Not Just a Pretty Face

Myrna Shiboleth, Netiv HaAyit Collies, Israel

We and the dog have been partners for thousands of years,

and basically that partnership has been based on the

abilities of our dogs to work for us, to do things for us

that were difficult or even impossible for us to do alone,

and to make our lives easier and more efficient. The fact

that these abilities were accompanied by the dog’s ability

to bond to us, love us, and make us feel good about

ourselves has been a huge bonus.

There was a wide variety of tasks that developed over the

years which made use of our dogs, and the variety became

wider and wider, as well as the specificity of what we

expected our dogs to do. Hunting, herding, guarding,

pulling, alerting, all were possible. Although we loved and

valued our dogs as loyal companions (even the most primitive

societies are known to honor their valuable dogs), basically

dogs were bred and raised for the purpose of working at

something.

However, in our modern, urbanized, mechanized and

computerized world, and primarily in the last fifty to one

hundred years, our dogs have to a great extent become

unemployed. Many of the tasks that were essential to our

lives and survival in the past have now been relegated to

sport or hobby, for spare time only, and the multitude of

dogs that spent most of their time doing a job have now

become pampered pets, status symbols, or toys for the

children – when the children are not too busy with computer

games.

The picture, however, is not as bleak as we might imagine.

New tasks have been found for some of our dogs, and these

are jobs of tremendous importance and significance, which

would not have been imagined a few centuries ago. Dogs have

been found to be extremely effective and competent at tasks

such as search and rescue, drug and weapon detection, and

detection of a wide variety of other substances and pests,

police work, and perhaps among the most important and

“modern”, the use of dogs in a wide variety of service and

therapy tasks.

From the time I was a child, my dream was to have a collie.

Back in those days, before the internet, video games, DVDs,

and all the other things that occupy our youth now, my

favorite and primary pastime was reading. And my most

favorite books were the ones about animals. When I

discovered the books of Albert Payson Terhune, that was it

for me – all I wanted in life was a collie. A dog that was

not only beautiful, but a friend and companion, loyal,

devoted, and brave, and a true hero.

My family were not animal people, so I had to wait until I

left home to have my collie. But one of the first things I

did when I moved into my first apartment, was indeed to get

a collie.

Ever since then, collies have been a huge part of my life.

They have been everything that I expected of them, and it

was clear to me that all the stories of the wonderful collie

were indeed based on truth.

My dogs have almost from the beginning been show dogs, (even

Terhune’s dogs were show dogs) - showing is something that I

have always enjoyed, but I have never felt that being a show

dog is a life’s profession. Since I expected my dogs to be

active, happy, outgoing, with strong instincts and desire to

please, I also learned that I had to provide activities for

them to give them a fulfilling life. My collies came with

me to sports clubs, did agility, herded my sheep when I had

a flock, and tried to herd my horses. But over the years, I

discovered something that was even more satisfying, both for

the dogs and for me – therapy and service work.

Probably the hardest job for a working dog is that of a

therapy or service dog, which makes use of the physical and

mental capabilities of the dog on a high level. This type

of work is characterized by constant changes – the condition

of the patient, the environment, the circumstances, the

human caretakers, the ability of the patient to participate

or not in decisions that have to be made about immediate

reactions to the situation. The dog has to be able to focus

totally on his job, whether in the quiet environs of the

home, or in the confusion, noise, and unexpected character

of a public place, filled with people, vehicles, and other

innumerable and often unexpected distractions.

Generally, people seem to believe that any dog that is

friendly, not aggressive, reasonably obedient, not too

active, good natured…can do the job. However, this is far

from the truth. An effective service dog, who in some cases

is in actual fact responsible for the life and well being of

his partner, is a very special dog that has very special

criteria in order for him to succeed, and there are

relatively few dogs that are suitable. The dog has to be

“bomb proof”, steady, focused, able to continue to perform

under stress and for long hours, and have the ability to

make sensible and independent decisions if the situation

calls for it.

Dogs from the herding breeds are often considered the most

suitable for assistance tasks of all kinds – they have a

long history of working closely with the shepherd, strong

bonding, ability to learn quickly and very strong motivation

to follow commands, and very little aggression. They also

have the ability to react according to the situation – a

herding dog can not always wait for the shepherd to give a

command, he has to understand the situation and react

accordingly.

