Service Dog Coaching: A Guide for Pet Dog Trainers, by Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative
Paws Service Dog Education (Dogwise, 2019,104 pages, $19.95)
Author Veronica Sanchez
reminds me of a professor I had for Plant Genetics in graduate school: every
sentence she writes is worthy of being highlighted! Perhaps it is her
background in education that is revealed in her calm, positive-reinforcement
nature and in the precise and natural organization of Service Dog Coaching.
Sanchez is the go-to person
for pet dog trainers who want to become service dog trainers; she created
the Service Dog Education program
and has presented on the subject for APDT, lAABC, and PPG* as well as for Dog
Bite Prevention Week.
Is April too Early to Select the Book of the Year for
2019?
About 10 years ago, the
‘sexy’ topic in dog behavior and training was aggression, followed in time by
puppyhood, tricks and genetics, and now service dogs (with therapy dogs and
emotional support dogs), perhaps as a result of the increasing need of
veterans.
In more than 15 years of
reviewing (mostly) dog books, only three times has DogEvals suggested a title be
nominated for the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) annual
writing competition: Puppy Culture (and all the wonderful Puppy Culture products) which won in 2015, The Teaching
Dog (a finalist in 2018) and
now, Service Dog
Coaching.
From Start to Finish, The Steps
Sanchez compares and
contrasts the owner-trained, trainer-coached service dog process to obtaining
an SD from an organization (for-profit or non-profit) in terms of cost and time
to train (some tasks can’t be hurried), waiting lists, tasks required, etc. She
even includes a (two-year) training plan.
All in one easy-to-read
book.
Written with the experienced
dog trainer in mind, this coaching book is for trainers who use positive
reinforcement for the strongest partnership bond and most reliable results.
Sanchez includes the reasons for the trainer to fully understand the handler’s
condition, and to know local, state, and federal laws, as well as contracts and
other paperwork needed.
It is the rare dog, indeed,
who has what it takes to become an SD but there are many varied ways in which a
dog can assist people with different requirements. However, an SD is not the
right solution for everyone. What does one look for in a prospective SD and
what if the dog turns out to be “not a good candidate” for public access, for
example? Chapter 6 can help.
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| Public Access |
Basically a dog is
socialized as a puppy (and the socialization is maintained), passes basic
training courses and perhaps the CGC** levels, and is then trained in specific
SD tasks and public access (perhaps the most challenging part) as part of a
team – all in about a two-year period. Finally, this training is reviewed
and maintained as often as needed to keep the team sharp and working in unison.
Generally an SD may be taught
targeting, retrieving/fetching,
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| Ready to go Shopping |
pushing/pulling
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| Pulling Open the Fridge |
Part of a Team, A Partnership
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| Perfect Partnership |
Sanchez has written a
delightfully inspiring yet detailed book about the rewarding process of
coaching an owner-trainer and their service dog. If such training is not right
for you right now, Service Dog Coaching will
be ready when you are. In the meantime, reading it will make you a more well-rounded
dog trainer – and a better person!
*The Association of
Professional Dog Trainers, the International Association of Animal Behavior
Consultants, the Pet Professional Guild
**The AKC’s CGC: American
Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen levels
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| That's All, Folks! |
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