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Warrior Canine Connection enlists recovering Warriors in a therapeutic mission of learning to train service dogs for their fellow Veterans.
Warrior Canine Connection
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Danny and Eli: Soldiering on Together

July 27, 2020/in Case Studies, Warrior Stories /by WCC Comms

If you’re looking for Danny Farrar, it’s likely you’ll find him at one of his 14 SOLDIERFIT gyms. He opened the string of gyms with his first location a little over a decade ago. In addition to Danny, you’ll likely see his service dog Eli, a yellow Lab from WCC’s Welcome Home Litter who is his trusty confidant and is usually within arm’s reach. 

Besides a businessman and exercise aficionado, Danny is also an Army Veteran; he enlisted in the Army and served eight years before separating from service. During that time, he worked as an infantry paratrooper in Fort Bragg; he then commanded drill cannons at the Arlington Cemetery; then he deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, where he spent seven-plus months performing more than 800 convoy missions. 
 
Danny will tell you his life post-military wasn’t what he had anticipated. 
 
“I ended up going into the private sector and got fired from my first job out of the Army which, ironically, was selling gym memberships,” says Danny. “I ended up evicted, was homeless, went through a divorce, attempted suicide, spent three days in the psych ward and decided it was time to turn my life around.” 
 
And turn it around did he ever. First stop: The Fire Academy, where Danny graduated at the top of his class. Loving the physical challenge that it brought, he soon after became a certified personal trainer and began slowly building his own clientele. It took some time but that’s how SOLDIERFIT came about. 
 
It was at a class one day that Susan, a WCC puppy parent, brought one of the service dogs in training into the gym. Danny, who had previously had a pit bull named Courage, chatted with Susan and then got serious about getting his own service dog. 

“At the initial training, I was first drawn to Manion because I had so much overlap in my life with his namesake Travis, but Eli and I really clicked,” said Danny. “It’s kind of nutty how well the team at WCC know what they’re doing and can read which dog pairs perfectly with each Veteran. Eli is a funny cat who has his own personality, and at the house it’s a running debate over whether he’s my dog or the girls’.” 

Danny is happily married to wife Jen. Together, they have two beautiful daughters, River Lynne, 4, and Willow Wynn, 1.  

“I have managed to be successful but there are still things I still don’t really like, like going out… crowds… and Eli really helps me with that,” said Danny. “I didn’t want to get trapped in those situations, I wanted to be there for my family, and we’ve worked together to accomplish that. The beautiful thing is, I don’t even realize I’m using him sometimes when I am. He can detect that I’m getting riled up before I am… it’s kind of like four-legged medicine.” 

In his line of work, Danny’s used to providing his clients advice and tough love. His advice for fellow Veterans who may be able to benefit from a service dog but are reluctant to explore it? 
 
“At the end of the day, there’s no such thing as who needs it [service dog] more or who needs it less,” says Danny. “A need is a need. I think a lot of Veterans are bad with this and tough on themselves — they push off getting themselves help because they think someone else had it worse than them. There’s no justification for letting yourself struggle when help is available.” 

While Danny and Eli were paired in January of this year, they will officially graduate as part of WCC’s 2020 graduation class. 
 

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Veteran Spotlight: Kody & Derek

February 2, 2020/in Case Studies, Warrior Stories /by WCC Comms

When Kody Jorgensen’s wife, Quatie, approached him with the idea of getting a service dog, he wasn’t sure that it was for him. ‘How will it help?’ and ‘Will it create more work for me?” were among Kody’s questions and concerns. 

Five years later, and Kody says he can’t imagine his life without black Lab and Warrior Canine Connection service dog Derek.

“It’s a different experience for everyone, and for me, it took some time to bond with Derek,” said Kody. “It wasn’t immediate but, slowly yet surely, he got me doing things and learning about things I wouldn’t do before I got him. He’s made such a big difference in my life and my relationships that I have with other people. Now, I never want him to be away from me.” 
 
Kody, who served in the Air National Guard for 14 years, served two deployments — the first in Iraq in 2009 and a second in Afghanistan in 2012. During the second deployment, Kody was part of a special 10-man agricultural team tasked with teaching sustainability best practices to the local villagers in Logar and Wardak Provinces. It was during a mission in Logar Province that Kody was wounded in a mortar round blast and sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  

Quatie was informed of the blast and Kody’s injuries, but it wasn’t until he got home from Afghanistan that she could tell that things weren’t right; he experienced debilitating migraines, nightmares and flashbacks, all of which were impacting his ability to work, sleep and function. 
 
