First puppy raiser class in the books. Learned a little about SDV and their training methods.They place dogs with folks with physical disabilities, autism dogs and diabetes alert dogs. For the first year, the puppy is raised in a home and learns basic skills (potty training, living inside and behaving, basic commands, getting familiar with a lot of different experiences and places). The second year they go back to the facility. From 9 to 5 each day, they work with professional trainers on a variety of commands and situations. In the evenings and on weekends they go home with local folks who also work with them on commands and training. It costs $40,000 to raise a dog through this program and they are given to the client at the end of the training for free. Last night, we worked with adult dogs in their second year of training, so they already knew a lot and helped me!! Learned how to properly walk on a lead, the commands let's go, look, touch, sit and down. Learned how to use a clicker in training followed by a treat -- not easy to do when you have no coordination like me. Also, they have a specific way they want you to hold the lead while training the dog which was a bit of a trial for me, especially with a clicker in the same hand! Had to concentrate pretty intensely for 2 hours while walking with the dog, giving commands, clicks, treats, and talking with the dog to form a bond. Learned a lot! Will see what next week brings.
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Topic: My New Service Puppy Raiser Journey (Read 5625 times)