This year, our team underwent a huge change to our sense of normal. Our landlords set in motion the process of renovating our home. During this time, we were displaced from our home, had to do laundry at family's home, had our normal routines turned upside down, and eventually had to return to the house to finish the work ourselves, effectively living in a whole new chaos. Going into this, I knew it would likely be difficult for Robbie, and wanted to do everything in my power to make it go more smoothly for him. Read on to learn how I accomplished this, and my tips for other teams or general dog owners if you have house renovations in your future.
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11 months into Robbie's training we were dealt a major setback that involved him getting very little active interaction from me and minimal public access training just as we had begun it in earnest. This setback lasted 4-5 months, roughly. It was extremely frustrating and at the time I only saw it as a failure on my part that I wasn't trying hard enough. Looking back, I can see that it set us back, but it also launched us forward. I'm writing about this now, because I feel it will be relevant to all of the teams out there today staring down the Coronavirus and worrying that their service dog's training timeline is in jeopardy. It is not - you will be okay. Let me tell you why. The Ex-Pen, or exercise pen, is a powerfully simple training tool that I wish I'd known about when I began this journey with Robbie. I learned about it in an online dog education class, and absolutely love this tool. Ex-pens can be a variety of materials, but are typically plastic or metal. They range in price depending on the height you buy. Most are 8 panels that are linked together, with a door. They can be unfolded to make a wall, arranged in a multitude of shapes, and used inside or outside. They're popularly used as a containment method for younger dogs, because they allow the dog to play safely, while keeping them destroying your home in the process. It can also be used as a safe play area for small pets. We bought ours to be dual purpose for our rabbit's playtime, and for use with Robbie at other times. The Ex-pen has the potential to be so much more than that to dog owners. In this post, I'll share 5 of the ways we use our ex-pen for training at home. Wait, what? Public access training at-home? First, it is important for every potential service dog handler out there to understand that all public access training begins at home, because if your dog can't do the work at home, they will never be able to do it in public. Second, even dogs that are fully trained can benefit from practicing various skills and games at home that will carry over into public access work. Right now, all across the country, and world, there are teams being told by their government to stay home or are choosing to stay home and limit their access in public due to the Coronavirus. Taking a hiatus from any aspect of a service dog's job can sometimes have a negative impact on their skill work; though this isn't necessarily the case for every team. Teams who have just started PA training may be worried about a set back in training. Teams who already don't go into public very often may be worried about their dog losing that skill. Your team may have a completely different concern about taking a break from public work. I'm writing this post for all the teams staying home right now, to offer you a few suggestions on how to maintain your dog's confidence, public access skills you can perfect even further at home, games to play, training exercises you may not have thought to try, and a few other tips. |
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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