Shortly after, Kody went to the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda for treatment. It was there that Kody participated in WCC’s service dog training program. Quatie said she could see a change in him when he interacted with the dogs, and that’s when she urged him to consider getting a service dog for himself. Although resistant at first, Kody filled out an application with WCC. 
 
“Before Derek came along, it got to the point where Kody was pretty paranoid and was scared to leave the house,” said Quatie. “When I left for work, he would shut all the blinds and lock the door — going out to dinner or to church was pretty nonexistent. Derek has been phenomenal, he’s helped Kody more than any medication ever has, it’s been incredible.” 

Since being matched with Derek five years ago, Kody has gone on to finish his Master’s in Animal Science at Oklahoma State — a pursuit he abandoned years before due to his daily battle with PTSD and TBI. 

More recently, the duo has traveled with nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse to help with disaster relief efforts, where Kody says Derek is always a big hit. 

“Even though he’s my service dog, he helps other Veterans in the process of working these events,” said Kody. “You can see the joy on their faces when they get to interact with him. Everyone enjoys getting to play with Derek and hug on him when we have some downtime.”   

And Derek has impacted the entire family in a way they never imagined. 
 
“We got to meet the real Derek’s [namesake] Mom,” said Quatie. “It was so phenomenal to meet her and just hear more about her son’s life. It gives us an opportunity to continue to say his name and talk about the special person Derek was named after — it’s just incredibly special to us.” 
 
When asked to describe the impact Derek has had on Kody, he simply replies, “He’s like a kid and a spouse merged into one; I never go anywhere without him.” 

Quatie adds, “We love having him [Derek] in our home. It’s amazing to see Kody and the progress he’s made with Derek in his life; there’s no way he would be where he’s at today without a service dog. It’s been a real healing journey and has made him a better husband and dad.” 

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Kevin and Clifford: From Cap & Gown to Courtroom

October 4, 2019/in Case Studies, Warrior Stories /by WCC Comms

Kevin and his trusty pal Clifford, a Warrior Canine Connection facility dog, are just one of the Veteran Service Dog Teams that graduated in September as part of Warrior Canine Connection’s class of 2019. The two have been training and working together for almost two years but recently, Clifford’s leash was passed to Kevin, marking the official beginning of their pairing.

The duo is also a regular fixture at the Buncombe County Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) in Asheville, N.C., where they help Veterans involved in the legal system navigate a way to bettering their lives.  

And who better to help fellow Veterans than Kevin? You see, Kevin is also in long-term recovery, himself. While in the Marine Corps, after sustaining severe combat wounds during his deployment in Iraq, he became addicted to opioids and pain pills he was prescribed while recovering from his physical wounds. Kevin credits the support of the VA and community providers with getting his life back on track, completing graduate school, and becoming a licensed social worker. Now he’s helping other Veterans on their recovery journey. 

“My experience working with Clifford has meant the world to me,” said Kevin Rumley, coordinator, Buncombe County VTC. “As a combat-wounded veteran, I struggle to remain regulated and calm in high-stress situations. Clifford brings joy and happiness to the courthouse, and anywhere he goes. From providing snuggles to traumatized youth in the courtroom (during difficult G.A.L Trials), to supporting justice-involved Veterans (in Veterans Court), Clifford is having a positive impact on every person he meets.” 

The Buncombe County VTC program, a non-adversarial, treatment-based diversion program, is overseen by Judge Marvin Pope. The program is designed to help Veterans with legal issues, focuses on recovery through a coordinated effort amongst the VA and community mental health providers. In fact, if Veterans get help and do the work, upon completion of the program, Veterans can petition to have their charges dismissed. 

Their partnership with Warrior Canine Connection has proven especially beneficial to all parties involved. Veteran participants in the court receive their VTC-required community service hours by training the WCC puppies, and once the puppies graduate after two years, they are paired with a combat-wounded Veteran. 

“All this time I have been training these dogs, I thought I was teaching them, but in all actuality, the dogs were teaching me,” said Robinson Moore, VTC participant.

Kevin and Clifford don’t just help in the courtroom, they also assist Veterans with finding meaningful employment, housing, educational pursuits, custody cases, and everything in-between. Kevin talks about the sense of community that comes from working with Veterans during their recovery process.  

