The Daily Spike: One year down, but so many more lessons to learn

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Happy birthday, Spike! Canine Companion turns one

'The Daily Briefing' celebrates Spike's first birthday with special dog-shaped cookies.

Holy moly, Spike is 1 year old.

Spike turned the big numero uno on January 29th, and I’m sure most everyone raising a new puppy goes through that moment when they ask themselves, "Where did the time go?" It feels like yesterday when he resembled a hamster polar bear, and now he looks more like a small pony.

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It’s even more poignant when your pup is a future service dog in training. Most likely, this was the only birthday I’ll spend with Spike. Hopefully, he will pass advanced training and I will hand over his leash to his future partner at one of the graduation ceremonies next year.

I’m often asked if there are tests or evaluations that we go through now to determine if Spike is on the right path. Every month I turn in a written puppy report on Spike which the trainers and managers look at and contact me about my training questions.

Each region also has weekly or monthly classes during which you are given further guidance. I visited Canine Companions headquarters earlier in January and Spike and I got some one-on-one time with James Dern, the head of the Canine Companions puppy program. James took him for about a half-hour and gave me some very important feedback.

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James said Spike was looking around, at others, and at the floor, more than he should be. He needs to be focused on me, and eventually his partner — to see what we need him to do next. He instructed me to use his love for food to teach him that singular focus. (I need to feed him less at mealtime and continuously give him treats when we are working to encourage him to be always attuned to me, and maintain eye contact.)

I told James I know the problem isn’t Spike. It's me. I’m too soft on my co-workers. I let too many people pet and play with him because I see the joy he brings to my overworked colleagues. They instantly de-stress, tell me it was the highlight of their day, and walk away with a smile on their face. But Spike is too used to this, and now seeks out this attention. I’ve had to crack down on my Fox News colleagues, which frankly hasn’t been easy. Spike is just so irresistible.

The good news is, since the iron paw has come down and the treats are running more freely, I’ve seen quite an improvement in his focus and eye contact with me. I feel like we’re back on track.

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So happy birthday Spike! I’m so happy we’ve had this year together. But since we only have about seven more months together, WE need to shape up, and really focus and train, and get you ready for your next big step. Because year two has even more changes and lessons in store — lessons that will hopefully lead Spike to his future forever companion.

Click here to learn more about Canine Companions for Independence.