On August 16, 2006 I flew from my home in MA to Northern CA to attend an 8-month college program focused on cynology (the study of dogs). The Assistance Dog Institute is currently the only accredited college in the world offering degrees (Associates, Bachelors, and Masters) in dog-related fields. The program I'm going through is for an Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education.
The founder and president of ADI is Dr. Bonnie Bergin, who originated the concept of dogs assisting humans with mobility impairments and also founded Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) as well as other groups/organizations whose purposes focus on dogs assisting people with disabilities. Some courses that ADI teaches are Canine Health, History of the Human-Dog Relationship, Breeding and Whelping, Disability Studies, Business of Dogs, not to mention the hands-on training of assistance dogs from day 1 of life through graduation, and many more topics - a full list as well as descriptions are available online on the school's website.
The first two weeks at ADI are 'mock' client training. After working with many different dogs for two days, the school assigned each student a dog for the remainder of the first two weeks - and students are allowed to write a list of their top three choices... My first choice was Justin, and that's who I got!
Justin and I had our time together and at the end we had an off-leash 'test', the ADI (Assistance Dogs International) Public Access test, and a working final. Then when classes started he went on to another student's string and I got 3 other dogs.
Richardson
My 'pup' for the first semester is Richardson - the first-born male from the 'R' litter. He was 4 months old when I started working with him. His litter was bred to be vine mealy-bug detectors, so they all have higher energy and prey drive as well as more dominance/resistance and aggression (not towards people). We are also experimenting to see if a dog with genetics bad for assistance work can still become a calm, reliable service dog if handled/trained appropriately from birth. The puppies are 8 months old and are very different then the 'Q' litter which was bred for service... one or two of the 'R' pups may make it as service dogs, but probably not for someone with a high level of disability. The others, including Richardson, are doing very well in their mealy-bug training.
Kim
My 'teen' was 1 year old when I started with her. She hadn't been socialized enough and was scared of public locations, and hadn't recieved any advanced training (still working on the basics). It took a few weeks to get her to put anything in her mouth, then something clicked and she became an excellent retriever - the best on campus! She will retrieve a metal crutch and carry/drag it across the room and place it in my hand. She has a lot of energy and is extremely food motivated. She is a little shy of strangers, but getting better. Hopefully she'll graduate in April or July!
Gesi
My 'grad' was 2 years old and getting ready for the December graduation. She was from a litter whose genetics should have produced the best service dogs, but all pups had a 'stubborn' streak (we've been calling it the 'G' gene). She ended-up being released due to not being reliable... she knows all of her commands, but will sometimes shutdown for no apparent reason and completely refuse to follow-through.
Hynek
The week before December client-training started, all students switched grad dogs to make sure the dog could form a bond strong enough to work for a new person. The dog I had was Hynek, mother of the 'Q' litter. She is a very sweet girl who is solid on her commands and loves to work! Unfortunately she is scared of kids and didn't like Charlie, but she bonded immediately with one of the clients who has dog experience and isn't around children often, so Hynek was placed with her. Hynek and Justin have the same sire!
He was (and still is, for his current trainer) a very sweet Golden Retriever, but he's certainly no Poodle - the difference is more dramatic than I was expecting as far as living with a member of the breed... ooooohhhhh the FUR!
Justin
(pronounced Jessie)
The woman who decided to adopt her will be putting her to work as a social/therapy dog which Gesi will love! Her new owner decided to take the client-training session so I got to work with the two of them a lot. When they graduated I spoke about Gesi and everyone loved my description of her - 'Gesi is a neotenized* Golden gal who matured to adolescence but no further - she's an affectionate socialite, but has a rebellious streak occasionally approaching mutiny. Though she has a mind of her own, her source of most enjoyment is spending time on a warm lap with a slipper in her mouth, having a detailed two-way conversation.'
* Neotenized means the retention of juvenile traits (child-like)... characteristics in dogs include floppy ears (little cartilage), low-set tails, soft, light-colored hair, low-arousal and playful/curious personalities. Dogs with these traits tend to make the best service dogs.