A good collie is known for these characteristics, and

collies have over and over proven themselves as outstanding

in this type of work. For the last 12 years, I have been

involved with collies as therapy and service dogs, and they

have proven over and over their talent for these tasks. In

particular, the smooth collie is outstanding as a service or

therapy dog. Having never become as popular as the roughs

for the show ring, and not being as “pretty” and

“glamorous”, did not gain the same popularity as a pet

either. The smooth has remained a dog that was often bred

and raised as a working and sport dog, and has demonstrated

the ability on the one hand to be extremely bonded and

devoted to his people, a great desire and ability to learn

and to please, and on the other hand the ability, when

necessary, to act independently and make decisions according

to the circumstances for the good of his partner. There are

few dogs that have this ability, along with the very loving

and non aggressive nature, and the ability to deal with

aberrant behaviors and continue to work and to love his

companion, no matter what.

When I started working with dogs for these purposes, I found

the rough collies to be much softer in temperament and less

able to stand up to and recover from stress or to make

independent decisions. This was one of my major reasons for

interbreeding roughs and smooths, and the results have been

excellent. I have a line of roughs that are strong and

resilient in temperament and can work as well as the

smooths.

So what can these dogs can do? There are various

categories:

1. AAA dogs - Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) : Dogs that

accompany volunteers (and who are usually the personal

dog of the volunteer) to visit hospitals, nursing

homes, day care programs, and many other types of

facilities for the purpose of being petted and

socializing with the residents/clients. There is often

no particular treatment plan associated with the use of

these dogs; their purpose is to bring interest to the

lives of the patients, provide companionship and

contact, and reduce loneliness. A dog for this type of

work must be very stable in temperament, not frightened

or stressed by strange surrounding, behaviors, noises,

clothing, and must be calm and friendly, under control

of his handler, and never show any signs of aggression.

He is not expected to perform any specific tasks and is

not part of a defined treatment program, but brings

much joy and interest to the lives of the patients.

2. Therapy Dogs:  They are usually the personal pets of

their handlers, and work with their handlers to provide

services to others, such as visiting patients in

hospitals or the elderly in assisted-living care, help

children learn to read, etc. Animal assisted therapy

is a significant part

of treatment for many people who are physically,

socially, emotionally or

cognitively challenged.

Health care professionals or certified therapists

use their animal, or

work in partnership with a volunteer and the

volunteer's pet, using the pet

as a treatment modality in a written,

individualized treatment plan with

specific, documented goals.

This is a much more involved and difficult

task, as we are trying to

achieve goals that can help the patients both

physically and mentally.

When we get into more complex tasks of therapy dogs, we

need to consider also whether the dog will be required to

perform various actions – opening doors or drawers, turning

on lights, pressing a panic button, pulling a wheelchair,

and more. In these situations, we have to have a dog that

is highly trainable and motivated to perform these actions

on command, and will be very reliable in doing so. The

motivation must be so strong that the dog is more interested

in working than in seeking attention from other people, or

other dogs. He must be able to learn a chain of behaviors,

as some of the behaviors he may be expected to perform may

be quite complex. Although the therapy dog works together

with his handler, who may or may not be the therapist, the

dog must be willing and able to develop a close relationship

of trust and affection with the patient and follow the

commands of the patient as well as of the handler. And of

course, there should never be any signs of aggressiveness.

An example of a dog doing this sort of work is Yuli, a

smooth collie female, registered name Isr.Ch. Yuli of Netiv

HaAyit. Yuli works as a therapy dog in a residential center

for adults with physical and mental disabilities. Many of

these people have difficulties communicating, and also

problems with physical functionality, and may be withdrawn

and reluctant to interact or to cooperate or try things out

of fear of failure or ridicule.

