EL125: Skills for Canine Good Citizen or Therapy Dog Evaluations

SAMPLE LECTURE:

CREATING NOISES: Letting your dog create the noise they need to become familiar with

No matter where you go there’s going to be a chance that something will fall making a loud banging or clanging noise that has the potential to startle our dogs. It’s okay if they startle, after all, wouldn’t you at an unexpected sound. What’s important and what we’re looking at for Therapy Dog potential is their recovery from the sound. For instance, do they jump and skitter out of the way, then look and come in to investigate – possibly. Do they skitter out of the way, look and then carry on – possibly.   OR do they startle, skitter and then stand there barking or run away in fear – quite possibly. This last example would be a non-qualifying response for a Therapy Dog.

How each of our dogs reacts to the startle experience will be different and completely depends on their life experiences. Some dogs are ho-hum and take everything in stride – I have one of those. Others are like holy heck the sky is falling chicken little and need special conditioning exercises to help them adjust and be comfortable with the “surprises” life throws at them.

These following exercises are not for a dog with severe sound sensitivities – Check out FDSA Instructor Amy Cook’s classes for this issue. This exercise is for those dogs who pretty much take things in stride and have no fearful or aggressive expression towards unusual sounds.

The Therapy Dog test exercise as it’s generally laid out requires a person standing approximately 6 feet behind the dog to drop a stainless steel bowl – causing a metallic-sounding distraction noise. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say from what height so there can be quite a difference in resulting sounds depending upon who is conducting the testing.

Why would you do this dropping test exercise? Well, if you’re visiting in a nursing home or hospital there’s a good chance there are bedpans or stainless steel bowls that could fall off of carts onto the floor. For sanitary reasons these floors are tile over cement so there is no muffling of sound in this instance. If you’re visiting a library for a reading program then you could have books falling off tables or off shelves. Although, probably more muffled even books can make a heavy thud sound (think thunder) and this could also startle your dog.

So, what can we do to help prepare our dogs for the possibility of these sounds? We can teach them about sound; where it comes from, that they can make it happen and it’s not going to hurt them. It may startle them but it’s nothing really to be afraid of.

We’ll take a really soft approach because the idea is not to see how bad we can make it for our dogs but rather to get them accustomed to the possibility of unusual sounds/distractions they may encounter during their visits.

TOOLS:

A Book that when put on end will tip easily

Stainless bowls or anything else that could be stacked to make a clang when tipped over by the dog.

Flat mat, carpet or towel to stack objects on.

NOTE:  The exercises below were done over an afternoon with multiple water and play breaks in between.  Please do not progress through all of the steps at once.

STEP 1 – CREATING A THUD

In this exercise we’re using the book to create a thud. It doesn’t have to be loud at first, remember we’re starting with easy sounds and then progressing to a louder version of the sound.

1. Place the book on end on a mat/carpet or towel to muffle the thud.
2. Prompt your dog to investigate and/or give a target cue if you have one.
3. When the dog tips the book, C/T
4. Treat away from the book to allow yourself to reset the book in the upright position.
5. When your dog is happily tipping the book over move it to a hard surface, where when tipped, the sound will increase.
6. Repeat for a number of sessions at each point and vary locations.

This is Session #2 with Piper and the book thud where you can see I’ve removed the towel and am now having her knock the book over on the cement patio. The book I’m using is an old yellow pages that I’ve duct taped. As you can see she has no problem with the sound.

If you choose to progress with the book drop, the next step would be to sit in a chair and drop the book flat to the floor from the seat height. I would not increase from this point.

STEP 2 – CREATING A CLANG

Switch to an object that makes more sound – different – like a clank of bowls if they were to lightly bang together. For instance, metal bowls or pail stacked on top of each other. Nothing too tall, just so it topples easily when bumped by your dog.

1. Place bowls on a mat to muffle the sounds
2. Stack so they are easily moved by your dog’s nose or paw
3. C/T for any sound the bowls make
4. Treat away from the bowls to allow you to re-stack.

Piper’s first session with bowls where I made it very easy for any clank to occur.

STEP 3 – BIGGER CLANK SOUND

When your dog is comfortable with the clang they’re making it’s now time to move onto adding a bit more noise. The towel or mat remains under the objects at this point.

1. Place a single smaller bowl or lid that clangs as it falls from slightly higher; arrange bowls in a pyramid stack for easy tipping.
2. C/T for any noise.
3. When your dog is comfortable with this sound move to STEP 4

Here Piper has more bowls to knock over making for more clang.

STEP 4 – REMOVING THE MUFFLE MAT

Here’s where we remove the muffle mat and have the bowls directly on the cement patio.

1. Same process of C/T when your dog knocks over the bowls.
2. Start with a low easy topple
3. Gradually add higher height to the topple pyramid

Still no problems with Piper's acceptance of the noise so we're progressing.  

STEP 5 - DROPPED BOWL

Here’s where we can take a single bowl and drop from a foot or so to begin with.

C/T when the bowl is dropped. If at any point in this exercise your dog is not comfortable back it up to the point where they were successful and stay at that step for 5 more sessions. Some might think to just insert the muffle mat but that will not solve your problem of too much startle. You need to go back to the last exercise where your dog was happily and comfortably creating their own clang sounds.

Here I’m beginning the process of dropped bowls with Piper. Although, Piper has experienced dropped objects in the house and is quite comfortable she still needs to go through this process in other locations. I’ve continued to work through each exercise in the same area. All the exercises will need to be generalized to further locations.

HOMEWORK:

Show the process – each step using both an object to make a thud or slapping sound as well as a stainless steel type clanking sound. Remember take it slowly – object is NOT to see if the dog can take louder sounds. The goal is to gradually increase to a real-life situation.

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