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 WHAT IS THE DOGWISH?
 What is the dogwish foundation?
What are the primary concerns?
How did we develop dogwish K9s?
What makes dogwish K9s so special?
How are dogwish K9s trained?
What will a dogwish K9 do for you?
Who are we?
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DOGWISH K-9 PERFORMANCE CRITERIAS
Of the hundreds of guide and assistance dogs I have seen in public, many of the dogs I've seen were either incapable, or not trained and maintained to perform and provide real effective performance for their handlers. It seemed the dogs were trained in a somewhat generic manner, and the handler was responsible to maintain the performance of the dog. Since all of the people handling these dogs were in some way disabled, this seemed a little backwards to me.
From the experience I have had, the primary job that I have found to be a necessity for the people I have worked with is that of being an intelligent, sensitive, devoted companion. Almost all of the people that I have placed assistance dogs with have commented that they have never experienced that same quality of companionship before in their lives. It is that relationship which makes the experience special.
The following is therefore being written in response to questions from potential owners of assistance and guide dog K-9s, in an effort to clarify and produce an understanding what should be expected from their dog.
INSTINCTS
A proper K-9 should be evaluated and selected for its' outstanding instincts. The dog being evaluated for potential usage as a service K-9 should display outstanding and assertive instinctive characteristics. In order to evaluate the behavioral performance of a potential K-9, the person doing the job should not only be a master trainer, with years of experience in the field, but should also be a breed expert. Every breed of dog has their own mentality, and instincts. Their behavior must be evaluated according to their own breed and temperament specifics, to be evaluated correctly. How can a dog that lacks natural intelligence, understanding, and drives, be an outstanding K-9?
Some years ago Doctor William Campbell, the leading Psychologist for the American Veterinary Association for over 35 years, did a study of comparison on the American and German bred, German Shepherd dog, which he included in his book, Dogs and Behavioral Problems. In this study he found outstanding differences in the two breed types, within the specific German Shepherd Breed.
1. Dogs bred from German lines were more focused, and behaved more according to the training they received.
2. The dogs from American lines were easier to distract, needed more repetition and maintenance to perform. The differences caused by the genetics of these dogs in relation to their ability to be trained and perform were obvious, and strong.
For the past several years we have observed serious problems resulting from incorrect breeding by dog owners in the Golden Retriever breed, producing destructive, vicious, and abnormal dogs. At the same time there are now groups of breeders who are raising pups from field dog champion stock that appear to be excellent specimens of the breed. These pups have strong, correct instinct, and should be excellent dogs. However, nobody is going to give them away. If we are selecting pups from dogs with poor genetic backgrounds, that do not have good working instincts, we are wasting our time! However, many of the organizations doing service and guide dog work have grown lazy, and are doing just that. The first and most important criterion for selection of a proper Service Assistance K-9 is their genetic background which supplies a natural ability to function in a proper manner for the handler.
TEMPERAMENT
The temperament of a potential K-9 is important, because it controls the dogs' self image, and behavioral pack role. From what I've observed from other schools, most of dogs they select are of a moderate temperament, and see themselves as utility or lower pack oriented animals. These dogs are non-aggressive and incapable of being aggressive. Because uncontrolled aggression is the primary concern these schools have with a dogs' temperament, they directly choose dogs that natural display lower temperament characteristics, and flunk candidates that display more aggressive characteristics, instead of choosing dogs that have stronger instinctive abilities, and teaching them to respond in a more focused and acceptable manner. This decision is based on the level of training which they do or can not provide for their dogs.
Because of my background, I have found that it is not the level of a dogs' temperament which is the problem here, but the related factors that go with that temperament. Correct temperament, from correctly bred, titled, working dogs, is a wonderful attribute for any "working" K-9, and I have handled thousands that worked better because of their temperament. I have also trained with thousands of dogs that were problem dogs because they lacked the temperament to respond properly to their owners, which is a major concern with an assistance K-9. In this case the owner must made up the difference. Looking at the qualifications for acceptance as a service assistance dog, I have found some amazingly low criteria. Believe me, a good citizenship AKC award, found on the list of several assistance school test criteria's, is NOT a good ir acceptable standard for K-9 performance. A good service K-9 should be beyond normal mentality and performance. Their genetics, training, and performance, should be exemplary.
