Impressive Training Results at Project POOCH

During my first visit to MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, OR to give CGC tests to Project POOCH participants, I had one team that needed to do more training before passing the test. It was hard for me to break the news to them, but there was just no way around it.

It seemed that the dog being tested had never met the handler before. She would look at anything but him. The handler was giving it his all, but it just wasn’t working. I could tell he was a little embarrassed, and a little frustrated, but I had to be honest.

So, I gave him some training advice, explained what exactly needed work and what was okay so far. I should mention that this particular handler wasn’t new to the program and had successfully trained other dogs. He knew what he was doing when it came to training. I think he’d just been a bit lax in his work with this dog.

They asked if I could come back in a week to re-test the dog, since she already had an adopter waiting and couldn’t go home until she passed. I said I would, even though I was thinking that a week wasn’t much time to make the necessary progress. My class students always seemed to take a few weeks to get much work done.

The following Saturday this same dog and handler walked into the testing room. I have to say, I barely recognized them! This dog’s eyes were absolutely glued to her handler. She stayed right next to him, rarely looked away and they moved around the room like a couple of canine freestyle pros. I was blown away!

Not only did they pass the test with flying colors, the handler added a few interesting “tricks”. He had not only taught this dog to heel with constant eye contact, he also taught a cute little “sit when I stop”. When the handler was coming to a stop while walking, he would lightly stomp his feet to plant them, a signal to the dog that he was stopping, and the dog would sit…maintaining perfect eye contact.

I could have cried, but I didn’t. I congratulated this young man on a job well done and shook his hand. He was happy for his trainee, as she would be going to her new home now, but he told me he was also excited about what it meant for him.

“Now I’ll be getting a new Australian Shepherd. She’s about 8 months old. I like the herding breeds, they’re my favorites.”

I’m looking forward to my next visit to see what amazing things he’s done with his next canine trainee.