Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Training Your Helper Dog
• Part 2 of 2: Evaluating Potential Assistance Dog Candidates
• Tips
• Warnings

A well-trained assistance dog is a real treasure for the disabled person.Such a dog accompanies its owner everywhere, including with it you can go to those public places that are usually closed to dogs, for example, shops, libraries, museums, theaters, cinemas, hospitals. Assistance dogs are very helpful and important, which is why they are in high demand, and the waiting time in line to receive a trained dog can be very long. If you need a helper dog and you can't wait any longer, you can try to train such a dog yourself.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Training Your Helper Dog

1. 1 Neuter or neuter your dog if it has not already undergone this operation. All assistance dogs must be neutered and sterilized. This is due to the fact that bitches during estrus cannot work normally (they will be chased by whole flocks of males who want to mate), and non-castrated males are more easily distracted to solve their territorial problems. In addition, neutered and neutered animals are less aggressive, which is also important for assistance dogs.
   • Neuter or neuter your dog at four to six months of age to avoid estrus in the bitch or territorial behavior in the male. This is a generally accepted rule that will greatly facilitate your efforts later.
   • If you are an experienced dog breeder and can make sure that unsterilized and non-castrated relatives do not approach the dog (take this seriously), then it is best to subject your pet to surgery at the age of one or two years, depending on the date of completion of bone growth and cartilage formation (usually this period occurs earlier in small dogs and later in large ones). This will give the dog a stronger bone, which is important for some types of assistance dogs that carry out serious physical activity with the assistance of their owner (for example, for a dog helping a person to move).
   • Depending on the weight of the dog, neutering or neutering can cost from one to several thousand rubles in most veterinary clinics.
2. 2 Train your dog in basic commands. The assistance dog must know the commands "sit", "place", "lie down" and "towards me". Also, the dog should be able to constantly walk next to the owner in a controlled manner. This is important so that you can control the dog at any time.
   • You can use voice or gesture prompts to guide your dog while learning commands. For example, to teach your dog to sit, pick up and hold the treat right in front of its nose. Then lift the treat up in an arc so that it is above the dog's head. In an attempt to follow the treat, the dog will lower its butt to the floor. At this moment, click the clicker, give the voice command "sit" and give the treat to the dog.
   • It is quite difficult to call a dog to you when it is distracted, so start learning the command "come to me" at home in the absence of other animals or on the territory of your private yard. Call the dog, and when he comes up to you, click the clicker, repeat the command "to me" and reward the pet with a treat. If the dog does not obey or does not rush to execute the command, do not reprimand him for it. Otherwise, then she will be reluctant to obey you.
   • The basic training of a helper dog is the same as teaching a normal dog good manners and discipline, except for the more advanced steps that follow. Consider the importance of the assistance dog's role in ensuring your safety. If you do not have impressive experience in dog training, see a professional assistance dog trainer so that you do not accidentally reinforce bad habits in the dog or entrust it with overwhelming tasks.
3. 3 Consider clicker training. The principle of clicker training is based on the fact that at the moment the dog performs the correct action, you give a signal with a clicker (click) and then immediately give the pet a treat. This is how the dog develops an associative connection between clicking and receiving a treat, so it starts working willingly in anticipation of the treat that the clicker promises to it.
   • This method is based on rewarding the correct behavior, so it is remembered and the dog itself willingly seeks to repeat the necessary actions in order to receive the treat. Do not punish your dog in any way - this will only teach him to be afraid of you as an instructor and will not be a constructive step towards achieving the goal of training your own assistance dog.
4. 4 Train your dog to perfect obedience with or without a leash. The dog must demonstrate impeccable obedience whether it is attached to a leash or not.
5. 5 Teach your dog to greet other people. The dog's attention should be on you and not on anyone else. This step is vital as you may need immediate help, and if your dog runs off to greet other people, it may overlook your need for immediate help.
