The Three D's: Duration

After last month's intro to the Three D's (3D's), we will be exploring each of the D's, in depth. This month, we are discussing DURATION and how to build on it. It's very important that our dogs have a significant amount of duration for all of their obedience behaviors by the time they come in for training. This allows our guide dog instructors to spend more time on teaching them new guiding skills and sharpening the obedience. However, if a dog comes in with very short duration, the guide dog instructor has to put more work into building it, instead of advancing them along.

 

Why is it important to build duration?

As guide dogs, our pups will be needed or expected to hold some positions for significant amounts of time while their handlers complete tasks. Let's build an imaginary morning for one of our guide dog teams where we see different examples of duration being used. We will call them Bob and Fido.

6:00am: Bob prepares breakfast and other tasks in the kitchen while getting ready for work. He asks that his guide dog, Fido, remain in a "down/stay" on his mat in the corner of the kitchen so Fido isn't underfoot.

7:00am: Bob and Fido set out for work which will require several bus transfers. They hop on their first bus and find it is super crowded today, so Bob chooses to stand. Fido is asked to remain in a "sit" by Bob's side. Fido must hold this "sit" position until the end of this ride because, if he lies down, he could get stepped on by the busy and distracted fellow riders.

8:30am: Before heading into the office, Bob and Fido stop at the drugstore. While Bob is standing in line, he needs Fido to hold a "stand" position as he isn't sure how long it will be until they will move forward to the counter.  Bob makes it to the counter and asks Fido to hold a "sit/stay" while he pays and maintaining this position also keeps Fido from helping himself to the crumbs on the floor.

9:00am: Bob and Fido finally arrive to work. Bob puts Fido on the tie-down beside his desk and Fido practices his "relaxation protocol" while Bob works.

 

 

As you can see, there are many times that it will be important for the dogs to have a good duration for all obedience. It's also super important that you never allow your dog to go into "relaxation protocol" without first releasing them with "break" from the command you last gave them!

 

How do you build duration?

Remember that when building one of the 3D's, you need to make the other D's easier in order to set your pup up for success. Because we are going to work on building duration, we will keep distance and distraction to an easy level.

1. When building duration, start with an amount of time that you know with which your dog will be successful. For example, your pup can hold a "sit/stay" on a slippery store for 10 seconds.
2. Practice the behavior, asking for "break" just before hitting your pup's limit for duration. In our example, we will ask our pup to "break" at 8-9 seconds.
3. Praise and reward!
4. Continue practicing with this duration for short period of time. So, let's say you spend 15 minutes in the store, walking around, and asking for a "sit/stay" 5-8 times, but making sure you release with "break" at 8-9 seconds.
5. Return to practice or practice in similar situations with the same duration several times.
6. Once your pup is very successful with that duration, practice with slightly more duration. In our store example, it's now a week later and we will ask our pup to hold the "sit/stay" for 10-11 seconds.
7. Continue to build on duration for the different behaviors.

 

 

Troubleshooting

• My puppy is breaking the position before I say "break." Your expectation of duration is too long and you need to make it shorter.
• My puppy is able to hold the duration in a quiet situation, but not a busy situation. You will need to adjust your 3D's - your duration may need to be shorter if your distraction is higher.
• Can I just say "break" right as I see my puppy break the position? No, this is not ideal. We want to tell the puppy when its acceptable to change positions or relax; we do not want it to be the puppy's idea.

 

Helping to extend your puppy's duration will prepare them for a stronger, more solid working career as a Southeastern guide or service dog! Stay tuned for our next entries on distance and distraction! 

The Three D's: An Introduction

Over the next few months we will begin to explore what is commonly referred to in the dog training world as "The Three D's." The "D" stands for duration, distance, and distraction. When working with a dog in obedience, we build on all three throughout their training. Successful dogs will have had focused training for all three aspects of their obedience. Taking the Three D's into account ensures that you will be able to maintain a better connection with your pup! This connection will be critical in developing a relationship with your pup and "relationship centered training" is also something we will discuss in upcoming months.

Let's define the Three D's so you have a better understanding of what each entails.

• Duration: This is the amount of time we ask a puppy to hold a position or do a behavior. 
• Distance: This has two definitions. First, this is referring to the distance you and your puppy are in relation to a distraction, difficult environment, etc. Second, this can also mean the distance between you and your puppy, such as during a "come" exercise. 
• Distraction: This is anything that takes your pup's focus away from you. Each dog will differ in what they find most distracting, but some common high distractions are other dogs, small animals, people, or items blowing/moving.