I placed such a K-9, bred from a wonderful Post Certified Police trained K-9, with a family, where there were several members with disabilities. This dog has the temperament to be an excellent Police K-9. The dog works with each member according to their abilities, and disabilities. One of the children is severely autistic, and suffered from severe epileptic seizures, and the dog has a special relationship with this child, behaving totally different around them than the others. The dog has the temperament to be whatever they need. His intelligence, strength, and focus, is outstanding. He possesses the "essence" of what a good service assistance dog should be, and is an outstanding help to the family, and the community as well.
We recently met a man with a golden retriever he received from a local Guide dog school. The man was very frustrated because the dog was not working for him properly, too distracted by other people in the store, smelling and watching them, and looking at children running by, instead of listening and watching his handler. The owner/handler was technically blind, and somewhat disabled from a car accident that had caused him minor brain damage. However, the dog was the one with the real mental problems. The dog did not possess the genetic ability to perform for this man who was patiently trying to get the dog to work. I've seen this same scenario over and over. The man, after becoming acquainted, admitted that the dog had been a problem since he came, and that he had contacted the school and they just didn't have the "facilities" to correct the problem right now.
DISPOSITION
Again, the mental/emotional state of being of a good service K-9 should be balanced and stable, because of the temperament of the dog. The dog should be more neutral towards strangers naturally, and more focused towards its' work, and its' handler/owner.
The dog should possess a soft disposition, be sensitive, easy to handle, and ready to perform. The dog should have a strong drive and personality for the work they are trained to perform. Their personality should be dynamic and alert, not drab and unfocused. The dog should be able to cut drive, and relax on command, either sitting or laying in comfort, without the need to move. The dog should be happy to be with the handler/owner, and satisfied to perform its' duties, as trained.
PERFORMANCE
The dog should be trained to perform on an advanced level, on and off leash, in the public, under strong distraction, without help, encouragement, or solicitation from the handler. (In fact, the stronger the distraction, the more focused the dog should become.)
The dog should work with the handler effortlessly and self correcting.
The dog should focus on the handler at all times, and move as is correct for the handler, putting absolutely NO pressure on the harness or leash at any time, maintaining exact position next to the handler, and moving step-by-step with the handler, performing the responsibilities of it's job.
The dog should be committed to responding according to the needs of its' handler. The dog must be conditioned and committed to ignore all distractions and solicitations, in order to focus on their handler and work successfully.
The dog should work voluntarily, anticipating and responding to the needs of the handler before even being told.
The dog should perform as they know it is correct, without having to be told to do so. This way the dog leaves the handler free to move, navigate, and negotiate, without having to worry about the dog.
This is true for Guide dog K-9s, and Service Assistance K-9s.
Our dogs go a step further. They are trained to perform as they have been conditioned. The dogs are there to help the handler, assist the handler, and make sure the handler is safe, cared for, and attended to properly. If have found that females with strong mothering instincts make excellent assistance dogs, because they watch and care for their handlers needs more naturally, with more patience, and personal concern.
Our dogs are also conditioned to assess problem situations, and respond correctly, without help from the handler, making decisions that are correct, according to their job.
Training an effective Service Assistance K-9 goes beyond the fundamentals for obedience, and physical labors. A good assistance dog has to be taught to perceive, and respond to each situation, as is best for its' handler. Their job is difficult, and requires behaviors that are above and beyond those of other dogs around them. The assistance K-9 is an invaluable, dynamic tool, and should be regarded with the respect due their position. We know that our dogs are precious, and will make all the difference for their handlers, and therefore are proud of each certified "Dogwish" K-9 we place.
Respectfully,
Mr. Bob Taylor, President
The DOGWISH FOUDATION, Inc., & the UNITED STATES Canine Academy
Phelan, California
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