Cooperative Paws
Service dog education for dog trainers
Service dogs often need to push different items likes drawers, lights, doors and accessible door buttons to help their handlers. Service dogs are usually trained to push items with their nose, but …
Continue Reading about Three Mistakes Service Dog Trainers Make When Teaching Targeting →
When service dog trainers ask their clients which tasks they need a service dog to perform, they often are given a very long list. People sometimes hope their dog will perform tasks they have heard of …
Turning light switches on and off is a commonly needed service dog task for dogs helping people who have disabilities ranging from mobility impairments and low vision to PTSD. This is one of those …
Continue Reading about Training Service Dogs to Flip Light Switches →
Putting a behavior on cue is typically a straightforward process. Trainers choose a word or gesture as the cue, and introduce it when the dog begins to offer the behavior reliably. The trainer should …
Continue Reading about Selecting and Training Cues for Service Dog Tasks →
When working with a young service dog in training, trainers focus on setting the groundwork for future public access. Service dogs in training need ongoing appropriate socialization in a variety of …
Continue Reading about Three Foundation Skills for Service Dog Tasks →
When training a service dog to retrieve, the last component of the behavior is the give: having the dog deliver the item to the handler’s hand. This component often goes smoothly in a training …