As a raiser, you may sigh when your pup doesn't perform the way you want during a puppy class and say, "But my puppy can do this at home!" However, you have to help your puppy do his obedience in every environment you come across so that your pup can generalize that a "sit" means "sit" no matter where you are or what's happening around you. The way we can help our pups is by adjusting the Three D's in order to allow your pup to be successful.

When working on one of the Three D's, you will want to make the others easier so that you are successful. For example, if you are working on holding a "sit" near another dog (distraction), then make sure you are only asking for a short duration and that your distance is not too close to the dog distraction.

Although we will be going more in-depth with each of the Three D's over the next several months, there is one important question you should start asking yourself any time you aren't sure how to reconnect with your puppy: "What can I change to make it easier for my puppy to reconnect with me - duration, distance or distraction?" This question will be the starting point for setting your pup up for success and helping them lead off on the right paw!

Walking with a Buddy!

Two common concerns I hear from puppy raisers are that they don’t have a fenced area to have play dates with other pups and their pups are very distracted at class because they are not allowed to play despite being right there with their friends. So what’s a raiser to do to help socialize their pup to other dogs? I really enjoy doing “buddy walks” with another dog when I don’t have access to allow the dogs to play off leash. This allows the dogs to check each other out and say “hello” from a distance, but keeps them moving and on a task.

A “buddy walk” is simply when two or more pups and handlers walk together. Below is a video of two handlers and dogs doing a buddy walk. There are some Dos & Don’ts for buddy walking, though.

• DO start the walk by having some distance between you and the other dog. This could be each team on opposite sides of the road (or opposite sidewalks). If you have many raiser/dog teams, you may want to split up into smaller groups or pairs until the dogs start to settle in and the dogs are able to walk more closely.
• DON’T start out directly beside each other, as it will be difficult to walk if the dogs are extremely distracted by each other in that close proximity.
• DO use treat rewards once the dog is relaxed and staying by your left side.
• DON’T worry about how bad the walking might look in the beginning. It will get better as time goes on and the dogs settle into the walk! Just keep walking and don’t make too many stops.
• DO walk with other dogs in addition to Southeastern puppies. If you have a neighbor who would like to join you on a regular walks with their dog, its very beneficial for your pup to get used to being around dogs they don’t see at class and breeds other than Labs and Goldens.
• DON’T allow your dogs to cross in front of you and greet each other while walking. You might need to keep your leash extra short, especially in the beginning. The point of this exercise is to just learn to be in the same space together; not to greet each other on leash.
• DO plan on your walks being 30 minutes or more. This allows the pups to truly settle into walking together, which will lead to ending on a positive note.
• DON’T get discouraged if it doesn’t go exactly as you planned. Remember to practice this often and you will find your dog settling into the routine more quickly.
• DO these buddy walks at least 2-3 times a week to see real results. If you only do this once a month, your dog will not generalize as quickly that it should be settled when walking with other dogs.
• DON’T focus on only walking very close to each other. Consider it a “success” if you were able to have the pups walk calmly, even if it was from a distance. Maybe next time your pups will be settle more quickly and be able to move closer!
• DO use people without dogs in between the handler/dog teams. This provides a buffer if the dogs are very distracted by each other. As the walk progresses, the people without dogs can move to the outside of the group and allow the dogs to eventually get closer.

In the video, you will see two dogs practicing a buddy walk. Take note of how the handlers continue to walk even if their dog isn’t moving perfectly in the space. They also start out far enough apart that they are able to walk without their dogs being so distracted and excessively pulling or tripping the handlers. As the walk progresses, the teams start to walk in closer proximity to each other. You may notice that the dogs still pull a little, but eventually are able to walk even closer. As you advance your dog’s skills by making the situation more difficult, such as decreasing the distance between you and the distraction (the other dog), your dog will likely have a few minutes of adjusting to the difficulty. This is to be expected and you should not move closer until the dogs are connected to the handlers again. By the end of the walk, we are looking for nice, relaxed pups! 

Blue Cape Journal Sept 2015 - Buddy Walking from Southeastern Guide Dogs on Vimeo.

By doing these buddy walks on a consistent basis, you should find a gradual, overall change in demeanor for your dog at class and other distracting situations. For our future guide and service dogs, practice of ignoring distractions will carry over into their work and help them be the superheroes we know they are!

