Dog Training Tips

Service dog is blessing for veteran

By Caitlin Bauer
Eagle Staff Writer

David Stemmerich’s dog Sarge is more than a faithful companion: He’s a lifeline.

After an appointment last week at VA Butler Healthcare, Stemmerich walked down the bustling hallway with is hand loosely wrapped around Sarge’s black nylon leash.

Ignoring all distraction, Sarge stayed close by with his gentle amber-colored eyes keeping watch over his master.

“Take a break,” Stemmerich said as they approached the elevator. Sarge rested patiently at his feet, looking up for the next command.

“He’s like one of my soldiers,” Stemmerich said, running his hand over Sarge’s glossy fur. “I helped train him, I put a lot or work into him and now it’s paying off.”

Sarge completed formal obedience training early in March with Freedom Guide Dogs to help Stemmerich cope with anxiety and reduce his isolation.

The retired Army staff sergeant, 28, completed two tours of duty in Iraq and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Sarge was the second dog trained by the organization to serve a veteran and the first family pet to do so.

“I think it’s life-changing,” Stemmerich said. “I’ve been a lot of places this week that I haven’t been to in a long time.”

Stemmerich Served in Iraq from March 2003 to August 2005, with a four-month break between tours in South Korea.

Post-traumatic stress disorder in an anxiety disorder that can occur after experiencing a traumatic or life threatening event, such as combat or military exposure. Symptoms include flashbacks, feeling numb or keyed up and avoiding situations that remind the person of the event, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Stemmerich and his wife Stephanie adopted Sarge, now 10 months old, in July.

The family knew there was something special about the dog when Sarge began waking Stemmerich up from nightmares, jumping on the bed and licking his face until he woke up.

“That was our first real sign that we should look into this,” said Stephanie, 27.

Now, the German shorthaired pointer is Stemmerich’s constant companion. In the community, Sarge is clearly at work, wearing a camouflage vest emblazoned with parches that distinguish him as a PTSD service dog.

Service dogs are not uncommon for patients like Stemmerich, but their case is unique because Sarge was already their family pet, Stephanie Stemmerich said.

Most agencies breed and train their own dogs before placing them with a client, she added.

“Normally, you would place a dog with a person and hope that bond would be created,” she said. “With David and Sarge, it was already there.”

Stemmerich took Sarge to Misty Pines in Sewickley for a few months’ worth of obedience classes before the trainer told him about Freedom Guide Dogs.

Founded in 1992, Freedom Guide Dogs has about 160 clients in the northeastern and southeastern United States.

The Cassville, N.Y., organization has focused on training guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired but hopes to expand its repertoire to serve veterans, said Nicole White, director of development.

“We have seen an increased need, specifically with veterans, so we’re trying to do more to accommodate that,” she said.

The Stemmerich’s completed an application and provided physician’s references as required for all clients, and the staff was moved by the family’s story, White said.

Although there are no set requirements for a case like theirs, the decision to take on Sarge was easy since he was already well-trained and socialized, White said.

The organization picked up Sarge, transported him to the New York facility for training and returned him to the Stemmerich’s home in Parker at no cost.

The training was not as extensive as a Seeing Eye dog’s, said Sharon Loori, Freedom Guide Dogs co-founder and trainer.

“He’s a post-traumatic stress dog; he’s not had the guide dog training,” Loori said. “What he does is give moral support to his handler so that he can be out in the community.”

Loori and her husband Eric helped socialize Sarge by taking him to public places and teaching him to react calmly and obey every command.

“It helps them to adapt, so instead of being worried or confused, the dog is able to maneuver different situations,” White said.

It sounds simple, but the training greatly benefits both the dog and their owners by reducing anxiety, White said.

Stemmerich often feels uncomfortable in public places, especially crowded areas, but Sarge helps put him at ease, Stephanie Stemmerich said.

“Instead of focusing on the crowds and the stress of being in public, he’s focused on Sarge,” she said.

At home, he’s a lovable family pet and behaves perfectly around their 3-year-old daughter, Adiah, Stephanie Stemmerich said.

Stemmerich’s situation might not be obvious to the casual observer, but the need is there, White said.

“Sarge is there as a security for him and gives him the independence that he otherwise wouldn’t have,” White said. “Although that’s something you can’t see, it’s truly a priceless gift.”

As we head into another year we take time to reflect on the past year and our accomplishments and failures and think on how we can turn those failures into triumphs and build on previous accomplishments to garner even more success. Let’s have a look at five (5) training philosophies that we can adopt to become not only better trainers, but better people in general.

Patient

• “Dogs aren’t mind readers and they need repetition to learn.”

  Just because they can down stay for 15 seconds today with no distractions doesn’t mean that they’ll be able to repeat that behavior tomorrow under the same circumstances. These behaviors and obediences need to be done over and over again before they become reliable. We would do well to keep this in mind with our friends, family and co-workers as well. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if we all had a little more patience.

Persistent

• “Don’t give up and don’t give in! Be a good leader; set a good example.”

  This all about a battle of the wills. If your dog barks and barks and barks and you let her out of the crate, she won and now knows that you will let her out if she keeps barking. This is also why it is so important to never let the dog get a gentle leader off. If they can do it once they will figure that they can do it again. Set the example and remain…

Consistent

• “Be fair; you can’t sometimes correct and other times reward.”

  “No Jumping” means “No Jumping Ever Unless I Tell You Otherwise,” not “No Jumping Except When I Come Through The Door Or When I Have A Treat In My Hand Or When I Pick You Up From Daycare Or When I Pick You Up From Boarding Or When…” It doesn’t work like that. If you want the dog to jump sometimes, have a jump command and vary when you do it so it doesn’t become routine.

  The point being that you must be consistent in your corrections and rewards. If hopping up on the couch is wrong now, it is wrong always. It is too often that we teach our dogs that there are ways around our rules and then punish them for pushing them for merely being confused.

Realistic

• “Set goals that are reasonable. Don’t expect too much too soon.”

  “Hi. I have a 9 week old puppy and I want her to be a Therapy Dog, but she is just running all over the house, she chews my slippers and is still having accidents in the house. Plus she’s play-biting really hard.” Congratulations, you have a puppy! Seriously though, we get calls like that all the time.

  Let’s be realistic for a minute. A dogs maturity is equivalent to one human year per month old…approximately. This means that your 9 week old puppy is equivalent to a 2 year old toddler. Can a 2 year old be expected to behave at all times and be a perfectly obedient angel? Of course not. What a silly question. Why then are we looking for these animals to out perform humans? Let’s keep our expectations grounded and we’ll all be fine.
  

Considerate

• “Your dog loves you no matter what; try to reciprocate. Consider how much your dog does for you that goes un-noticed”

  This is perhaps that hardest behavior for humans to exhibit. To accomplish this we must look at the situation from all angles, then remove ourselves from the situation and look at it yet again. When we have as good of a grip on the situation that we can get, we still must check again to be sure that we haven’t forgotten anything.

  So before you punish your dog for eating poop, try to remember that it’s your fault the dog ate poop in the first place. That’s right. You could’ve take the dog out on a leash instead of waiting inside the house cause “it’s too cold to go out there.” And you know what else? The dog did one little thing that you didn’t like, but it probably spent the rest of the day making you happy. It’s crazy the level of obedience that we require from our dogs when we could never maintain that level of obedience ourselves. If someone came along and put all the restrictions on us that we put on our dogs and then told us that if we didn’t sit when they said sit or lie down when they told us to that we would be punished, we would probably call it slavery.

  Show your dog some consideration. Give them a little extra freedom tonight. And give them a dang hot dog. They probably earned it!

Keeping with the spirit of New Years I decided I would weigh in with my list of things that you need for the upcoming year.

A 6 ft. Leash

• I still see a lot of you with these Flexi-Leashes, you know, the retractable ones. They’re not good. Not good for training, not good for walking your dog, not good for doing dishes…they’re just not good for anything! The dogs ability to pull on the leash and keep going gives your dog the impression that by pulling, it can go wherever it wants and because of the constant pressure, your leash signals become less and less meaningful to your dog. A good 6 ft. leash doesn’t promote pulling and will help you maintain a close proximity to your dog where it is easier to control him/her in any given situation.

Nature’s Variety

• Every year we hear about people making resolutions to go on a diet or exercise or just to lose weight in general, and these are good resolutions that I would never say a bad word about. Let’s get our dogs in shape this year! Start by adjusting their diet from McDonalds to Home-Cookin’. It’s time to make that switch from Beneful, Iams or Eukanuba to Nature’s Variety and see the difference in your dog. A fresh batch of samples will be in sometime in January, so keep checking in the office and try a small bag on the house. If your pup finds it palatable, grab a 7lb bag and watch the transformation take place! (You’ll be calling him an Autobot in no time, well maybe a Decepticon, but you get the point)

Muck Boots

• These things rule! When we first got them in I thought, “There’s no way I’m paying that for some rubber boots.” Then one day last winter I forgot to bring my winter boots and I had to shovel snow in my shoes, so Jeff let me borrow his Mucks for the day. It wasn’t lunch time before I took the plunge and bought my own pair of Edgewaters, and I haven’t got out of the pool yet! I wear them at work, at home, hunting, fishing, to walk the dog and any other time I want to make sure my feet stay warm and dry. This is one purchase that I will NEVER regret!

A (Dog) Vest

• Anyone know the number one way to keep your hands and feet warm? Yes…you in the back row there. *listens* No, I’m sorry. Sticking them in between your legs is a great way to warm them up, but not the best way. Actually the best way is to keep your core warm. If you keep your core body temperature at or above 98.6 then any excess heat gets pumped out to your extremities. Focus on your chest and overall trunk area and you’ll be warm as a cinnamon roll! Same goes for dogs, so be sure to stop in and see our selection of human and dog vests and you can both fight the winter and early spring chill in style.

