How the dogs are trained

Askal’s training method is positive reinforcement. That means that we never hit, tell off or lock up the animals as a punishment.

The dogs learn through winning prizes (little bits of food, games, strokes…), and in this way for them learning is a pleasure but it is also a pleasure to continue learning in the future as the recipients continue to use this system to keep them motivated in carrying out the work of being a hearing dog.

 

The dogs receive two types of training training:

Basic general obedience: this makes them good pets, trained to live in flats and social behaviour. All our dogs understand ‘come!’, walk to ‘heel’ next to the recipient and without pulling on the lead, and respond to commands of ‘sit’, ‘lie down’ and ‘stay’. Obviously they are trained not to mess in the home, get up on the furniture, nor break things.

Specific hearing dog training: learning to notify distinct particular sounds (distinct bells, babies crying, kitchen noises, the name of the recipient…) When a dog hears these sounds, it goes to the recipient and signals (touches the foot with its paw or puts its front paws on the recipient) and then takes the recipient to the source of the sound.

Training period

The training lasts between 2-4 months, depending on the animal, its temperament and age. We work to select dogs of less that 2 years old so that it can work for many years for the new owner. In exceptional cases we include the training of older dogs, but always guaranteeing that they won’t be over 3 years old when they are handed over.