Puppies
How are service dogs first handled after birth?
Puppies are under 24 hour watch by volunteers until they are able to leave the house and go to the kennels. Once the puppies are 10 days old, they are each provided with goat's milk in a bottle or receive milk from their mothers as well.
Each puppy is weighed regularly and once they reach the point of eating solid food, the puppies are given their own dish for each meal. Spoon feeding is also used to learn names and manners. Food aggression is carefully monitored and not allowed.
Once they are able to conquer barriers taller than 12 inches, the puppies are kept in a heated puppy house with access to outdoor kennels. Soon they will have access to the wooded play areas. They are also introduced to the adult dogs where they can develop a relationship and be guided on how to behave as they grow. Most of the puppies' discipline comes from their mothers and other adult dogs.
As the puppies spend time engaged in outdoor activities, they are developing skills such as learning commands after their name is called. They are also trained to focus with distractions around them like squirrels or children. This is useful for their future once they begin their work and journey as service dogs.
Breeding Great Danes
Leash Training
Breeding Great Danes
Training for Balance
Before the dogs begin their balance training, they first must build those muscles! It’s important for the dogs to get plenty of outdoor exercise to ensure a healthy and sturdy body structure, so the dogs have free roam of the fenced 12-acres of wooded area to play to their hearts’ delight.
When official training begins, the dogs first learn how to properly walk in a harness, responding to pressure and commands reliably. Trainers march around the farm, teaching the dogs how to match their gate to the handler. Next the dogs learn how to stop and brace in the event of their handler losing their balance. Along with the basics, these dogs must learn body awareness techniques, like how to navigate through elevators and aisles as well as restaurant tables. The final test is concentration under stress. Dogs are expected to ignore distractions such as squirrels, food within reach, and other people.
The farm has a very high success rate; however, dogs that don’t meet the bar occasionally come along. But no worries! These “fabulous failures” as Carlene calls them are given to loving homes or volunteers.
Most importantly, these dogs never stop training. Training is an ongoing process that changes as a relationship develops, so even after the dogs are donated, they still return to the farm for assessments and further training.
Carlene on Training
Thoughts on Dominance
The Back Pocket Method
The Application Process
The Service Dog Project prides itself on providing service dogs free of charge to those in need. Before anyone can adopt a dog, though, they must first meet Carlene’s requirements.
Applicants must fill out a questionnaire to be mailed to the farm for consideration with lifestyle questions such as “Do you work? If so what is the environment like? Do you have a handicap plate? Do you drive?” Along with this questionnaire, Carlene presents applicants with a list of guidelines to consider. Recipients must be solely responsible for their dog and its care 100% of the time. They should be utilizing the dog in public for 3-4 hours a day. They must be between the ages of 12 and 75. In most cases, they should live within reachable proximity in order to return for assessments and ongoing training.
If the applicant meets all these requirements, they are asked for an in-person interview at the farm. If there is a good match available, the dog is paired with the applicant to learn individualized tasks such as working around crutches or opening doors. However, the farm does not guarantee that there will immediately be the right match. Great Danes, while sturdy and dependable, also have big personalities, and it can take time to find the right match. The farm encourages applicants to volunteer at the farm during their time on the waiting list to test out a connection with multiple dogs.
After a match is made, the applicant and their new canine partner are still required to return to the farm to further their bond and training. Though a dog may leave the farm, SDP does not leave the dog. As the dogs’ welfare is SDP’s highest priority, they require all medical records to be sent to the farm for records.
Recipient Requirements