“When we served together, it was a single unit, a tribe,” said Kevin. “Everyone was looking out for each other. We believe that this is just as important now that we are out of the service. It is through connection and service to others, including with the service dogs, that we are empowered to not only recover — but to thrive.”   

Kevin is excited for the continued partnership with WCC, saying “We have already seen the positive impact Clifford has had on the Courthouse community. My hope is to continue to bring WCC to those places of greatest need… the healing that comes from working with these dogs is incredible.”  

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Why Dogs Work: The Science of the Warrior Canine Connection

May 30, 2019/in Case Studies /by WCC Comms

(U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jim Greenhill)

By Meg Daley Olmert

Despite the tens of billions of dollars being spent on Veteran health care, many Veterans continue to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI). In a 2011 editorial in the Journal of the America Medical Association, military medical researcher, Charles Hoge M.D., summed up the efficacy of combat PTSD care, “With only 50% of Veterans seeking care and a 40% recovery rate, current strategies will effectively reach no more and 20% of all veterans needing PTSD care.”

Maj. Gary Wynn, a PTSD research psychiatrist at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, has called for a mandate to focus on keeping veterans in treatment by better matching therapies to patient preference.

The use of animal assisted therapy has been increasingly utilized for a variety of pain and mental health issues. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), especially with dogs, may be well-suited to attract and retain treatment-resistant PTSD patients and enhance outcomes from conventional treatment programs. A survey of pet ownership among military found that, despite the burden of frequent relocation and occasional quarantine periods, the U.S. military community is committed to the human-animal bond.  Military families share their homes with more than 400,000 pets. A survey of 896 military families found that 98% considered their pets to be members of their family.

In 2011, Rick Yount created WCC to support and expand our unique AAT model to support the treatment of service members with traumatic combat injuries at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). Hundreds of NICoE patients volunteer for WCC’s Mission Based Trauma Recovery Program (MBTR), a meaningful and challenging mission of training a young service dog for a fellow Veteran in-need.

Disturbed trust is commonly encountered in cases of PTSD and, in a recent study, soldiers cited a general lack of trust in mental health professionals as their key reason for treatment drop-out.5  WCC’s program takes therapeutic advantage of the fact that even the most severely wounded Veteran can still form social bonds with dogs. WCC’s Labradors and Golden Retrievers are specially selected for a calm, sociable temperament that will make them reliable and valuable mobility service.

Anecdotal testimonies of MBTR’s effects on PTSD symptom reduction from patients, family members and caregivers received additional support from a recent five-year retroactive review (2012-2015) of MBTR at the Bethesda national military medical center. Analysis of MBTR’s trainer-reported evaluations was presented at a meeting at the National Institute of Health found that participants’ emotional, cognitive, and social competencies improved significantly between their first to their last session.

In 2014, The Uniformed Services University of Health Science Consortium for Health and Military Performance was awarded funding by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command to conduct a randomized, (waitlist) controlled pilot study to investigate the acceptability, feasibility, and outcomes (psychological and behavioral) of participation in six one-hour MBTR sessions. Research participants were recruited from the DoD Outpatient Clinic (Psychiatry and Behavioral Health).
Over a period of three years, 29 volunteers completed this pilot study: 12 in the MBTR group and 17 in the Waitlist group.

Despite the burden of completing 2-3 hours of research requirements, program retention for MBTR was very high. Eleven of 12 SDTP participants completed all six one-hour training sessions. One person had to drop out due to a sudden health crisis.

MBTR’s stress-coping effects were reflected in cardiac measures taken during research sessions. These showed improvement in participants’ heart rate variability (HRV)—the heart’s ability to respond to and recover from stressful experiences. This key nervous system function has been shown to be dysregulated by PTSD. Participants’ HRV measures showed significant improvement within 10 minutes and at the end of the first and last MBTR sessions.  Attendance and retention in WCC’s program offer encouraging support for the acceptability of the MBTR model and the feasibility of offering it as adjunctive therapy in a clinic facility. Data from PTSD symptom scores are encouraging and currently being prepared for publication in late 2019 or early 2020.

WCC’s MBTR program is also the focus of a larger, longer, more in-depth study being conducted in Bethesda and at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). This study, also Congressionally funded, will look at the biopsychosocial effects 12 hours of MBTR on 220 participants with follow up measures at three months for possible long-term effects.

