Kenai's Full Evaluation 14 mo old

This is a long page, and contains both obedience commands and task commands. Kenai’s previous evaluations are on his two progress pages before 12 mo old. I’ve included the description of how a command is ideally performed by the dog, as well as how it is commonly used, and how I will use it. This is no where near a complete list of all the commands and tasks a service dog might be taught to mitigate a certain disability; just mine.

Kenai’s Basic Commands and Tasks at 57 wks.

*Means both verbal and hand signal

*1) Sit: ideally has immediate response, lined up straight in heel or right side, held until released. Some handlers want an auto sit, but using Kenai for balance assistance, I don’t want him to automatically sit. I don’t expect him to sit much in public. 

(home) solid response, tendency to swing tush slightly on diagonal, and will sometimes slide into down if held in sit very long. Practicing this in tight places,  and in conjuction with other commands(public) 50%-75% response, tendency to swing tush to diagnonal. Doesn’t hold a sit well.  

*2) Down: want immediate response, lined up straight in heel or side, held until released. Eventually I want him to automatically down after he’s helped me sit, in an unobtrusive place or wherever I put him

(home) 90% to solid, depending on how quickly he responds, also tends to swing rump out. We’re practicing on down in tight spaces, in harness, in combo with other commands, and up against furniture. (public) 25% to 50% compliance, depending on how comfortable he is in an environment. Tends to want room for the rump. We’ve not downed in harness in public yet.

*3) Sit/Stay: lined up straight, held until released. Many handlers use this when they are stopped for short to medium amounts of time, such as paying at a counter, or when leaving the dog with another handler. I don’t want this much from Kenai, since I use him for balance, and don’t leave him with other people. Should work on it though in case I want/need to leave him for something.

(home) solid for short time, which is all I really need from him. Tends to swing the tush, so we practice tight spaces and stays where I go out of his sight. (public) Of his 2 public stays, this is the best one, holding it about 1-2 minutes. I have in the past used it off leash when he was approaching someone else, though it’s not a reliable thing.

*4) Down/Stay: lined up straight, held until released regardless of distractions. This is mostly for longer stays, at a restaurant or in class etc. As with regular down, I’d like him to auto down/stay after helping me sit in a chair, in an out of the way place.

(home) 90% to solid, and we practice in tight places, against furniture, in harness, and in combo with other commands. (public) 25% to 50% compliant. Needs alot of work.

5) Heel: line up straight on handler’s left, moving while attentive to handler’s pace, direction, and obstacles.When stopped, the dog remains in the position and attentive. I say “heel up” when Kenai’s been allowed to wander on leash and I’m ready to start walking. I also use heel up when he’s wandered out of heel position without permission while I was stopped.

(home) 90% to solid. He wants to pull ahead slightly if excited. He doesn’t hold the position well when stopped. (public) 80%-90% pulling because of excitement is a problem, and doesn’t hold the postion when standing still well either. His attention is split between me and our environment more than I’d like.

6) Slow: adjust pace down to match handler. Ideally it is done automatically in heel, as the handler slows, though when dog isn’t paying attention I use it.

(home) 75% automatic, not too compliant when excited. Needs practice. (public) 50% automatic, and when excited, compliance is 25% without gentle leader. Really rough because of his current excitability.

7) Stop: freeze in position. Automatic when heeling, verbal command in other situations.

(home) 90% solid, practiced in heel and in combo with other commands. (public) 90% solid, wanting to stop one step ahead of me in heel.

8) Go left: turn to handler/dog’s left, ideally automatic in heel.

(home) solid. (public) solid. I’ve found Kenai actually relaxes when he knows where I’m heading, and I tell him which way to go. He’s more hesitant and makes more mistakes like walking in front of me if I leave him to figure out from my body signals which way I’m going.

9) Go right: turn to right, auto in heel is ideal.

(home) solid. (public) solid, as above.

10) Back: take a step backwards, or back out of a space. This is done in heel, or just to move the dog.

(home) solid. Want to start teaching him to back with me in heel in combo with brace command for situations like avoiding someone pushing a cart into me. (public) solid. I’d like to begin the public practice in heel when he understands the proceedure.

11) leave it: abandon toys/people/play or avoid something on the ground near the dog.

(home) solid inside, about 90% outside on leash. (public) 95% solid, only sometimes needing a slight correction. Mostly Kenai’s wanting to sniff stuff, the boy hound.

*12) wait: pause until given another command. I use this at doors mostly, since getting his 3 foot long body out a door without either of us tangling up can be tricky.

(home) solid. Practicing in combo with other commands. (public) solid. He waits at the door until I’ve opened it and I’m ready to go in/out, then we step through and is given the turn command to move his body forward and slightly in front of me, then waits until I’ve moved towards him and the door is shut to go again. The wait/ok/turn/wait/ok chain gets us in and out smoothly. It’s 75% automatic now.

13) come: immediate recall regardless of distraction. It involves a disengaging from something, a return of attention to handler, then movement back to the handler, preferably winding up in heel position.

(home) Oy. Inside solid, practiced alone and in combo with other commands. Outside awful. He knows the procedure, he just gets so involved it’s like the command doesn’t register. (public) 95% solid when working, the exception is our “tracking” playtimes. 

14) hush: to silence barking or whining when vocalization isn’t wanted.

(home) 60% compliance. He only makes noise when excited/insecure about someone at the door or critters outside. Want to find a way to stop the excited response after initial alert, and stop the critter dance completely. It’s annoying. (public) He will whine when insecure, with 70% compliance. Only barked once in public, and got a big scolding. Hasn’t repeated.

