A service dog team is made up of two components, dog and handler. Sometimes, an additional person, but for simplicity's sake, let's stick to one dog, one handler. Often, people zero in on the dog's training, the dog's skill set, the dog's capabilities, and the dog's temperament/drive, and assume the handler is simply along for the ride. It's my belief, that that miscalculation might just be why so many teams struggle to overcome challenges they face in the real world or never make it to the upper stages of training. For service dog training to be successful, we need to consider the dog's training, the dog's skill set, the dog's capabilities, the dog's temperament/drive AND the handler's training, the handler's skill set, the handler's capabilities, and the handler's temperament/drive. There must be balance. We're called "handler" for a reason. We're the tiller, our service dog is the boat keeping us afloat.
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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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