Brainstorming TimeFiguring out ways to train an animal, how to problem solve training blocks, and thinking through what an animal's capabilities are and how they might be wielded to work within our world and our needs is something that both comes naturally to me and that I continue to work on, build, and learn more. It's not a way of looking at the world that's natural to most people though, and it can make it harder for a person to think through what their life is like, what's hard for them, and link it back to how a service dog might could help. Assisting people in determining tasks they may need from a service dog is a consult I offer through my business, Disabled Advantage, because it is a crucial step in planning the outline for your service dog's training. For this year's CRPS November Awareness month posts on social media, I wanted to share 30 aspects of CRPS life and link them to specific task work a service dog could be trained to perform, to help people begin to think like a trainer, see the possibilities, and start to brainstorm for their own teams. \ *The tasks listed are a mix of tasks from my team, other teams, and what could be possible based on a dog's capabilities*
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What I didn't know about dog training when I started working with Robbie in 2015 could've filled a dump truck. What I learned about dog training, dog wellness, and a service dog's needs through my own educational pursuits could've filled two. In my pursuit to be a more informed dog trainer, ready to help answer any question my clients might throw at me, and to be able to help them more accurately select a dog right for the job, I've uncovered several points of information that feel pretty important to the overall success of a service dog. The problem is that in all of the conversations I've had with other trainers, other teams, and other professionals in the service dog community, these topics simply aren't covered. The primary topics of interest are, understandably, task training, what gear to use, public access etiquette, socialization, and handler rights. After spending the last 6 years dedicating my life to building up and maintaining a service dog for the long haul, I've learned that more went into his success than what most trainers talk about. A good service dog is the product of multiple components working in concert over time, in addition to early considerations that helps to shape the final dog. I will uncover 7 topics that seem to go unsaid (or mentioned infrequently), that I've found to have a valuable place in any service dog's training & management plan for life, and why they should matter enough to be openly discussed and planned for as a part of any service dog team's training and management. 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. Part of why I take so many photos and videos of Robbie is because at the end of the year, I sit here, writing these posts and think to myself, "yeah, what did we do all year?" A lot of laundry. I have tons of videos and photos of him doing laundry. I promise that's not all we do! Read on to revisit 2019 with me; all our triumphs, training hurdles/challenges, favorite memories, and a few of our goals for 2020.
Why: Robbie is a slow thinker. A lot of our cues that are directional based involve me holding my arm up and pointing. Retrieve is one example. Often, though, I'd find myself getting exhausted and flaring more because the effort to hold my arm up for the time it took Robbie to figure out what I meant him to get was so much longer than I could easily do. I needed a really long pointer. Enter, the Laser. How: Robbie had never played with a laser, which was perfect. It meant he wouldn't have high energy or obsessive tendencies with one. I started by sitting on the floor with him and a few treats. I'd ask him to focus on me, then point to a blank spot on the wall with the laser. Each time he looked at the dot, I gave a reward. Over time, I made the area smaller and phased out using my whole arm to point. From there I added a second target and later a third. With more targets, he had to work harder to choose the correct one to look at or nose bump - the one with the little red dot. I only rewarded the correct looks/bumps. The better he got, I introduced corrections for choosing the wrong one. Finally I folded this all into actual retrieve work, and eventually was able to use it a little bit every day. Never for Playtime: All teaching sessions had to be calm. I didn't want to encourage him to get really excited. This needed to be associated with working mode.
Downside: I made sure to balance our sessions for retrieve so that he maintained the ability to retrieve objects with or without a laser. If you switched to only ever using a laser and forgot it one day, it's possible your dog would get confused and not do the command, or make more mistakes. Also, this tool may not be an option for dogs with obsessive tendencies. What Type of Laser: I really like the laser pen, over a cat toy laser. The pen's laser button was smoother and took less effort to press down. The cat toy made a clicking sound each time you pressed the button, as well, which was grating for me.
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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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