Yuli visits once a week, and has become very popular. She

provides affection and reassurance.

a. A patient with severe back pain that has to go through

physical therapy which includes lying still for long

periods with hot compresses has become much more

relaxed and able to cope with the long and boring

sessions when Yuli lies next to her on the bed and

provides companionship and affection.

b. She provides a similar service to patients that are

undergoing other forms of physical therapy, such as a

stationary bicycle – she will sit on a chair next to

them and provide kisses. The action of lifting their

arms and reaching out to Yuli is also therapeutic.

Yuli is free to move around the room, and she knows

which patients are interested in her attention and

greets each one, pushes her nose into their hand, and

asks for petting.

c. At the time that the dentist visits the residence,

there are patients that are frightened and refuse to be

examined. Yuli sits on a chair with the patient and

opens her mouth and lets her teeth be examined, the

patient is able to see that nothing frightening is

happening and then allows himself to be examined.

d. Yuli participates in groups with activities that are

meant to improve group communication and participation,

eye-hand functionality. They put together a hoop, and

then hold it and direct Yuli to jump through it. There

are a variety of exercises for improving eye-hand

coordination that they do together with Yuli.

e. Her presence is something they look forward to, they

enjoy interacting with her, and as part of this

interaction, they also interact with one another.

3. Service Dogs: Service animals are

specifically trained to help just one

person, and are not considered ‘pets’. They are

trained to meet the

disability-related needs of their handlers who

have disabilities. They live

with their partners and usually accompany them in

all their daily activities

and are trained to respond to necessary and even

life threatening.

situations, either on the command of the partner,

or independently through

understanding of the necessity of taking action.

Dogs in this category are

usually involved with partners with serious

disabilities such as

Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, autism, mobility issues,

or psychiatric issues.

The service dog lives and works with the patient, and this

is the person who gives the commands. The dog must be

strongly bonded to his partner and highly motivated to work

for him, even though the partner may be very limited in his

possibilities to give commands. He must be able to stand up

to high levels of stress, even situations where the partner

may react to the dog in unexpected or unpleasant ways, and

continue to function. The dog has to have the ability to

analyze the situation and if necessary to make independent

decisions of how to function in the instance that his

partner is unable to act. As an example, the Alzheimer’s

Aid Dog must be able to make the decision to take his

partner home even when the partner is unaware of the need to

return home and unable to give the dog the command.

Here are a few examples of the work of service dogs:

Sky: Sky is an epilepsy alert dog. She has been working

with her partner for over seven years. She is a smooth

collie female, registered name Blue Sky of Netiv HaAyit.

Her partner, Osnat, suffers from a serious form of

epilepsy. Although on medication, she was prone to suffer

from frequent grand mal attacks, which would occur without

prior warning and leave her helpless. Osnat felt unable to

leave home without a companion, from the fear of having an

attack in a public place. She was ashamed and embarrassed

and felt that people were disgusted with her. There was

also a good deal of physical danger, as during an attack she

has no consciousness or control over her body and could

easily injure herself. As she was not able to provide

herself with a companion at all times, she felt it necessary

to remain at home more and more. Even in the environment of

her home, an attack catching her unaware could easily result

in physical injury.

Osnat received Sky at the age of two months and her training

was immediately begun. Sky was taught to respond to the

behavior accompanying an epileptic attack, both by

simulating attacks and by working with her at the time of

actual attacks. From the age of three months, Sky began

alerting in advance of the actual attacks, and with time,

the warning period before the attack could be from a minute

or so up to an hour or more.

This warning gave Osnat the possibility of preparing

herself, sitting down or putting herself in a safe place or

position to prevent injury, of calling for assistance if

necessary, and thus being able to cope safely with the

attacks.

Osnat developed a great deal of confidence in Sky, as she

proved herself to be highly reliable in warning in advance

of an episode, and felt more and more confident in leaving

home with her dog to accompany her and live a normal life in

the workplace and the community.

Over the seven years that Osnat and Sky have been together,

the frequency of attacks has decreased to the point where

for the few years, Osnat has had almost no attacks at all.

One of the factors that her doctor feels is contributing to

this change in the patient’s condition is her total

confidence in Sky, which enables her to be more relaxed and

without stress, ameliorating greatly her condition.

Sky has changed Osnat’s life, and made it possible for her

to live normally.

