Posted on: in [ Career Change Dogs ]
Placement | June 2021
Some are nervous for change, but I'm excited for the future! The service training program wasn't particularly for me. I showed a lot of stress, especially in my kennel, and the trainers made the difficult decision to remove me from the program. Fortunately, I was adopted by my wonderful puppy raisers, Larry and Lisa! I'm excited to live the rest of my days loving on them!
Paisley's Journey
Stage 1 Introduction
Hi there, I'm Paisley! I am proud to have been selected to enter into the Retrieving Freedom training program. I am from Golden Dream Kennels. During this stage of training I will be spending approximately 8 months with my new volunteer fosters, Larry and Lisa.
Throughout Stage 1, I will learn the basics obedience, public behavior, and a lot of socialization. I understand that it takes a very special dog to complete the program as there is a high standard to become a Service Dog. I am aware that I may be one of the dogs whose purpose is outside of service work so I will be updating my profile on a monthly basis for all that would like to follow my journey through the program.
July 2020 - 2 months old
After two wonderful months with my breeding foster Angie, I have transitioned to my volunteer puppy foster home with Larry and Lisa. I'm working on "leave it" so I don't go after any people food on the ground. I'm also doing great with potty training, "sit," and "down." I'm being introduced to fun, new things at a very young age, in order to prevent me from being timid in new situations in the future! I'm not afraid of the wobble board, place board, or random boxes at all.
August 2020 - 3 months old
I'm really settling in to my new home! Larry and Lisa take me all over the place. I've mastered "under," where I relax under the table while we're out. I love relaxing outside and got to try something new - swimming! Our local community pool had a "doggy dip" for the last day the pool was open for the summer. I did great!
September 2020 - 4 months old
I am working on the command "under," which is where I relax under the nearest table, chair, etc. Here I am laying under the table that my fosters are sitting at, as we train out in public! I'm also getting better at the "place" command - I can now lay down and relax without getting off the board and following my fosters around. This is a huge, positive step in my training! I had fun driving around on the golf course with my fosters; such a fun, new experience for me!
October 2020 - 5 months old
I'm calming down and getting better at performing commands at home. Even though my vest is off and I'm relaxing at home, I still have to listen when my handler gives me a task to do. To work my mind and my body at home, I learned how to balance on the green peanut. Loud noises tend to bother me, so my fosters are actively working on this with me.
November 2020 - 6 months old
I've been attending a lot of football games lately! This is a great opportunity to work on my "place" and "down" commands. Eventually I just settle in for a good snooze in the shade!
December 2020 - 7 months old
Larry, Lisa and I attended the monthly puppy training class at the Retrieving Freedom facility, where we took advantage of a photo opportunity in front of the beautiful Christmas tree! It was nice to train around peers my age and work on new tasks with the trainers.
January 2021 - 8 months old
My fosters took in another Retrieving Freedom service dog in training, Milo, in for the holidays. He spent Christmas and New Years with us. We liked to play, relax, and chew on bones together! We got along great! I'm currently working on the command "left" and this month I accomplished going directly to a "down" from standing.
February 2021 - 9 months old
I'm getting much better at holding commands for longer periods of time. Though I jump on people to greet them initially (I'm improving!), I heel nicely next to my handler and wait patiently when we pause in stores.
Stage 2 Introduction
Woohoo! I have officially been entered into the second of training, and I am so excited! Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to see the RFI mission first hand, and can’t wait to dig deeper in the mission of changing lives through my training for veterans with disabilities and children with autism. During this Stage, I will also work closely with the RFI professional training staff to solidify my understanding of intermediate tasks and the foundation of future commands to help mitigate a disability. Follow me through this stage learning how I continue to make an impact!
March 2021 - 10 months old
This month I had to say a tough "see ya later" to my wonderful fosters, Larry and Lisa. I can't thank them enough for taking me in and dedicating so many months teaching me the appropriate tools in order to continue my training. They gave me a great foundation, and I'm excited to continue through this journey toward becoming a service dog!
May 2021 - 1 year old!
I celebrated my first birthday this month! I have been enjoying long play sessions outdoors with my friends in training now that it's a bit warmer out.
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