Arielle's thoughts
Favorite Links:
Tips: be patient and focus on the positive....now if i could only listen to that advice
Favorite training place: i've started to use all of our everyday situations as training, and that has been the most helpful thing i've learned.
What does your Partner mean to you?
Article By Ed Kidhardt
When Arielle told me she wanted to train Charlie to be her service dog, I had to admit I had my reserva-tions. Charlie is kind of a free spirit; lots of energy, and easily distracted. Arielle was trying to get him to do what she wanted by using the word yes to reinforce the behavior. But it was slow going. After our first couple months of training with Paws To Freedom, Arielle and I could see that Charlie just wasn’t getting it. Arielle was saying things like “Maybe Charlie wasn’t the right dog for this” and “I knew I couldn’t do this.” We were at our breaking point. So, we turned to clicker training.
When we began training Charlie, Mara (our trainer with Paws to Freedom) suggested clicker training, 
but Arielle was opposed to it. The noise of the clicker “drove her crazy.” But after four months with little pro-gress, she felt crazy anyway. After talking with Mara, we all decided it was the only route we had not traveled down. So, we got a clicker and loaded it while sitting at a bus stop. I had ran into a minute mart to get a soda, and found Arielle and Charlie sitting on the bench. Nothing extraordinary, right? Then I realized Charlie’s eyes were locked on Arielle. That never happened. Normally, he would be at the end of his leash, sniffing something he’d found, and Arielle would be almost in tears because he wouldn’t listen to her. I asked her what she did. Instead of telling me, she showed me. She took the clicker out of her pocket, clicked and gave Charlie a treat. His eyes
never left her. On the bus and at training that day, Charlie was awesome. He listened like a completely new dog. I was so proud, and Arielle was actually crying. He was listening to her. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it was our first taste of success as a team. In one day, Charlie was looking to Arielle for instructions, and made her the center of his at-tention. This was exactly what we needed him to do.
That was about two months ago. Since then, Charlie’s training has progressed with a speed I had never imagined. Arielle now has the confidence to focus on the social side of Charlie’s training, without having to worry about whether he will listen and do what she needs him to do. I am so proud of both of them for finding a mutual language that allows them to work and live together as a team.
Last week, Arielle and I put Charlie to his first real test: a diner at Red Robin. He did so awesome. Both Arielle and feel this never would have been possible with out the aid of the clicker and the focus this form of training yields. Charlie, our rambunctious puppy has turned into a well mannered city dog. I couldn’t be prouder.
~~Note from the Trainer:
With Paws to Freedom we allow some teams to start in with training when the team has po-tential. Because many people start out on their own, without support we have decided that some teams may start with training with pri-vate sessions to determine how the team will do. The client knows that there is a possibility they may not fully enter the program, however they also know that they will be several months ahead of the game when it comes to even pet dog training if it is determined that the dog may not be an appropriate candidate for the job.
I definitely saw potential in both Arielle and Charlie. The potential of Charlie putting that energy to work was something I truly saw. The real challenge here was building Arielle’s con-fidence and training skills. With Arielle, her determination and building of confidence al-lowed her to break through any thoughts of her personal discomfort so that she could try the clicker to see if it really would offer success for Charlie. What was different for Arielle from the word YES to the clicker? Getting a word out at the precise time was difficult for her. The multi tasking was very difficult. The clicker allowed for her to go on auto pilot with response to behaviors. Her hands could work quicker than her words. They are now ready to join our classes.
I would like to add that while Arielle is de-lighted with the clicker and Charlie’s training, her taking the step outside of the box she had herself in has allowed her to be far more confi-dent and their team is now openly participating in our activities and other community activi-ties.
This owner-trainer is a role model of growing into a competent trainer by moving through the obstacles, and seeing what the dog needs for success.