Keshet: Smooth collie, registered name Black Magic of Netiv

HaAyit, call name Keshet.

Keshet is an Alzheimer’s Aid Dog. Her partner Miriam

suffers from early onset Alzheimer’s disease and for a

number of years has been unable to function without

assistance. Her short term memory is very limited and

progressively deteriorating, and she is prone to wander off

without being aware of where she is going or how to return,

and is unaware and unable to protect herself from the

dangers of the environment – traffic, obstacles, and so on.

She is not able to ask for assistance from passers-by or

people who may be in the vicinity. She is worried and

stressed by any changes in her environment, and cannot be

left unsupervised for even a moment, as she will immediately

get up and wander off. Her condition has deteriorated over

the years to the point where she is now suffering from

advanced stages of dementia.

Keshet has been working with her for six years. She has

provided a highly effective solution to the problem of

Miriam’s wandering. She remains with Miriam at all times.

When they are outdoors, Keshet wears a harness somewhat

similar to that of a guide dog for the blind. Miriam has

been conditioned to always hold the leash. If she walks off

and loses her orientation, Keshet is trained to bring her

home. This can be accomplished by Miriam giving Keshet the

command “Home!”, or by a signal being given by Miriam’s

family or caretakers to a receiver on the dog’s harness – at

the sound of this tone, Keshet will immediately bring her

partner home. Should Miriam be unable or unwilling to

follow the dog home, Keshet is trained to remain with her at

all times, and to attract attention by barking in a specific

tone. This tone is picked up by a special transmitter on

the dog’s harness and signals to the home and cell phone of

Miriam’s caretakers. There is a GPS transmitter on the

harness so that the patient and dog can be easily located.

Should Miriam in some way leave the house unaccompanied (and

Alzheimer’s patients are prone to simply walk off, including

in the middle of the night), Keshet will come and attract

the attention of the caretakers and will then lead them to

the patient.

Keshet is also trained to use a “panic button” should there

be any circumstances that require immediate assistance, and

provides physical support if Miriam is unstable or stumbles.

When they are out walking, Keshet will guide Miriam around

obstacles, prevent her from walking out into the streets in

traffic, stop at the curbs, and similar to ensure the safety

of her partner.

Aside from her functions in guiding and returning Miriam

home, Keshet provides a very important emotional support to

her partner. Alzheimer’s patients suffer from pronounced

feelings of fear, insecurity and loneliness. Keshet’s

companionship and affection calm her partner and provide her

with emotional support and feelings of security, which do

not require verbalization or memory. She also provides

physical benefits – Alzheimer’s patients tend to become

inactive and depressed and as a result their physical health

deteriorates. Keshet makes sure that her partner gets up in

the morning, the participation in the care of the dog –

feeding, walking, grooming, playing – help provide a

framework of activity for Miriam’s day, and helps her

physical condition.

Keshet has changed the quality of life of Miriam and family

profoundly. Miriam’s husband, who was unable to let her out

of his sight for a minute, is now confident that she will

not wander off and get lost, and that Keshet is watching out

for her safety. Miriam is calmer and in better spirits.

The activity and improved emotional condition help to slow

the progress of the disease. The presence of the dog and

her abilities to help provide important emotional support

for the rest of the family as well as for Miriam.

Keshet has appeared in news articles about this innovative

program, and in TV spots. The patient’s family are so

grateful for the improved quality of life provided by

Keshet, that they were willing to appear in a TV interview,

revealing the difficulties of life with an Alzheimer’s

patient and the changes Keshet has made.

This is perhaps the most difficult service task that a dog

can fill – the dog must be on duty 24/7, able to function

under the extreme pressures of working with an Alzheimer’s

patient, who may suffer from radical mood swings. The dog

must be able to go on loving his partner and functioning

despite behavior that can be erratic, impossible to

understand and even aggressive, and, unlike other service

tasks where the dog is following the commands of his master,

an Alzheimer’s Aid Dog must be able to take command when

necessary, not waiting for commands, but leading his partner

home to safety. Very few dogs have the great heart and

spirit for this task; to date, the only dogs that have

succeeded in this task are smooth collies, and there are

currently seven working Alzheimer’s Aid dogs in various

countries, all having had their training in Israel or by

Israeli trained instructors.

