Training service dogs on college campuses
Helping the dogs adapt to social lifestyles
In recent years, universities have been accepting service dogs in training on campus to help them adapt to the lifestyle before they might be placed with a student.
Through an interview with one of these trainers on Auburn’s campus there is a closer look into how the process works and what skills the dog will be developing. The interview started with a brief introduction of Olivia Chapes, the trainer, and explanation of Canine Assistance, the program training dogs on campus.
Olivia explains that “Canine Assistants (CA) places service and companion dogs with people who have mobility difficulties, type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, and other medical needs using Bond Based Choice Teaching. I began my journey with CA the summer going into my freshman year of high school as a veterinary intern. When I turned 18, I began working in the front office and aiding dog instructors. This summer will be my 6th year being a part of the CA family”.
A further description of the work that Canine Assistance does is Bond Based Choice Teaching; this is “based on social learning where we first build strong bond and relationships with our dogs using bond-building exercises” according to Olivia.
She begins to explain when her work started at the university. Olivia explained, “Over the past few months, I have been bringing service dogs in-training to school to further their instruction”.
When asked what training tactics are implemented she responded stating, “We work on basic skills such as staying focused throughout outings, colors, and numbers. Once these skills have been mastered, we can build on them to learn more advanced skills such as retrieving items of a certain color or amount”.
The work that Olivia does is so important to help the dogs get trained while expanding their social experiences; this also helps the dogs create the bond they are attempting to reach through their training. “Once a secure bond is built, dogs are able to learn willingly and quickly leading to very reliable and confident dogs and happy owners” says Olivia.
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