Tag Archives: Video

That’s my girl!

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Yesterday, Seva performed her very first service demo. We went to Minnetonka West Middle School and joined three other Helping Paws teams to show a group of 8th and 9th graders what we do. There were at least 60 kids in the large band room.

You know, Seva is the most sociable, excitable puppy, so I went into this expecting her to do well, but knowing that at any moment she could go berserk. We did have a little scene when she saw Chuda in the vestibule outside the front office. Seva stayed with Chuda a couple weeks ago when we went out of town, so they’re buddies. Seva was airborn with excitement. Fortunately, Chuda is older and set a more respectable tone (thanks to his trainer, Wendy!).

I recorded the demo, which took about an hour, and have edited out some short clips. The stars of the day (closest to the camera to farthest): Seva, 7 mos old, and Alida; Jed, 2 1/2 yrs old, and John; Chuda, 9 mos old, and Wendy; Aida, 1 1/2 yrs old, and Katy.

The dogs each do something amazing and we went in order of youngest to oldest, so you get a sense of the progression of skills.

Watch this if…

Intro: …you want to hear Katy talk a bit about Helping Paws and meet the trainer/dog teams. 

 

Seva: …you want to see what a 7 month old puppy can do. Something funny happens when they clap for Seva.

 

Chuda: …you want to see what a 9 month old puppy can do.

 

Aida: …you want to see what a 1 1/2 year old dog can do.

 

Jed: …you want to see what a 2 1/2 year old dog can do.

 

Kids + Puppy: …you want to see Seva receive the kids’ love. I’m giving her kibble for keeping her paws on the floor. You see by her tail that she was excited to meet so many kids, but once again kibble saves the day!

Training #1

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For the next several posts, I’m going to show you Seva in training. I recorded one training session, but I’ve divided it into clips, each one focusing on a different cue or cues.

This training session took place at the end of August, before Seva ate a sock and had to don the cone of shame. She’s 5 months old here.

Get Dressed

 

Watch and Roll Over

Small Dog Big Voice

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Just last week, Scott was telling people that our dog never barks. Never. Or almost never.

No, she found her voice recently and we think it’s adorable when she barks because this little girl puppy has a deep growly bark. She typically barks a few times and is done.

Today, she watched the garbage truck come by and has been carrying on for over ten minutes. This is new, and despite showing her that the garbage truck is long gone, she can’t seem to settle down. The vibrations from construction behind our house don’t help any.

Now the question is: how long can I put up with Barky McBark Bark?

 

 

Gramma’s Muffins

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This is how I used to make Gramma’s Raisin Bran Muffins:

1. Make muffins.

Time < 1 hour.

 

This is how I made Gramma’s Raisin Bran Muffins today:

1. Set out baking soda, measure 1 cup of water, put water in kettle on stove to boil.

2. Tell Seva to stop jumping at the counters. Put her behind gate. Wash hands.

3. Stir 1 ½ t. baking soda into 1 c. boiling water. Set aside to cool.

4. Set out: flour, sucanat (or sugar), vegetable oil, eggs.

5. Talk to Seva a lot to try and distract her from jumping at the doors and walls in her little cordoned off area.

6. Cream 1 c. sucanat and ½ c. oil with hand mixer.

7. Realize Seva is peeing on the floor. Scoop her up and run outside.

8. Return to the kitchen. Wash hands.

9. Beat 2 eggs and 2 ½ c. flour into sucanat and oil.

10. Let Seva outside because she is pawing at the door. Stand in the door and watch her. When she squats, holler “Better go now,” the potty cue. Call her in, give her a treat for a successful recall. Wash hands.

11. Stir into batter the cooled water and baking soda.

12. Let Seva outside. Bring her inside. Give her an ice cube to occupy her for two minutes. Wash hands.

13. Stir into batter 2 c. soymilk (or butter milk) and 1 ½ t. salt.

14. “Kennel.” Wait for Seva to obey. She knows what I want but does not want to be crated, so this takes a few minutes. She looks at me. I look at the crate. Finally, after circling my legs—puppy procrastination—she enters the crate. Shut it. Click and treat. Wash hands.

15. Stir into batter 2 c. All Bran cereal, 1 c. Bran Flakes, 1 c. raisins.

16. Let Seva outside because she’s been doing her high-pitched squeak the whole time and I don’t know if it’s saying, “I want attention,” or “I really have to go!”

17. Watch Seva run into bushes. Call her back. Pull mulch out of her mouth. Give her a treat in exchange for the mulch. Wash hands.

18. Preheat oven to 400*. Fill muffin pan. Slide into oven. Set timer for 18 minutes.

19. Play the Retrieve Game with Seva while muffins bake.

20. Let Seva outside because she’s lost all focus. Bring her in.

21. Take muffins out of oven. Set aside to cool in pan for a few minutes.

22. Realize Seva’s chewing on the rug. Squirt it with Bitter Apple spray. Wash hands.

23. Put muffins on a cooling rack.

24. Return full attention to dog.

Time > 2 hours.

 

Meet the Berserker!

 

 

Cheesy Rice

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Something amazing is happening in Seva’s brain, right now! Just like in humans, her synapses are firing constantly, forming the mental pathways that will shape her personality and worldview for the rest of her life.

Trainers take advantage of this developmental stage to shape desirable behaviors. Some of these shaped behaviors are contrary to natural, typical dog behavior. For example, if you’ve been around dogs, you’ve probably been warned not to bother the dog while it’s eating. This is because dogs “resource guard.” They instinctively signal ownership by growling or snapping at anyone who approaches them while eating or enjoying a prized treat, like a new found stick.

In this video, Seva is 9 1/2 weeks old. She illustrates several service dog behaviors.

Scott and one of our children have also put their hands in her food bowl while she is eating, and she is just as nonchalant. The ability to accept people other than her main handler is important, since ultimately she will belong to someone else.