I thought I’d expand a little bit on my last post. In it, I mentioned that the Tiers plan is open to changes, especially as Mom gets to know me better and understands what kinds of tasks are easier or harder for me to learn. She is already considering moving Tier III earlier since I enjoy sitting in laps and fetching objects, both of which can easily be modified to some of the disability-mitigating tasks, especially since the sooner I can help her lead a more normal life despite her daily challenges, the better. It would make me super happy if Tier III were moved sooner, because then I could be recognized as a Service Dog under the ADA sooner! Granted, I still would undergo the training for two reasons:
1.
It’s the right thing to do. A Service Dog should be properly
trained. It’s a privilege to be able to
go places with my Mom, and I want to respect that. There is such a problem with fake Service
Dogs that owner-trained teams can be hassled because of “lack of proof”—Service
Dogs need no identification or certification, but scam companies will sell such
things to the general public so that anyone, for a given price, can make their
pet dog look like a “legitimate” Service Dog.
Therefore, good training—and the documentation to prove that training,
like a videoed copy of a PAT—can make the difference in ease of accessibility.
2.
I think it will benefit Mom to go through the
motions of training. I have yet to meet
her and understand the extent of her challenges, but from what I can gather, I
think it would be good for her to have a goal to work towards. I think it will give her a sense of purpose.
All that being said, I thought I might expand upon the three
Tiers, so that anyone planning to train their own Service Dog can have a
starting point from which to build their own training program. I’ll list all the commands that fall under
the three Tiers and will sometimes provide a brief explanation if the
associated action is not terribly clear.
As I go through the training myself, I’ll mention how the training of
some of these commands works. However,
if anyone wants to know how a specific command is taught, don’t hesitate to let
me know!
Here are the 42 commands I will learn:
TIER I:
1) My name—Kelsie Iris!
2) Get busy
(the “potty” command)
3)
Sit
4)
Stay
5)
Down
6)
Wait (before entrances/exits, before crossing
the street, before getting in/out of the car, etc.)
7)
Release (can shift positions, but not Free)
8) Let's (focused walking; loose Heel)
9)
Drop it (directly drop the item in my mouth)
10) Under
11) Here
(the recall command)
12) Stand
13) Heel
14) Kennel
up
15) Bedtime
(similar to Kennel up, but at night and possibly in Mom’s bed instead of in my
crate)
16) Watch
me (the focus command)
17) Leave
it
18) Gentle
(take a treat/toy gently)
19) Touch
(touch Mom’s hand with my nose)
20) Dress
(put my nose through my ESD or PSDiT vest)
21) On
duty (“working” mode; vest on)
22) Playtime
(“play” mode; vest off)
23) Walk on (usually used after Wait; a signal to continue on)
24) Undress
25) Free (completely free to move and play)
23) Walk on (usually used after Wait; a signal to continue on)
24) Undress
25) Free (completely free to move and play)
TIER II:
1)
Shake
2)
Car (get in the car and wait for Mom to buckle
my harness into the seatbelt)
3)
Side (go to Mom’s side)
4)
Jump (jump with all four paws onto a surface)
5)
Off (not
a correction: counteracts “Jump”)
6)
Hush
7)
Speak
8) Go through (go through a doorway, then turn and face
Mom and sit)
9)
Back (walk backwards)
10) Paws
up (put only my front paws up onto a surface)
11) Visit
(put my head in Mom’s lap)
12) Too
far (when off leash, I am outside Mom’s comfortable radius)
13) Give
(give an object in my mouth directly to Mom; compare to Drop it)
14) Settle
15) Take
it
16) Away
(step away from Mom)
17) Stay close (come into a radius closer to Mom)
18) Unload (from a car)
19) Get it
20) Starboard (in loose lead walking, walk on Mom's right)
21) Port (in loose lead walking, walk on Mom's left)
22) Out (exit the room)
17) Stay close (come into a radius closer to Mom)
18) Unload (from a car)
19) Get it
20) Starboard (in loose lead walking, walk on Mom's right)
21) Port (in loose lead walking, walk on Mom's left)
22) Out (exit the room)
TIER III:
1)
Ground me (Deep Pressure Therapy; I put as much
of my body as possible on Mom)
2) Texi (Block, "Covered, Protected" in Latin: become a barrier between people/the outside world and Mom)
3)
Push (nudge Mom’s leg until she stops
self-harming)
4)
Get my leash/brush (either when Mom asks or when
she’s depressed)
5) Press (twin sister of Ground me: if Mom is standing, I press against her)
6) Vade ("Walk, Hurry" in Latin: find an exit)
5) Press (twin sister of Ground me: if Mom is standing, I press against her)
6) Vade ("Walk, Hurry" in Latin: find an exit)
There might be more commands that Mom will add to the list
or she might even shift some commands around, but this is how the Tiers are for
now. Again, incorporated in all this
training is preparation for the CGC and PAT—since Mom might be moving the
disability-mitigating tasks sooner, the timing of these tests might change, but
I still plan on taking both at least twice each.
 |
| Courtesy of my wonderful foster mom! Look at my beautiful Sit! |
Kelsie Iris
PUPdated 5.24.15
PUPdated 5.24.15
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