The Musicians have begun training! At around 8 weeks, they have begun to learn how to follow a person who is tapping a food can!
Training starts early for these pups as they learn to eat from a spoon and understand how to patiently wait and listen to cues. For the next 4 months, their training and handling will be 99% off leash and will travel around the farm with a volunteer who will reward them with treats for staying nearby.
They will then learn to enter and exit kennels with a voice command alone and when they eventually graduate to become service dogs they will be fully trained to stay next to a person in command. SDP will then eventually put on a harness and training collar as a tool for conversation, not control.
SDP makes sure to train without the use of their strength as the trainers know that the Great Danes will eventually be bigger and stronger than them. So while they are young, the puppies learn to react to voice cues and gestures rather than a strong hand. This even applies to picking up puppies, which is only used for emergency situations.
Carlene and all the other trainers at Service Dog Project want you to always remember that whenever you handle an animal, you are training it!
Watch the Musicians live here!
