Oliver turned 1 year old in February. What a beautiful boy he is.
He has now passed his Canine Good Citizen test. I did attend a class with Oliver at the Prior Lake Veterinary Clinic. It was a six week class given once a week. In this class we practiced walking in crowds, walking around other dogs in close proximity, sitting nicely while the handler was talking to other people with dogs. All these things for a young dog can be a challenge. I was very proud when the instructor let us know that we had passed this class.
Many times nursing homes, schools and assisted living homes will ask for a copy of your dogs CGC before allowing entrance to the building.
Oliver and I go twice a month to the local rehab clinic and assisted living facility. The first hour that we are in the building Oliver must wait patiently while I play cards with the residence. The second hour that we are in the building Oliver gets to shine as we go from room to room making pet visits. He always knows which room is going to have the treat for him. He enjoys each and every pet that he gets.

Socializing

In the last post I talked about having the dogs attention while you are out on a walk. It is just as important to have your dog well socialized with other dogs. I expose Oliver to many dogs, big and small. It is not unusual for a dog to like big dogs and not small or like small dogs and not big. Socializing your dog can be done by taking him to friends homes with dogs, taking him to pet food stores, and most importantly getting him enrolled in puppy socialization classes, then Obedience classes.

Getting Oliver's attention!

A walk in town or at the park will be made so enjoyable if you have a dog that will pay attention to you while you are passing another dog on the sidewalk or a dog in it's own yard. Getting your dogs attention is essential. When I see a dog is coming my way, I get Oliver's attention immediately by using a watch me command. Once Oliver looks at me I begin to give him treats so hopefully when he does see the other dog he associate the other dog with the treats and will not pay much attention to him. Dogs love to sniff but in public places with a service dog this would not be okay. A service dog will eventually have to act as if the dog coming there way does not even exist.
In Oliver's case this has been a true effort. Oliver is a true lover of dogs and people. It has been a struggle to keep him in check instead of pulling at the leash when he sees another dog. Patience!

Oliver's First Outing

At a very young age puppies are taken out in the public to safe places. It is best not to take puppies to places where other dogs have been like pet food stores until the dog is about 4 months old and has had it's 2nd series of shots. In these pictures Oliver was taken to BY THE YARD, in Shakopee, MN to meet new people and have the experience of a new safe place.

By the time Oliver was 4 months old he was well on his way with the first steps of training. With a service dog you rarely want to say NO.
If they have taken something that does not belong to them or is not something you want them to have you try to stay calm and gently ask them to come and quickly replace it with something that is theirs or a treat. The trainer always has to remember that the one item they do not want the dog to have may very well be one of the items that the forever person they end up with will need them to retrieve.

In the Beginning

Oliver was born on a farm in MN to a golden retriever sire and a black lab dam. At 9 weeks of age American Assistance Dogs received him as a trainee for there program.
In the beginning the trainer works on the usual things such as house breaking, being aware of what the pup is chewing on and good behavior with the family.
In Oliver's case he had to overcome the urge to chew on the legs of the kitchen table not to run away with balls of yarn. This was very time consuming on the part of the trainer but with patience and replacing the item he had stolen with a treat or chew toy paid off.