Socialization: How to Socialize a Cautious Puppy

As we previously discussed, “quality over quantity” is one of the main keys for early socialization. In spite of how slow and thoughtful a raiser might be with socialization, a raiser will still come across situations where the puppy shows caution, concern, fear, or unsure behavior towards an item or environment. However, you can help your pup have a productive and positive experience with proper socializing. The following are some tips for socializing a pup that is acting cautiously or showing concern with something new.

1.    Always keep your pup’s leash loose. A tight leash can add to building tension and stress. A loose leash shows that you are relaxed in the situation, as well, and helps cue your puppy to being relaxed.

2.    Allow your puppy to decide how close he wants to be to the object. If you approach, allow the puppy the length of the leash. If the puppy needs more space, make sure you back up with him to keep the leash loose or have him on a long line.

3.    Approach the object without pressuring your puppy to follow you. As you approach the object of concern, keep the leash slack, but don’t call your puppy with you or to the object. We purposely breed biddable puppies who want to work with and please the handler, so the puppy may actually approach but may still be concerned or scared. Instead, as you walk up to the object, touch it and talk towards the object, such as “This is a lovely fire hydrant.” Avoid phrases like, “Look at this, Fido! It’s ok, Fido!”

4.    Do not use food to lure the puppy towards the object. Again, this puts pressure on the puppy that will likely not be beneficial. Someone may put $100 bill on top of a tarantula,  but when I snatch the bill, I’m not any less afraid of the tarantula! Likewise, a retriever puppy will quickly grab the piece of food because they are typically a food motivated breed, but this doesn’t mean they have resolved their concern.

5.    Do not use food to lure a puppy onto an underfooting/unusual surface. You can quietly stand on the underfooting and praise and treat when the pup decides to put even one paw on the underfooting. Avoid using food to lure puppy on underfooting (see #4 above).

6.    You may reward and praise for any relaxed movement the puppy makes towards the object. Once the puppy realizes the object isn’t so scary and starts to step in, you may quietly praise the pup. If the puppy is close enough and continues approaching on his own, you may even give quiet praise and a treat at that point to reward his bravery.

7.    Repeat exposures help build confidence. When possible, revisit the item, environment, or experience that caused your puppy concern. Usually, the puppy will show some degree of being more comfortable on repeat exposures. We want the pup to have a positive association with what is causing him concern, so repeating after he has had time to process the first exposure can help the positive interaction on the 2^nd and 3^rd times.

8.    Give the puppy the opportunity to have a play or rest break after an intense reaction or stressful experience. Some puppies internalize their concern, especially ones that are very biddable and want to work with you. If you notice that your puppy had an unusual reaction to something and you have given the pup adequate opportunity to check it out, then you will want to give the puppy a break in a less stressful environment. Move to a quiet and out of the way area to help the puppy instantly feel more relaxed. Its always good to carry a couple of toys with you to let the pup release some tension by shaking a fleece toy or chewing on a Nylabone. Some puppies may choose to release the energy by “zooming” around and its good to have a long leash with you that you can switch to and allow the puppy to “zoom” out their stress. Once you see the pup starting to settle back down, then you know he is getting back to baseline and can continue on.

9.    Outings for your puppy should be gradual and based on his behavior. All puppies will take new experiences in at different paces. However, its best to assume a slow pace at first for every puppy you work with – whether its one you are raising or camping. Establishing a good foundation is more important than trying to do too much, too quickly. Watching the puppy’s body language is the best way to decide how to proceed with any outing or experience. Additionally, it’s best to not compare one puppy to another in order to assess if a puppy is “on schedule.” If you do have such concerns, consulting with your AC is best to gain a better outside perspective on your puppy and his development.

10. It is normal for a puppy to show wariness. By being wary of new stimuli, a pup is actually being safe. What if it is something dangerous? It’s smart to take the time to have a slow approach and investigate! In everything except emergencies, allowing the pup to take that time and make decisions about approach will add to the pup’s confidence and help teach the pup about making independent choices. As guide dogs, they need to be able to make quick and confident decisions while leading their handler through the world!

Following these tips to help cautious pups overcome any obstacles that come their way will help Southeastern Guide Dogs to have confident and independently thinking guide dogs!

