Our Dogs:

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Why You CAN’T Pet the Puppy


        Ok, for five seconds, I want you to forget that you’ve ever seen or learned anything about our service dogs. You’ve never heard of Viking Pups before, you’ve never heard of a service dog, got it?

            Ok.

            Meet Oden.
                Meet Zorn.


    This lummox is Bobo (resting on Zorn, because his big old head is just too heavy).     






















And this pretty lady is Cami.

















            These are our service dogs in training.

            Cute, right?

            Yes, we know they are cute. Yes, we know they are fluffy. Yes, we know you may have a dog at home of whom they remind you. YES, WE KNOW THEY ARE A DOG.*

            Do you know what else we know?

            How to train a service dog.

            A Service Dog is a legally recognized piece of medical equipment. Yes, that’s right, legally. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, (or the ADA), Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.  The dogs may be cute and you may see them doing something that looks like goofing off, but we promise you, the dogs are learning how to do an important job.

            There are several reasons the dogs absolutely cannot be petted while they are working.

1.)   They are working. Who honestly wants people running up and touching them everywhere when they’re trying to focus, human or dog? It’s frustrating for both the service dog and the handler to try to train the dog if there are constant distractions coming at the dog, which can lead to a flustered handler and an upset dog. Distractions set back training worse than just about anything else, and our goal is to get these dogs ready for their future person as efficiently and as best we can- distractions make our (and more importantly, the dogs’) jobs harder.


2.)   The dog needs to learn to focus on the person on the end of the leash, and that person only. Our dogs are socialized well from a young age, particularly those dogs we’ve had from puppies. I cannot emphasize this enough: these dogs do not need more socialization- they need a more focused attention span. These dogs need to be incredibly in tune with their handler. They need to be paying attention to them and them alone. When the dog is paired up with their person, they are going to need all their focus on that person to do their job efficiently- if a dog is paired with someone in a wheelchair or a smaller person who can easily break bones, the dog absolutely cannot seek out attention. The ease in which a stocky lab like Bobo could pull a little kid or a person who happens to be wheelchair-bound out into a busy street, or off a steep incline, is a serious concern we have to address. The dog cannot run off at the slightest indication of interest in giving them attention. They have to be paying attention to the person holding the leash, not anybody else.

Imagine if a giant like this guy took off with his handler!

3.)   You cannot expect a dog to know the difference between training and their real job. These guys are hella smart, we agree with you there, but they are still dogs. A dog will not be able to understand the difference between their handler and their eventual person- they will not understand the consequences of misbehaving if they do so with their client, and so while they are training we have to act like they are on the job. The dogs are learning how to behave, and these rules need to be in place the entire time they are training or they will not follow them while they are actually on the job. We cannot make exceptions during training, because you cannot explain to a dog that this is an exception.

They make people's lives so much better.

4.)   Unless you are a handler, odds are you do not know what the dog is training for or how to train the dog. Our dogs are trained in a very specific way under a set of strict guidelines that are there for a reason. The handlers for Viking Pups spend months and countless hours learning the rules for these dogs, as well as getting to know the dog’s personalities and the client they’re being lined up for. Oden and Bobo needed to be treated differently for so many reasons. Not only are they being trained for two entirely different kinds of clients, they’re two entirely separate personalities and they’re at two different stages of training- these are not things that members of the public know or understand. It takes time and effort and understanding; these dogs are special and are being trained for a very unique and important purpose and it’s important to know that they are being trained by qualified handlers. 


They lessen feelings of isolation and give love when people most need it.

            Now,  our Viking Pups is a club run on Augustana College’s campus. The dogs live in a student’s home, go to class with us, and train in our school’s buildings. Many students assume that the dogs aren’t working, because they see the dogs sleeping in class, or hanging out with their handler, or practicing their tasks. But when a handler says that the dog is working, we mean it. The dogs are sleeping in class because they might get paired up with a younger person who will take them to school; if the dogs are awake and antsy and alert for whole class periods, that’s going to be counter-productive to the learning of their future person as well as the classroom they’ll attend.

Little kids are distracted enough, they don't need a hyper puppy in the classroom.

            The hanging out with a handler is a particularly resented topic at the school. I want you to go back and reread the Number 2 reason for the dogs not being petted while working. Now, corrections only go so far to keep the attention on the handler. The dog needs to learn that they will get love and affection and praise from the person at the end of the leash, as well as punishment when they do something wrong. The dog needs to want to work for the person they’re attached to; they need to learn that working is a positive, rather than just a way to avoid the negative. 



            What may seem like cuddling, is actually deep pressure therapy. Deep pressure therapy can also be an important part of a dog’s training. There are very few things in the world that can calm a person down or lift someone’s spirits like a good session of deep pressure therapy with a dog. Soldiers with PTSD, people with anxiety disorders or disabilities that affect their social awareness, and even people who’ve gone through significant trauma such as a child who has been abused, can all be calmed and helped by a small gesture of love from a dog. The young lady Bobo is being paired with, for instance, has a significant anxiety problem as a part of her disability. Bobo's deep pressure therapy is a hug.  So when you see him hugging us, it is to properly teach Bobo to hug her. Neither Zorn nor Oden were particular cuddlebugs when we first got them as puppies- it takes time and effort to teach a dog to like certain deep pressure therapy commands, and though we do enjoy the commands like hug, it’s also something the dogs need to learn to do their jobs better.




