October 8, 2007

Hi, everybody! Hudson here, in my second semester at CCI College. Parker is curious about Advanced Training, so I thought I'd take a few minutes away from my studies and tell him all about it.

I'm studying at the Dean, Gerda and Trixie Koontz Campus in Oceanside, Calif. It's a beautiful place, with trees, grass, flowers, and little meditation garden with a fountain. (That's where our class photo was taken.) The facility itself has a lobby and little gift shop, offices for the staff, training rooms, a grooming room (or as we call it, "the spa"), dorms for the people who come to Team Training (including laundry facilities, and a communal kitchen, dining room, and Great Room), and our kennels.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Ewww, kennels!" But our kennels aren't smelly and dark like the ones you might see at a substandard boarding facility. No, sir! Our kennels have skylights so they are light and bright. They are sparkly clean, with hammock beds, heated floors in the winter, and piped in classical music. I'm partial to Vivaldi. My rommate likes Bach. Neither of us likes opera.

Our daily schedule goes something like this:

*The kennel staff arrives early and lets us out into our outdoor kennel runs while they tidy our indoor kennels (did I mention the maid service here? Fabulous!)

*BREAKFAST! My favorite time of day.

*Jules comes to get me (and the rest of my classmates, her "string" of dogs) for training or exercise.

*More training or exercise.

*LUNCH! My favorite time of day.

*More training or exercise. Sometimes we have a "spa appointment" for a bath, brushing, ear cleaning, teeth brushing, and nail trimming.

*Back to our kennels for the night. Sometimes we play with our roommates or chew on Nylabones, but mostly we sleep so we're rested for the next day. We don't have homework, thankfully.

The trainers call our exercise periods "Community Run." We call it recess! We think it's all fun and games with our friends, but the trainers are actually teaching us yard manners, toy manners, and social skills. Think of it as Emily Post for the canine set.

Training is an all-day activity. Even if I'm just sitting quietly in a crate chewing on a Nylabone or tethered in the training room while Jules works with another dog, I'm working on my DOWN STAY. Some of my chattier classmates are working on QUIET, too. *snicker*

We might work in the training room on a specific command, or Jules might take me on a walk around campus, giving me lots of commands as we go along, just like a graduate might do in a real working day. Sometimes Jules sits in a wheelchair when we pratice my commands so that I learn how to position myself and not get my leash wound up in the wheels or a paw run over.

During the first semester the trainers keep the training sessions shorter because we are learning so many new things in a new environment. We love the CCI trainers because they ALWAYS want us to be successful, so they do everything they can to make sure we're not confused, stressed, or frustrated. Training sessions always end on a happy note, and we look forward to the next session.

Once we get to second semester, expectations are higher. The training sessions are longer with more distractions. We go on field trips, too. Last month I went to Costco, Hanalei School, and Legoland! We love field trips because we enjoy going out, and it's fun to pratice our commands in new places. At first the field trips are to quieter places like a small grocery store, but as time goes on the places are noisier and busier, like Legoland. Lots of distractions there, let me tell you! Whew!

When I went to Advanced Training I knew lots of commands, including HURRY, SIT, STAY, DOWN, ROLL, OFF, CAR, SIDE, HEEL, JUMP, LAP, VISIT, UNDER, LET'S GO, HERE, DRESS, BACK, TURN, BED, KENNEL, WAIT, SHAKE, and STAND. Jules worked with me to perfect these commands, especially my positioning. It's very important for us to be in exactly the right position to make it easier for our partners to work with us.

Since I've been at AT I've learned OUT, SPEAK, GET, HOLD, DROP, PUSH, TUG, LIGHT and SWITCH. I have worked really hard, and now I can do all of these commands the first time Jule asks, with no physical cues or treats. Aren't you amazed?

Jules says that one of the hardest things the trainers teach us is the retrieve command. You're probably thinking, "Heck, what's so hard about that? My dog can retrieve a tennis ball until the cats come home."

Tennis balls are one thing, but we have to retrieve and carry all kinds of things: shoes, clothes, laundry baskets, telephones, keys, handbags, briefcases, kids' toys, pens, shopping bags, books, credit cards, you name it. We can even get a soda from the fridge!

Marianne told me she once saw Lena, a Denver CCI service dog, pick up her graduate's eyeglasses and the theater ticket she'd dropped! WOW. Not only do we have to pick up and bring any item, but we can't chew or drool on it, which can be really difficult because we have to hold onto the item until we're given the command to DROP or GIVE.

What else can I tell you about Advanced Training? Oh yes, Bob just walked by and asked me to mention him. Bob is the campus cat. He's allowed to wander at will, so you never know where you might run into him. Sometimes he likes to hang out in the training rooms, and taunt us. Fortunately I like cats, and have no interest in chasing them, so Bob is not much of a distraction for me. Some of my classmates struggle with this, and the ones who can't stop thinking "MUST CHASE CAT!" are released from the program. It's considered very bad form indeed for a service dog to suddenly bolt after a cat or a squirrel.

Last, but most important at Advanced Training, is love. Our trainers, CCI staff, and all the volunteers love us, every bit as much as our puppy raisers and all the other people in our lives, and make sure we know it. Every training session ends with some individual play time and a cuddle on the floor.

So there you have it. Keep your paws crossed, because Jules told me that if I keep working really hard, I might go to Team Training next month, and get matched with my forever partner!

Chow for now,

Hudson (with thanks to CCI trainer Becky for help with this information!)

Questions or comments for Parker? Send them to Call7ForHelp@TheDenverChannel.com.

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence, or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to www.cci.org for details.