We are often asked What do we teach a dog so that it can be an Assistance Dog? Our answer is Independent thinking. Now I can hear some saying that dogs are not capable of such things. We have many examples from our dogs that are in the field and working that demonstrate that dogs can problem solve. We arent saying they are geniuses that can make appropriate decisions in every situation. What we do say is that an Assistance Dog from ADNSW can use the skills it has learnt to adequately manoeuvre a task that might be a little different from the usual way. In this video you will see Sam learning how to remove shoes and socks. This story is about this dog. A young woman with very limited strength wanted to play ball with Sam. However, the ball was a heavy one but only the size of a tennis ball. The woman was barely able to throw the ball for Sam. Sam picked up the ball and put it in the womans hands. The weight of the ball was too much for the woman and her hands couldnt hold it. So the ball dropped again. This scene was repeated over and over and over again. Finally, Sam picked up the ball and sat in front of the woman. Sam had a quizzical look on his face. The woman was sitting on a retaining wall. Sam, with ball in mouth, went up onto the retaining wall and when he was behind the woman he gently placed his muzzle with the ball over her shoulder. He didnt let go of the ball. The woman put one hand up to the ball. Sam gently placed the ball to her hand and held the ball. The woman put her second hand up to just under her shoulder to support the other hand. Only then did Sam slowly and gently release the ball. The woman was able to hold the ball. Sam stood back and wags his tail as though he were happy with his work. Sceptics might think that Sam was taught to do this or was given clues or signals to perform this way. The truth is that Sam had never been taught to return a ball in that manner. While we had seen Sam problem solve before, this was certainly a remarkable moment, even for us. When Sam finished his training and met his recipient we were surprised again. We met a woman with young children and a toddler wandered into the dining room. The way Sam was behaving caused the woman to ask me if Sam was trying to tell her that the babies nappy needed changing. Remember, this was not my interpretation but rather the question of a woman who had never met Sam before. Sam was never trained for that skill. Sam adapted to his environment and the people around him to provide services that had not been previously trained. We have many stories like these but the point is that when a dog is taught to have confidence in its own decisions, anything is possible. Please support ADNSW and the work we do by becoming a Puppy Patron for as little as $5.00 per week. Visit our website at adnsw.org.au and complete the form. We are at a critical point and need a lot more funding to continue. Thank you.
Posted on: Tue, 08 Jul 2014 07:00:00 +0000