            Our handlers follow the rules of the club because that is what’s best for the dog’s training. We often get angry comments or lectures if we turn down someone who asks to pet the dog. Please remember, we are not turning you down because we want to, we are not turning you down to hoard the puppy love for ourselves. We are turning you down because we understand the consequences breaking the rules can have on our dogs, and on the people they will be placed with.


            Trust me when I say our handlers hate seeing you look sadly at the dogs we are with. We all love dogs, and most of us have dogs at home that we miss very much. We understand you miss your dogs, but there is an important thing to remember- these dogs aren’t your dogs, and they aren’t anything like a pet. These dogs are learning how to give a person with disabilities a life they could never live on their own. That’s more important than you being able to pet the puppy.



            The dogs are on campus for one reason- to learn how to help the people who really need them. Not for any other purpose. Do not confuse these dogs with pets- they are legally recognized medical equipment. You wouldn’t ask to play with someone’s wheelchair, or pet his or her white cane. Treat these service dogs with the same respect you show to that equipment, and respect the fact that the handlers are there to help people, not to entertain.



            The handlers of this club are proud of what they do. We make a difference in people’s lives, and we want to keep doing it. These dogs are learning a great deal from the handlers, and they are all making a difference. Our dogs are incredible at what they do; respect that they are doing their job to the best of their abilities, and while your intentions may be good, you might be making the dog’s job more difficult for them and for the handler. Sometimes the dog’s person needs them very badly, and we don’t want to keep them apart any longer than they need to be. Help us help the dogs help their people- it’s an important job, and we can’t do it without support and understanding from the community around us.






*Seriously, the most common reaction to ‘No, you can’t pet him, he’s working’ is ‘But he’s a dog?!’

Quick Fixes:

       Our dogs went on a photo shoot and we just got our pictures, here they are! They are drop dead gorgeous, thank you Lisa!




Miss Camicakes has come so far! She's still a stubborn lil girl, but we're working hard, and so is she! Some younger kids came up for the school's siblings weekend, and you could tell the little kids who came to watch their big brothers and sisters at training just fell in love with pretty Miss Cami. 



Bobo is doing fantastic working on his bracing and his heel! His heels are improving incredibly fast, and he's working so well with his girl Juls that all of Team Bobo is proud. Go Bo!

Bo also has officially been ordered his bracing harness, the best one on the market. His team is super excited to see this studmuffin working his new gear soon!

Oden is mastering tug faster than anyone would have thought! He's putting himself to work tugging for his handlers- he even tugged a stubborn cart with two people riding on it What a pro! 




















Little Zorn man is getting to be a total pro at push, which he'll use to hit push plates that will open accessible doors! He's also working on taking objects off the floor and giving them to his handlers- I swear going to class makes them smarter than us!

















A special thanks to:

QCCAN






The Quad Cities Canine Assistant Network is the non-profit organization that makes our program possible. As sister organizations QCCAN is an integral part of the Viking Pups mission, helping us with training, putting us in contact with clients, and most importantly, training service dogs and reaching more people who need the dogs to live better lives.






Thanks for taking all of your beautiful pictures, Lisa! They're amazing, and you show off our pups so much better than our grainy phone pictures! You're incredibly talented and deserve every bit of business you get!


To learn more / keep up to date about Viking Pups:


Friday, April 5, 2013

Our Lil Man





            Zorn is the youngest of our pups, and (don’t tell the others) possibly the smartest. This just-turned-7-month-old Red Fox Lab was quickly nicknamed the Prodigy Pup by the club, and I have on at least one occasion, heard our brilliant trainer (and the founder of QCCAN) Hillary Plog say that he showed the most promise of any puppy she’d ever tested.

He was so wee...

            Zorn, like all of the rest of our babies, was donated to our group by the wonderful Christina Clark of Iron Hill Retrievers.  He officially started his training around the age of 3 months, after being potty- and house- trained by some wonderful members of our sister organization QCCAN. He then came to campus with us, and started living with his foster and team leader Mary Kiolbasa, and became the first official Viking Pup to live in our official TLA (Transitional Living Area).
Although he kind of makes himself at home anywhere...

            Zorn, like Oden, has been training with Viking Pups since he was a puppy. And the progress he has made has been unbelievable- this boy is only 7 months old and he’s already mastered his basic obedience and some advanced commands (settle, touch), is learning some others (heel, cover me) and is working on some unbelievably cool things that only Oden is doing (turn on lights, tug fridges and cabinets open, close those same doors). He’s brilliant, seriously.


Except when it comes to learning he's too big for his favorite places



Our little guy isn’t going to be our little guy much longer though. Zorn’s big boy legs are finally coming in, and this poor guy just can’t accept that he can’t fit into his favorite spots anymore.
 
Life is hard, little dude
           We’re also worried that our Mister Wrinkleface is going to lose his beloved wrinkles. His concerned face is one of our favorite things, but I promise we’ll love him anyway.

