Join our Dog Trainer Estella for a lesson in teaching your dog to sit in place outside! This session takes our previous video on sitting in place a step further, incorporating distance, duration, and distraction.
Building upon the skills discussed in our previous video on sitting in place, we’re now going to introduce three new elements—distraction, duration, and distance. By moving outside, you’ve already introduced the element of distraction into this training.
Begin this session by repeating the exercise of leading your dog to and from their “place.” Once your dog is comfortable executing this task with the distraction of being outside, the next step will be adding distance and duration to the training.
To add these elements, start by first taking a step back once your dog has successfully moved to their “place.” Then, allow a longer duration to pass before you release your dog from the place command. As your dog progresses in skill, you can then remove the leash and start increasing the distance and duration incorporated in the training.
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Training and Nurturing Puppies at Project 2 Heal:
At Project 2 Heal, we breed Labrador Retriever puppies for the purpose of donating these animals at 8 to 12 weeks of age to one of our partner organizations. From there, our puppies are trained extensively in service dog work and matched with an individual in need.
Our process begins with Early Neurological Stimulation, which are exercises conducted during the first two weeks of life—beginning at only 48 hours after birth!—that slightly stress the puppy's nervous system and allow them to become less reactive to novel stimuli as adults. This process includes the following:
Tactile stimulation: Stimulating puppy paws through touch our tickling.
Holding the head of the puppy erect.
Holding the head of the puppy pointed downward.
Supine position: Resting the puppy on its back in the palm of hands.
Thermal Stimulation: Placing feet of puppy on top of a cool, damp towel and allowing the puppy to move about.
Also occurring during the first 14 days, service dog training includes a process called early scent introduction. This training exposes dogs to smells it will encounter during working life. During this process, trainers pay close attention to the way puppies react to various smells. This helps identify which puppies may not be suited to work as a service dog.
Championed by Karen Prior Academy, clicker training service dogs is a method that teaches puppies about associations. Puppies learn commands through a combination of rewards and clicking sounds. During service dog training, high-level tasks are broken into smaller tasks, after which puppies are rewarded with food and stimulated with sound from a handheld clicker.
Eventually food and clicking sounds are phased out so that puppies are able to execute tasks upon command.
When you donate only $5 per month, your contribution covers important expenses, including:
First vet visit for entire litter
50 pounds of high-quality dog
1 puppy eye exam
6 bags of high-value reward training treats
1 puppy-in-training service dog vest
As you can see, there are a number of ways that $5 monthly donations can make a real impact at Project 2 Heal. With an average cost of $5,000 to raise and train a puppy litter of puppies through the first 8 weeks of life, we'd love for you to join us on our mission.
Click below to become a donor at any level that works for you. We need your help to raise puppies and change lives.
$5 Monthly Donors
Our bread and butter (or should we say, "kibble?"), these donors cover items listed above, including first vet visits!
$10 Monthly Donors
Each of our $10 monthly donors feeds an entire litter from birth to donation. (That's a lot of puppy food!)
$25 Monthly Donors
$25 a month prevents fleas and ticks for a pup. With 30+ puppies expected in 2021, these donors mean the world!