What do you do to improve the quality of your life with MS?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Have you trained your own service dog?
We've had several requests for advice on self-trained service dogs. Please, if you have trained your dog or know anyone who has, or have a resource that might help, tell us about your experiences.
I have trained 3 service dogs to date for myself. They have all been somewhat unconventional by usual breeds used as service dogs. Each dog has been better than the last. I have trained 2 Newfoundlands and one shepherd/greyhound/lab mix. My current Newfoundland is spectacular. I have learned quite a bit about what to look for in choosing a service dog (puppy)in regards to personality, temperament and canine health issues. I have a degree in zoology and have been training animals for as long as I can remember. I am also an animal wrangler and assistant wrangler for tv, movies and advertisements. I have used that knowledge to train my dogs and I continue to learn new things every day. I would be happy to help answer questions people might have in regards to training a service dog for themselves.
Some resources: - Pros and cons of owner training vs. professionally trained http://www.k9satwork.com/a-otvspro.html - Numerous online Yahoo groups dedicated to owner training service dogs, some better than others. - "Teamwork" I and II books and DVDs by Top Dog available on Amazon and Dogwise. - "Clicker Train Your Own Assistance Dog" DVD by Barbara Handelman - Assistance Dog training videos from Vancouver Island Assistance Dogs. http://viassistancedogs.blogspot.com/2009/02/24-assistance-dog-training-videos.html
I have trained 3 service dogs to date for myself. They have all been somewhat unconventional by usual breeds used as service dogs. Each dog has been better than the last. I have trained 2 Newfoundlands and one shepherd/greyhound/lab mix. My current Newfoundland is spectacular. I have learned quite a bit about what to look for in choosing a service dog (puppy)in regards to personality, temperament and canine health issues. I have a degree in zoology and have been training animals for as long as I can remember. I am also an animal wrangler and assistant wrangler for tv, movies and advertisements. I have used that knowledge to train my dogs and I continue to learn new things every day. I would be happy to help answer questions people might have in regards to training a service dog for themselves.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Bonnie Giacovelli and Kermit the Dog
Some resources:
ReplyDelete- Pros and cons of owner training vs. professionally trained http://www.k9satwork.com/a-otvspro.html
- Numerous online Yahoo groups dedicated to owner training service dogs, some better than others.
- "Teamwork" I and II books and DVDs by Top Dog available on Amazon and Dogwise.
- "Clicker Train Your Own Assistance Dog" DVD by Barbara Handelman
- Assistance Dog training videos from Vancouver Island Assistance Dogs. http://viassistancedogs.blogspot.com/2009/02/24-assistance-dog-training-videos.html