Search Poodle Training: Socialization

Here is yet another fine video of search and rescue training for standard poodles. If readers are interested in this series, the YouTube channel, where you can subscribe to the ongoing video uplinks, is at searchdogpoodle. I have found the series fascinating, and I think many of you will too!

In this video we get a feel for the Slovakian social life that the poodles-in-training must learn to become accustomed to. This includes transportation, which in northern Europe includes trains a lot more than private cars or trucks. Would that this country had such widespread public transportation systems!

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A Different Kind of Service Dog…

Here’s a great story about an “Educational Dog” in Oregon, who has been a ’school dog’ since he was just a pup. Our childrens’ classrooms have hosted mice, ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs, snakes and ant farms through their primary grades, so what’s wrong with a class poodle?

Should dogs be banned from schools? How about hamsters?

“He was four months old when he started school,” said Witt, who was teaching fifth grade at the time. “I got him specifically as a classroom dog.”

A year later, when Witt began teaching third grade, Rosebud followed.

Students were thrilled to have a dog in class. The animal even serves as an incentive for some students.

“He makes it easier to come to school,” said 8-year-old Madison Canova.

What do you think?

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What It Takes to Be A Service Dog

In a previous post and subsequent short videos, we’ve looked at what service dogs can do for people, and a little bit about how they’re trained. Standard poodles are of course a favorite for the service sector due to their high intelligence and trainability, and also for their hypo-allergenic coats. The Australian Labradoodle was originally bred specifically for being service dogs, combining the best qualities of the best dogs.

Not every dog - poodle, labrador, shepherd - is cut out to be trained as a service dog, and most service dog training organizations have strict criteria by which puppies are judged, and programs for finding good homes for all the dogs that don’t quite make the grade for one reason or another. So I thought in this post we should look at the specific criteria used to choose the perfect dogs for training.

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More Puppy Training: Search & Rescue

Another video about training young poodles for a life of service, in this case search & rescue work. This is from searchdogpoodle at YouTube.

Previous Posts About Working Poodles:

Working Poodles: What They’re Best At
“Go Fetch Gramps, Timmy’s In The Well!”
Napoleon’s Dogs: Literary License or Dread History?
Those Cool Alaskan Sled Poodles
What Can a Trained Poodle Do?”
Service Poodle in Action!

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Service Poodle in Action!

I found this video by sanprins over at YouTube. It shows service poodle Gautzy Wopper at work, helping with some basic household tasks. I’ll be featuring some further videos of service dogs at work and play in this series, so please enjoy!

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What Can a Trained Poodle Do?

Back when we’d first adopted our beloved Beau the black standard from the local animal shelter [A Poodle and His Clown] we were working as directors of a state funded after school program for at-risk and adjudicated young teenagers (12-14) at a local Jr. High school.

Beau was just 6 months old when we got him. He was about 9 months old when a volunteer from the local police force (good outreach) volunteered his time to help us with the kids. He turned out to be a great asset, kept most of the adjudicated kids out of trouble from then on by being their friend and mentor. One afternoon he brought a couple of beautiful German Shepherds - the ‘real’ shepherds that surprise people. Smaller than expected, low-slung in the rear. Seems he’d been promoted to K9 training and these were his babies. He’d trained dogs when in the military, our town was just starting a K9 program. His dogs were the same age as Beau, who as it happened had been to the vet that day so ended up at the school with us for the program that day.

We’d told our young policeman about Beau, of course, and he’d mouthed some platitude he’d learned in the Army about big poodles being excellent service/K9 dogs, but he’d never actually seen or met one. The moment he saw Beau - who was quite hairy at the time and already bigger than either of those shepherds - it was love at first sight. All that he’d heard about giant poodles suddenly clicked in his mind, and within 15 minutes he had Beau joining his pups in the “Obedience Show-Off Game.” He offered to include Beau in his training course for free, just wanted to work with him.

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