By Joan B. Guertin
Jackie LaMarche and Teddi Bear
The tri-colored whirlwind racing through the house isn't manic; she's not playing the favorite run-run game that most corgis delight in. This little dynamo is on a mission! Her "housemate", Jackie LaMarche, put something in the microwave and now she needs to know that it is done! A few minutes later Teddi Bear will repeat the exercise when the phone rings. A dozen times a day she'll repeat it over and over again as she alerts Jackie to other sounds such as the timer on the washer or dryer, the doorbell or a knock. When Jackie goes to bed at night she rests easy knowing that Teddi is on the job in the event that the smoke alarm sounds.
"Wake up, it's the phone!" - Photo: Chris Cronin
It is all in a days work for the four-year-old corgi whose registered name is Tri-umph Twentiethcentury Fox, bred by PWCCA member Marian Johnson Your, born 12/05/99, by Ch. Aubrey Brookehaven Outlandish (Hunter) out of Tri-umph Them Eyes'r'th'Limit (Lois).
Teddi isn't Jackie's first hearing dog. Lass (the subject of the first installment of Lend Me Your Ears in 2003) partnered with Jackie for nine years. With old age encroaching, in 2002, it was necessary for Jackie to consider a replacement. Her love for Lass led her back to Your, Lass's breeder. Lass had been trained at Red Acre Farm, and Jackie's hope was that Teddi would assimilate many of the working skills by watching Lass in action. However, it wasn't to be. It was shortly after Teddi's arrival on June 15, 2002, that Jackie's beloved Lass succumbed to a rare form of cancer.
The dilemma at that point became one of getting Teddi trained in both obedience and in sound work (alerting Jackie to the sounds around her). Very few service dog agencies will train or assist in the training of a disabled individual's personal dog. Enter yours truly. Marian Your knew that I had worked with and trained hearing dogs. Of course, I was in Missouri and Jackie was in Massachusetts. Even that proved to be no problem, thanks to Marilyn Pona's Assistance Dogs for Living, a service-dog organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. ADL was designed to assist the disabled in the training of their own dogs with the aid of trainer-coaches.
Teddi Bear and Jackie at Stop & Shop Supermarket;
sometimes Teddi has to dodge falling apples!
Jackie registered with ADL and received her service-dog-in-training credentials. With my hearing dog background, I became the coach for the signal work and, at Jackie's request, I contacted her friend, Missy Kielbasa, a trainer she had worked with in the past. Missy, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, also worked with the positive, motivational training philosophy that was compatible with the methods that I use. With Missy's hands-on work in the area of obedience and my coaching on the signal training, Jackie and Teddi began the process of becoming a working team.
The obedience work with Missy went fairly smoothly since Missy and Jackie were already familiar with each other and Jackie had developed strong handling skills during her years with Lass. In Teddi, she possessed an eager learner.
The most challenging aspect was training for the signal work. For that, Jackie proved resourceful. Given that she was not able to hear the sounds that Teddi was being trained to alert, it became necessary to establish a team of human assistants to "be her ears" as they conditioned Teddi to the sounds. For that, Jackie enlisted some youthful friends. They all came through with flying colors, as I was able to witness on the video that Jackie submitted to me this Spring. Jackie was an astute observer and supplied detailed reports throughout the training, describing what and how she was doing things and the results elicited. Thank goodness for the Internet. Without it, we would have been "up a creek without a paddle." Jackie proved an apt pupil and excellent in her explanations and we got to know each other well through our emails. In fact, my training folder is about three inches thick!
"It's the phone again!" - Photo: Chris Cronin
Since Lass was trained at Red Acre Farm and I had worked with one of their trainers and had been using the signal ball to teach the alerts, we were able to start out "on the same page" which made it easy for us to communicate.
Given that Teddi was highly food motivated, it didn't take her long to pick up on the "signal" game. A sound equaled a treat if you flew to Mom! Tying that into returning to the source of the sound for a mega-reward was then simple. Sound = Alert Mom= Return to source of sound = treat! Corgi can get that! Corgi can become extremely good at that! So much for the simple stuff such as the microwave, phone, doorbell and knock. Then it is on to the more difficult issues. Sounds when Mom isn't in the room and you have to stretch to find her! Jackie hid in the shower, in closets, kneeling with head in a cupboard. Now the dog has to work a bit harder. But Teddi was up to the challenge.
