Five month update

From Service Dog Training

5 month update: So out of curiosity, I have put the ADI public access test for service dogs below with Kain's current scores.

1. CONTROLLED UNLOAD OUT OF VEHICLE Dog did not try to leave vehicle until given release command.

_X__YES* __NO The dog waited in the vehicle until released.*

_X__YES ___NO The dog waited outside the vehicle under control.

_X__YES ___NO The dog remained under control while another dog was walked past.

2. APPROACHING THE BUILDING Relative heel position, not straining or forging.

__A _X_M __S __N The dog stayed in relative heel position.

_X__YES* __NO The dog was calm around traffic.*

_X_A __M __S __N The dog stopped when the individual came to a halt.

3. CONTROLLED ENTRY THROUGH A DOORWAY

_X__YES* __NO The dog waited quietly at the door until commanded to enter.*

_X__YES* __NO The dog waited on the inside until able to return to heel position.*

4. HEELING THROUGH THE BUILDING

_X_A __M __S __N The dog was within the prescribed distance of the individual.

__A _X_M __S __N The dog ignored the public, remaining focused on the individual.

_X_A __M __S __N The dog readily adjusted to speed changes.

__A _X_M __S __N The dog readily turned corners--did not have to be tugged or jerked to change direction.

_X_A __M __S __N The dog readily maneuvered through tight quarters.

5. SIX FOOT RECALL ON LEAD

__X_YES* __NO The dog responded readily to the recall command--did not stray away, seek attention from others, or trudge slowly.*

__X_YES* __NO The dog remained under control and focused on the individual.*

_X__YES* __NO The dog came within the prescribed distance of the individual.*

_X__YES* __NO The dog came directly to the individual.*

6. SITS ON COMMAND

__A _X_M __S __N The dog responded promptly to the command to sit.

_X_YES* __NO The dog remained under control around food--not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.*

__X_YES* __NO The dog remained composed while the shopping cart passed--did not shy away, show signs of fear, etc. shopping cart should be pushed normally and reasonable, not dramatically.*

__X_YES* __NO The dog maintained a sit-stay while being petted by a stranger.*

7. DOWNS ON COMMAND

__A _X_M __S __N The dog responded promptly to the command to down.

_X__YES* __NO The dog remained under control around the food--not trying to get food and not needing repeated corrections.*

_X__YES ___NO The dog remained in control while the child approached--child should not taunt dog or be overly dramatic.

_X__YES* __NO The dog maintained a down-stay while being stepped over by a stranger.*

8. NOISE DISTRACTIONS If the dog jumps, turns, or shows a quick startle type reaction, that is fine. The dog should not show fear, aggression, or continue to be affected by the noise.

_X__YES* __NO The dog remained composed during the noise distraction.*

9. RESTAURANT

_X__YES* __NO The dog is unobtrusive and out of the way of patrons and employees as much as possible.*

_X__YES* __NO The dog maintained proper behavior, ignoring food and being quiet.*

10. OFF LEAD

_X_YES* __NO When told to drop the leash, the team maintained control and the individual got the leash back in position.*

11. DOG TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON To show that the dog can be handled by another person without aggression or excessive stress or whining, someone else will take the dog's leash and passively hold the dog (not giving any commands) while the dog's partner moves 20' away.

_X__YES ___NO Another person can take the dog's leash and the dog's partner can move away without aggression or undue stress on the part of the dog.

12. CONTROLLED EXIT

_X_A __M __S __N The dog stayed in relative heel position.

_X_YES* __NO The dog was calm around traffic.*

__A _X_M __S __N The dog stopped when the individual came to a halt.

13. CONTROLLED LOAD INTO VEHICLE

_X_YES ___NO The dog waited until commanded to enter the vehicle.

_X_YES ___NO The dog readily entered the vehicle upon command.

14. TEAM RELATIONSHIP

_X_A __M __S __N When the dog did well, the person praised the dog.

_X_A __M __S __N The dog is relaxed, confident, and friendly.

_X_A __M __S __N The person kept the dog under control.

A few comments on the test...he does still occasionally slip and try for a piece of food or a passing sniff at a person, but he's easily corrected and it's becoming less frequent. Also, I almost never have him do a sit or sit-stay. Because of his build, sitting is uncomfortable for him and a sit-stay is almost impossible. I substituted down and down-stay for that part of the test. Also, given the type of work he does, he's pretty much either standing or lying down, so a good sit isn't that important to us.

A few weeks ago, Cat and I went to the Microsoft Office 2007 release with the dog. He performed marvelously the whole time. He slept quietly during lunch in a crowded, noisy restaurant, rode very happily on the escalators (he loves going up), and slept during the talks. He also navigated very well in the crowded hallways considering his size.

A few things we are still working on are his stays when I go out of sight, directional commands like left/right/back/circle, and not eating squirrels that run under his nose. Still, I think that very soon I will be able to take his "in training" patch off. :)