You're likely being flooded with Coronavirus articles from every direction. I am too. One thing I haven't noticed much of though, are articles aimed at service dog owners with advice on how to adapt to these challenge suddenly being thrown at us. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place.
Our lives are being impacted in what seems like insignificant ways to the "healthies" but what are dramatic ways to us. Many of us no longer have access to routine medical treatments that are necessary to maintaining our daily functionality. The few people we're normally able to hang out with to feel slightly normal we're now cut off from and restricted to virtual life only. It is not the same. From people whose lives went virtual years ago, now being told the only flesh and blood people we rely on to keep us sane have been kicked into the virtual world too is beyond not okay. On top of that, we have these amazing, hard-working dogs at our sides, who we've put thousands of hours into training so that they can accompany us into public and help us be more independent and less home-bound, who are now, also, suddenly forced into isolation with us. They're being told they can't do their jobs with business as usual either. Sure they still do a ton of work at home, and are going to be at our sides helping us through this, but all the skills we've worked so hard to teach them like how to ignore screaming children, dropped food in a restaurant, lying under a cramped table for an hour, doing polite greetings or ignoring people altogether, moving at a tight heel, opening door buttons, and so much more are not going to be a part of their weekly routines for quite a while. That's difficult on us AND them. I designed a graphic aimed at helping those owner-training their service dogs, or working with an fully trained program service dog, learn how to problem solve in these changing times. Right now, each one of us has to step up and think a little more like a trainer, and a little less like an owner simply holding the reins. Many teams have been cut off from their trainers, or have been working without one for a while now. Whatever your story is, this graphic should help you.
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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. 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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