Socialization: Quality Over Quantity

When socializing a young puppy, it's best to keep the phrase, "Quality over quantity" in mind. What does this mean? In the beginning, it's best to do short but focused outings, preferably with lots of repetition in the same few locations. Young puppies are experiencing the world for the first time and can get overwhelmed quickly. When a puppy is overwhelmed and doesn't have time to process an experience, it will actually hurt the pup's confidence not build him up. Instead, a puppy who experiences a short and positive session in a location, and then repeats that same experience within the next few days, can start to build his confidence as he realizes, "Hey! I've done this before and it was easy!" 

Even I can relate to that feeling! Having just recently moved to Saint Petersburg, the first week of driving around left me very unsure of my sense of direction and knowing my surroundings. However, after that first week, I had driven to several of the same places repeatedly for work and for errands and was able to confidently find my way to most places without a GPS. Similarly, with repeat experiences, your puppy will be able to confidently navigate the repeat outings without his GPS! 

Raisers are excited to take their new puppies to fun outings, but it will serve the puppy better in the long run to exercise some discretion for socialization in the beginning. By building up a pup's confidence now, the puppy will grow up knowing that you will be fair and supportive during outings, making new places easier to take in. Remember that you will have this puppy for a year or more and will have plenty of opportunity to do the fun outings when your pup is older, especially if you take the time to thoughtfully expose your young puppy to socialization now.   

How exactly can we help our young pups with building confidence in repeat socialization? 

1. When you first get your puppy, spend the first week really letting your puppy settle in to his new home. Limit yourself to your own house and about the length of two houses on either side of you for the first week.
2. For the next 2-3 weeks, pick 3 quiet locations ("Quality over quantity!") that you can repeatedly visit for socialization. Some examples are a quiet parking lot, a park at a less busy time of day, your place of employment but after hours. Do short 15-20 minute outings in these locations, repeating each one at least twice.
3. Following those weeks, add 3 new locations every couple of weeks, but still repeating previous locations on a regular basis. If it's a new location, stick to the 15-20 minute rule ("Quality over quantity!") and if it's a repeat location from previous weeks, you can build to longer outings as long as the dog looks comfortable. 

Some raisers may realize their older dog has lower confidence or is even going through a "fear period." Spend a week at home to allow your dog to settle, which will help the dog's stress cortisol levels to return to a productive normal state. Follow the guidelines for little puppies and reintroduce socialization to your older pup.

Of course, please continue to attend regularly scheduled puppy meetings, unless instructed to do otherwise by your Area Coordinator and Puppy Raising Services. However, if the outing is too busy for your pup, please discuss with your AC about some alternatives - such as attending the meeting without your pup so you can still take in the information, attending the meeting but remaining on the outskirts to give your pup a quieter and more thoughtful way to take in the environment, etc. Also, many groups enjoy doing a social activity after formal meetings, which often includes bringing the pups along. If you have a younger puppy, going to a busy restaurant may not be appropriate at that time. Instead, take your pup home or leave him in a crate in another nearby raiser's house before attending the social gathering. It's best to keep in mind that each puppy is different and takes in new experiences in a different way. 

Being able to help a puppy explore the world for the first time and gain confidence doing so can be fun and rewarding!  As a raiser, you provide a valuable service and experience for each pup you take into your house. Without the raisers, Southeastern Guide Dogs wouldn't be able to produce such excellent guide and service dogs!

Expectations

Raising a guide dog puppy comes with no shortage of high expectations. You are preparing this puppy for training which will teach him to guide a visually impaired individual. That is no small responsibility for a dog to take on, so it can be easy to get into the trap of wanting the puppy to be perfect.

The problem is, puppies aren’t perfect. They are going to exhibit behaviors that will baffle you, or frustrate you. No two puppies are alike, and as soon as you feel like you have this raising thing down, a mischievous new pup will come along to respond in a completely unexpected way that humbles you.

In puppy raising, you are giving the dog tools and behaviors in order to help him grow well-adjusted and well behaved. Dog training is a journey, not a destination. There are no quick fixes; there is no perfection. Mammalian behavior is never 100% reliable. Success will be mostly incremental, with occasional great leaps forward as well as regressions backwards.

Keeping that in mind, here are some categories where expectation adjustment can help you and the puppy achieve success.