One "dragon" proved a bit daunting. Teddi was fearful of the vacuum. It would take time and patience to work though that fear in order to be able to alert Jackie when sounds occurred even when she was executing that chore. However, in true corgi fashion, doing her job won over her fears, and besides, the promise of the rewards far out-weighed her apprehension.
The helpers were invaluable. They would cue Jackie visually when there was an actual sound. That way, Jackie could encourage Teddi to respond. A simple "what is it?" and the game would begin. Quickly, Teddi picked up on the signals that meant that "corgi was on duty."
Once the work at home was in place, it was necessary to expand Teddi's horizons. Fortunately, Jackie had vacation time, and a trip to The Cape and time with relatives gave her the perfect opportunity to allow Teddi to work in a totally new environment. Again, Teddi passed with flying colors.
Making the training video: "Someone's at the door!" - Photo: Chris Cronin
In the meantime, Teddi was diligently working on the obedience so that she could qualify for public access. It all paid off and she and Jackie passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test and the Therapy Dogs International requirements with flying colors. The actual training of Teddi commenced in November of 2002 and was completed by early in 2004, just a little over a year. It might have progressed faster, but like most things in life, there were a few detours along the way including a major move for Jackie into a condo and then last year some surgery on her neck. But they did it!
One humorous bit that Jackie shared proved just how well the training worked. One day Teddi kept alerting to a phone, but the TTY light wasn't flashing. Jackie did some investigating and found that the cell phone that they used for training must have been beeping. The battery was running low and Teddi kept alerting until Jackie found the problem. One thing those of us who train have to keep reminding our students is that they MUST trust their dog. Teddi proved that to Jackie!
Jackie and Teddi continue to train with Missy and are currently working toward their CD degree. Like her predecessor, Teddi is active with Jackie in therapy work with visits to hospitals. The pair also visits classrooms and educates children on responsible pet ownership and service dog education. As a result, Teddi actually receives fan mail.
Teddi Bear in the Second Grade classroom at Zanetti Montessori School
in Springfirld, Massachusetts, for a hearing dog demo. - Photo: Tia Schabot
As we wind down our training, I asked Jackie how this experience training her own hearing dog was different from the experience of acquiring a dog that was already trained. She commented that training Teddi was a huge undertaking and required a lot of manpower in addition to hours. Had she known then that there would be so much work involved, it probably would have scared her off. However, she is very glad that she did train her with the help of her friends. And she wouldn't be afraid to do it again if the occasions should arise. She values it as a very rewarding experience.
Teddi with her Second Grade fan club
at Zanetti Montessori School. - Photo: Tia Schabot
Also, Jackie admits that working with Teddi "has made me realize that there are areas in which I can succeed that I would never have thought I could. I don't think I will attempt rocket science next, but I do know there are many things that I can work at and probably succeed at. I enjoyed writing to you about Teddi's progress and the training, so maybe I will attempt writing an article about it myself!"
Jackie goes on to explain, "growing up, we always had a dog in the house, but I never considered myself a dog person. I still can't believe that I trained Teddi. It was one of the best things I ever did and I don't consider it completed yet. Teddi and I are both learning something new every day and that's the best thing about training my own dog. It's just second nature now to attempt anything with Teddi!"
Teddi Bear, with her special talents, and Jackie LaMarche with her special insights, are on their way to making their corner of the world a much better place. I know that the experience has enriched this writer's life!
Foot note:
A special thanks from Jackie to the people who helped so lovingly with Teddi Bear's training. Without the Sound Helpers it couldn't have happened: The first crew (at home), Alicia & Elaina Laureano, Eva Schocken (who really made Jackie and Teddi Bear work!), Ann & Mary Simeoli (really helped on the shower and the video), Aelan Tierney and her daughter Aisha Diallo who helped with Teddi's manners around children. Thanks to Mark Langevin who produced the video for the certification and which will continue to serve as an educational tool for school programs. (Directors: Jackie LaMarche & Eva Schocken) And all the others who graciously gave of their time and talents to help make Jackie's dream a reality.
Published in the PWCCA Newsletter Summer 2003
Reproduced with the kind permission of the editor Marian Johnson Your.
25.04.2013