Spot: Registered name Hope of Netiv HaAyit, smooth collie.

Autism service dog.

Eran at the time of getting his dog, was a 19 year old

Australian youth who is severely autistic. His ability to

communicate verbally was very limited and he was subject to

behavior that could be inappropriate to his surroundings,

including fits of anger and shouting, wandering off, and

entering other’s property. He had problems of lack of

confidence, restlessness, and fearfulness, which required

almost constant attention from the people around him, day

and night. His family has been devoted to giving him the

opportunity to develop to the maximum of his abilities and

to function as much as possible in the normal world. He has

attended school and is well educated, he is able to work as

a part of his mother’s internet business, being highly

skillful on the computer, and is well oriented in his

familiar surroundings, able to walk around independently,

enter shops and travel on his familiar bus route. Everyone

in his familiar environment knows him and is able to assist

him if he runs into any problems.

But as a young adult, Eran and his parents wanted him to

have a more independent life. When his parents heard about

the work being done with service dogs for the autistic at

the Israel Center for Service and Therapy Dogs, they felt

that this might be the answer to providing Eran with

physical and emotional support and a more independent life.

Autism affects the communication skills of the affected

person, making it difficult or impossible for him to speak,

communicate feelings, and show affection or in some types to

allow themselves to be touched or cuddled. It also results

in behaviors that are a result of the frustration and

difficulty of the affected person in responding

appropriately and effectively to his surroundings and can

result in displays of anger, fear, or various inappropriate

behaviors.

Spot began her training from the age of two months, learned

all the necessary commands and responses, and when she was

ten months old, in October 2009, Eran and his family arrived

in Israel, so that Eran and Spot could bond and learn to

work together before her trip to Australia. The family had

no previous experience with dogs, and were uncertain about

how the bonding between Eran and Spot would go, and whether

a dog could really make a difference in their lives.

From the beginning, Spot and Eran bonded completely. Spot

seemed to understand that Eran was the one who needed her

help, and Eran very quickly found in Spot a source of

confidence. He began sleeping through the nights, something

he had never done before, with Spot in or beside his bed.

He became comfortable going out to walk with her and letting

her lead him back home if he became confused. Spot was able

to stop Eran from behaving inappropriately in public, by

pulling at his pants leg, nudging him, or doing something

else that would distract him and prevent him from shouting

or other undesirable actions.

Spot, Eran, and his family returned to Australia in January

2010. Spot traveled in the cabin with Eran, behaving like a

seasoned traveler even though this was her first flight.

Her adjustment to her new home and life style was very rapid

and successful, and her bond with Eran and strong motivation

to work with him and assist him have developed more and

more. Her level of work is amazing. Eran’s parents say the

changes they have seen in their son’s life in the last few

years, since he has had Spot, have been unbelievable. Much

of his self harming behavior stopped immediately, and not

only does he no longer run away from home, he can now leave

the house on his own, and can travel on public

transportation with Spot. This was something he couldn’t do

before, as his inability to communicate left him vulnerable.

Spot gives him confidence and protects him, and his behavior

is calmer and less likely to attract attention or annoy

people. He now has his own “apartment”, a caravan in the

yard of his parents’ home, so that he can enjoy privacy and

independence, and his parents can as well. When I saw Eran

this summer (2013) on a visit to Israel with his mother,

after having Spot for three years, the differences in his

behavior were very noticeable. He was calm, his

communication skills and verbal language had improved

greatly, his attention to people around him was much more

focused, and his self confidence was apparent.

The community in Australia has been very impressed, and this

may open the door for more use of dogs to assist autistic

children. Spot has become quite famous in Australia, has

been written about in various newspapers, and been featured

on TV shows. Her work has been one of the major factors

influencing a new law there allowing service dogs on public

transportation.

These three collies, Sky, Keshet, and Spot, have been

awarded the Shining Star Award by the Collie Club of

America.

However, just having a dog that is a collie is not enough

to ensure it’s success as a dog for these tasks.

