Initially, the stress of fitting a new dog into established routines, learning how they communicate, what drives them or discourages them, and coping with - in my case, as someone living with CRPS - the enormous waves of pain accompanied by working with a dog who has no concept of your sensitivity can be tumultuous. It's normal to wonder if you made a mistake, if you can't do this, if this dog won't be the right fit. I asked myself numerous times in the past 3 months if we should return Austin, out of exhaustion and self-doubt, colored in with minor problems that kept popping up, which at the time, felt insurmountable. All totally normal. The first few months can be brutal. For that reason, it's important for everyone - dog and handler - to give the team 3 months to settle out and then take a step back to evaluate.
Is this a good fit? Are we on the right track?
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Austin's Heel work started the day we brought him home 3 months ago, but not in the sense you might be thinking. The word, "Heel" only appeared in his training repertoire the 2nd week in December. But we've been laying the building blocks of how to Heel this whole time. My approach to Heel may be different than what you've learned or seen done. Or it may be similar. It works for my team, and it's how I teach Heel to my training clients, and draws on elements used with Robbie's heel training. It can be grueling at times, and the intensity with which I'm able to devote to it is made more possible by my inability to use traditional mobility aids. That said, I do have ways to modify my method for when I teach clients who do use mobility aids so that the methodology works for them as well, but what I'm writing here is how I am teaching Austin, with my abilities and my limits. Heel is a hard command and action to learn, so I approach it from multiple angles. *For complete and personalized assistance teaching a reliable working dog Heel, please set up a training consult with me through Disabled Advantage. Written here is a rough overview, not step by step instructions to success. |
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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