Service Dog Training: What You Should Train First! (unexpected!)

[@DoggyU]

What's the first thing you taught your service dog to do? My FREE and Low-Cost Training Resources 👇: 🦮 Service Dog 101 Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101 🐕‍🦺 Behavior Interruptions & Alerts Course: courses.doggyu.com/p/bia 👉🏽 Sign Up For my FREE Dog Training Foundations Mini-Course: www.doggyu.com/ 🎉 JOIN the DOGGY•U Community! (150+ Exclusive Training Videos!) patreon.com/doggyu

[@erinnorwood6124]

Do you have a course for picking a breed and for navigating breeders/dog adoptions?

[@DoggyU]

@@erinnorwood6124 I do cover it in my Service Dog 101 course, though that is not the entire course. But it covers breeder red-flags, picking a breed for your lifestyle, picking tasks, as well as self-assessing a dog, and a video showing an assessment of a 12 week old puppy so you can see the types of tests I would run to check suitability. You can check out the full course outline here: courses.doggyu.com/p/service-dog-101

[@Boone22]

The 1st thing I teach is "WATCH ME", than targeting

[@amberfruchey6205]

Targeting is one of my first skills learned too and Love Denver ( he’s personality plus)♥️

[@DoggyU]

So much personality!

[@cwilliams2958]

Great vid! Now I have more confidence that any puppy can be challenged and will adapt. Our girl a little more reserved but we found the right target (rams horn) she DOES follow. Base always a fav. Denver’s skills such an encouragement!

[@michaelinejunefrost9437]

Hi Laura, Denver, Whip, & Jake too! Another excellent, highly informative training video. My “service dog in training” Sophie was a rescue, found sleeping on a garbage pile next to a dark busy road. She was a six-ish month old, 35 lb. bundle of happy happy energy. I’m mobility challenged, and can fall easily so once Sophie learned her name, I taught her to sit and when she did that she was focused on me, but she also knew I was focused on her. Because Sophie craved affection and praise as much as treats she learned that great things happen when she sits. And I am safer when she sits quickly when I need her to. Sophie still has a long way to go in our journey towards service doghood … she is still very excitable, wants to happy jump on people, and goes totally brain dead when it comes to cats. The road to emotional maturity is a long and winding one for my Sweet Sophie and me! 💜 🤠 & 🦮

[@one_field]

Yay! Your videos keep me motivated during a pretty gloomy moment of world news.

[@DoggyU]

💜💜💜

[@ABlindGirlWithHerDog]

Girlfriend, give yourself some more credit. You don’t just help owner trainers train their dogs, my guide dog is a program dog, and I use what you teach on here to train him how to retrieve. And now, we are using your video on how to item discriminate. He is coming along very well. After we get our dogs, we teach them more things to help them do things for us that make life much easier, and your videos are very helpful. Especially for me as a blind viewer, because you’re very descriptive. Denver is very cute by the way

[@DoggyU]

Aw this comment brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so much for making my day

[@ABlindGirlWithHerDog]

@@DoggyU thanks. And I gotta say that your dad is very lucky that his daughter trains his guide dogs. So cute.

[@vsmartdogs]

He just gets cuter by the day 🥰

[@DoggyU]

He's such a good boy

[@Felix-jo7nj]

always looking forward to your uploads! ❤ just recovered from covid and your videos always get me motivated to getting back into the swing of training with my own dog and planning out training for future pup. another great video with tons of helpful infromation!

[@DoggyU]

Thank you

[@Smokeybluetheraccoon]

Thank you! So helpful!

[@DoggyU]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@sb9316]

Thank you! 🎉

[@DoggyU]

💜💜🥰

[@nicoleharter1852]

Laura, your videos are so helpful, even for those of us who have a professionally trained dog! It helps me team with the agency and also be consistent when a new task is being trained. Thank you for your positive energy and great, practical, specific advice!

[@Game_Play_00]

Can you do a video of how to train your dog to alert to low blood pressure, please and thanks Ps love your videos

[@DoggyU]

Unfortunately, blood sugar alerts are not my area of expertise. I would look at the resources that MD Dogs has.

