Everything you do with your dog, either directly or indirectly, is an opportunity that your dog has to learn something new or practice a known skill. A lot of what I do with Robbie on a day to day basis doesn't feel like training, but it doesn't have to feel like work for progress to be made. Check out the tips below for how to integrate your dog into 5 common daily activities so that your dog continues to learn, grow, and work beside you. Family MealtimesNeed to feed yourself and/or children? Ask the dog to hold a down under or beside the table while everyone eats. This will teach them to hold a command, be patient, be calm around food, and to be by you. If stay is still in the works, place their dog bed near the table and have them lay there. Or, you can gently rest your foot at the end of the leash. If they try to stand, they'll get an auto-correct and resume their position. Need to feed the dog? Have them practice holding a sit or down, even if for a few seconds (if young & new to training), and then give them their food. Also, here's a great chance to teach them a special command to let them know it's ok to eat now. This teaches discipline, patience, calmness around food, and with time, it will teach them to only eat food with your permission, which will keep them safer on the job. Going to the Bathroom/Bathing ChildrenUsing the Bathroom: Ask your dog to heel with you to the bathroom. If their heel needs work, have them on a 4ft leash. Once there, ask your dog to sit, stand, or lay down in a place that works best for you. I usually have Robbie lay outside the door, then come to a bracing stand. This teaches your dog patience, to follow you to do the little things, to hold commands for short periods of time, and works on heel in an enclosed space. You can also begin to teach them how to maneuver in tight spaces, as they'll need to do in public restrooms. Bathing Children: Ask your dog to heel with you into the bathroom. Ask them to lay down in the corner, either on a blanket or the floor. While you bathe your children, if the dog breaks command, calmly put them back in it and then praise for being back in position. This will teach your dog to hold positions for longer times and with more distractions. This will also socialize them to children and water. Dog's Potty Breaks: If your dog is reliable off-leash, you can do so, but even if you have a fenced yard, it's good to teach your dog 1) structured potty breaks and 2) how to go potty on a leash in one spot. Service dogs need to have solid bathroom routines to prevent accidents in stores. Teaching them to go on leash in one area, without pulling you to a new spot, will give them the skills they need to pee in a grassy divider in a parking lot one day. Doing LaundryTime to do laundry? Think about how you'll one day need your service dog to help with laundry (if you need them to), and try and include your dog in those specific aspects. I like to toss a few bits of clothing on the floor and then ask Robbie to take or find them, and bring them to me. This teaches him to bring me clothes off the floor in order to help gather laundry more efficiently. To teach dragging, I attach a tug rope to the laundry basket, place a favorite toy in the basket, then slide it under our bed. Robbie then gets the cue to tug, pulls the basket out, and gets his toy as a reward. Once I fill the basket with clothes, we practice pulling it with the added weight, and reward with a quick game of fetch.
CleaningIf your dog knows take/give/drop, have them help you pick up various objects in the house. If they are still learning, take this as a chance to teach them to hold random objects in their mouths. Ask your dog to hold a long down on a hard floor while you clean. This teaches them to be ok with laying on uncomfortable surfaces, to always be near you, and the patience that comes with holding a command. Additionally, it exposes them to the strong smells of cleaning chemicals. Be safe with this though, and if your dog seems to be having trouble with the smells, move them to a farther location. As you vacuum your house, practice telling your dog to move from place to place as your guys move through the house together. Ask your dog to go under the table while you vacuum around it. Then ask them to move out from under the table to lay down in the corner so you can get where they just were, and so on. Make it a game! As you move forward, maybe you missed a spot. Practice moving forward together, then moving backwards together. This will teach your dog to focus on you, move with you, and practice forward & backward movements, both important for precision maneuvering in public. Moving Through the House in GeneralKeep your dog on a 4ft house lead. Each time you move into a new room, have your dog heel with you. Practicing heel in short bursts may feel useless but can be extremely helpful because it decreases the amount of time they have to make a mistake, increasing their chances of being successful. When you stop, ask your dog to sit. This teaches them to automatically stop and sit whenever you stop. If you are going to be in one spot for a bit, ask them to hold a sit or down for duration. When ready to move on, ask for a heel again. Maybe have them open doors along the way if they've learned or are learning that skill. Keeping your dog beside you throughout the day teaches them to watch you for cues, and to stay with you. As a service dog, both skills are crucial to them being able to perform their job. Every hour or so, give your dog their "release" command to let them go be a dog for a bit. They may go to their bed, or ask you to play with them. If you aren't feeling great, now's your chance to practice fetch from a chair or your bed. That skill will assist them in their retrieve task one day. Training can be frustrating at times, but it shouldn't have to be a chore every day. Incorporating your dog into your day to day life will be part of their job once they are a full service dog. Take a moment to share these experiences with them, and help them learn how to help you, as well as how to coexist in a calm fashion. There is so much that can be learned at home just by doing simple actions, and I've talked to countless people who miss these precious training opportunities because they feel it isn't "real" training. I ask you this - what type of training is more real and more applicable for a service dog than real life?
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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
All
Archives
August 2023
|