   • To train your dog, get a friend to help you and ask him to slowly approach. At the same time, sit the dog down and tell him to look at you. If the dog turns around to look at an approaching stranger, the friend should stop immediately, ignoring the dog. When the dog pays attention to you again, click the clicker and treat it.
   • Repeat these lessons - eventually, your dog will realize that paying attention to strangers is discouraged (and not worth the effort), while paying attention to you is rewarding.
   • Additionally, train your dog to ignore other animals, vehicles, and not pick up food from the ground. The dog's only concern should be you.
6. 6 Let your dog know when he is allowed to rest. In some circumstances, the assistance dog may be released to play. Teach her a command to take a break from her basic responsibilities.
   • You may need to invite a friend over to do this. Ask him to pick up the dog's toy, and when the dog looks at your friend, click the clicker, give the command "play" and reward the pet. This will let your pet know that the new command is allowing the person to be approached for play.
7. 7 Train your dog in special skills. The specific skills required to learn will depend on your specific physical limitations. If you are hard of hearing, it is helpful to train your dog, for example, to inform you about a doorbell, a phone ringing or a smoke detector. Likewise, if your movement is impaired, you may want your dog to hand you certain things, such as keys, a remote control, or a telephone.
   • Train in small, sequential steps. To teach a dog to bring you keys, you need to teach the animal to recognize the keys, take them in the mouth, bring them to you and give them. To let your pet know what the keys are, place them on the floor so the dog can see them. When the dog approaches the keys to study them, click the clicker, give the command "keys" and reward the pet. Repeat the same steps each time the dog approaches the keys. You will soon notice how the dog will begin to act proactively towards the keys; at this stage, go to the preliminary command "keys" and click the clicker when the pet approaches the keys after the command.
   • Next, train your dog to take keys. You may need to attach a soft ball keychain to the keys so the dog can pick up the keys without harming its teeth.Give a keychain with keys to the dog in the mouth, click the clicker, give the command "take" and encourage. Repeat these steps regularly for several days. Then start putting the keys on the floor at some distance, encourage the dog to approach the keys at the command "keys" and pick them up at the command "take". Then just call the dog to you to bring you the keys. As soon as the pet approaches, sit him down and ask for the keys. You may need to offer him a particularly tasty treat to make the dog want to release the keys from its mouth. At this point, click the clicker, give the command "give" and reward the dog.
   • Make sure that the sessions with the dog are short (5-10 minutes), but work with it twice a day. Combine the new commands with the old ones, and make sure that the activities are interesting for the dog and he does not get bored.
8. 8 Train your dog in proper public behavior. Your dog's good manners are critical to those who are willing to welcome you with your dog and look forward to your return. Good manners include:
   • bowel movement solely on command;
   • neglecting interesting looking and smelling items (especially in stores);
   • constantly calm walking next to the owner in public places (except for those cases when walking next to it contradicts the fulfillment of the main task of the dog to help a disabled person);
   • lack of aggression towards others and other dogs.
9. 9 Collect important documents.
   • Be aware that there is no compulsory certification of assistance dogs in Russia. If on some site you are faced with a request to pay for certification from some supposedly official institution, you should know that this is a scam.
   • Please note that in Russia there is only the concept of "guide dog" (guide dog). These dogs help only the visually impaired. For other categories of assistance dogs, there is currently no official registration, certification, or special privileges.
   • In the future, the concept of a “helper dog” may appear in federal law 181 “On social protection of the rights of disabled people in the Russian Federation” No. 181-FZ of November 24, 1995. If the relevant amendments are adopted, then soon the owners of assistance dogs will have the same rights as owners of guide dogs.
   • Collect the necessary documents to prove that you need a helper dog. This may be a certificate from a doctor describing your disability and the importance of having a help dog. This document may be useful to you in certain situations, despite the lack of official privileges for assistance dogs. You can demonstrate (but not give) this document in case of problems with admitting you and your dog anywhere.
   • Give your dog a veterinary checkup and get a certificate from the veterinarian that the animal has a calm temperament, well trained and healthy.

