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  • The service dogs in training

  • are gearing up for a big day.

  • For any student, some of the best days of school

  • are days like today, field trip day.

  • Even though field trips mean a day of

  • new sites, sounds, and smells,

  • these puppies are going to have to stay focused

  • if they have any hope of passing Puppy Prep.

  • (upbeat instrumental music)

  • The dogs are loaded into the van

  • and driven to today's field trip location,

  • (chickens crowing)

  • Rooster Creek Park.

  • For all the puppies, it's an exciting day,

  • ^but for Kaya especially, the pressure is on.

  • Today is her first field trip at Doggy Do-Good,

  • the first time the trainers will

  • get to see how she does in public.

  • If she or any of the other dogs become

  • too distracted while off campus,

  • they could fail out of service dog school.

  • Rooster Creek Park is a park in downtown Arroyo Grande

  • with a bunch of frickin' roosters running around.

  • The ample opportunity for distraction

  • provides a great test for the dog's focus,

  • a test they must pass.

  • Since trainers Paul and Karen can

  • only work with one dog at a time,

  • they find a shady spot to put the dogs into a down stay.

  • The dogs can only get up after they hear

  • their name and the word "release".

  • This is one of the most basic but crucial

  • commands for the pups to master,

  • and doing so on a field trip is good practice.

  • When they train at Doggy Do-Good,

  • the puppies wear only bandanas.

  • During fields trips, however, they wear their working vests.

  • The Do Not Pet vests help the dogs maintain focus.

  • Owners who suffer from PTSD, seizures, diabetes

  • and other issues could need help at a moment's notice.

  • If someone is distracting their dog by petting them,

  • the owner could fall into serious distress.

  • Heck, even the undeniable Mr. Pip has a tiny vest.

  • Don't worry, the dogs get plenty of pets,

  • but when they're wearing their vests,

  • they need to focus.

  • ^So far, Kaya seems to be doing well on her first day out.

  • Down stay is her specialty but her trainers

  • do not know she's been exposed to so many chickens.

  • Apart from all the chickens, and again,

  • there are so many chickens, Rooster Creek also

  • features an old-fashioned swinging bridge.

  • The pups need to be comfortable

  • walking across all kinds of surfaces,

  • so the bridge is a great test of their focus.

  • ^First one up is the veteran Deacon.

  • At almost two years old Deacon is

  • mere weeks away from graduation.

  • By now, you've no doubt noticed Deacon's harness.

  • You're polite to ignore it but it's fine, you can stare.

  • Deacon is a stability dog.

  • One of his special commands is "steady".

  • When Deacon hears this, he tenses up so his

  • humans can use him for balance.

  • Even on stairs, Deacon needs to be able

  • to provide additional stability.

  • Deacon is also a retrieval dog.

  • He loves holding things in his mouth

  • and can carry light bags for his owner.

  • If someone drops something, Deacon loses his mind

  • with excitement at the chance to pick it up.

  • Keys, a wallet, even a spoon.

  • I mean, I think even a spoon.

  • Well, would you look at that.

  • He actually used his paw to get the spoon.

  • This is one puppy who really wants to pass.

  • ^It's Kaya and her brother Luke's turn with the trainers

  • as owner Sandy watches the dogs in down stay.

  • So far, the golden retrievers seem

  • only slightly curious about the roosters.

  • This is a good sign.

  • They're not scared but not aggressive

  • towards the birds either.

  • Still, they need to maintain laser focus

  • to work on their commands.

  • ^While Deacon's specialties were "steady" and "get it",

  • Luke is learning "alert".

  • The golden is trained to get his owner's attention

  • when he hears an alarm go off.

  • This could be a reminder to take medicine

  • or a malfunctioning insulin pump.

  • Also, if an owner is prone to anxiety or PTSD attacks,

  • Luke is being trained to act as a smokescreen of sorts.

  • When Karen taps her thigh, Luke will jump up

  • and start nipping, becoming a general distraction.

  • This allows the owner to excuse themselves to,

  • quote, go and deal with their dog,

  • extricating themselves from the problematic situation.

  • Kaya hasn't been working with the trainers

  • long enough to have any special work-ons.

  • Everyone's just pleased that she seems to be

  • handling her first field trip beautifully.

  • With the day at Rooster Creek Park done,

  • it's time for the pups to go home.

  • Some of the animals stay at Doggy Do-Good,

  • while others go home with employees.

  • Two puppies that go to trainer homes at night

  • ^are Benelli and her best friend Kleo.

  • They began the program at the same time

  • and though they look like siblings,

  • they aren't related.

  • Kleo goes home with volunteer Christina.

  • Even though she wasn't on the field trip,

  • Kleo still had a big day of training

  • back at Doggy Do-Good.

  • Now it's time for her to just be a puppy.

