#FindingAPurpose

I am a dog person. Dogs take the love you give and they give it back many times over. They sense when you’re celebrating or when you need a little extra snuggle after a long day – and even when that walk is the best thing for you – both of you!

More than just being a dog person – I am a Service Dog person – several years ago, I went through an intensive training program to become a certified puppy trainer with the Guide Dog Foundation. While I have another dog – Deuce, a rescue who fills our house with lots of laughs and love – I always wanted to find a way to give back to the community and help people live a better life. The number of people who need a Service Dog is large – estimated at over 500,000 – and there are not enough dogs or trainers to meet the demand. I have now raised seven puppies (two “full term”) and it is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been able to give to others – while at the same time learning so much about myself. 

As a puppy raiser, I start working with the dogs at around eight weeks old and keep them for anywhere from 12-14 months (although my current dog, Todd, has been with us longer as a result of COVID) and they become an extension of me; where I go, they go – planes, trains and automobiles, restaurants and errands, the office and to client sites, the puppy is with me. In addition to working on commands, this socialization is a crucial part of their training – preparing them to go off and navigate the world alongside a veteran or blind person. The puppies’ training and progress are measured throughout the journey culminating in a handful of Year Old Dog Assessment (YODA) evaluations. After “graduation” from my home, the puppy heads to The Guide Dog Foundation headquarters (located in Long Island, New York) for several months of “in for training” experience to learn more technical skills (such as harness training or nightmare training) needed for the job.

I get to work hard each day with these puppies for them to become a leader for someone who needs the dog to open their life to greater autonomy, freedom, and confidence.

Puppy raising is rooted in positive reinforcement. All animals – humans included – require motivation to perform a behavior and when the behavior is followed by a pleasurable consequence, it’s more likely to be repeated – and ultimately results in a progress in training. Ultimately, the more communication and information provided to the puppy through praise and reinforcement the better their understanding of expectations (sounds similar to effective leadership strategies, right?).

What’s incredible is how much I learn as the puppies learn – literally “seeing” things differently with each puppy and the journey we undertake together. So many “lessons” learned for each of us – one might be around the importance of sleep. Candidly – when they’re tiny, the puppies are getting more sleep than I would ever need, but they do remind me that in order to reach optimal performance I must “recharge” (physically and mentally) rather than run on adrenaline. The puppies also learn to perform under pressure and take action under stress – stress for the puppies can be anything from going up “open” steps or approaching strange dogs. Our training helps these puppies develop mechanisms to address stress (in the moment) and create new “habits” to address these stressors. And the key to success – communication – the best trait that we can offer to the puppies (and as effective leaders) is clear communication to enable the reinforcement needed to sustain these “habits.”

Creating new habits requires commitment and deliberate practice –habits can be positive in nature, not just looking to curtail certain behaviors – and just like the puppies, when we put our minds to it, those habits eventually become routine – part of our everyday lives. After all, puppies, just like humans, have bad days and – for the puppy who might not quite get a command or who had an accident in the house – every moment requires assessment “in the moment” and deciding the best means to achieve the ultimate coaching success in an effort to drive encouragement and enablement, with a long-term focus while celebrating short term accomplishments. Doing so allows you to cope with minor setbacks and keeps your “eye on the prize” – to become a Guide Dog – not the end, but the start of the journey.

Seeing the world through the eyes of the puppy as they learn has been humbling, providing me with a new appreciation for my surroundings as well as the experiences of those who require the support of a service dog. I get to work hard each day with these puppies for them to become a leader for someone who needs the dog to open their life to greater autonomy, freedom, and confidence.

I get asked a lot of questions about being a puppy raiser – “what if they don’t pass their test” (we have the option to adopt in that case) and “do you pay for the dog” (not the dog, but we do financially commit to caring for the dog for the duration of its time in our home). The question I get asked the most is “how can you say goodbye to the puppies when their training is done?” Saying goodbye is the hardest – but most rewarding – part of puppy raising. Similar to mentoring a colleague – with a ton of commitment, accountability, and respect, there comes a moment where you recognize that goals have been achieved and for everyone’s growth, it’s time to accept the next challenge. 

Puppy raising is a commitment – it’s a lot of time and work – but it’s also an amazing way to “pay it forward” by inspiring and guiding others, as well as consistently learning – for puppies and humans alike! I will be forever grateful to these puppies, and the leaders, who have helped me find my purpose!