PRISON TRAINED GREYHOUNDS

These are the prisons where the greyhounds are trained: Central Florida Reception Center (CFRC) in Orlando and Hardee Correctional Institution (HCI) in Bowling Green In partnership with the Greyhound Advancement Center (GAC), we are able to offer for adoption a limited number of prison-trained greyhounds.  These dogs are very popular, and are usually chosen for adoption before they go into the prisons.  We sponsor the greyhounds in the training programs and pay the associated expenses.  Once the greyhounds arrive from Ireland and are fostered in our homes for a few days to make sure they are OK for the prisons, and have them checked for heartworms, they are transported to the prisons.  Our greyhounds are trained by specially selected and knowledgeable inmates at Hardee Correctional Institution (HCI) in Bowling Green, and at Central Florida Reception Center (CFRC) in Orlando.  During each session, the greyhounds are trained in basic obedience skills, with an emphasis on having a level of training to allow them to be certified as therapy dogs. We have been working with GAC and the prison training programs for over 10 years, so we have a lot of experience with the training that is necessary to make the greyhounds great pets. We have adopted hundreds of prison trained greyhounds into pet homes.  As you can imagine, the prison trained greyhounds are very popular and make wonderful family companions. GREYHOUND SERVICE DOGS:  If the adopter needs their greyhound to perform a special service, such as help with hearing, sight, PTSD, etc., they are trained as service dogs according to what service their adopter needs. This usually takes two 10-week sessions, so their adoption fees are somewhat higher than those of other prison-trained greyhounds.  As service dogs, they can provide a variety of services for their adopters. They can be taught to assist their adopter in standing up, turning on lights, ringing a bell, blocking (standing between you and another person), and many other commands. After your greyhound graduates. It is recommended that you employ a professional trainer for those skills that cannot be taught in a prison setting (walking by a wheelchair, riding on a bus, etc.)  If you need your greyhound to perform a particular service and are interested in a service dog, please let us know as soon as possible. THE TRAINERS:  Each inmate selected as a trainer receives extensive information on the care and training of greyhounds.  We have placed many books on dog training and on greyhounds in the prison libraries for the inmates’ use. Inmate Trainers with special knowledge and training serve as our Vet Techs and Assistant Vet Techs to assist with any medical issues that the greyhounds may have, and supervise medications.  The trainers keep journals as they train the dogs, which are then given to the adopters when the dogs graduate. We also have the services of vets experienced with greyhounds near the prison,s just in case any of the greyhounds become ill or are injured while at the prison.  A more experienced inmate trainer will teach the newer trainers what to do, and a new trainer takes over in the event the original trainer is released. Our volunteers visit the prisons and attend training sessions regularly.  They take care of any issues or needs that may arise.  They also give us information on how the dogs are doing with their training, which we can then pass on to the adopters. A GREYHOUND’S LIFE AT THE PRISON:  During hot weather, the greyhounds are trained in an indoor, air-conditioned area.  There are also fenced outdoor areas for exercise and play time. The greyhounds stay with their trainers 24 hours a day, either in dorms with the other inmates or in cells with their trainers. The greyhounds are around other staff and inmates and learn to interact with many different people.  Sometimes, there are other breeds of dogs in the prisons with the greyhounds.  Many greyhounds at the racing kennels have not seen other breeds of dogs, so this is a way to help socialize them before they go into your home.  A greyhound often has a primary and a secondary trainer.  This is important in teaching the greyhounds to obey more than one person, and in case a trainer is released or otherwise cannot continue in the training program. There are many more inmates wanting to become trainers than there are slots in the training programs, so when a new trainer is needed, a new prisoner is chosen and taught by a more experienced trainer.  Thus, we always have sufficient trainers for the dogs in the prison programs. The greyhounds, being very sensitive, are trained in a positive way, using training treats.  Many times, the trainers use dehydrated hot dogs as treats. These are considered “high value” treats.  The greyhounds love them !. Inmate trainers with their greyhounds on Graduation Day CERTIFICATION OF INMATE TRAINERS:  The Greyhound Advancement Center’s training program has been certified by the State of Florida as an Occupational Credentialing Program for the inmate trainers. Each trainer can earn basic, intermediate, and advanced training certification as a dog trainer, depending on the number of dogs they have trained.  This includes basic care, K9 CPR, obedience, behavioral assessments, journaling of training, and problem solving skills. Some of the inmates have never in their life done anything positive, so having a well-trained  dog is a big accomplishment for them.  It also helps them to learn important skills, such as working with other people and working with the different personalities of the greyhounds and other dogs they train.  They can then use the certifications they earn when they are released to help them gain suitable employment. THE SKILLS THE GREYHOUNDS ARE TAUGHT:  The greyhounds are taught all of their basic commands: heel, sit, stay, wait, lie down on command, come on recall, finish, place  (go to their bed and lie down), leave it, back up, and wait.  The greyhounds are also taught to walk on slick floors, walk up and down stairs, jump up onto a platform (to simulate jumping into a vehicle), and door etiquette (not to go out of an open door or car door until their trainer gives the signal).  The inmate trainers become very knowledgeable, and after the greyhounds learn their basic commands, they are often taught some fun things.  Some of our greyhounds have learned to play with a soccer ball, catch a tennis ball or Frisbee in the air, find a treat that is hidden, learned to play dead, shake hands (paws), bow, roll over and play dead, go into a crate and close the door by themselves, whisper, speak, jump through a hula hoop or over a jump, kiss, turn on lights, ring a bell, and sometimes even to “read”. Greyhounds are sensitive and respond well to positive reinforcement (training treats).  They can learn all of these commands and many more. Upon graduation, the greyhounds have learned all the requirements for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification and the Community Canine (CGCA) certification. They will also have learned the skills necessary to become a Certified Therapy Dog to take to assisted living facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, disaster areas, and schools.  If you are planning on doing animal assisted therapy with your greyhound, a prison trained greyhound is definitely the way to go. BOOT CAMP:  During the summer months, it is too hot to ship the greyhounds from Ireland on the airplanes, so we do not have them in the prisons.  We fill in with shelter dogs, and this is the time when your non-prison trained greyhound or other dog could go to the prison as a “boot camper.”  This is a function of the Greyhound Advancement Center, so if you are interested in Boot Camp, please check with GAC. HOW THE GREYHOUNDS HELP THE PRISONS:  The mere presence of the greyhounds has made a huge difference at HCI and CFRC. The unconditional love of the greyhounds, as well as their calm and gentle demeanor, greatly improves the morale at the prison. This is true not only for the trainers, but for the prison staff, and even for the inmates not in the training programs.  The inmate trainers have something positive to do with their time while incarcerated. They are responsible or their greyhound at all times. They learn responsibility, how to work together, and even learn viable job skills for when they are released.  It is a wonderful program for the greyhounds and inmates alike. Some Inmate trainers during prayer at graduation GRADUATION DAY:  Graduation day is the day that you can take your greyhound home. It is an important, but bittersweet time for the greyhounds and their trainers.  The trainers have the satisfaction of knowing that their greyhound will go on to a great life as a beloved pet, but it is difficult for them to give up the dogs that have meant so much to them for the past weeks. That is where we come in. We make sure that new greyhounds come in that same day, so the trainers have a new dog to work with and love.   Each session, one dog is chosen as “top dog” and one as “most improved”. These awards are given at the graduations. The trainers are very proud of these awards and the greyhounds that have earned them. The trainers will show you each dog individually, and demonstrate their commands. You will get to speak with your dog’s trainers after the graduation is over, and they can answer any questions you may have.  Afterward, the trainers love seeing photos of the greyhounds they have trained with their adopters and enjoying life in their new homes.       Phoebe and Ghost. Both graduated from the greyhound training program at CFRC and became Certified Therapy Dogs through Paws for Friendship. Here they are at a memory care facility.   For Additional Information: For further information and training tips, please check out:  www.greyhoundadvancementcenter.org