Simon
When he is not in training, he is a puppy lol
He loves his Ela human.
❤️
Simon in training at work!
🐕🦺I love how playful Simon is when is not on duty, and how he is (mostly) all work and no play with the best/ badges on.
This week he spent more time outside of his portable crate on purpose lol
😂And then there was the time… he unzipped his crate and walked around the class checking students work during History lol 😂
What is going great:
👍🏻 Simon usually goes unnoticed
👍🏻Simon is good about staying in place (some of the students even wonder: “why does he just lie down/ sleep so much”)
👍🏻Yesterday, he stayed with me when I was sitting, AND walked beside me as I moved around the room. 🐕🦺
What we are working on:
🚨Barking- He notifies me when someone comes into the building/ room as the day is beginning. He responds to outside noises with a bark.
🚨Attention-Simon was “on duty” from 8:30-1p. Around 1, his in training/ service dog badges were removed, so he could greet people etc. He was being silly and not as attentive to commands (in his defense, he was more focused then some of the highschool students lol and they get breaks every 50 min).
🚨In the community… we took a potty break yesterday and sat on the bench across the street. 3 young men approached on the sidewalk. Simon barked and was hesitant to sit down. I believe it was because they were wearing button down dress shirts 👔 and ties.
After I stood up, and started a conversation with the men, Simon sat down and behaved as he normally does while he waits patiently.
✔️Overall, I am happy with his social training skills, his bonding and alerting with me, and all is going well! ✔️
Can you find Simon in all of the pictures Below ?👇🏼
I can not stress enough that Simon is a puppy and is in training!
Although Simon is exceptional (KansasDoodles.com does an amazing job with their puppies), he is still learning. Here are a few of the challenges: 😱
1. 🦷Simon is teething: he chews or tries to chew on things. I need to watch closely to switch out a toy for the item he wants to chew.
*tip: replace the item with a toy with a similar feel/ material/ texture to it. Examples: a shoe is grabbed for a snack lol 😂 replace with a rubber chew toy.
A article of clothing is grabbed to soothe the chompers 😆 replace with a soft chew toy or pup blanket.
2. 🐶 Simon likes to play with the other pups (or kittens or big dogs) excessively. Simon is learning boundaries and socializing. This is important as well as learning how to navigate around and near animals. Tip: use a word to remind your pup to behave. Simon’s word is “gentle”.
3. 🙈🙊🙉Testing the limits. Simon is learning he has a choice. He definitely likes to follow commands and make me happy, however, he likes to play games! Lol 😂 Tip: when you think your pup has mastered a task, be consistent with your expectations. It is easy to let your guard down. Once your pup “gets away with something” , he now knows he has a different option, and he will keep trying to do that naughty behavior lol.
Examples: Simon was staying “with me” from the house to the kennel for potty. He made a break for it one time!!! Now he tries- he is back on the leash!
4. 📣Last and newest challenge: barking. It is super important for a service dog to be nearly invisible when on the job. Not barking in a public place or space is not acceptable. Simon has been barking to let me know when someone comes in the proximity. While this is good for a watch dog, or even a pet watching the family yard, for a service dog, he needs to be silent. The barking started a week ago. Tip: teach the word “quiet” or “hush”. When you are aware through body
Simon “come” with a big distraction!
Puppy play time/ puppy training
KansasDoodles.com
Krista Dunn LaRocque
Retrieving and the Name game.
A game of fetch seems like just a fun 🤩 thing dogs do, however, for Simon this “game” is going to help teach him to bring my diabetic kit (or other essential items, like my candy bag when my sugar is low Or water bottle).
As Simon becomes used to items, I introduce him to new items/ toys and objects. He is practicing identifying and bringing it to me!
Mastery does not happen overnight. Repetition, positive reinforcement, and doing things in a playful way are all ways for Simon to gain confidence and consistent results!
Krista Dunn LaRocque
KansasDoodles.com
🐕🦺🐾❤️
A question I was asked this week:
“Is he always this calm?”
Simon is a puppy and does puppy things 😆, however, his temperament is pretty true to his assessment before coming home.
❤️Krista at KansasDoodles.com spends countless hours with her pups since birth to help each of them with different experiences and exposures. 🐾
❤️She also is very intentional with the dogs she breeds- it is not based on looks alone, although everyone of her pups are adorable. 🐾
❤️Krista is also selective in matching her dogs with their humans. She is very good at knowing her pups AND what potentially will be the best fit for a family’s needs! 🐾
❤️Many of her pups go on to be service dogs, therapy, or emotional support dogs. 🐾 Currently, she has several pups looking for homes. 🐕🦺
🐈⬛ Below is an adorable video of Simon snuggling with our kitten (they are the same age). 🐕🦺
Earlier this morning…
*Simon’s wake up time is usually around 7am. This morning he woke up around 5:30/6am to potty 🚽. When these early starts happen, instead of starting the day (breakfast, play, nap, training, etc), Simon goes back to bed 🛌.
“Crate” is one command I forgot to mention… here Simon, still tired and being a little silly, shows us how he goes in his crate for a nap without resistance. (He did hesitate and distracted, but he is still in training 😊).
I hope to get a better video of Simon following this command later today- when we both more awake! Lol 😂
Krista Dunn LaRocque
KansasDoodles.com
“Watch me”, “Ready” and “Let’s go”
Simon sat at the door to tell me had go potty (we do have a bell on the other door and that works well too!)
He has this routine down like a champ!
👀Watch me gets his eyes focused on me.
🐾Ready tells him we are about to bounce.
🐕🦺Let’s go is the action step.
Notice once we went out the door, he is still waiting for me and watching me.
Krista Dunn LaRocque
KansasDoodles.com
Simon Parker is a Goldendoodle from 