1. House manners

Most dog breeds are not mature adults at a year and a half old. Retrievers are definitely not. Some individuals will display more maturity early on than others, but there is most definitely still a puppy inside of them. So generally, not a single dog will come in-for-training completely trustworthy when it comes to house manners. It is expected that when a dog comes in-for-training, he will still be well versed with tie-down and crate usage. In fact, when we send the dog home as a guide dog, he goes home with strict rules about tie downs, crates, and leash tethers at all times in order to continue to enforce good behavior.

House manners are a difficult, nebulous concept for dogs. Dogs are inherently scavengers and opportunistic eaters. Why wouldn’t they knock over the trashcan to get to the food they smell inside, or reach onto the counter to grab a snack? From a survival standpoint, that behavior makes sense. No one let the dogs know that meals will come with regularity, and there is no need to gorge. That leftover instinct is also why shredding items (such as paper) or chewing on toys feels so satisfying to them. Part of the hunting/eating prey sequence is still coded inside.

The best way to ensure good house manners is through prevention. Behaviors such as counter surfing or trashcan hunting are self-rewarding behaviors; if the dog attempts the behavior and finds food there, he has just become far more likely to attempt that behavior again.

If you know you are going to have food on the counter and your attention is going to be diverted from the puppy, he needs to be on tie-down. Even if you think he wouldn’t dare attempt to put paws on the counter, it’s a much better practice to be safe than sorry. I’ve seen too many handlers get lulled into a false sense of security, believing the pup to be more trustworthy than he actually is. Often, the puppy just hasn’t tried that behavior yet, and one day, he is bored and feeling extra curious... and the first counter surfing attempt appears.

It is MUCH easier than to prevent problems than it is to fix them.

Blue Cape entry:
House Manners

2. Leash manners

Every so often, a dog comes along that naturally falls into a comfortable walking pace and doesn’t ever challenge the leash. Mostly, guide dog puppies will not be that kind of dog.

Loose leash walking, of all the behaviors we ask of our dogs, is probably the one that makes the least sense to them. Why would they walk at an agonizingly slow pace, ignoring every interesting thing they pass? There are scents to be investigated and dogs to visit and leaves to pick up... as far as the dogs are concerned, we are the most boring walkers on the planet. Combine that with guide dogs needing to have an innate desire to drive forward and take the lead, and you get a dog with a tendency to pull or lunge on leash.

So if you find this the toughest command to teach the puppy you are raising, congratulations. You have a normal dog.

Think of loose leash walking as a complicated trick. When you approach teaching it as an unnatural behavior that must be broken down into steps, it tends to be a little less stressful (if not any less time consuming). It is a comprehensive undertaking that involves a lot of persistence and consistency on the part of the handler.

As a reminder, here is a great video resource on teaching leash manners:

Loose Leash Walking 

3. Jumping on people

If you have a dog that jumps on people, ask yourself whether or not the dog jumps in the following scenarios?

-       On leash with strangers?

-       On leash with familiar people?

-       Off leash (in a fenced yard or in the house) with strangers? Familiar people?

-       When being greeted by someone calm and quiet?

-       When being greeted by someone loud and excited?

-       When the dog first gets out of the crate?

-       At the front door?

-       At the back door?

-       When putting on the leash?

-       When visitors first arrive in the home?

-       After visitors have been there for 30 minutes? An hour?

-       While the family watches television?

-       When the dog has a toy in his mouth?

-       While the dog is eating treats?

-       When someone approaches the dog making direct eye contact?

-       When someone approaches the dog but the dog is facing the handler and getting treats?

-       Walking past crowds of people who are not paying attention to him?

Out of those possible scenarios, there are likely several during which the dog is less likely to jump. Some of those scenarios would be very difficult for just about any dog, while others are likely to be successful. Expect that the dog will jump; if you are struggling with it, do not allow people to greet the puppy if you are in a scenario where you think the puppy will be unsuccessful. If you run into excited people in a mall who are making eye contact with him and want to say hello, you may have to tell them that the pup is in training and working when he has his coat on. If you really do want to allow the pup to say hello, at least take his coat off first so that he doesn’t have a chance to practice the jumping behavior in coat.

If however, you are at a Publix where everyone knows your pup, and you have some helpful employees willing to help you, try having them greet your pup quietly while the pup is facing you and eating cookies. If the pup jumps, take a step away with him and try again. Utilize helpful people when you can and create a scenario where the pup can succeed. If he is too excited, try again another day.