Over the last few years, four other studies investigated the impact of training service dogs on symptoms of combat-related PTSD. These studies focused on four different not-for-profit service dog organizations across the country that operate under individual program philosophies and practices. Despite the differences in the four programs and the protocols used to investigate them, all showed a reduction in PTSD symptoms.

These are indeed exciting, long-overdue times for research into the therapeutic potential of service dog training as a safe, effective, non-pharmaceutical intervention for the reduction of PTSD. Stay tuned!

 

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Dogs Making a Difference: Ryan & Luke

May 30, 2019/in Case Studies, Warrior Stories /by WCC Comms

Ryan Garrison is many things to many people. He’s a husband to beloved wife, Julie. A father of two. Retired U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant E5. And most recently, a college graduate; this spring, Ryan completed his degree in organizational leadership from Wright State University. And soon, he will be the president of a nonprofit he’s launching to help Veterans like himself. 

Ryan Garrison enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right after watching the Twin Towers fall on 9/11. He was a self-described “floundering” fifth-year senior in college working on his third major at the time and was planning on joining the Reserves, but that fateful day compelled him to change his course. He dropped out of school to enlist in the Air Force, where he served until 2016, including three deployments. 

Ryan comes from a family steeped in military tradition: his grandfather was in World War II; his other grandfather — Vietnam; his brother is a Master Sergeant E7 in the Air Force; his uncles and cousins have all served in different branches of the Armed Forces. So, the career move felt like a natural fit for Ryan, only it was shorter lived than originally planned.  

In 2006, Ryan was in Iraq working on the flight line. He was working on the K-loader, essentially a cargo lift, and while inspecting the load, a sheep farmer who had been paid by local insurgents, ran up and shot an RPG over the fence, which hit the K-loader and the blast was so hard, it blew Ryan off the vehicle. He sustained serious injuries, including fractured and torn disks in his back, which have resulted in numerous surgeries, chronic pain and anxiety. 

His wife, Julie, who, at the time, was a music therapist at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), suggested Ryan explore getting a service dog. Ryan says he saw fellow Veterans there helping to train service dogs, as well as how WCC service dog Cadence had impacted his friend Rod and his family for the better, so he decided to apply for a dog through WCC.

“I wanted to find another way to deal with the issues I was going through, so I learned a lot about the service dog program,” said Ryan. “I learned all I could, but it wasn’t until I witnessed others with the dogs firsthand that I really realized their power.” 

Enter Luke, a handsome black Lab and trained mobility service dog. He was paired with Ryan in 2016 and the two have been virtually inseparable ever since.  

“I really can’t say enough about what Warrior Canine Connection and my service dog Luke have done for me,” said Ryan. “Thanks to Luke, my anxiety is under control, I’ve significantly decreased the medication I take, and he’s really helped me with my mobility. It’s not just that though — since being matched with Luke, I have a whole different outlook on life — a positive one.”  

Garrison’s wife, Julie, couldn’t agree more. She says Luke isn’t just man’s best friend, but a member of their family, and that their two sons, Mitchell and Maxwell, simply adore him. 

“He’s [Luke] just like one of my children… sometimes it’s a toss–up for who listens the best, sometimes it’s Luke, somethings it’s Mitchell, and sometimes it’s Maxwell,” said Julie. “Although, as great as he is, I don’t always trust him with unsupervised food (laughter). His [Ryan’s] dry wit that I fell in love with years ago has returned. It’s just joyful now — because of that soft presence of Luke.” 

In fact, Ryan says his experience with Luke and Warrior Canine Connection partially inspired his next challenge — Valor Therapeutics, a nonprofit he and Julie will soon be launching to serve active duty Service Members, Veterans and first responders in Dayton, Ohio and the surrounding area. They plan to provide alternative forms of therapy to individuals who’ve seen and experienced trauma, such as music, art and movement therapies. 

“I was inspired by my experience with Warrior Canine Connection,” said Ryan. “To receive a service dog at no cost to me, with no expectations of me and it was a stress-free process… we want to provide something similar to Veterans through our nonprofit.”

Ryan adds that he one day hopes to add a therapy dog to the offerings that Valor Therapeutics will provide.

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Sam and Rachael: Together Every Step of the Way

March 11, 2019/in Case Studies /by WCC Comms

Retired Army Chemical Technician Samuel Smith can’t imagine his life without service dog Rachael, a four-year-old Golden Retriever.

