Puppy Trainers-in-Training

Part of raising a service dog involves not just teaching the puppy, but also teaching my kids.  I have to show them how to ask him to sit politely, and how to reward him for good behavior.  We have all grown so much in just a couple of weeks.

For example:

This morning, Haley wanted to try to do some training.  It's nothing too complicated, there's just lots of sitting and eye contact at this point.  But when Gonzo does what Haley asks, he gets a piece of his kibble.  She even makes sure he takes the food gently by holding her hand there, with her fingers covering the piece until he lightly nibbles it out.

Caroline, just like most little sisters, thinks anything Haley does is amazing. So she sits right next to Haley and watches the process. And when anybody sits and watches a process that intently, you know they walk away with some more understanding than they had before.