| About Us Little Angels Trainers Training Methods Little Angels Service Dogs stands on the firm belief that training should be a dog- friendly experience. Positive motivation is used at every opportunity. Training should be fun for trainer, handler and dog. If one becomes frustrated then the training session should stop. Firm, but fair reinforcement is added only when the dog understands what behavior is wanted, but chooses not to follow through. This creates a dog who responds consistently to commands in all situations. When you call your dog, he should come to you with tail and head held high, happy to be by your side – not slinking towards you with his tail between his legs. Some trainers would like to command a dog with treats and praise alone – but this creates a dog who will respond only if the treat or praise is more positive than anything else that he would rather be doing. For example, if you asked your dog to “sit” and “stay” at the park, he may respond well just to get the praise you have to offer him – but if he likes chasing cats, and one just happens to run across the street, he is faced with an immediate decision. Your dog is thinking, “Which is better – chasing that cat all over town with my tongue lolling out the side of my mouth and having the time of my life . . . or getting a taste of that treat in my master’s hand?” For most dogs it would be chasing the cat. He then breaks away from you and darts across the street after the cat – where he has a high chance of getting hit by a car. . . . But if he had been through training that involved positive as well as negative reinforcement, he has two reasons to do what you tell him, and a negative and a positive usually outweigh the positive alone. Dogs come from a social structure with a strong hierarchy. It would be unnatural for your dog to view life neutrally, without care of who is the alpha – who is to be dominant or submissive. If you do not take the lead, and become the alpha of your “pack”, your dog will either be insecure, or take that position himself. The latter can turn into a potentially dangerous situation. With Little Angels, all commands are initially taught with positive motivation only. The dog is lured into certain positions, such as “sit” or “down”, then is rewarded with either treats, a favorite toy, or verbal and physical praise. Only once the dog responds consistently to the positive, but chooses not to act, is the correction added. Determining what level of negative reinforcement a dog needs is a very delicate task and should be approached with care. Some dogs will submit to authority with just a simple “no” in a firm and low voice – but with most dogs a quick tug on the leash is all that is needed. Dogs, just like people, go through different stages in their lifetime. Because of this Little Angels stands behind any dog they have trained, and will always be available for future refresher training if needed. Unfortunately, there are a lot of trainers out there who prefer to "get the job done quickly” and are too hard on the dog. This creates an animal who responds out of fear, rather than one who is well-rounded with both positive motivation and low-level negative reinforcement. You do NOT need to be a heavy-handed-tyrant for your dog to obey. You very simply need to be the leader. When you issue a command the response is absolute. You do not give your dog a choice by asking him to do it. You tell him that he will do it. After all, it is a command . . . not a request. Extreme training techniques should be reserved for extreme, life-threatening behavior problems, such as aggression, or car chasing. If you believe that a trainer has been too hard on your dog – please don’t look the other way – act! Ask the trainer why they are using the aggressive techniques, and if it doesn’t seem right to you, then act on your instincts and seek out another trainer. Please email us for more information littleangelsdogtraining@yahoo.com |
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| Little Angels Service Dogs is a charitable, non-profit 501c3 corporation that reaches across all of the United States partnering service dogs with the disabled. Training for pet dogs is still a popular option for local residents, and all proceeds directly support the service dog training program. |
| It is the goal of Little Angels that service dogs be placed at little to no cost to the disabled handler. Little Angels is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Little Angels relies fully on the generosity of time given by our volunteers, and those who wish to contribute financially so that recipients do not have to pay to receive a service dog. |
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| Little Angels Service Dogs is a collaboration of professionals and volunteers who share a common goal to see the lives of the disabled changed by the help service dogs can offer. The service dogs in our program are not kept in kennel environments, but are raised, loved and trained in individual homes provided by our fosters and puppy raisers. Dogs are taken into public settings for socialization and training amidst distraction on a weekly basis from the time the puppies are only 8 weeks of age. Once the dog is mature enough for more advanced training it comes to live at the Little Angels Ranch so our trainers can focus on the dog's specialized tasks. |
Board of Directors
Director:
Katie Gonzalez
Secretary:
Amelia Butler
Treasurer:
Anna Martinez
Other Members:
Crystal Ervin
Laura M.
AJ Gonzalez
Angie Messenger
Director:
Katie Gonzalez
Secretary:
Amelia Butler
Treasurer:
Anna Martinez
Other Members:
Crystal Ervin
Laura M.
AJ Gonzalez
Angie Messenger
Trainers
Katie Gonzalez
Crystal Ervin
Laura A.
AJ Gonzalez
Sophia Dieterle
Charlene Mendoza
Brandi Ellis
Sara Dufek
Chris Beattie
Aiyanna Coleman
Lillian Ulloa
Katie Gonzalez
Crystal Ervin
Laura A.
AJ Gonzalez
Sophia Dieterle
Charlene Mendoza
Brandi Ellis
Sara Dufek
Chris Beattie
Aiyanna Coleman
Lillian Ulloa
Fundraising Coordinators
Jeff Hallman
Gary Leventhal
Kimberly Rohmer
Handler Training Coordinator
AJ Gonzalez
Kennel Maintenance &
Landscaping
Jonah Leip
Scott Henry
Jeff Hallman
Gary Leventhal
Kimberly Rohmer
Handler Training Coordinator
AJ Gonzalez
Kennel Maintenance &
Landscaping
Jonah Leip
Scott Henry
| Foster and Puppy Raiser Volunteers The Rohmer Family, V. Hall, J. Fritz, P. Harris, The Schrader Family, The Tico Family, The Long Family,The Saenz Family, A. Messenger, C. Wilkins, L. WIlkins, K. Bradshaw, The Hobson Family, K. Nelson, The Amador Family, The Beltran Family, S. Dieterle, C. Ervin, M. Freeborn, The Nichols Family, The Chapman Family, The Harris Family, The Gores Family.. |
Professional Partners
Epilepsy Connection
Doctor Curtis Hsia
Epilepsy Connection
Doctor Curtis Hsia