Blue Cape Entries:

Greeting Behaviors
Jumping

4. General training and behavior

Dogs are like people in that they can have good days as well as bad days. The puppy might perform beautifully in a variety of situations, then one day is just off his game and doesn’t seem to want to listen. There could be a lot of reasons for this, including hormones, stress build up, or just not feeling up to it. They can also pick up on the handler’s mood, so if you get frustrated or anxious, the puppy’s behavior may be affected as a result.

Dogs also do not generalize very well. Even small changes in environment and routine can affect command responsiveness. The dog may be so focused on novel stimuli that he doesn’t fully hear you, or he is having trouble processing the command and it’s meaning. It is good practice to warm a dog up with familiar, simple, well-rewarded obedience before embarking on a novel exposure, or entering an exciting environment (such as a mall or a pet store). This will help the puppy get into “thinking mode”, and will also give him time to process the environment. Don’t rush the puppy into an exposure if he tells you (through his lack of listening or normal responses) that he’s not ready.

Blue Cape entry: 

What to do when the puppy says no

Slow treat technique

Giving a treat reward can become a very deliberate exercise in itself. The "slow treat technique" does not just teach the dog to take the treat nicely. It can also help to calm an excitable dog, encourage patience, and refocus lost attention.

If the dog is revved up and activated, it is a good time to set up some calm, deliberate treating to try to bring things back to baseline. This is also useful if the dog is extremely treat distracted and persistent. For dogs who tend to snatch at the treat, hold the treat in your left hand between your thumb and forefinger (making an "OK" sign). When you bring the treat to the puppy, hold your hand at your side, so that the puppy has to place his muzzle into your palm to reach the treat.

This will give you some more control over releasing the treat when the puppy is gentle, while also saving your fingers.

 I like to start this with the dog sitting in heel position (but it can also be used when the dog is in a "down"... more on that in a bit). I put the treat into my hand and slowly start to bring it to the dog. If the dog gets up, grabs for the food, or even does a big lean to meet the treat coming towards him, the treat is moved away and the process starts over. I want the treat delivery to be gentle and deliberate. I'm looking for him to wait patiently for the treat to come to him.

Giving the dog this task to focus on is often calming. If the dog can't focus, then he is in an environment that is too stimulating. Take him to a quiet area and try it again there. You also may want to adjust your expectations; if the pup is getting frustrated, start with just requiring that the puppy keeps four feet on the floor or remains roughly in the same position.

Try this three or four times in a row. I'd be looking to see the dog getting gentler and more patient. My goal is also to deliver the treat with the dog's muzzle level and close to parallel with the ground (as compared to reaching up to meet the treat). This can also be helping in teaching the dog to maintain heel position rather than coming around to be closer to the treat bag.

Continue to build up his patience threshold. You can integrate this technique into Relaxation protocol. This is especially helpful when the pup is going through the motions but not actually relaxing, or popping up immediately after receiving a treat.

Sit in a chair, make sure the treat bag is out of the pup's reach, hold the leash short, take a deep breath, and relax. You can tell the dog to "down" if you want but do not enforce a stay. Allow him to stand up if he wants to; the leash should be short enough that he can stand up or lie down comfortably, but he cannot go and visit other dogs or pace for a large distance. Relax and wait until he relaxes. He may just lie down and look up at you in anticipation of the treat. Slowly reach towards the treat bag and take a treat out. If his elbows leave the ground, calmly put the treat back and relax. Wait for him to settle again. The goal here is that you can reach into the treat bag and bring the treat all the way to him without him getting up (place it between his legs on the ground if you can, to encourage him to stay down). If at any point during the sequence, he gets up, put the treat away and start over.

As he progresses, give him a treat only when he is relaxed and not looking at you. Keep things calm and slow, and that will help keep his energy levels steady. Be prepared that he will probably be revved up again as soon as you get up; just ask him to sit at heel and wait for his energy levels to steady. You may want to calmly reward him after he takes a few steps at your side.

In this video, I am working with Idunn on her tendency to get revved up and activated with social interaction, as well as working on her patience as the treat comes to her. Notice at first, when she is in heel position, that she jumps and is very unsettled waiting for the treat. By the end of that session, she is waiting nicely at heel and stays firmly planted in place. During the relaxation protocol, she is worried about some sudden noises, and keeps jumping up. After the session (which lasted about 12 minutes), she is able to maintain a down position even though she is still a little worried and is starting to relax.

Slow treat from Southeastern Guide Dogs on Vimeo.