“She makes me more outgoing, more willing to talk to people,” says Sam. “I used to be a real introvert and didn’t want to be around people — was lost in my own head. Because she’s so cute, she attracts a lot of attention, people ask questions, want to meet her and she interests so many — it’s made me much more outgoing.”

Rachael also helps Sam with day-to-day activities that cause him pain due to a back injury while he was in the Army. From helping to brace him as he gets up and sits down in a chair, to picking up items for him, she helps provide relief to Sam on a daily basis.

“We are very attached… my wife refers to her as my second wife — she means a lot to me. At this point, I’d feel lost without her at my side. We’ve been inseparable since we’ve been matched,” says Sam.

In fact, Rachael has become something of a celebrity in Sam’s hometown of Middletown, Connecticut; she not only appeared in a local bank’s poster to promote service dog awareness, she’s also known by name at the stores she and Sam frequent.

“People recognize her almost everywhere I go. Whether it’s Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Home Depot or Lowes, they all know her by name. I’m just the guy with Rachael.”

You can follow their adventures on Facebook @WCC’s Rachael.

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Seth & Murphy: Constant Companions

February 5, 2019/in Case Studies /by WCC Comms

“Even on a bad day, it’s hard not to look at Murphy and smile.”

Seth says it’s hard to fully explain the difference WCC Military Family Support Dog Murphy has made in his life.

“I look at Murphy and (except when he gets into the cat’s food) generally just experience a feeling of happiness,” says Seth.

An engineer in the Marine Corps Reserves for six-plus years, including a year-long (2012-2013) deployment in Afghanistan, Seth says he compartmentalized a lot of things happening around him — to not let his emotions get in the way of him doing his job.

After he got home, he says he finally had time to go over everything that happened — the good and bad. Seth says he had some difficulty adjusting back to life outside of Afghanistan and that his body and brain were still in “deployment mode.”

He thought a dog might help. Seth applied for a companion dog through Warrior Canine Connection and was matched with Murphy, a Golden Retriever from the Valor Litter, who has since become his best friend and constant companion.

“Having Murphy around has made it gradually easier for me to be more open about what I experienced, which has been really cathartic in helping me move on from my deployment/time in the Marine Corps,” says Seth. “Murphy serves as a constant reminder of what is “good” in my life and has helped to keep a smile on my face when he was dealing with some of the negative things I had experienced. Even on a bad day, it’s hard to look at Murphy and not smile — he means so many things to me, it’s hard to put it in words.”

 

 

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Dynamic Duo: Wesley & Levi

September 18, 2018/in Case Studies /by WCC Comms

If you follow many of the WCC service dog teams on Facebook, you may be familiar with the handsome and talented Levi — a Golden Retriever from Holly’s Half Dozen litter. He can be seen in videos saying his prayers, playing dead and even snuggling with his best pal and family pet, Abby the hamster. But what isn’t always readily apparent online is the love and support Levi gives his owner, Wesley.

Wesley, an Army Veteran, served four deployments between 2005-2012. It was on his fourth deployment in Afghanistan that Wesley sustained a traumatic brain injury that forced him to medically retire.

“I was never an animal person but, while at Fort Belvoir, I got involved in WCC’s service dog training program and Levi just grew on me,” said Wesley. “He ended up becoming my service dog because of the bond we built, and he’s my best friend — he makes me happy and makes me laugh. He distracts me when I’m down and helps to put me in a better mood.”

Leah, Wesley’s wife, says while Levi isn’t a “cure” for Wesley’s TBI, he is a welcome distraction, assistant, confidant, at-times comedian and consistent comfort in all of their lives.

Be sure to follow Wesley and Levi’s adventures on Facebook at @WCC’s Levi.

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“Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.”

March 15, 2016/in Case Studies /by WCC Comms

WCC is on a mission to make a real difference for our nation’s wounded Warriors so that they may live the fullest life possible. In the following interview, USAF Veteran Ryan shares the journey that led him to his canine partner, Luke. Ryan’s experience with WCC gives a true sense of how service dogs impact the lives of our Service Members and Veterans.

How did you learn about Warrior Canine Connection, and what appealed to you about the program?

While working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, my wife Julie (who is a board-certified music therapist) was introduced to Rick Yount, Executive Director of WCC. During this time she learned about WCC and would always talk about visiting the dogs in training at the end of the day. At the same time I was admitting to myself that I did have PTSD and needed help.