How ’bout one more can’t live without item for 2010…

A Kong

• I know what you’re thinking and your wrong. I didn’t say Kong just because I couldn’t think of anything else, I truly love Kongs. Cammie’s Kong is the most used and abused toy we have have and not only has it stood up to her 2 hour lick sessions, it has also stood up to my wailing it down the hillside off of the front deck and bouncing it off of trees. You absolutely CANNOT go wrong with a Kong. And if you tell me that your dog doesn’t like it, well, that’s your fault. Go to their web site and learn to pack that thing like a pro and your dog will head to the courthouse for a marriage license. “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Cammie and Her Kong in Holy Matressmoney…” Trust me.

Amen.

Dogs need consistent training, exercise, and stimulation in their lives. Resolve to do more with your dog in 2010!

Exercise

• Almost 50% of dogs are overweight. We are introducing a new class at Misty Pines called Fit as Fido. This class will help both of you get into shape or just get out of the house this winter. The class is similar to our regular dog training class, but will incorporate continuous movement for humans. Our first class will be held Saturday, January 16 at 1:00 pm.

Nutrition

• Have you read the ingredients on your dog food bag? Do you really know what is in your dogs food? If not, stop in and grab a sample of one of our high quality dog foods available in our retail shop. Don’t forget to pick up our article about pet food ingredients and what to avoid. We currently stock Natures Variety dog food and Chicken Soup for The Pet Lovers Soul dog foods. Natures Variety also has RAW food which we also have available. Supplements such as Grizzly Salmon Oil, Prozyme, Glycoflex, and a mulitvitamin are also recommended to add to your dogs diet.

Socialization

• Our Doggie Daycare will offer your dog an opportunity to develop and instill great social skills, build confidence and tolerances, and give your dog a wonderful outlet to exercise and interaction with other dogs. Another option is to utilize our Dog Park. Misty Pines is sitting on 30 acres of wooded property with hiking trails, a fenced in area to run off leash, and a dog pond with a diving dock for your dog to swim in.

Community Service

• Dogs love helping others! Certify your dog as a Therapy Dog and visit nursing homes and hospitals. Get involved in our training classes which will help you teach your dog the skills needed to fulfill the requirements. We hold the Therapy Dog test here at Misty Pines several times during the year. Stop in and ask for the list of requirements to pass the test.

It is common this particular time of the year for us manly men to soften a little and start to take note of our women’s wants and needs and do our best to pamper our female counterparts and shower them with gifts and affection. Well, either that or face the rest of the year with the lovely Missus mysteriously burning only your portion of dinner. And it’s on the topic of cooking that I’m moving towards.

One sure fire way to make Missus happy is to cook her a dinner of all of her favorite foods. Main course, side dish, possible breads and jams, veggies and the all important dessert. Get this one right and you could be sittin pretty for a whole 11 months till it’s time to do it again. Ahh, but how to get it right? That is the eternal question. The answer of course is to rely on the recipe that she likes the most and follow it unerringly, for only by recreating the dish to perfection will you earn her praise. In this you can obviously see how it is similar to dog training! Let me show you what I mean by giving you the “Recipe for a Good Dog Trainer” and we’ll see if by following it unerringly you can whip up a well behaved dog.

1. Recognize your dog’s breed type and observe his personality for a good understanding of his in-born traits and characteristics. Lead, teach, and train accordingly.


2. Command-Don’t nag! Give a command in a normal tone of voice and Say it once. Repeating a command and shouting causes excitability.


3. Motivate-Don’t intimidate! Reward your dog with treats, toys and touch. Be creative with play and use games, tricks and obstacles to keep your dog’s confidence and enthusiasm up! Use words such as Nice, Great Job, Excellent, Fantastic, as well as Good Dog to praise your dog.


4. Use Variable reinforcement. By rewarding Scruffy randomly you keep his motivation high! Become a slot machine in your dog’s eyes.


5. Anticipate your dog’s behavior. Rather than correcting and punishing your dog, teach and train the dog to a situation before the misbehavior occurs. Training and correcting are two different items on the menu!


6. Climb the ladder one step at a time. Don’t try to accomplish too much too soon. Gradually increase the variables of training: distance, distraction, duration and location.


7. Be patient, consistent and persistent. Develop good habits through conditioning and repetition.


8. Integrate training into your everyday life with short 10-minute sessions and everyday situations. Reward with ultimate life rewards such as feeding, retrieving or taking a walk.


9. Use the proper training wheels (leashes and collars) and the right lures and rewards to direct and shape your dog’s behavior. Remember that shaping a behavior for the first time or two may be difficult. Once shaped and reinforced, the behavior becomes easier for your dog to perform.


10. Enjoy training. Build a strong rapport with your friend, your dog. If you become frustrated or angry, stop training and take a break until you get your recipe back in order.

We suggest that you post this list on your refrigerator and ask everyone in your household to become familiar with it. Review it often to keep these important concepts in your mind during training.

Happy Training!

The Misty Pines Staff