ISO Training Dog

As the store's pet training instructor, I am the one employee authorized to have one of my dogs with me at work. Although a training dog is not allowed to wander through the store unattended, he or she demonstrates behaviors learned in the training classes and serves as an unofficial mascot and greeter. When I have a training dog with me, I can rehearse basic behaviors with treats and clicker, which usually attracts an interested audience. A good training dog makes a strong impression that is forgotten less easily than vain claims of the usefulness of the training course.

Which of my dogs would be best at serving in this capacity? With six dogs to choose from, the decision would not be quick. At first I thought Elliot would be best suited to the task, since at eleven years of age, he long ago outgrew his sobriquet of Psycho Dog. Elliot, who once pulled Joel off his feet in the middle of Oak Avenue, subsequently completed intro and intermediate obedience classes offered by the Louisiana SPCA. He clearly loved the agility games introduced during the second class, and his enthusiasm in trying to please me changed our relationship irrevocably for the better. Neutered several years ago, he has mellowed considerably and has developed a beautiful white face offsetting his red coat. Elliot had been in an auto accident before he came to us, and in that accident he developed some nerve damage that caused his right eye to sink into the socket. I worried that some store visitors might be put off by that aspect of his appearance, but I was delighted to learn otherwise. Perhaps folks were tolerant of that flaw because of his age. At any rate, answering questions about my handsome older dog allowed me to promote both breed rescue and the notion of adopting adult dogs rather than puppies.

Elliot came to work with me for the first time when our training classes went on hiatus during Mardi Gras. Only a few miles down the street from the Metairie parade route, we knew that our store would be inconveniently accessed during parade days. We also knew that most New Orleanians--even those of us who typically yawned through Mardi Gras season--were feeling more gratitude this year for any little snippets of normalcy that we could find, and many of us who would not otherwise have considered participating in the festivities felt staunchly that having the option of parade attendance was important to us. Therefore, I expected little traffic at the store and knew it would be an excellent time to test Elliot.

Elliot seemed quite comfortable in the store, as befits a dog secure in his status. When I worked the cash register, he lay behind the counter with me, occasionally rising to meet interested shoppers. He was impeccable in greeting shoppers and their animals. In the training ring he worked hard and learned fast. We reviewed Down, Sit, Stay, Leave It, Stand, Come, and Loose Leash Walking. After Elliot's having been initially trained with Heel, the relative flexibility of Loose Leash walking was a cake walk for us. I studied the Intermediate and Advanced curricula, and taught Elliot Wait (to be used when crossing a narrow threshold, to assure that the dog waits for the handler to go first) and Finish (in which the dog moves from a seated position facing the handler to a seated position at the handler's side in a Heel position). The most satisfying activity was to place him in a Down-Stay and then to place treats on the floor in three places about five feet away. Elliot reliably waited for me to release him before he would move toward the treats. He was off to a fantastic start.

As well as Elliot was doing, I knew that Cinnamon would be a strong contender as well. She was extremely eager to meet new people, and, at four years of age, mature enough in demeanor to greet them appropriately without barking or jumping. Just as she used her round dark eyes to grab me the day I met her, she caught the attention of any shoppers who passed by, looking at them imploringly until they commented on her golden curls and gave her a caress. In that capacity, she reminded me of Goldie, a Golden/Sheltie mix whom we adopted in 1995; Goldie became active in a visiting pets program and had done admirably when visiting nursing homes.

Yes, Cinnamon worked the crowd like a veteran politician. The only other dog I've known who had that ability was Ella, the rescue Golden that we lost to cancer. Ella's appearance was unimpressive; with her short coat, she had low curb appeal. But when she turned on her charm, everyone who met her remembered her and asked about her. Cinnamon too has a special quality that seizes people and does not let go. Although her leash was looped over the holder for shopping bags, she repeatedly moved around the edge of the sales counter to be closer to the buyers. At one point she lay down between the cash register and the pet tag engraving machine, forcing everyone to walk around her. No one complained. Only Cinnamon could get away with such a thing.

Cinnamon and I did not get as much time to do training work together in the training ring as Elliot and I had done. However, I was able to put her through her paces on all the basic commands. I even got the store manager to test her for a few minutes--an imposition possible only because he had been smitten with her too the day I adopted her.

When Mardi Gras was over, it was time to test each of my possible training dogs in a class setting. Cinnamon was the first candidate to be tested. In her first Puppy class, she growled at a pup that approached her immediately after I'd given her a treat. I understood her reasons, but because a training dog must be above suspicion, I rushed her back into the warehouse area and put her in a crate for time out. I brought her out well before the evening Beginner class, and introduced her to the young dogs and their families as they arrived. When a little longhaired Chihuahua pestered her, Cinnamon curled her lip and growled softly. Back to the crate. I did not feel that Cinnamon had acted inappropriately in either case, but no dog training customer wants to see the trainer's dog growling at her dog. For Cinnamon to act asssertively now, so soon after adoption into a bustling, multi-dog household is hardly surprising. Perhaps when Cinnamon's role in the family pecking order is more firmly established, she will be able to let down her guard somewhat more and allow an errant puppy a little more slack.

Suspecting that Elliot might exhibit a similar degree of intolerance toward customer puppies, I paused to reevaluate my options. I had written off Jesse as being too emotionally needy and too entrenched in her constant licking to ever qualify as a training dog, but perhaps she would at least be more tolerant of other dogs, given her playful nature. Eight- or nine-year-old Jesse did suprisingly well. As a training dog, she was no Einstein, but she certainly enjoyed the attention of anyone who ventured within reach. She did well in putting up with excited puppies.

Finally, however, the boom was lowered: official policy and procedures stipulate that no training dog is permitted to relax with the trainer between classes. Instead, such a dog is to be sequestered in a crate in the warehouse area of the store, far away from the human companionship of employees OR customers. I could not ask that of any of my pack members, even if they had a stuffed Kong toy to entertain them. If I invite them to join me for a day out, I feel I owe them proper entertainment, unless the purpose for their presence is something like a veterinary visit over which I have no control. So much for a training dog.