This will be Emma's final blog. She is graduating today. She has moved from Service Dog in Training to Service Dog today. The last task we were fine tuning has been adjusted to meet the needs of her handler and she now knows to stand on a stool and turn on or off a light on cue. She's learned to go across a room when cued to do so and she's learned that the task is complete when the light switch is flipped and her feet touch the floor again. It took us 2 months to build this from a basic understanding of flipping a switch to standing against a wall to overcoming a worry about the stool to finally combining many links in a chain to build the task for her handler.
In all, Emma has learned 52 cues in the time she's trained with Tao Service Dogs. She's learned to retrieve, turn down a bed, make a bed, help with undressing, cleaning up a room and more. She's learned to remind her handler to raise his arm when it hangs, to go get help when he needs and how to lay across him and provide comfort when needed. She's learned a lot since she was 14 weeks old and starting this journey.
Today Emma heads home with her family to begin her career as an In Home Service Dog. Tao Service Dogs wishes Emma the best in her career with her handler and much joy to the team.
Here is a list of the cues that Emma has learned since she began her training.
The Basics
| Cue | Meaning |
| Emma | Turn and look at who called my name and give eye contact (focus) |
| Leave It | Turn away and don't touch, pick up or sniff what I am looking at. |
| Sit | Fold up my back legs and put my bottom on the ground |
| Down | Put my elbows, belly and hips on the ground |
| Off | Get off of what I am on |
| Come | Run to my handler when my name is called or they say Come |
| Settle | Settle down and relax |
| Stand | Stand in place without moving my feet/stand up without stepping forward or backward or sideways |
| Back | Step back several steps |
| Left | Turn left |
| Right | Turn right |
| Around | Go around something |
| Stay | Don't move or change position |
| Wait | Puase but I can change position |
| Let's Go | Start walking with my handler |
| Go to Mat | Go to a mat and lay on it until released |
| Crate | Get in my crate |
| Load Up | Jump in Car, on scale or in tub |
| Heel | Move to my handler's left side and face the same way they are |
| Side | Move to my handler's right side and face the same way they are |
| Front | Sit in front of my handler facing them |
| Rattle | Shake off as if to release tension or remove water from my fur |
| Potty | Go to the bathroom when told |
Service Dog Cues
| Cue | Meaning |
| Take It | take what is offered in my mouth |
| Hold It | Hold the item in my mouth |
| Give It | Give the item in my mouth |
| Get It | Pick something up and give it to my handler |
| Bring It | Bring what I have to my handler |
| Look | Look at my feet or on the floor for something to pick up |
| Leash | Pick up my leash and give it to my handler |
| Pull | Pull something with my mouth |
| Push | Push something with my nose |
| Close It | Close something with my nose |
| Paw | Give my paw or put my paw on something |
| Touch | Put my nose on something |
| Light | Turn on or off a light |
| Find It | Find something |
| Go | A moving command like "Go Give to" for delivering notes or giving an item to someone |
| Go In | Go under a table or in my crate or even through tubes for agility |
| Shoes | Go get my handler's shoes |
| Socks | Remove my handler's socks |
| Basket | Put an item into a basket or trashcan |
| Keep Going | Keep looking for an item |
| That's It | Found item, wait for instructions |
| Step Up/In | step onto or into something |
| Get Help | Carry a bringsel to the first person I can find to tell them my handler needs help |
| Show Me | Lead the person back to my handler |
| Paws Up | Put my paws up on something |
| Make Bed | Pull covers to head of bed |
| Turn Down | Pull covers away from head of bed |
Tricks
| Cue | Meaning |
| Shake | Give my paw to someone so they can shake it |
| High Five | Touch someones palm with my paw |
| Tada! | Take a bow |