15) look/Kenai: return attention to handler or specified object. Can be used to have dog see and alert to moving vehicles, hazzards and such to protect handler.

(home) 90% solid. (public) 75% compliance because of distractability.

16) relax: cue to dog to release body tension and settle down.

(home) 50% (public) 25% compliance. I can’t chill him out right now. Grr. Even with Tellington Touch and massage, he remains in a tense/vigilant state. I think I’ve run up against the Dane’s guarding instincts now that he’s in adolescence. I also think his health problems contribute.

17) floor: to go down to the floor with the handler, assisting them down gently, as opposed to a hard splat. Good for getting down when dizzy and there’s no where to sit, or just needing to sit on the ground at the family picnic.

(home) just started this practice without weight on him. Not sure if I’ll use it, since I prefer Kenai just to brace and balance as I let myself down. (public) not yet.

18) let go/drop it: release object in mouth when handler touches it or let it fall to the floor.

(home) solid. Always has been, never slipped. That’s my boy! I prefer let go, since I don’t want to pick stuff up. Would be nice to teach him to put his toys away reliably. (public) he doesn’t have stuff in his mouth, since he doesn’t retrieve.

19) bring it: to bring the item to the handler, either after a pick it up command, or just because the handler wants what the dog has.

(home) yeah right. Kenai’s not a retriever of any kind. He’ll bring a toy over when we’re playing but that’s about it. (public) n/a

20) pick it up: to take a dropped item or something off the floor for the handler. Often used for dropped keys, pens, or getting something off a shelf .

It would be great if we could get Kenai to pick up dropped stuff, but I don’t hold out any hope for that. Right now I use him to brace and balance while I pick something up. I can live with just that if I must, but if future progress is made, that’d be wonderful.

21) on the bed/targeting: ability to send the dog to a specified place with expectation that they will stay there or await another command.  

(home) solid. Practicing from greater distance, and increasing the stay duration. He will stay where i put him while I work with BB, though I’d like to improve the response when someone comes to the house. (public) Need to introduce a crate mat we can take places with us. Would also like to begin teaching him to target my hand when someone is approaching us: returns attention to me rather than sticking his nose out for petting.

22) off: most use this with a companion as a no jump command. For SD who are taught to reach for things, remove things from counters etc, it’s used after having the dog get feet up on something as a task.

(Home) 90% solid, sloppy when he’s really sleepy or not listening. (Public) We rarely go to people’s houses, but I would like very much to start doing that, and we’ll need the off solid since he likes couches. I use this now as an off the table since he’s tall enough to sniff someone’s plate on the way by. He doesn’t do that, thankfully.

23) turn around: turn the entire body around and go the other direction. Used in heeling, it should be automatic. I’ve heard of someone teaching a giant breed SD to sit and spin on their rump when needing to turn around in very tight spaces.

(home) solid. (public) solid. When heeling it isn’t automatic, and sometimes he will swing a little wide if there’s room. In tight quarters he is ever so careful not to bump stuff. He’s always had an excellent awareness of his size. He was never the typical Dane clod puppy.

24) scoot: I use this when I need him to move a step or two to one side or the other, either for me or to let others pass by us. I will tap the side that’s in the way, and he moves over. If  I tap his rump, he moves his rump away from the touch. If I tap his side, he moves the whole body over.

(home) solid. (public) solid.

25) find: used to locate doors, cars, elevators, people, or other objects by scent, sound, or sight

(home) rudimentary right now. He finds Mom, but hasn’t cared much to find his toys on command. Hum. (Public) not started, but I’d like him to learn to guide me to a door or to the car when I could use the help.

26) carry: the dog carries an object for a person

(home) Kenai won’t carry in his mouth, so I have put stuff on his collar and over the handle of his harness. Unless the object is swinging alot or very noisy, he doesn’t care. (public) he’s carried bags out for me to the car, but we haven’t done much of this since he’s young yet.

27) brace: the dog sets their body to hold weight for balancing handler.

(home) Kenai’s had pressure on his shoulders with and without the harness, but no weight. At home it’s mostly getting in position so I can get up and down from chairs, the tub, or the floor. 80% solid in positioning and holding still. (public) He is learning to stand his body in front of me when I lean over to reach something, he stands in front of me at counters most of the time. He doesn’t mind a lean either. 70% solid

28) balance/counterbalance: to automatically adjust their body as the handler leans to keep the handler upright and moving comfortably.

(home) solid. He rarely has his harness on at home, but I often use his body to keep me from wobbling and weaving. It seems a natural thing for him, and automatic. He’s big enough to just hold onto or rest a hand on. (public) this is where he really helps me. Noise, movement, cold air, bright lights all mess with my balance. He’s so big and heavy it takes alot to knock me off balance when I’ve got ahold of him. The only thing that really does unbalance me is him, sidestepping or acting skittish. 70% because of his current nervousness.

29) step: the dog either alerts to steps or curbs, takes one step up/down and braces automatically, or works just on command. I don’t want him to automatically halt at steps.

(home) I use this on the back door steps, and sometimes when I have to walk over the dog bed in the living room. solid. (public) solid.

29)  pull/don’t pull: the dog pulls against the harness chest plate to help mobile handler up inclines or handler in chair.

(home) pull is never a problem, it’s not pulling on command he’s slow to get. 90%. I’d like to improve his sensitivity as he gets old enough to really pull heavier weight. (public) solid pull, but weak on the no-pull. Needs practice as he ages.

Home Behaviors to work on

alert/guarding: