The 2015 Warrior Canine Connection Calendar is now available for purchase. Each year, WCC features all of its program dogs in its annual calendar. These calendars make great holiday gifts, and will be shipped in time for Christmas. You can also choose to donate a calendar, which will be given to one of the Warriors who work with WCC dogs at one of our training locations. 100% of all the funds from the sales of calendars go directly to WCC to help wounded Veterans. 2015 WCC Calendars are available in the WCC Store.
Solid Gold Partners With Warrior Canine Connection — Pet Age
/in WCC in the News/by WCC CommsOctober 27, 2014 – Solid Gold Pet and the Solid Gold Foundation have developed an exclusive alliance with Warrior Canine Connection (WCC), a national nonprofit organization that enlists recovering warriors in a therapeutic mission of learning to train service dogs for their fellow veterans. Read the full story at Pet Age.
Furry therapy: Group connects veterans and dogs — Frederick News Post
/in WCC in the News/by WCC CommsJuly 6, 2014 – A cold wet nose and wagging tail have given many a sad or weary heart a lift.
But seeing his dog Gabe ease the anxiety of an 11-year-old boy who was leaving his mother and moving into foster care gave social worker Rick Yount an idea.
That led Yount and Gabe, a pup given him by friends who had fought in Operation Desert Storm, to embark on the golden retriever’s work as a certified therapy dog.
Twelve years later the gift came full circle when Yount started a program using dogs like Gabe to help veterans recover from the psychological and physical wounds they suffered in war.
Researchers try to verify whether canines help patients with TBI, PTSD — Marine Corps Times
/in WCC in the News/by WCC CommsJune 26, 2014 – For dog lovers, it’s an absolute: The unconditional love of a canine companion heals the soul, reaching into the heart to cross canyons of loneliness and despair.
Military researchers now are trying to learn if there’s real science behind that semimystical link — and if so, whether it can help treat the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
A $5 million study is underway at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to evaluate whether and how training service dogs may help patients with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Participating troops are paired with puppies that they will raise for two years to serve as assistance dogs for other injured veterans.
Anecdotal personal stories aside, a handful of studies have suggested that working with dogs releases oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that promotes bonding. The new research seeks to quantify these observations.
“There’s not a lot of information. … It’s hard to conduct randomized, controlled trials as to why some people benefit,” said Navy Capt. Robert Koffman, a psychiatrist contributing to the study as part of his job at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda.
The research is modeled on a program started five years ago at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health System in California.
Rick Yount, executive director of the nonprofit Warrior Canine Connection, which breeds golden and Labrador retrievers to become service dogs, said the program succeeds by combining the power of the human-animal bond with the “warrior ethos” of helping brothers-in-arms.
Being in need of mental health treatment is “contrary” to how combat troops see themselves, Yount said, “but tell them you need volunteers to help train service dogs, and a lot of hands go up.”
The study involves at least 40 service members, half of whom will train dogs.
The research will follow participants through the program, examining physiological responses — such as heart rate and stress markers — as well as any psychiatric changes before, during and after the study period.
If the results are anything like what Palo Alto has seen, Yount said troops will benefit, and a new crop of hard-working service dogs will be available for injured vets.
“While service members are trying to teach the dog that the world is a safe place, they are, at the same time, working on their own triggers,” Yount said.
The study is the first Defense Department research to examine the interaction between dogs and humans with head injuries or mental health conditions.
A larger, different study is just getting underway at the Veterans Affairs Department, but that research will focus on the effectiveness of trained psychiatric service dogs as well as companion dogs — pets — to ease PTSD symptoms.
On any given day, service dogs can be spotted strolling through the NICoE, Building 62, which houses injured troops, and the America Building outpatient clinics at Walter Reed-Bethesda.
Koffman’s golden-Lab mix, Ron, works as an animal assistance therapy dog, breaking the ice between his handler and patients.
