Lake’s Training Continues: Focus Is Key!

As Lake’s training continues: focus is key! One of the things that amazes people when they encounter an assistance dog out in the world is the dogs ability to ignore the distractions of everyday life going on around them.  Assistance dogs must be able to remain completely committed and on task to provide optimal service and reliability to their human companion. Lake’s current puppy raiser, Dana Burger takes every opportunity to expose him to a variety of activities that would challenge most adult humans, and Lake remains cool and almost indifferent to the activity around him. 

Let me clarify.  “almost indifferent” means that Lake will observe what’s going on, assess the situation and while he may desire to interact, he has learned that “stay” means stay and he contentedly complies.  Dana travels with Lake to school, the grocery store, the beach, gymnastics with her son Robin, restaurants, ice cream shops; virtually everywhere his future human would need to go. He is making tremendous strides in his ability to “stay” in position for up to an hour at a time.  This is especially important for times when he will be at a doctors appointment, at a restaurant, traveling, or any time his companion requires him to be in “stay.”

Lake remains a playful toddler, who is a very fast learner and happy to respond to what is required of him. Jennifer Bielen, Training Director for Genesis is pleased with Lake’s progress and continues to work with him weekly to insure that appropriate behavior responses are consistently delivered.  There is no doubt at this point that Lake will complete his training and eventually be the perfect match for a person with mobility issues waiting for a Genesis Assistance Dog! 

Please enjoy this brief video which demonstrates Lake in “stay.”