I feel as if I have learned a lifetime worth of information, but I know Robbie has plenty more to teach me in the next 6-8 years of our life as a working team. That being said, however, I keep a running list of things that I wish people had told me and I things I plan to do differently with the next dog, and things I can improve upon or remember with Robbie. I have a friend who will be welcoming a new dog into their life soon, a prospect who will hopefully be everything they need. I have been meaning to make an advice list in general, but the advent of my friend's prospect going home soon compelled me to write it all down, finally. I am positive that this list, which is already massive, will only grow with time. But for now, here are 36 things that either I wish someone had told me or that I am grateful we had as prior knowledge. Everything Training
Life at Home• Dog’s Meals — should always be a calm time. Encourage the dog to sit or lay down, and wait patiently for meals. Do some hand feeding in the beginning to encourage trust. Don’t let your dog be pushy. Always feed at the same time, but occasionally switch up where you feed. Service dogs need to be able to eat inside, outside, in a hospital, in a park, near other dogs, near children, near cats, near loud noises, you name it. Everything is training, even mealtimes. Have your trainer do a behavior test with your dog to ensure there will be no food aggression. If you have another dog who resource guards, do everything you can to ensure the new service pup doesn’t learn from them! Fix the other dog’s issues, or at least feed them separately. Always have the dog sit before you remove their bowl; never take anything out their mouths or out from under their head — that is disrespectful to them. Also, set a firm meal time limit. We give Robbie 10-15 minutes and if he doesn’t eat then he misses that meal. Grazing during the day is harder to manage how much or when your dog eats. Dogs need at least 45 minutes after eating before exercise, and if you don’t know when they ate, it’s harder to train. It also makes it harder to manage potty time.
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Good Luck!I truly hope that our wish list and grateful for list above provides more insight for future owner-trainers on just what sort of adventure they are embarking upon. There is so much more than what is written here, but some things you need to learn for yourself! Good luck to anyone willing and ready to owner-train. It is difficult, but incredibly worth it in the long run.
1 Comment
Coral Ray
8/28/2016 11:24:29 pm
Thank you for writing this. It will definitely be helpful in our endeavor. This road is already a long one with lots of bumps and pots holes that have made me want to give up. I know there are more to come. The more we know the easier those situations will be to deal with.
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My Name is Sally...I have a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. This blog is about my journey training Robbie, a dog who helped me regain independence, confidence, and achieve the impossible in the face of my disability. It continues on with the training of Austin, Robbie's successor. Check Out... - "More than a Dog" was published on a site called The Mighty Categories
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