He said the magnetic draw of dogs is one of many reasons they’re beneficial to patients with anxiety disorders, including PTSD.
“When you have a dog in public that’s as irresistible as mine, it’s almost impossible to get anywhere on time,” he said. “It forces a person to socialize.”
The Pentagon is expected to update Congress on the research’s progress next year. Advocates say the results may guide the military, veteran and medical communities on canine-assisted therapy, service dog policies, medical treatment and more.
Retired Army Col. Elspeth Ritchie, lifelong dog lover and chief clinical officer for the Washington, D.C., Department of Mental Health, said dog therapies “are not yet a ‘best practice.’ … They’re still new and emerging.”
“But the anecdotal information — just from talking with the service member — is so strong,” she said. “As complementary or alternative medicine, it’s powerful.”
First published in the June 26, 2014 online issue of Marine Corps Times.
Power of Dogs to Heal Our Veterans — FOX News Network
/in WCC in the News/by WCC CommsMay 30, 2014 – Warrior Canine Connection helps brave vets recover from the battlefield.
View the clip from Fox News’ The Real Story with Gretchen Carlson.”
Military Therapy Dogs Help Soldiers — ABC Nightly News
/in WCC in the News/by WCC CommsMay 27, 2014 – Therapy dogs trained to sense a soldier’s distress are doing wonders to help veterans return to family life.
Training a Dog to Train Me
/in Case Studies/by Tim StainesIn 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.
Your organization provides a service that is unique, effective, and deserves to be recognized…
/in Case Studies/by Tim StainesWe are a military family of a soldier currently in the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Belvoir, VA. My husband was medevaced from Afghanistan in August of 2012 and has endured months of intense hospitalization and treatment for injuries sustained in theater.
He currently suffers from severe PTSD, visual deficits, balance and motor disorders, cognitive impairments, muscular damage, and anxiety. He has been unable to work, volunteer, or intern even in a part-time situation. For the past several months his doctors, case managers, and the Occupational Therapists have been encouraging him to seek the resource of a service dog.
Last week he made his first trip into the civilian world as I brought him and a battle buddy to WCC’s Brookeville site. He was shaking all the way there and I did not expect him to be able to exit the car. Not only was he able to enter the building, but once the big dogs came out and sat with him he was able to stay for over an hour and be extremely responsive. I could not believe it. I really don’t know how to describe it. I’m sure you have seen it before, but for me, seeing my husband alive and responsive to anything was profound and gave me hope.
I am a passionate advocate of rehabilitative measures for wounded Warriors and your organization provides a service that is unique, effective, and deserves to be recognized for the strong assets it has to offer our nation’s Veterans.
JM Students Raise Funds to Train Service Dogs for Veterans
/in WCC in the News/by Kerry McHughApril 25, 2014 – Rochester, Minnesota – Paul and Donnie are only puppies, but already their mission in life has been set.
During the next two years, the yellow Labrador retrievers will undergo training at the Warrior Canine Connection program in Bethesda, Md., The two pups are destined to become service dogs, thanks to a $50,000 donation from John Marshall High School students. By the time these dogs graduate with their service vests, the group of JM students who spearheaded the fundraising as sophomores will be on the verge of graduation… Read the full article on PostBulletin.com.
One Dog’s Powerful Healing Effects on Two Wounded Veterans — ABC News / Good Morning America
/in WCC in the News/by Kerry McHughMarch 13, 2014 – Justin Lansford and his longtime girlfriend, Carol Balmes, love doting on their golden retriever, Gabe. But there is much more to this four-legged friend than meets the eye.
“The less I use my wheelchair, the more I need his help in smaller tasks and the more he is there,” Lansford, a U.S. Army veteran, told ABC News’ Lara Spencer. “It has been very comforting to know that.”
Lansford, of Silver Spring, Md., was severely injured during deployment when he was struck by an improvised explosive device…
Read the full article and watch the Good Morning America clip at ABCNews.com.