[@Game_Play_00]

@DoggyU thanks

[@CiciliaT]

Can you show how to learn back feet targeting... We struggle with that

[@DoggyU]

It's linked in the video, but here's the direct link:kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXXWcntnf7Z9lZosi=9KvNP9HfTFxAyHwM Hoping to show it with Denver in the next couple months as well

[@karlajames9115]

Love this!!

[@DoggyU]

Thanks for taking the time to comment! 🥰

[@StarkK9Academy]

Hi Laura, the very first thing I teach is a Focus command. What name/mark do you use for the SD’s chin rest and booping response to interrupt behavior like the leg switching from anxiety?

[@DoggyU]

I guess my dog’s name is their cue to focus. I don’t teach a separate cue for that, but instead do a lot of reinforcing for auto-check-ins. My cue for chin rest is “chin” My cue for boop is “boop” 😂

[@StarkK9Academy]

@ my Mal Mix Amica naturally boops, so I’m going to reinforce that and call it boop. She learned deep pressure which I call comfort - what do you call it or will call it with Denver?

[@erinnorwood6124]

How often should I use treats in my training? Should they be high or low value

[@StarkK9Academy]

@@erinnorwood6124Hi Erin that is a great question I get from my clients. I use a variety for a variety of reasons. How do you feed your dog through out the day? Do you use a kibble form or do you use a meaty form? I recommend having your pup earn his/her meals throughout the day. High end expensive dog treats are nice, but not necessary. I recommend using a high quality dehydrated or low cooked brand of dog food. For our adventures out and about I like to use small items that are easily digestible. I create “ Tricks & Treat Goodie Bags where I mix in “high value treats” for when the pup really nails a command/makes a huge improvement or when I’m out and about in public and it helps to motivate our pups to stay focused.

[@DoggyU]

@@StarkK9Academy Probably Boop and Hug which is what I call sternal DPT

[@EZGreen88HD]

I love the subtle blue color in your hair. Very pretty.

[@DoggyU]

Thank you! I get it done (vivid) every 3 months or so, and then it fades out nicely :)

[@indridhartley1504]

Thank you for this video! You explain things very well!

[@DoggyU]

I'm so glad you found it helpful!

[@timeywimeyfezzes]

Thank you so much for this, I absolutely adore this series! I was wondering if throwing the puppy a treat to reposition them does at all interfere with training not eating from the ground? Or maybe this isn't an issue when it's accompanied by a 'break' or 'free' command? I wish you and Denver all the best ^-^

[@DoggyU]

I definitely need to do a full video on this because I get asked it SOOO often (you're definitely not the first!). But basically, if you put eating on cue, then throwing food is not an issue. I've been doing it for 15 years (even when it was a no-no in the guide world) and there is no increase in scavenging. And in-fact, because throwing food is part of a larger reinforcement strategy, the dogs who eat on cue are actually more likely to take food on the ground as a cue to engage with handler than to go for it. If you're a patreon member, check out the deep dive on reinforcement mechanics for more info on the full strategy. But, in general, you're correct, putting it on cue, like "free" or, for me, really "find it" or "scatter" is the best way to handle tossed food and a lot of dogs thrive on being able to "chase down" the reinforcement, making the reinforcer more reinforcing, especially for dogs that aren't as keen on food. Hope that helps!

[@timeywimeyfezzes]

@DoggyU ohh I didn't realize you were asked this so often oop my mistake haha >.< Thank you so much for your troughout reply, it's very helpful and greatly appreciated, truly!

[@DoggyU]

@@timeywimeyfezzes Oh no worries! If i get asked it often, it means it's a great topic for a video! :)

[@elainechevalier5756]

Link to puppy John Denver looks like the pup was in a book store. Real brief video. I would like to get the video to Denvers family

[@DoggyU]

I'm unclear what you mean by this. I am Denver's human/family ...

[@EpsilonAD]

Thank you.

