Ever wondered what it takes to make a service dog? Me, too, so last week Danger and I enrolled with Santa Fe’s Assistance Dogs of the West to find out. Over the next nine months, Danger will learn the 90 or so commands that service dogs need to know,* and I’ll learn how to train them. There are many types of assistance dogs–guide dogs for the blind, service dogs for people with disabilities, seizure alert dogs, diabetic-shock-detection dogs, and probably a few others I haven’t heard of. With Danger, we’ll be working on service dog skills like turning on lights and hitting the crosswalk button with his nose. Until now, Danger’s training has been geared toward field handling, bringing out his natural canine abilities like retrieving and game-finding and taking directional hand signals from a distance. This new training will be all about teaching him to perform precise problem-solving tasks and reinforcing manners and a calm temperament.

That brings me to the overarching point of this exercise: Every kept dog is a service animal in some capacity, even if that service is just providing a furry armrest while you sit on the couch and watch The Wire. OK, that’s a pretty weak example, but the point is that learning to live and interact with your dog is good for both of you. Dogs love structure and are generally happiest when they’re working. And the resulting well-trained dogs are more fun to be around and less likely to cause their owners headaches, especially in public. Follow along with us and do try this at home. Most of all, don’t let your dog become unemployed.

Now, onto the training: We’ll be working with ADW trainer Sue Barns, who’s variously trained field dogs, search-and-rescue dogs, and assistance dogs. We’ll also be using the popular clicker method; it works like this: You’ve got a little clicker box–all it does is make a clicking sound when you push the button–which is used at the precise moment the dog completes a task and is then followed by a treat. Click–>treat, click–>treat, click–>treat, and soon enough the dog knows that the clicking sound means he’s done good and a treat is coming. Yeah, it’s that simple. But it’s not necessarily easy. The click has to come at the exact moment of the desired behavior occurs and only when he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to be doing. Click for a half sit and that’s what you’re teaching, even if you mean for his butt to hit the floor.

The Exercise: Eye Contact
The Workout: 10 reps, three times per day
To get started, Sue had us work on eye contact. I’d always thought a dog’s willingness to make eye contact was genetic, but it turns out you can train it. Assuming your dog can sit, have him sit. Now, say his name and wait for him to look you in the eye. Most likely he’ll look at your hand if there’s a treat in it, or maybe at your treat bag. Just be patient. Put your treat hand behind your back if it’s too big a distraction. At the moment he locks eyes with you, click–> treat. As he gets more fluent with the behavior, stop saying his name and just click every time he makes eye contact.

This is one of those things that’s making me slap my forehead now for not training it earlier. If you can train your dog to focus on you, training every other behavior gets easier. If his attention is wandering, everything else will be a struggle.
*To answer three common questions of late: No, I won’t be giving him up afterwards. No, he won’t become a certified service dog with a vest and an ID. Which means that, No, I won’t be donning Blue Blockers and trying to get him on planes or added to my dinner reservations.