1. Bloodlines and purpose bred lines:

The puppies that are of interest as potential working dogs

are those that come from lines that have proven themselves,

with parents that are working dogs themselves and/or have

produced successful working dogs in previous litters. It is

also very relevant to look at other relatives – siblings,

grandparents, previous offspring from the same combination

and from different combinations, and so on. The more

information we have, the more chances we have of making a

good choice. Here the breeder is also our primary resource

– he should know everything about the line and the puppies.

2. Critical periods and their importance:

One of the most important things that we have learned in the

last fifty years or so is the importance of critical periods

of development. We know that this is extremely important in

child development – some things that are not learned or

experienced during the relevant “window of opportunity” will

cause a permanent deficit. This is no less true or

important in the development of our dogs. Research has

shown that there are definite critical periods in the

development of a puppy. During these periods, it is

essential that the puppy be socialized, exposed and educated

to what is relevant to that period. For example, a puppy

that is isolated during the early stages of development will

be “damaged” permanently in regards to his ability to relate

properly to other dogs and to people, and in his ability to

be a positive member of the social group he is part of.

In most cases, it is best to choose a puppy (ideally about

seven weeks of age), and then to raise him correctly with

his future purpose in mind.

What do we want to look for in the two month old puppy?

Almost all of the characteristics that we need to be aware

of can be seen in a small puppy.

1. Structure – it is important that the puppy is built

properly and is functional. A puppy with structural

faults, weak movement, etc. will not change – these

faults will be present and may interfere in future with

his ability to work. Service and therapy work are

difficult and demanding, both physically and mentally.

Health problems are definitely relevant, genetic

background is very important.

2. Confidence – It is essential that a puppy have self

confidence and the ability to make be outgoing and make

positive decisions in regard to what is happening

around him.

3. Curiosity – One of the most essential qualities for a

good working dog is curiosity, as opposed to

fearfulness – we want a puppy that will want to

approach and inspect anything new, not to run away from

it.

4. Persistance – Again, an essential quality for a working

dog, who has to keep on functioning and doing his job,

even if it is difficult and there are obstacles. We

can easily see if a puppy will persist trying to do

something – trying to climb stairs that are high and

difficult, but we can see his determination to succeed,

persistant in looking for a toy or treat and not giving

up until he has found it, and so on.

5. Focus – A puppy will from a very young age exhibit his

ability to focus on his person and on the activity he

is doing, and this is essential for a working dog. An

unfocused puppy that jumps from one thing to another in

seconds, and never really concentrates and pays

attention, is not suitable to tasks that require the

responsibility a service dog has to exhibit.

6. Desensitization + courage – It is very important for a

puppy to have to ability to realize that something that

appeared frightening is actually okay, and to be

willing to approach and inspect in a short period of

time. A dog that runs away from something startling

and then refuses to come close to inspect it is on

little use as a working dog.

7. Excitability vs. Inhibitability (energy level and also

reactivity to the surroundings) – A working dog needs

to be active enough to function properly but never so

active that he becomes a nuisance.

8. Independence vs. social attraction – A working dog must

have a great desire to be with people and in social

surroundings, not to be off on his own.

9. Initiative – A working dog must have the ability to

make his own decisions and to take over if necessary,

if his partner is unable to give commands. We can very

easily see this characteristic in puppies.

10. Possessiveness - A working dog should not be

possessive, this can seriously interfere with his

function.

11. Sensitivity – to pain, to noise, to sudden

movements (umbrella), to different footings. A dog

that is overly sensitive is not recommended as a

working dog.

12. Active defense reflex vs. passive defense reflex

– A service or therapy dog should never show an active

defense reflex, he should never show any signs of

biting or doing anything with aggressive connotations.

13. Motivation – A good working dog wants to work, he

enjoys learning and functioning, and is motivated by a

variety of things – praise, toys, treats, and much

more. The “prizes” that he gets are secondary to him,

his main motivation is his connection with his people

and his desire to please and help.

14. Play drive – a good play drive is one of our most

useful tools in developing behaviors.

Our collies are not just a pretty face, there is a lot going

on in that beautiful head, and the more we challenge our

dogs and concentrate on these characteristics as well in our

breeding decisions, the more we can achieve with them.