Hi, everyone. When I first embarked on the journey of training my own service dog, people kept asking me if I would eventually do it as a job, and, at the time, I kept laughing it off. It's a ton of work! Time to eat my words. Thanks to the continued support from everyone who reads our blog or finds us on Facebook, as well as the strength, confidence, and independence Robbie has brought to my life, I have started my own service dog training and consulting business. You guys inspired me and encouraged me to see that there is a need for a trainer willing to work with owner-trainers to help them achieve their goal of training a mobility service dog. Even more importantly than that need (though that's pretty important), is the overwhelming need for a trainer who can specialize in assisting people with CRPS and other invisible disabilities. That's me. My business, Disabled Advantage Dog Training & Consulting, LLC, is a very small business where you will be guaranteed to get one-on-one, personalized training for owner-training a mobility service dog from the ground up, or jumping right into Service Dog specific training if you've already done obedience training without help (I will ask that you pass an obedience test I offer for me to gauge if your team is ready for my Service Dog training course). There are courses for pet owners, too, to teach home manners, develop a strong bond with your companion dog or emotional support dog, and be able to go on adventures together. For people first starting out, swimming in questions, I've got a range of consultations I offer to help you navigate through figuring out what tasks you need, if a service dog could help you, counseling for a loved one before you bring a service dog home, and more. For pet owners, I offer a consultation for helping you think through what kind of dog you want before you go to the shelter or adoption fair, and another one on how dogs think and learn, to best help you prepare for training your own dog. When I say very small, I mean it. At any given time, I may book several consultations, but plan to initially keep my active training client list to 1 - 3 people at a time to be able to give each client the guidance they need. I will have a training client waitlist, with varied wait times depending on current clients' timelines. This set up is engineered to best serve my clients, as well as to prevent overloading myself, as, I too, have a disability to consider. Working with clients does take a strain on my CRPS, particularly my jaw from talking, and that has to be taken into account. All of my training and consultations are done through Zoom conferencing. I made the decision to do Zoom teaching long before the Coronavirus - I started planning this business in 2017! - to reach a wider audience, accommodate my own disability, and accommodate the potential disabilities of my clients. Clients in the United States have access to any of my services, whereas International clients have access to consultations only, because training standards and regulations are different in other countries. I am sure a lot of people have Zoom fatigue, but I really hope you'll give my teaching style a shot! No longer will I have to tell you that there aren't any trainers that specialize in training CRPS service dogs. I do, I'm here, and the best part for you is that I get it. I know exactly what it is like to train a dog while living with CRPS. I'm here to help. I will teach you how to teach your dog. My training courses are methodical, and move slower than other trainers. That is because I firmly believe in building a solid foundation for a dog before asking them to do more challenging work, and to give adequate time for you, their handler, to learn the skills you need to teach a dog successfully. Some trainers glide over the basics like skipping a stone across a pond, and that's not my style. We break everything down, step by step, to be sure that you and your dog are on the same page and move forward together, in sync. I want your dog's Sit to be as rock solid as their ability to do tasks in a crowded place or accompany you on a routine trip to the pet store with ease. You might be wondering, How does Disabled Advantage change how My CRPS Service Dog can help people? Great question! Before the start of DADTC, I was able to answer any and all questions for free, no matter how in-depth I needed to go. I will still be answering questions through email or Facebook messenger, but there will be times when I recommend we move the conversation to my business page so that I can give you more in-depth, personalized responses to best help you. I'd help you pick out a consultation that best suited your original question, and we'd set up a time for it. Other times, questions might have quick answers, and those will stay free. Please keep asking me questions and reaching out for help, because I do want to help you. If you have CRPS, you can ask to join the CRPS Service Dogs group I run on Facebook, where you can be part of a CRPS service dog team community and ask questions, share accomplishments, and more. I will continue to write blog posts full of excellent information here, as well as other blog posts on my business page's blog. If you are interested in learning more about my business or what I offer, please go to my website! Or send me an email at [email protected]. I am keeping the same email for both business and this website, since they cross over.
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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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