Training From A Wheelchair -- Ideas??

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

I am mostly in a wheel chair. I have not found a dog dummies training book that addresses basic obedience training from a wheel chair. I had my new BC guy taught how to sit at our very first meeting. Kept reinforcing, praising, treating him. I went to work on trying to teach him lie-down stay. I had the female demonstrate what I meant, so that took about a week of watching her lie down to get what I was trying to tell him. He will lie down on command, but not lie down stay. But he can't quite understand what I mean about lying down-stay. He wants to follow me if I move backwards. What I have been doing it count as I tell him to lie-down stay. As long as I am counting and I keep repeating "stay," he does. But I can't move. I think it is crucial to get him to learn this for safety's sake. I would like to do agility with him, but feel that it is very important to have him understand lie-down stay before progressing. I suppose that I would need to be in a class with him, but he has to learn basic obedience first. I have no idea how to teach him to heel with me in a WC. This is uncharted territory.

 

He is also very mouthy. My friend who trains fox hunting hounds (also the mule packer) carries a riding crop when working with hounds. I had been using a fly swatter, now I have moved to a dressage whip as I am down low in a wheelchair. The fly swatter doesn't seem to get his attention as much as the dressage whip.

 

After reading about the 4 month puppy with the nippy bitey stuff, just wondering about my newly adopted rescue BC male. Anyway, I can shriek all I want, or rattle a bag (didn't work). I can shriek and stare at the ceiling. Probably if I could walk away and deprive him of attention then maybe the shriek, then attention withdrawal might work. The dummies book suggested rattling a bag, Sigh, didn't work.

[GentleLake]

I would suggest you enroll in a class with a good, positive reinforcement trainer to learn some basic techniques.

 

The wheelchair may be a hindrance, but it's not insurmountable. Using ineffective methods may just well be insurmountable, though.

 

It sound like the book you're using isn't helping. Learning some good methods will get you a lot further than shrieking, staring at the ceiling and shaking bags at a dog who has no idea what you want from him. Sheesh. What kind of lousy trainer wrote that book?

[5Bordercollies]

Check out clickersolutions.com especially under the training files articles written by a lady named Debbie Davis. She is a power wheelchair user, yet uses only P+ Techniques with her dogs. I think you'll find a lot of good info there.

[gcv-border]

Agree^^^. Please use positive training methods (mostly). For simple commands, young pups don't do well with a lot of corrections. (How old is your pup?)

 

Your pup adores you and wants to be with you - which is why he will follow you when you roll away. You just have to be a little more patient with teaching him stay. My 6 month old pup doesn't have a very good stay, but I haven't been too demanding of him. I know it will come eventually.

[CMP]

I always train down and stay in two separate phases. Down first. Then stay - from any position. I find with my current puppy she wants the down as a clear command and then the stay as a separate one. They have two separate hand signals (I use hand signals on all basic commands) - so maybe that is it.

 

Personally, on the down-stay, I would suggest enlisting the aid of a second party to use a gentle leash to reinforce the stay as you move around (but you do the commands, the treating, the correction, etc.).

 

I helped a person in a wheelchair do basic training once and we set up a leash attached to a closet door and a training area and the person found that helpful when the puppy was very young and she could not chase after him when he decided a fly was more interesting. A harness and not a collar was used.

 

Good luck.

[jvw]

There was a woman who used to come to the Bluegrass that was in a wheel chair and she trained her dogs. And I know she wrote a book or two. Her name is Ilsa Sternberg.

[jvw]

Her book is Dog Training for the Physically Challenged

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

Well probably the Dog Training For Dummies wasn't the best thing I could have read. Even it suggested for the mouthy stuff to carry a fly swatter for the nipping. I have bitter spray for objects I don't want mouthed.

 

I would suggest you enroll in a class with a good, positive reinforcement trainer to learn some basic techniques.

 

The wheelchair may be a hindrance, but it's not insurmountable. Using ineffective methods may just well be insurmountable, though.

 

It sound like the book you're using isn't helping. Learning some good methods will get you a lot further than shrieking, staring at the ceiling and shaking bags at a dog who has no idea what you want from him. Sheesh. What kind of lousy trainer wrote that book?

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

I have a clicker, just bought it recently.

Check out clickersolutions.com especially under the training files articles written by a lady named Debbie Davis. She is a power wheelchair user, yet uses only P+ Techniques with her dogs. I think you'll find a lot of good info there.

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

He is an adult dog, the vet thinks he is two. But he acts almost like a pup. I know he adores me. I adore him. I feel so blessed to have him. He is at my feet as I type this. My female is behind me, behind my WC.

Agree^^^. Please use positive training methods (mostly). For simple commands, young pups don't do well with a lot of corrections. (How old is your pup?)

 

Your pup adores you and wants to be with you - which is why he will follow you when you roll away. You just have to be a little more patient with teaching him stay. My 6 month old pup doesn't have a very good stay, but I haven't been too demanding of him. I know it will come eventually.

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

This is good to know, how you trained your dog. I thought I might have to get somebody else to help me.

 

I always train down and stay in two separate phases. Down first. Then stay - from any position. I find with my current puppy she wants the down as a clear command and then the stay as a separate one. They have two separate hand signals (I use hand signals on all basic commands) - so maybe that is it.

Personally, on the down-stay, I would suggest enlisting the aid of a second party to use a gentle leash to reinforce the stay as you move around (but you do the commands, the treating, the correction, etc.).

I helped a person in a wheelchair do basic training once and we set up a leash attached to a closet door and a training area and the person found that helpful when the puppy was very young and she could not chase after him when he decided a fly was more interesting. A harness and not a collar was used.

Good luck.

[Stanzi_and_Molly]

Thanks for telling me about this book!

Her book is Dog Training for the Physically Challenged

[Pam Wolf]

You might try a target stick as an aid and giving you 'longer' reach. I have one (somewhere) that has a clicker on the other end and it extends a bit so it is pretty good for several things. Positive training is the way to go!! I work with children in dog training and when I get parents who insist on using punitive methods, the kids and their dogs always lag way behind the others in class in learning. Kids cannot do much of the physical stuff an adult can do and punitive methods require physical ability (on the part of the handler) as well as great timing.

 

A gentle leader or front hook harness can help and clear verbal commands. As others have suggested check out a good positive trainer, watch a few classes then decide.