After a few months in to treatment doctors placed me on some medication that altered me in ways I did not like. Julie suggested I look into the program, since I am a dog lover. After spending a couple of days thinking about it, I took her advice and put in an application because I needed an alternative to medication.

How open were you to the idea of a canine partner? 

I was not skeptical, as I have seen the positive effects of dogs helping people. In fact, Julie connected some of our family’s friends who were in need of a military family support dog to WCC. Seeing the positive changes that Cadence (who is now a full-fledged service dog with public access) brought to the Service Member and his family, I knew that this was a good idea.

Once you were involved in the WCC program, how long did it take before you were partnered with Luke? What was the matching process like?

It was approximately two years from the time I began the application process (June 2014) to having Luke live with us (February 2016). In February 2015 I was interviewed by WCC Service Dog Trainer Danielle, who told me based on my needs (PTSD and mobility issues due to lower back injury) that I would need a large male lab, a dog WCC had few of at the time.

For the first year, I went to WCC’s puppy enrichment center (PEC) four times to pet new puppies and visit. The second year I started going once a month to meet with Danielle for training sessions where I learned commands and worked on timing. After four months of that, I started going to the PEC weekly where I worked with approximately 12 dogs in various stages of their training. One of those dogs was Luke. In fact, I was there the week Luke returned from his training in Menlo Park, CA.

The first time I worked with him was a very good, relaxing day. He was listening to everything I said and was very well mannered. I went home and told Julie about Luke – the cool dog I worked with that day. That Sunday I told Cadence’s family about Luke – coincidentally, they had met Luke that week as well after a training session with Cadence.

For the next few weeks, I worked with other dogs and Luke every once in a while. Training sessions always seemed easier and more relaxing with Luke. In December, I received an email from WCC saying that Danielle wanted to meet with us before we trained that day. When I arrived trainers shared that Luke and I worked really well together and that we were a match! And after some advanced training together, Luke would be placed with me! We increased our training to two days a week.

The first week of February 2016, Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.

Was the adjustment of having a canine partner easy or did it take a while to find a comfortable routine? Was it complicated for you to have a canine partner so involved in your day-to-day life? 

I think it was an easy adjustment having Luke with me. For the first two weeks he was always tethered to me at home and at work. During this time we remained at home, away from public areas as this made the bonding process very easy.

When I found out I would be receiving Luke I went to my command, and asked if it was okay to bring Luke to work. I was routed up the chain and within two days I was informed that it would be fine. Everyone at work was supportive and for a month people asked “When is your dog coming?” When Luke finally came to work, I did not see it as a big deal. However, now almost everyone from shop looks forward to Luke coming in.

In terms of recovery/well-being, how important is Luke? What do you think that journey would look like without your canine partner? 

As a result of three deployments to combat areas, I have struggled with depression, anxiety, anger, suicidal thoughts, and lower back pain and numbness in my right leg. Since Luke has come into my life, I don’t feel as depressed or as anxious. On any given day, Luke responds to my anxiety by nudging my leg and/or physically positioning himself between me, and the person I am interacting with.

My attention shifts from the situation to Luke where I can reward him for letting me know I am getting anxious. He is helping me to become more self-aware at work and at home. This is SO HELPFUL in my recovery process. Since Luke is a large dog, he helps me stand from seated positions, which was an unfortunate struggle before Luke came into the picture.

 

https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg 0 0 WCC Comms https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg WCC Comms2016-03-15 13:33:142021-04-02 02:02:40“Luke became my service dog, and I became his Veteran.”

Training a Dog to Train Me

July 2, 2014/in Case Studies /by Tim Staines

In today’s world, everybody focuses on the negatives. The media reports bad news. People notice faults in everyone else, as well as themselves. In parenting, children doing something wrong rarely go unpunished, but when they do something right, it is seldom rewarded.

As a parent, I fell right into the trend. Little time was spent praising my five-year-old daughter for the things she did right, while most of my energy was focused on the things she did wrong. Consistency was a huge flaw: I’m not sure I ever rewarded the same act or punished one on a consistent basis.

Fortunately, I was privileged with an internship training future service dogs. Training a dog requires patience I never realized I could have. And while I was training the dogs, they were also training me, unknowingly at first, how to be a better parent.

A Constant Watchfulness

With dog training, simple tasks like “sit,” “down,” “stay” and “come” are all very basic. More advanced tasks, such as opening a door or turning on or off a light are very time consuming and stressful – both for the dog and the trainer.

