All the little details (or most of them, anyway)

Tag has always had other dogs or children to play with, so I suspect he might require a little bit more attention the first few days.  Generally, Tag will rest his head on your knee or, if you're sleeping, nuzzle your hand to wake you up if he decides it is time for interaction.  If you respond to either of these maneuvers, plan on actually getting up and playing for a few minutes or finding a toy that will divert his follies.  Don't ever hesitate to just put him in his crate.  It is your world and he will need to adjust to a new schedule and rhythm without imposing on either of you.

I suspect some of Tag's new experiences will include swimming (maybe in the ocean!)  He enjoys the water and loved playing in a baby pool when he was younger.  No doubt, a few rounds of fetch on the beach should do the trick.

Tag has a few toys that he prefers and we'll make sure that you have them.  He really enjoys playing fetch, seems satisfied to chew bones and will play tugs for a short time.  Tag tends to stick to using his toys only, although he's been known to sneak in a few socks here and there.  We have not had any problems with his chewing anything he shouldn't chew.   You will have a great time playing with the Nina Ottoson toys that Tag has never had a chance to use.  Each toy encourages the dog to develop the underlying  skills necessary for service work.  Tag will learn to use his front teeth to pick small things up, use his paws to manipulate an object to another position and his nose to move things from side to side.  Each toy delivers a treat when the dog has correctly performed the task.  

Tag eats twice a day and has developed the ability to inhale food.   Quite literally.  I think he actually got a piece in his lung once.  To prevent this from happening again, please feed him from the large bowl provided, or use the Canine Genius toys (which he absolutely loves, but can be a bit hard to load with food when you aren't completely conscious.)  We were lucky to receive donated food from Happy Trails and you'll be loaded down with the likes of 100 pounds of Merrick's Campfire Trout before leaving St. Louis.  Most dogs only dream of eating that well.

We hope you're enjoying St. Louis!

Thank you for including Tag in your travels!

On behalf of Paws & Effect's Board of Directors, please accept our sincere appreciation for your willingness to further Tag's training and experiences as you travel. We hope you enjoy having Tag in your care; the time, patience and effort you invest will significantly impact somebody's life.

Tag has some very unique skills and the following information will help you recognize when he is using those skills instead of playing around.

1. Step backwards: it is important that he step backwards exactly three steps to be rewarded. Anything less or more is inaccurate. Tag learned this skill when he was nine weeks old and is quite adept; he will at times see if he can get away with either two or four steps. On these occasions, you may turn away from him for two or three seconds.

2. Place paw on a location: for now, that location is a blue dot from the game Twister. He very deliberately places his paw on the dot and looks up for a reward. Because his growth plates have not closed, I would prefer he continue to perform this task purposefully, without too much exuberance. Should he become too excited, either stop the training session or use a treat that is not as valuable.

3. Hold an item in his mouth: his willingness to hold an item is improving daily. He will accept an item that you hand to him, but may not always hold it for two or three seconds. If he takes an item from you and immediately lets it drop, use the same item and hold it while he tugs it from your hands. If he tugs hard (demonstrating that his mouth is firmly on the object) you may reward him. He will increasingly understand that you desire to have him hold an object over longer periods of time.

For now, none of these behaviors is on cue. During any given training session, Tag will "scroll" through a series of behaviors, sometimes in random order and sometimes, nearly scripted. When this happens, select one behavior from the above list and reinforce that behavior only. He will develop a rhythm in which he delivers the behavior, you will click and treat, and he will immediately deliver the behavior. When this happens, you will be ready to put the behavior on cue, which we can discuss in another post.

Tag has some very basic behaviors that include:

1. Sit

2. Down

3. Spin

4. Pressure On

5. Pressure Off

6. Go to place

7. Free

8. Load

9. Wait

10. Controlled Treat

11. Crate (door open)

12. Eliminate on concrete

13. Lean

14. Chin

15. Recall

16. Hand target

17. Tunnel

18. Frame

19. Jump (no more than 6")

(I'm sure there are a few more and I will make sure I modify this list over the course of the week.)

Almost all of his cues are hand signals. The only exceptions are his name and releaser. It is important that you continue to use the hand cues he has associated with a skill instead of adding a verbal cue. For the most part, your training sessions should be silent (except for the clicking sound.)

Thank you both, again, for helping Tag achieve service dog status, N.