dogs and puppies in training when they've done something big and new!
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What is your training win of the week?
Accessibility: various videos of Prince; a black standard poodle puppy walking through an underground parking lot and an elevator.
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Let's talk about tethering specifically for autism dogs and why I don't teach it.
For those who don't know, tethering is a skill taught to dogs generally for autistic handlers who have a tendency to bolt, and it prevents the handler from running into unsafe situations (traffic, roads, getting lost). While this can be a beneficial task, it can also be incredibly hard on a dogs body. There can also be some risks of the dog hurting the handler if this task isn't trained properly, if the dog gets spooked and the child who's attached to the dog gets dragged along with the dog. (Unfortunately has happened, while rare, still a factor to consider)
Instead of tethering a child and dog as an anchor here are some skills I teach my personal service dog, and client dogs who want a similar result.
Traffic checks:
Training the dog to check left and right for safety to cross the road, with some intelligent disobedience, so if it isn't safe to cross (fast moving car in front of path) the dog backs up and guides the handler away from the danger. Similar skills are taught to guide dogs, to keep them and their handlers safe.
Block + check in with handler:
The dog will block the handler by standing in front of them at a curb, and stand and touch the handler with their nose as a check in. The dog will await a heel + forward command before moving on.
This pause and the dog physically blocking the handler can help ground their client and be a trigger to remember "crosswalk.. check, safe to cross"
As stated in the beginning, this is a personal choice I've made, as an autistic individual + dog trainer. If a client asks for this task, I won't train it, and will offer other task options, or refer them to a program/trainer who will train that skill.
I've attached a few videos of my personal service dog Albert learning to block and await a forward command for this. He has very recently started learning this, so it'll be more polished with time, and the verbal command will be phased out
a video recap of SDiT Prince's PA (public access) outing with me! Prince is fairly new to PA work, so we do short and sweet outings for him to not get overwhelmed, with lots of outside breaks!
Accessibility: various video clips of Prince; a black standard poodle puppy walking with Annika; a white girl with brown hair.
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#servicedogs #servicedogintraining #standardpoodle #dogtraining #womanownedandoperated #canadianbusiness #smallbusiness #dogtrainer #servicedogtrainer #puppy #sdit
SDIT Bucky spends 1 day a week with me to focus on some key areas in his training. This week that was his 'leave it", and revisiting the art of just sitting and watching the world go by.
Bucky is almost 6 months old now, and still has about 1.5 years left of training to do, but his handler puts in a lot of work so he's set up for success!! @buckythewinterpoodle
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