Shaping the behavior of a dog, as well as a child, requires a constant watchfulness, almost as if you need eyes in the back of your head. It also requires consistent positive and negative reinforcement. Correcting mistakes while rewarding for a job well done are both crucial for development.

Take the dog and the light switch, for example. Never in my life have I been more annoyed, more impatient, and more ready to give up. Prior to learning this task, the dog is taught various other tasks and behaviors that aid in the process, such as “here,” “sit,” and “look.” As with everything, we all have our own pace of learning, our own intelligence, and our own forms of motivation and our problem-solving skills.

Two Dogs, Two Learning Styles

You can have two dogs, one more intelligent whose motivation is treat-driven (Navi), versus a slower one who is just eager to please (Gabe). You will get two completely different and creative responses to the training to get the reward they are looking for.

To shape the behavior you need, you use gradual steps. First, you place the dog in a “sit” in front of the light, and give the command “look” as you point towards the switch. Next comes the command “light,” which has various steps, including luring the dog to the switch with your finger, getting them to touch their nose to it, and then flipping the light switch on. Consistency is key. If, in the beginning stages, you reward the wrong thing, or miss an opportunity to reward, you create confusion.

With Navi, the beginning was easy. She followed the treat to the light, and put her nose on it over and over again, each time to get the treat. As the treats started to go away and more was required from her, her motivation went away, along with her judgment.

Without the resulting treat, she saw no need to attempt that behavior, so her creativity and problem solving kicked in and she did a ‘down’ and looked up for the treat. When no treat came, she would wait me out, thinking she was smarter and more patient.

Gabe would follow the same steps in the beginning, but when it came to the last step, he wanted the treat, but was even more eager to receive praise and make me happy. He went out of his way to perform every task he already knew: “sit,” “down,” “turn,” “roll,” and so on. Not getting a treat would make Gabe try anything to please.

When this point was reached, a simple positive correction, “nope,” was given to stop the wrong behavior. Dogs, as well as children, can sense when they are in charge of a situation. You can’t make it personal, but at the same time, you can’t lose.

The next step was to reattempt the task. Again, patience and calm were critical, and at times very difficult. This process was repeated until I achieved the desired outcome; in this case, the actual effort to flip the switch, even if it was unsuccessful. Always ending on a positive note was key for the dog to learn and be enthusiastic about trying again next time the switch was presented.

Find Your Child’s Motivation

The same idea applies to children. Each child is different and has their own motivation and agenda, so each child ultimately requires different techniques to get the appropriate response. Bad behavior that is punished while good behavior goes unnoticed simply leads to more bad behavior. Simple reward systems such as money for grades, time in front of the television or computer for good behavior, or even a simple “good job” will go a long way in shaping a child to perform properly and advance in life.

In the beginning, my parenting techniques were not very well established. My patience was low, and I rarely rewarded my daughter for doing something right, but harped on her for doing something wrong. If I wanted something done, I expected it right away, not in 10 minutes. If I told her not to do something, she had better not – or else.

To be fair, a lot of my parenting was related to my experience with my own parents. I have no problem with how I was raised, but I believe there is always a better way to do things. I know, for example, that my parents’ reactions caused me to rebel a lot more than most kids, and I feared the same for my daughter. What I desire for her, more than anything, is that she grow up to be a respectable, high-functioning member of society.

A Better Parent

Working with dogs has slowly but surely molded my behavior into a more efficient way of parenting. I am more patient. I shape my responses, and what I notice. I push through difficult learning experiences, like teaching my daughter letters and numbers, and how to read and write.

The ability to tolerate her pace and reward her for her attempts has been key, and she has made vast improvements as I have employed these new techniques. Working with the dogs has given me a common connection to be able to teach my daughter, and the dogs have trained me just as much – if not more – than I have trained them.

I still have a lot of work and progress ahead, but the foundation is there, and continues to grow. I still don’t have it all figured out, but it has brought out a new person in me, as well as in her. She has her boundaries, knows what is expected of her, and loves the rewards she receives for doing it right.


Sgt. Gordon is a former Warrior Trainer at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. In 2013, Sgt. Gordon was the recipient of service dog Birdie at Warrior Canine Connection’s first graduation.

https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg 0 0 Tim Staines https://warriorcanineconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_white.svg Tim Staines2014-07-02 11:40:362021-04-02 02:02:41Training a Dog to Train Me
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