Students meet once a week to learn new training skills and take turns fostering dogs in shifts
During their training, service dogs are cared for by primary handlers, students who are mainly in charge of each dog, and secondary handlers, students who take shifts caring for the dogs when the primary handlers are not available.
Badger, a golden retriever, wears a “Service Dog In Training” vest so outsiders recognize her as a working dog on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 at Crowder Hall in Columbia, Mo. Each dog wears the vest while working and may only play or receive pets when off-duty. Retrieving Freedom students watch as one of their teachers, apprentice Kirby Martin, takes attendance at the beginning of class. Following the attendance, students review the skill taught the previous week and then learn a new skill with their dog.
Badger accepts a treat from her handler while demonstrating the pivot bowl skill she initially learned the previous week. Dogs in the program only receive positive reinforcement rather than punishment.
A student and service dog face each other while demonstrating the pivot bowl skill for the class. Practicing with the pivot bowl helps the dog spin in different directions in small areas without moving their entire body. Sophomore Vaughn Poppe plays with golden retriever Kelce at the beginning of class. Poppe serves as Kelce’s primary handler, meaning he typically is the one in charge of her care. Roulette (left) sniffs Loni as she returns from demonstrating her pivot bowl skill to the class. The dogs demonstrate the skill they had practiced over the previous week before being taught a new one.Junior Isaiah Conway hides a treat behind his back while practicing chin targets with Loni. The handlers use blue cloths to help the dog see where to apply pressure with their chin and will eventually teach them to apply a light pressure to ground their owner during panic attacks. Kirby Martin (left), an apprentice for the Retrieving Freedom program, leads graduate student Rhiannon Bowlen (middle) and senior Daniel Thompson through their newest skill to teach Loni. After three years of the apprenticeship program, Martin will work closely with classes like these in schools and prisons and will be Assistance Dogs International certified. Freshman McKenna Hunt watches Kelce drag a bone off the table while taking a break from practicing a new skill. Because there are only four dogs in this year’s program, the students take turns practicing with different dogs.
Edited by Michael Baniewicz | mbaniewicz@themaneater.com
