In the fall, we provided our first update on our blog about Sandy, Your Hearing Dog Inc.’s first hearing dog, and his handler, Kathy. For those who may not remember, Sandy is a poodle, and with this breed’s intelligence, trainability, and family-friendly personality, these dogs make excellent candidates for hearing dogs. Sandy is certainly no exception and has been working hard these past several months as he continues to train and learn new skills.
In recent months, training was paused for a period of time as Kathy was, unfortunately, involved in a vehicle accident. Eager to keep learning, and missing walks with his favorite human, Sandy was feeling a little “bored” in the early period of Kathy’s recovery. He was also not quite sure what to make of the changes resulting from Kathy’s accident, finding it especially confusing that she can move slowly while standing up, while he receives a sharp “now” when he moves too slowly.
Sandy has now been able to return to his training work. With the break in training and his handler’s continued recovery, there have been some challenges, but both are continuing to make strides as they work together. Some of the commands they have been working on are heel, front, and lay down and settle. With so much learning required for new words and commands, it takes a lot of time and practice to master them. In particular, settling down after a vigorous play time, or when the zoomies set in, can be difficult for a young dog. However, Sandy is listening and learning, eventually being able to settle himself, a big step for any young animal, or person.
Distractions are another hurdle in training that needs to be overcome. The world is so full of things to explore and it’s easy for curiosity to overtake listening. For Sandy, deer and bunnies can easily divert his focus. While curious about the deer, and leery of their large antlers, it is those bunnies that really make it difficult to stay focused, as it is so tempting to chase them. While these sightings are certainly an inconvenience, they do provide additional learning opportunities for Sandy to ignore distractions and, instead, follow the commands of his human.
Aside from training, Sandy is a reminder of the amazing bond dogs have to their humans and the companionship they provide. When we are having a hard day or feeling down, petting or cuddling a pet can often brighten the day. Sandy, sensing when Kathy is feeling sad, will come to her, place his head on her chest and look up, as if to say, “I’m here for you.” This is such an incredible testament to the remarkable dog Sandy is becoming and to the love and devotion of dogs, seemingly understanding the times when we need them the most.
On a fun note, Sandy also had his first grooming appointment during the past few months, transforming him from a fluffy ball of fur to the sleek poodle he is becoming. As with many good-natured and well-trained dogs, he was an excellent customer and very well-behaved. While wearing a tie after a haircut, and really anytime, is enjoyable for Sandy, wearing a hat is not (although he did graciously wear one for a photograph).

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