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    Successful Working Dogs: Select, Train, and Use Service and Therapy Dogs
    Successful Working Dogs: Select, Train, and Use Service and Therapy Dogs
    Successful Working Dogs: Select, Train, and Use Service and Therapy Dogs
    Ebook118 pages58 minutes

    Successful Working Dogs: Select, Train, and Use Service and Therapy Dogs

    By Barbara L. Lewis

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    About this ebook

    The last twenty years have seen an explosion of uses for working dogs. Service dogs are now asked to perform a variety of tasks for people with disabilities. And therapy dogs—once largely seen only at nursing homes—are now used for emotional support and motivation in schools, libraries, courts, universities, hospitals, churches and employee lounges.

    This book provides positive-motivation training techniques for basic manners and specific tasks expected of working dogs. Beyond training these animals, the reader can learn to evaluate both the suitability of a working dog and the suitability of the dog’s client.

    A final goal of this book is to help working dog owners, clients, and trainers—and dog owners in general—to understand the capabilities, needs and limitations of these dedicated animals.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTotal Publishing
    Release dateMar 14, 2019
    ISBN9781633021204
    Successful Working Dogs: Select, Train, and Use Service and Therapy Dogs
    Author

    Barbara L. Lewis

    My name is Barbara L. Lewis. I was born on June 4, 1970. I am the oldest of three children. I live in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. I am happily married to Jerry J. Lewis. My husband of 22 years of marriage. Of,this union we have two sons. Jeral is nineteen, and Jeremiah is twelve years old. I am also blessing with three more children, James is thirty-one, Kelly is twenty-nine, and Jerry Jr. is twenty-seven. How happy and bless I felt to know that besides my wonderful and adoring step children. I would have a child of my own. Jeral came into the world weighing seven pounds and six ounces. I thank God, each day that I can say, “I know how it feels to have a child of my own.” My husband and I would love to have one in the future, we are hoping for a girl. Instead, four years later after Jeral; I was pregnant. I didn’t know, until I went for my checkup. The doctor told me that I was pregnant. Then 5 ½ months later, the doctor did an ultrasound. Our baby stop breathing and stop growing. The following week on September 25, 2001. Friday, the doctor had to take my baby boy. The same day my husband’s uncle passed away and my husband’s sister’s birthday was on the same day. It was rough for all of us in the family. We prayed for strength and wisdom to keep on going in Jesus’ name. But three years later, I had Jeremiah. He weighed eight pounds even. It was another blessing. We have one grandson, two granddaughters, also, a little girl on the way. My hobbies are reading, exercise at five o’clock every night, go to the movies, shopping, and visiting family and friends. At Life Builders Church in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, I volunteer to teach the kids on Sunday’s, sing in the choir, and go to bible study on Wednesday nights, and help in church. God bless me and my family and he can bless you too in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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      Simple to read and all the necessary facts about training and adequate care!

    Book preview

    Successful Working Dogs - Barbara L. Lewis

    Author

    Preface

    IF YOU’RE THINKING, Oh no, not another dog training book!...relax. There are already more than enough dog training guides on the market. But few of these books are truly useful for ensuring the success of a working dog.

    What I see missing from most of these is the recognition that the actual training of a working dog (service or therapy dog) is only part of the job when preparing a dog for a client. Also key are the tasks of determining the needs of the client, finding an appropriate working dog, and ensuring that the client is an appropriate candidate for a such a dog.

    Years ago as an empty nester, I acquired a Cairn Terrier puppy and was advised to go to obedience training classes. After a few months, I realized that I truly enjoyed the training process. Wanting to learn more about training dogs, I read a lot of books and attended all of the available workshops, seminars and conferences.

    In the early 1980s the only formal activities available for pet owners and their dogs were obedience competition and therapy dog work. I competed for several years but didn’t really enjoy obedience competition. And therapy dog work seemed to be no more than putting on a show for a group of older people.

    I moved to the country, built my house to accommodate dogs and a training room, and opened Listen Up Pup Canine Training Center. I donated my time training dogs for the local animal shelter and held training classes for a couple of rescue groups. Later, I accepted a job a with a national service dog agency where I was responsible for the placement of service dogs in Oklahoma.

    In 2004 a small group of us started a dog training program at an Oklahoma correctional facility, taking dogs from rescue groups and shelters. We still teach class once a week at the correctional facility, and the dogs graduate after ten weeks. At that point we begin the process of matching the dog with a client-owner.

    In 2006 we filed for and received nonprofit status for A New Leash on Life, adding therapy dog and service dog training to our programs. By providing training for these dogs, A New Leash on Life helps Oklahomans with a variety of disabilities and other needs live richer, fuller lives.

    Over the years there has been a large change in dog training as it has moved from correction-based training to positive motivation. Also, many more uses for dogs are available. Once largely seen at nursing homes, therapy dogs are now used in schools, libraries, courts, universities, hospitals, churches...and the list goes on. Our dogs have even been asked to attend funerals, to provide stress relief for employees, and to enliven birthday parties.

    The biggest change seems to be in what people expect service dogs to do. One of the objectives of this book is to help dog owners in general, and more specifically, working dog owners, clients, and trainers to understand the needs—and limitations—of these dogs. They are not a machine with an on-off switch. And sometimes even a well-trained dog has an off day.

    Years of hard experience have taught me that a well-trained service or therapy dog does not ensure happiness ever after for a client-owner of this dog. Some well-trained dogs are not inherently suited to perform the type of tasks needed by the client. And some dogs perfectly trained for the requirements fail due to inappropriate demands or behavior of the client

    Although a virtual library of books on dog training is already out there, I still thought it useful to include some basic dog training techniques for working dogs in this guidebook. Yet more important to this book are criteria on how to evaluate whether an animal will make an appropriate working dog, whether the needs of a client can be met by a working dog, and whether a client or handler is appropriate for a working dog.

    Finally, this book would not have been possible without the encouragement and generous support of former Oklahoman Pat Becker, who now resides in Little Rock, Arkansas. For decades Pat has unstintingly provided her time and resources to dog shelters, dog trainers, and the Oklahoma dog community in general. Also, a big thanks to all the volunteers and their dogs who posed for the lovely photos in this book, made possible by volunteer photographer Geraldine Cummings of Edmond, Oklahoma.

    Barbara Lewis,

    NADOI Certified #664

    CEO, A New Leash on Life, Inc.

    Norman, Oklahoma

    1

    Evaluating the Suitability Of a Working Dog

    All-Important Inherent Behavior

    THERE IS A COMMON BELIEF that most dogs can be trained to do anything. While that may be largely true, it doesn’t mean that any trained dog will respond reliably in all types of environments.

    Paramount in the development of successful service and therapy dogs is the natural, inherited traits of the dog considered. This should always be the first thought for those responsible for evaluating the potential of a working dog for service and therapy uses. These innate traits include such characteristics and tendencies as enjoying people and fetching

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