  • While Christina won't make Kleo go through drills,

  • she still needs to make sure Kleo is obeying

  • the basics of being a civilized pup.

  • If Kleo chews on something or has a potty accident,

  • Christina has to stop what she's doing and handle it.

  • Kleo can get shy, especially around loud noises,

  • but this isn't the time to work on that.

  • Kleo can relax and worry about her training tomorrow.

  • Speaking of tomorrow, that's what time it is now,

  • and what luck, it's time for another field trip.

  • Because all the dogs did so well with all those

  • dang roosters running around Rooster Creek,

  • it's time to see how they'll do with

  • other animals at Avila Valley Barns.

  • The first priority for every puppy on any field trip

  • is to taste the local flavor of grass.

  • As well trained as these pups are,

  • ^there are some things they just need to grow out of.

  • ^Once again, Deacon is the first to work.

  • The trainer applies occasional pressure on Deacon's harness

  • to make sure he's always ready to stabilize someone.

  • The emu is only a temporary distraction and Deacon is

  • still able to retrieve items with it nearby.

  • Deacon recognizes even though it's a fun day at the farm,

  • he has a job to do.

  • ^Next to go on a lap around the farm is Benelli.

  • Things that didn't phase two-year-old Deacon could be

  • a major distraction for the six-month-old lab.

  • Whenever Benelli meets something new that could startle her,

  • the trainer feeds her a treat and pets her.

  • This boosts the young pup's confidence

  • and gets her to associate nervousness with treats.

  • These field trips are all about

  • positive reinforcement in unfamiliar situations,

  • such as the emu, which hasn't phased Benelli.

  • This cow is unphased and so is Benelli.

  • When a stranger approaches, however,

  • her body language changes.

  • She suddenly presses against trainer Paul,

  • a clear indication that her confidence

  • needs to be sharpened.

  • ^Back with the dogs in down stay,

  • ^the undeniable Mr. Pip is restless.

  • He is so attached to Doggy Do-Good owner Sandy

  • that while she's around he can barely focus.

  • Because the plan is for his future owner

  • to carry Mr. Pip most everywhere,

  • this is less of a problem than it

  • would be with the larger dogs.

  • At his size, he's much more vulnerable to the large animals.

  • Whoa, did you see that?

  • That frickin' goat just tried to tear Mr. Pip's head off!

  • Believe it or not, courage has been an issue

  • for the small Yorkshire terrier.

  • It's crucial he unlearn this behavior so he isn't

  • distracted when he's needed to leap into action.

  • For instance, when he needs to work on

  • his pressure therapy commands.

  • Mr. Pip is able to give hugs and kisses on command.

  • When he hears the command "happy",

  • Mr. Pip's job is to become a calming, happy presence.

  • This can soothe people with emotional issues

  • when a dose of puppy love is just what's needed.

  • Back with the dogs in down stay,

  • Deacon has discovered a way to cure his boredom

  • without getting into trouble.

  • He reaches his paw out to tempt a classmate,

  • that way he has a friend and hasn't broken his down stay.

  • Very tricky, Deacon, stop getting the puppy into trouble.

  • You're supposed to be a role model.

  • Now, it's Kaya's turn to tour the farm.

  • Like Menelli and Mr. Pip, she too needs

  • to work on her courage,

  • but it's a tough balance between becoming familiar

  • with new things and being distracted.

  • The pups need to be comfortable around everything,

  • but these goats are testing them.

  • The trainers are sure to praise Kaya up

  • when the stupid goats scare her.

  • This helps Kaya know she's alright.

  • Meanwhile, Mr. Pip has found a friend.

  • These pups spend most of their

  • schooling around the adult trainers,

  • but for dogs that are going to families with children,

  • it's important they get exposed to kids.

  • Children have a different energy

  • and way of interacting with animals.

  • For people-loving Kaya, it's no problem.

  • She has a blast as the children take her

  • through the claustrophobic hay maze.

  • Mr. Pip also is already a pro around kids,

  • a good sign for when he'll eventually

  • interact with children every day.

  • For some of the young pups, today is a day

  • of exploring not just the farm,

  • but also hidden talents.

  • Trainer Karen is testing Benelli's

  • knack for the command "get it".

  • Some day, she might be as good as Deacon.

  • Well, as good as Deacon sometimes is.

  • But for now, the trainers are curious to see

  • if it's something the pup would even like to do,

  • and it appears she would.

  • Benelli has much more enthusiasm for

  • the drill than Karen had even expected.

  • Benelli has a strong desire to please,

  • which is a key quality in service dogs.

  • Now, it's a matter of building her

  • confidence over the following months.

  • With the day drawing to a close,

  • there's still time for a quick class photo.

  • Today went well, but tomorrow will be

  • another day of unexpected challenges,

  • challenges that might be too much for one of the students.

  • Sleep tight, pups.

  • (upbeat instrumental music)

The service dogs in training

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