[@thunderdragon8341]

This is helpful since I can’t afford to buy and already trained service dog I plan to train my own after I decide on breed

[@DoggyU]

Let me help you with breed ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJ-zhnp9r8iceLMsi=PzFYfSdn5JG_BtHk

[@thunderdragon8341]

@ just don’t think a lab or golden or poodle would do well in apartment living so what breed do u suggest for apartment living

[@DoggyU]

​@@thunderdragon8341 Any dog living in an apartment will definitely need exercise, no matter the breed (which is also true of dogs living in houses). A lower energy bench bred lab would likely be a good fit. I have placed all sorts of breeds in apartments including many German Shepherd Dogs. It's all about getting them out for exercise, which will be a requirement no matter the breed. If you're looking for a small dog, they will also still need exercise outside the apartment. It's harder to make blanket statements about small breeds as there are none that are "tried and true" regarding service work.

[@thunderdragon8341]

@ ok ty for that I’ll save up for a golden from a breeder is there a way to see if the puppy u get will be service dog material I know that not all puppies turn out to be good for service dog work

[@DoggyU]

@@thunderdragon8341 I would invest in a qualified trainer to help you vet both breeders, and puppy test the litter.

[@peaceloveukulelexox]

My girl can target to a hand or do a paw target, but getting her to nose target anything stationary (like a spot on the wall or a sticky note) is going nowhere. I want to teach her a boop alert, how to close doors and cabinets, etc. but we just haven’t gotten there yet. Any advice? We tried with the sticky note but she tries to peel it off every time!

[@DoggyU]

So going from hand to wall is really challenging. I would recommend targeting some type of target stick first. You can make one with a yogurt lid and then tape that yogurt lid to the wall. But they should be able to target a target stick anywhere you put it first. The wall can present a lot of pressure. It's also why I would start with cabinets once you're solid on the target stick, over starting on wall. Also use painters tape instead of sticky note if she's trying to peel it. Here's a vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGGuhYmDfax5kLM

[@zitple]

I’m picking up my puppy on december 5th, so in about 3 weeks. I’m fairly confident in my ability to train a service dog but i’m nervous about my semi-late start, as i’m picking him up at 10 weeks rather than 8 weeks. Have you started any puppies at 10 weeks?

[@DoggyU]

Absolutely! Two weeks is not a big deal :)

[@jodieauthelet8615]

My dog is interesting. He’s not food motivated when training. He does like praise and has “taught himself “ some things using just that in every day life like his heel and recall to name two. But I’m having problems teaching the more precise things that would be so much easier with treats.

[@RavenPaw.Pookiebear]

Hi! I’ve been following you and have been a patron for quite some time. I’m wondering if you have any tips for teaching loose leash walking? My new service pup is having a really hard time learning, and I feel like I might not be doing it right. I’ve watched so many videos, but no matter what, he just doesn’t seem to get it. I’ve tried using a lure, but the second I move the lure away, he loses interest. If I try moving the lure further from his face, he’ll follow at first, but then he just starts jumping constantly. I’m not sure what to do. If you have any recommendations, I’d really appreciate it! Thank you so much!

[@DoggyU]

Have you practiced the "join up" exercise where you're not using a lure to get the behavior, but in fact capturing him moving next to you. I think this is a more effective technique for creating a reinforcement zone than using luring. It's in my loose leash walking playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLOv3ykszW9t_doI9cfzn3plX56c1sQLOn

[@relentlessforfreedom2447]

What’s marking?

[@J.RyanWhittlesey-uf3gc]

Letting a dog know that they did something right or wrong, e.g. "Good boy" or a clicker

[@enniewilde8645]

I'm not sure if you'll ever be able to see or reply to this comment, but have you every trained a reactive dog to be a service dog and to ignore distractions?

[@DoggyU]

It really depends on the cause of the reactivity, history, and how long they've been displaying reactive behavior. Reactivity can often be a result of fear or lack of confidence, both which are undesirable in service dogs, making the dog not a good candidate for public access. However, reactivity due to frustration or over-excitement around distractions can be worked through in *some* dogs, depending. Check out this video for a strategy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2aycoF9fJhnaLs Reactivity should be addressed prior to public access work. In general, we don't want behavioral projects as service dogs, because service dog training is hard enough, even with an ideal candidate. We want a dog that is well-suited for the work from the start.