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 May 17, 2009, 08:32:33 AM
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Sr. Member
Gender: 
Posts: 339
When all else fails, play dead!
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Self trained, or from an organisation? I self trained 2 assistance dogs, one a JRT and the other a kelpie. Organisations look at training Labradors, I think there are a few golden retrievers around too. Labs were too placid for my liking, I needed a dog that wasn't afraid to think for himself, could keep up with my wheelchair and was strong and heavy enough to be a counter balance when I need it.
The JRT has failed 3 trials, mainly because he only has 3 legs, meaning he can't fetch and return, he can't walk very far and he can't wear a backpack because of his one front leg. He does very well on therapy dog visits although they are very tiring for him.
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May 18, 2009, 01:49:40 PM
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Sr. Member
Gender:
Posts: 339
When all else fails, play dead!
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I didn't think I could train dogs either! Make sure the puppy is trained for you, and what you need.
Trouble is, other people may train the dog to perfection, but the dog may not be perfect for you. Add to that, ADs are always learning, usually what you don't want them to!
Lab's aren't the smartest dogs, but their placidness makes them good. They also tend to love the world, not form a bond with one person, makes them good program dogs, they suck as individual assistance dogs.
My Mishka taught himself. He was travelling on trains since he was 4 weeks old, so he got used to that. He never was really into begging in restaurants, he much preferred to sleep on my footplate. He sat on my seat in my dad's car at Christmas, he helped me swing my butt onto the seat, and he was small and quick enough not to be squished by me. He did it that one time by himself, I just rewarded him for it.
Kaos has only been train travelling for 8months, but he handles it like a pro. I had to get him to sit in front of me and practice yanking and pulling on his harness. It took him a while, but he finally got the hang of what he has to do. He ALWAYS wears his backpack when working, but he also gets considerable time to just be a dog. He wears a belly band during his working time(to stop him hormonally spraying everything) and a halti(he has panic attacks from his former life). The vet was shocked when Kaos qualified as a service dog, she was very proud of how we'd worked around his problems, she wanted to get me to train some of her other patients. I refused because Kaos is a full time job, and he'll continue learning. Kaos still tries to beg when I have food, I'm teaching him that if he stares at the floor I'll drop food for him.
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