Getting Gamma
One of the primary reasons behind completing my Pro Dog Training was the dream I’ve had for years to acquire and train a therapy dog to take into schools and assisted living facilities. I had been keeping my eyes open (and alerts) on several local and regional shelters and rescues, but locating a non-shedding breed like a Standard Poodle, was proving to be tough. Finding a responsible breeder working on lines for therapy and service dogs became a side-hobby.
During the summer of 2020 I began my search and came across Karen Winters with Winters Wind Poodles. After completing my application and several phone calls, I was on a list. A year later as the date of the litter approached, my nerves kicked in, and I opted out, waiting possibly for an adult re-home or future breeding. I was so sad. The idea of starting training was literally getting me through the “long winter” of COVID. But summer came and I started my PDT training. So later in the fall of 2021, when Karen called to say there was a last minute opening on a pairing that resulted in a litter with everything I was looking for, I didn’t hesitate this time.
I tend to subscribe to the opinion that if you’re working with a responsible breeder who really knows what they are doing, through conversations and your application, they will do the best job of picking your puppy. I know there are differing opinions here, but think about who spends the first 8-10 weeks of time with puppy, and who also knows the dam and potentially even the sire better than you ever will. Puppies were tested at 7 weeks and Gamma was chosen for me. He AKC name is Winterswind Across the Universe, which is a nod to The Beatles song.
Three weeks later I made the long drive from Northern Wisconsin to Prophetstown, Illinois, where Karen is located. I was doing the drive solo, so had two different crates, frozen Kongs, chews and a bag of cleaning supplies in case he got sick. I was much more worried about a carsick puppy than any noises he might make. Turns out he did fabulously on the 9+ hour trip. We stopped multiple times, but most of trip he slept quietly in his crate behind my seat.
The first few days home were another story. Gamma (whom we also call Bernie). I was prepared with multiple crates, pens, and had even taken a few days off work, but he just wanted to be by my side all the time. As soon as I left the room, he’d start crying and barking in his pen, even if my husband or children were right there. He wouldn’t eat or drink, high value treats had zero effect and he wouldn’t fall asleep. Independence and presence doesn’t mean access were areas we needed to focus on right away.
Here were some of the strategies I implemented:
Micro-shaping sessions with me sitting on one side of the pen, him lying on the other side. Rewarding for calm with some of his food or a long-lasting chew (frozen Kongs were too tough, we did more smoked pig ears, dried fish skins, bully sticks, lickimats)
Scatter feeding breakfast and dinner in the pen area and crate.
Boundary training using the pen and crate as the boundary.
Ditch the routine/ditch the crate — sometimes, I’d throw a piece of food in the crate and leave the door open. Sometimes I would shut it. I made a point not to always put him in at the same time of the day and was mindful of any predictors he could pick up on. Remember, he is a Standard Poodle. Suuuuuuper smart.
Tons of purposeless movement. I’d wait until he was calm, and then stand up, and sit back down. Or if he was calm in the pen in my office, I’d stand up from my chair, sit back down, maybe walk a few steps towards the door, but then turn around. Phone calls were a great opportunity to pace. Adding opening and closing the door without going out was next. Slowly and surely he’s better about not having visual access to me. Some of which is a by-product of him getting older, but a lot of which has been through teaching him my movements are not a predictor of anything. Essentially, they are none of his business. A non-event.
Gamma’s strongest concepts are:
Proximity — he sees huge value in being close, even outside and with distractions. He wears a harness and longline most times we are outside on our property and is rewarded for check-ins. We integrate games like middle, leg weaves and OK, Go into most walks. I am anticipating some of this may change as he nears an enters adolescence, so we will adjust as needed.
Disengagement — even for a puppy, I am amazed at his ability to disengage from high-reward experiences like the cats or my 7 year-old. I started on Day 1 with Ditch the Bowl and powering up a strong attention noise. It has paid off multiple times already. Again, this could change during adolescence but there are games we can play that will help if that’s the case.
Calm — we have a relatively small house for all the “life” (as my husband says) living within the 4 walls so I do not allow chasing, zoomies or rough play between the dogs. This has taken a ton of management and gated communities (read more about why I swear by puppy pens and crates here) but it’s already starting to pay off. He has a decent dimmer switch, too. He can go from high arousal to lower arousal when asked, but this is something we work on every day when presented with an opportunity to do aeroplane feeding or mouse game on a boundary. It also helps with tolerance of frustration, which is a concept area weak for many puppies, including Gamma.
What we are working on:
Tolerance of Frustration and Impulse Control — can he see something he wants and remain calm and focused on me if asked?
Independence and crate training — I am lucky I work from home and can also take him in the car if I need to run errands. He does great in his kennel in that space, interestingly enough, but then again, he’s never had “access” to me in the car before. He’s always been in a crate in the back. We are starting to work on time in the crate with the door closed.
Optimism and Confidence — I’ve noticed that some new things scare him, even at a distance, and when we play cardboard chaos or noise box, he is more timid. I’m OK with this right now, but it’s something we are working on. I tend to have kibble in my pocket at all times in case there is an opportunity to pair a novel sight or sound with a positive outcome. We have resisted the urge to have too many puppy playdates. He has been exposed to a few adult dogs and has our older dog at home, though tends to do too much neck-biting and chasing when outside so as a result I don’t let them out at the same time very often.
I’m so excited to see how he continues to develop, grow and learn! Stay tuned for more or let us know in the comments if there’s anything you’d like us to expand on.
Some recent pics from Therapy Dog Training outings:
