by Elizabeth Silverstein

Lindy Barocchi owned Dobermans and even a Brittany Spaniel before she brought home a poodle.

She didn’t know much about poodles. “I wasn’t going to get a poodle,” she explained. “I was going to look for a different type of dog. I ended up gravitating towards poodles basically because they’re so smart.”

She’d brought home Luka first, a black standard poodle. Then she decided she wanted a silver standard. When Luka was two years old, she did her research and found a reputable breeder who was known for silver standard poodles. “I was looking for a poodle who would be wonderful and affectionate but who would also be a therapy dog,” Lindy explained. “I flew up to the California Sierras to meet with the breeder and see the puppies when they were six weeks old. I probably spent four hours on the floor with the breeder surrounded by two litters of puppies.”

She picked the most rambunctious one. “I later wondered why I did that because I wanted a calm therapy dog,” Lindy explained. “She is highly spirited, but it’s all worked out really well.”

Training had been a priority since the beginning. “My belief that is if you’re going to have a dog, especially a larger dog, they need to be very well trained because they’re out in the world and they need to be respectful and be obedient and be good citizens,” Lindy shared. “That’s just my philosophy of having a pet. I take training my dogs very seriously.”

She’d started training with Olivia at 10 weeks old while they were still living in California. “Especially with poodles, they need to keep their brains engaged because they’re very smart,” Lindy said. “I enjoy working with her, so that’s what we do.”

She’s graduated from Canine Good Citizen (CGC), completed advanced training courses, and received her AKC CGC Urban. “She finished her therapy certification and now we’re working on a trick title,” Lindy said.

Olivia is turning four on April 1, and she enjoys visiting the farm for agility lessons with Cassie, working on her rally skills, and heading to Family Court or the Legal Department of Child Welfare in Philadelphia for her therapy work. “She is sweet, extremely smart, and she’s a clown,” Lindy shared. “She can be very serious. She loves to work and learn new things.”

With her certification as a therapy dog, she volunteers every week helping families, and she even attends university de-stress events. “She’s a busy girl,” Lindy said.

They still find time to learn new skills. “Her most recent fun training cue is to wave at people,” Lindy said. “And do sit pretty. This morning, she was doing spins and twirls and high fives and tricks and patty cake. She entertains whoever she is around.”

Olivia also keeps life interesting for Lindy. “I enjoy just all aspects of her personality,” Lindy shared. “Olivia is very engaging. She’s funny. She’s very playful, and she has her own opinions. She will tell me in the morning which park she wants to go to and which street to take to get there and where she doesn’t want to go right now, very much thank you. She plays well with most other animals. She loves to play frisbee and catch and retrieve. She’s an all-around poodle.”

She also loves playing with other poodles. “Poodles have a different play style,” Lindy explained. “They’re very bouncy. Some dogs don’t really enjoy poodles as much as other dogs. They tend to gravitate to each other.”

Olivia is also protective and sweet. “She tends to read people’s moods,” Lindy said. “If someone is down, she’ll go up and cuddle them. She’s very intuitive. She’s silly. She loves working with Cassie and Alicia. Alicia told me right away, ‘This dog needs to learn things. She has to have a job.’ I said ‘Yes, she always has to have a job.’”

When Olivia isn’t working, she’s hiking and walking with Lindy. And her advice to other dog owners is to start training as soon as possible. “Start training early and be consistent,” Lindy said. “Use positive reinforcement. Develop rapport and reward good behavior. Be very patient.”

Training has paid off for the pair. “Training continually increases our relationship because we work together all the time,” Lindy shared. “I think she trusts me and respects me and I trust her and respect her. It’s a two-way street.”