Part 2 of 2: Evaluating Potential Assistance Dog Candidates

1. 1 Find a dog of the right age. A puppy less than six months old will likely have a difficult time judging whether it has the right combination of intelligence and alertness required for a good helper dog. Even charities that train assistance dogs have a high dropout rate, even though they use all their knowledge to select potential candidates.
   • Buying a puppy in order to get a helper dog out of it is a rather risky undertaking. It may be better to buy a young dog that has already undergone basic training and has a formed character.
2. 2 Assess your dog's health. A helper dog needs to be in good health in order to be successful in its duties.For example, if she suffers from arthritis and has difficulty moving around, it is unfair to place her on her shoulders to signal the owner to ring the doorbell (for hearing impaired people). In addition, some dogs with health problems (such as diabetes) need help themselves and therefore may not be best suited to help.
   • You will need to spend a lot of time training your dog, so you must have complete confidence in his optimal health. This will require routine veterinary examinations (twice a year), weighing, scheduled vaccinations and preventive treatments against parasites. Depending on where you live, treatments for fleas and ticks and heartworms may be required.
   • Assistance dog training organizations often have veterinarians on staff who give the animals x-rays and various tests (such as extensive blood tests) to ensure that a potential guide dog candidate is not suffering from hip dysplasia, misalignment knee caps, heart or eye disease, injury or genetic disease that prevents the dog from performing its main job for the next eight years (at least).
3. 3 Assess your dog's intelligence and desire to please humans. These are key criteria for a dog's learning curve and will make training easier and more enjoyable. Find yourself a young dog that approaches you calmly and without fear. Her body language should express confidence, for example, her tail should wag in a raised position, her dog should walk straight towards you (rather than sneaking around the room), her head should be held high (not lowered or bent).
   • The best assistance dogs are smart and eager to please humans, and often their size doesn't matter. Any breed, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane, has the potential to be suitable for this role if the dog has the right temperament.
4. 4 Check with previous dog owners to find out how much training it has already mastered. If basic training has already been completed, give the command "sit" and "place". See if she is fussing, looking around (easily distracted), or watching you closely (wants to please you). Pay attention to whether she is quick to respond to commands or is slow (which is not ideal for assistance dogs who are required to respond quickly).
5. 5 Evaluate the dog's socialization and confidence in various social situations. A dog must behave confidently in a wide variety of situations with a wide variety of people. If she acts anxious or fearful in some situations, it could put you in danger. A fearful dog exhibits introverted body language, such as cringing, looking away, creeping in a submissive position, and holding its tail between its legs.
   • A fearful dog can lick a lot, and if forced to step out of its comfort zone, it may even growl. At the same time, a self-confident dog will come up to you with a wagging tail and willingly offer you to pet it.
   SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

   

   Beverly ulbrich

   
   
   Animal Cynologist and Trainer Beverly Albrich is a Animal Cynologist, trainer and founder of The Pooch Coach, a private dog training service in the San Francisco Bay Area. Certified by the American Kennel Club as an examiner for the general training course CGC (Canine Good Citizen), serves on the board of directors of the American Humane Association and the volunteer organization Rocket Dog Rescue. She has been named Best Private Dog Trainer in the San Francisco Bay Area four times by the SF Chronicle and the Bay Woof, and has won the Top Dog Blog award four times. She also appeared on television as a specialist in zoopsychology.He has over 17 years of experience in the field of dog behavior correction, specializing in combating aggression and anxiety. She received her MBA from Santa Clara University and her BA from Rutgers University.

   Beverly ulbrich
   Cynologist-zoopsychologist and trainer

   Our expert agrees: “Socialization is one of the most important aspects of training a service dog. You need to introduce your dog to a wide variety of different people in a wide variety of situations, such as grocery stores, parks, in other people's homes, or on public transport. "

   
   
6. 6 Determine how obedient the dog is and if it is showing excessive defensive behavior. With aggressive, very territorial or overly protective behavior, the dog is unlikely to make a good helper dog. You will spend more time trying to control the dog's behavior than getting help from it.
   • Aggressive dogs grumble and grin. In this case, the wool on the withers may stand on end (in the area of ​​the shoulder blades). The dog may make direct eye contact in a confrontational manner and growl.
   • On the other hand, a submissive dog wants contact with you and is more likely to stick its head under your arm than to show distancing signals (such as a growl).

Tips

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental condition, and assistance dogs can be trained to take specific actions to help people with this diagnosis. At the same time, such assistance dogs act Not only in the role of dogs for emotional support - their auxiliary functions are much broader.
• Seek advice from an assistance dog training organization if they cannot provide you with a dog or training service. You may be given helpful advice over the phone or email if you run into problems with self-training.
• You may be able to get your family members involved in dog training. You just need to be careful - the dog should feel affection for you, not for them.
• Adopting a puppy will make it easier to distract him, but the training will go faster. In addition, you can try to quickly overcome the peculiarities of puppyhood.
• In Russia, thanks to the efforts of volunteers and enthusiasts, the “Assistant Dog” project has been launched. Within the framework of this project, a "Dog-Assistant" Dog Training Center for Assistance to Disabled People and Training of Assistant Dogs was established.

Warnings

• If you are inexperienced in dog training, seek the help of a professional assistance dog trainer. If you know how to train your dog for the desired behavior without outside guidance, then you should have no problem training your own assistance dog.
• Dog certification proposals are a source of confusion. There is no compulsory certification for assistance dogs, but sometimes these documents are required to be presented and they are denied admission with a dog, if there are none. But since certification is not required, it is best not to try to get any certifications at all. At the moment, assistance dogs do not yet have an official status that would give them any privileges.
• Your dog has a commitment to caring for it throughout its life. Expect to devote up to 20 years to it.
• Be realistic. If your health restrictions prevent you from training the dog, then don't try to do it yourself. It takes a lot of time and effort to train a good dog assistant.