Seriously, look at that face. Who wouldn't love that face?

            Zorn’s wrinkles and his forgetting that he doesn’t fit everywhere is only part of this kid’s charm. He’s one of the quirkiest, weirdest, doofus-iest puppies we’ve ever met. He’s an absolutely conundrum. This guy loves to play- but he can only play with one other dog, or he forgets how. He loves training- but only until he has to start training himself (seriously, the sass this boy gives you when he has to actually do one of his tasks). He loves cuddling- but not petting. He’s both grumpier and cuddlier when he’s tired. And though he adores every other dog in the pack, this lil guy actually needs alone time. Seriously. He will wait at the foot of the stairs at home for his mom to give the ok so he can go and play with a toy in her room all by himself for a while. He’s a weirdo, all right, but we love him.

Zorn's way of saying 'I just need some alone time, Mom'


            Zorn is currently in training to be a mobility dog- the client we have lined up for him is a lovely little girl who might be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life. This little guy’s got a lot of expectations to live up to, and he is working hard to live up to them. Zorn’s still got about a year and a half of training left to finish before he can be placed however, and since this wonderful family is willing to wait until he’s grown into the role he’s going to play, he’s enjoying his time being a puppy and learning all there is to learn.
Clearly he learns by osmosis (the inner biology student in me is just
screaming DIFFUSION).

            To help him along is his wonderful team of trainers, Kori Marcum, Mike Roehrenbeck, and Allycia Nelson, all headed up by his foster mommy, President of Viking Pups Mary Kiolbasa. All of them love the little guy to death and are working him hard to get him where he needs to be.

Mary Kiolbasa
Kori Marcum
Mike Roehrenbeck



            Kori loves how concerned he looks when she’s having a bad day. Allycia loves that he looks concerned about everything. Mary loves just how unique of a personality (ahem, weird) the little guy is (not to mention how much of a mama’s boy he is!), and Mike loves when the little weirdo nibbles on his beard (they’re both a little weird, what can we say).



Allycia Nelson (sorry I couldn't find one of you with
the baby. )

            Zorn’s strengths definitely lie in how much he loves to learn, and how darn good he is at it. Zorn is shaping six tasks right now- SIX. That’s an insane amount of information for a wee puppy brain to take in, and he’s rocking at it. His push, which will turn into him pressing push plates to open handicap doors, which believe you me took some effort to start him on, is progressing more every day. He’s already turning these lights on and off:



And is doing pretty darn well on these:


And eventually will learn to do these:


And all sorts of lights.

He can open a fridge (which takes some umph from a dog), and then close it, he can open and close drawers and cabinets, he can heel, he can cover- point is he’s kind of a genius.

            One of my favorite things about this guy is that even though he’s so smart and well behaved, he has some doofus moments that just remind you that he’s still a puppy. He forgets that he’s on a leash and will swerve off course after a squirrel and look surprised when he reaches the end of the leash.



            He gets bored in boring classes, and will look at you like ‘C’mon. We don’t need to be here, let’s blow this popsicle stand’. He tries to get away with kind of doing his tasks- when learning settling, he’d figured out that he got treated if he put his head down. A settle is only on the side, but Zorn would put his head down between his paws and expect a treat. Then when he wouldn’t get treated, he’d go into a settle like it was the biggest chore in the world.

We're training him to write essays, too. 

            He’s a bit of a weirdo, and a lot of a puppy, and a GREAT dog. We can’t wait to see what he’s going to do.


Quick Fixes:




Bobo

Bobo’s feet are doing MUCH better! He’s also supporting our local hockey team, the Quad Cities Mallards, who have a great partnership with us that helps our fundraising efforts a lot, so support them to support us!














Cami

Cami’s hugs are doing amazing, and I speak from personal experience! We’ve nailed down just how much we need to bribe her to get her to learn (such a chore, Camicakes). On the downside, her new vest is killing her self-esteem; vest rules are she can’t be petted while working, and all Cami wants is to be petted. We promise they still love you, Cami girl!

Oden

Oden’s feet are doing much better, too! He had a great day off classes and though I’m sure he missed his handlers a ton (I hope) he had a great lazy day off and is ready to get back to work! Speaking of working, he’s figuring out object names like a champ, can’t wait until we can say “get the card!” and watch him pick it off of a pile!









A special thanks to:




First and foremost, Christina Clark, our fabulous breeder and owner of Iron Hill Retrievers. All of our active dogs have been donated by Christina and they are all spectacular, with wonderful temperaments and absolutely GREAT looks.





The Quad Cities Canine Assistant Network is the non-profit organization that makes our program possible. As sister organizations QCCAN is an integral part of the Viking Pups mission, helping us with training, putting us in contact with clients, and most importantly, training service dogs and reaching more people who need the dogs to live better lives.



A huge shoutout to Compassionate Care Veterinary Clinic, who takes care of our pups at a discounted rate.

And last but not least: 




Thanks for taking all of your beautiful pictures, Lisa! They're amazing, and you show off our pups so much better than our grainy phone pictures! You're incredibly talented and deserve every bit of business you get!


To learn more / keep up to date about Viking Pups: