Furthering the training with our Service Dogs

Our two current Service Dog in training puppies have completed their second round of obedience training and are doing VERY well. They both passed their Canine Good Citizen tests and have ordered their Service Dog vest and badges. Both Jade and Lexi are off to be spayed now, but when they have healed and are ready to rejoin us, we will be out hitting the stores malls and restaurants with them, furthering their training. When we work together you will be once again seeing Lugnut, Sophie 1 and Sophie 2 leading the way, with Lexi and Jade working hard to catch up to their skill levels. Soon we will also have Jake, an American Pit Bull joining us, along wth Aster the Airedale. Both Jake and Aster have a long way to go though, as they are  involved in just their first training class.

Most often you will see our class working at the Castleton mall on Thursday evenings, but during the week the owners train and practice with their dogs all over town. Please keep in mind when you see us out and about working (either as a group or individually) that these are Service Dogs in training. When you see their vests you will know who we are!

This means; please try not to disturb them and please DO NOT PET! They are working hard to learn how to be model canine workers in a busy environment. Their ultimate goals are in being able to help their owners in whatever Service Dog tasks they are needed for. They do need to learn to concentrate and not go seeking attention from others. This is hard to teach our dogs when we have others coming up and petting without thinking.

We all know how hard it can be for true dog lovers to pass them by, if you ask ahead and not just reach out to pet, many times we will give the dogs permission to be petted. Then it is ok, but please try not to just reach out to them first. Give us a chance to give the dogs the release for it first. We thank you for your co-operation in this!

Service Dog puppies

Thursday night (Feb 18, 2010) we started a new puppy class. This isn't just one of our usual Puppy Kindergarten classes. There are only two puppies in this class. Both of them were in a past Puppy K class and did well. They are back now in another class, working toward becoming a Service Dog for their owners. We have a LOT of work to do and a long road to travel still. I hope you will stick with us for this ride, to watch how they grow and develop into full fledged working Service Dogs. I will update on them from time to time, keeping up with their progress. All the ups and the downs. And there WILL be some downs to work through before they complete their training in a year or two!

First we have Jade. She is a 6 month old Giant Schnauzer. Jade is doing very well with her obedience work, her focus on her owner/trainer has improved a lot since the last class, showing mom and dads determination to work with her and have her do well. Jades mom has some mobility issues that she needs a large breed dog (like Jade) to assist her with in her daily life.

We also have Lexi. Lexi is a 5 month old Springer Spaniel. Lexi's mom is a retired Veteran from our Armed Services and has specific needs she wants and needs Lexi to help her with.

Lexi has slipped back a little in her training, but she's still a youngster and some times this happens. Mom is ready to step up and do some good hard work with Lexi to get her to where she needs to be. Lexi's biggest issue right now is her focus. She is still pretty easily distracted but with some good honest work over the next several months, this is an issue we will conquer together!

Stay tuned for progress on our Service Puppies!

PAWS4VALOR

PAWS4VALOR
Service Dog Training Program
For Disabled Veterans

Lugnut is a 17 mnth old Golden Retriever who

is in a current Service Dog class.

Trainer Kristi Rush, at Best Friends Pet Care in Castleton has designed a new program (Called PAWS4VALOR) to help our returning Veterans with disabilities.

The classes are designed to help returning Veterans who have the need, and are interested in working with their own dog, to train their dog to assist them in specific needs, based on their personal disability. The dogs can be trained as a handicap assistant or as an emotional/mental needs dog (for PTSD or depression)

One of his objectives is to turn the

light on or off as directed

Each *team*(team being the Veteran and his/her dog)will need to commit to no less then 5 obedience classes, maybe more depending on their rate of learning and the needs of the dog. They will then need to commit to as many classes as needed to get their dog fully certified as their personal Service Dog. Each team will need to train for and learn no less then 3 objectives.

We at Best Friends will help them to find the right personality for their dog (their choice of mixed breed or pure bred. We will assist them in their training through our classes. We will be available for problems, advice, or any questions the Veteran may have during this process. We will assist the Veterans/team in getting their Service Dog vests, Federal I.D. cards, and other items needed for public access training. Best Friends will also be able to provide their final Certification test.

He has also learned to pick up items

that have been dropped

Our goal in this new program will be to help the Veterans develop a long lasting bond with their own dog, give the returning Veterans a new focus and commitment to life, with the end result being; a fully trained Service Dog to help them with their personal needs.

And to bring back the items

that were dropped.

Best Friends will be offering these classes to Veterans at a reduced rate based on the number of classes they take.

Federal funding may be available to help qualified Veterans pay for the training classes.