This morning Clare proudly announced that she learned how to
“drive a wheelchair” at the weekend, and that the turning circle was
impressive.
Since Clare normally drives a Landrover I’m not too surprised!
It wasn’t just for fun, Clare is a qualified volunteer trainer
for Dog A.I.D. and spent her weekend learning more about the kind of tasks she’ll
help owners to train their dogs to do.
Assistance dogs come in all shapes and sizes these days. They
help owners with daily household tasks or out in public places. One of the charities which helps people with
physical disabilities train their OWN dogs is Dog A.I.D. The specific training is provided free of
charge to the owners, with a contribution to travel costs and expenses made to
the charity.
Clare and Poppy worked together while using a wheelchair,
crutches and other bits of equipment so that Clare could understand what it
might be like for her dedicated owners. Even small things like teaching the dog
to always go behind you when walking through a doorway can make a big
difference.
Some of the tasks can be pretty complicated, but it all starts
with a really solid understanding of dog training fundamentals. Here’s a video of Poppy learning to close a
door: https://youtu.be/bmpKWHfRrYE
If you’ve ever wanted to teach your dog some useful habits,
and you’re not sure where to start, why not book onto our Dog Training Fundamentals one day workshop on Saturday 8th July
Morag and the Collie Girls
PS If you’re interested in training your own assistance dog
please apply directly to Dog A.I.D. through their website, and please spread
the word http://www.dogaid.org.uk/
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