We were so excited when our charity partner Dogs for Good gave us the chance to have a Q&A with the trainer of ITV This Morning puppy, Digby!
Digby recently attended his first puppy class where young pups learn obedience training including sit, stay and wait - as well as working on recall and learning to settle. To find out more about Digby and the journey he is on to help transform lives read our Q&A below.
You can watch Digby and his pals in action here:
We’ve enjoyed watching the beautiful Digby on ITV This Morning; how did you decide he was the perfect fit for the show?
Digby is from Dogs for Good’s own breeding scheme; his mum, Honey, is a golden retriever and his dad is a Labrador called Klive. Honey lives at a home of one of Dogs for Good’s wonderful volunteers and that’s where Digby was born and spent the first eight weeks of his life.
Like all Dogs for Good pups, our puppy manager regularly visited Digby and his litter mates to check their development and offer advice and support to Honey’s carer, Sue. At around eight weeks of age, Becci assesses the litter to check their temperament and character. With Digby, we were looking for a pup that was really confident and social but also wasn’t easily phased, Digby showed just those characteristics.
What are the first steps you take when beginning to train a dog like Digby?
What are the first steps you take when beginning to train a dog like Digby?
While formal training of our dogs doesn’t start until they come to our national training centre in Banbury at around 18 months old, all our pups spend the first 16-18 months of their lives being socialised in a volunteer family.
Socialising is vital to any puppy to ensure that a dog is relaxed, well-mannered dog. We build our socialisation gradually, starting with getting used to different people, other dogs, sounds and sights and making everything a positive experience.
As the pups get older, our socialisers will give their pup experience of many of the different places that they will go as a working dog, for example trips on buses and trains, visits to the supermarket, schools, cafés – all the sorts of the places they may go with their future owner.
Has it been challenging training Digby with lots of new guests on the show?
Has it been challenging training Digby with lots of new guests on the show?
Digby is still very young and learning all the time. Everyone at This Morning studios makes it as easy as possible for him and he has lots of time to relax behind the scenes. His socialiser Helen is always close by and a member of the Dogs for Good training team is often there to offer additional training advice and support for everyone who is involved with Digby.
How did Digby get on at his first visit to the Dogs for Good centre recently?
Digby’s loved coming to the Dogs for Good centre and meeting some of the other dogs and staff. Just like all our pups, we schedule regular visits to the centre. This can be either a puppy class, or when they get slightly older a kennel break so that they’re familiar with the environment they’ll have while training.
After Digby completes his 12 months on the show, what are his next steps?
All being well, Digby will commence his formal training at the Dogs for Good national training centre at around 16 months old. We’ll assess him to see what sort of role he’ll be most suited to - whether an assistance dog for someone with a physical disability, for a child with autism or within our community dog programme.
How do you determine a suitable match between a dog like Digby once trained, and a potential client?
Matching a dog and a person has to be done really carefully. We look at both the needs and lifestyle of the person that we’re matching the dog to, and at the characteristics and temperament of the dog. It’s vital that both are well suited to one another.
The training and support over the first few weeks and months when we establish the partnership is also key to ensure that both the dog and client form a very close bond. We’re all really excited to watch Digby progress and discover his future role.
- By Charley Barker (Communications & Content Executive)
