Self training your own dog

Debbie's Story by Jewl & Debbie Lees

First let me say that my journey is not for everyone and that there are easier ways to get the same results. This journey is one of hard work and determination. Just about two years ago I started having trouble with my back. After three trips to three different specialists and being told there was nothing they could do, I was told to live with the pain and to change my lifestyle. My life had already changed to the point where I could no longer work or drive. To get my life back to some semblance of normality I realized that I would need help. The help I chose was a Canine Companion. Canine Companions are used for people in wheelchairs or with other special needs to give them back some of the independence they have lost. Children have found that having a Canine Companion helps break down the barriers with other children, therefore making them feel more normal.

Dogs are now doing more to help humans break down the barriers. These dogs go though a great deal of training and are tested for their temperament and breeding. So please remember when you see these dogs (most common way to know these dogs is by their harness/or special backpacks) that they are not pets but are working extensions of their handlers.

I decided to get a puppy and train this puppy myself. Not knowing a whole lot about dogs, I just went to the pet store and picked a puppy (This is not the right way to select a dog. The right way is to check the breeding and temperament, and most of all, to research all breeds and check out breeders to understand what the dog is bred to do and if this dog can do the work you intend for it.) I knew what I wanted her to do, but I really didn't know how to get her trained to do it.

Smokey and I went looking for classes to attend. My choice was Canine Good Citizen. This course offered some obedience training and also some work with wheelchairs, canes, crutches, crowds, noises, and umbrellas. That was the right choice because my instructor Nancy McCarthy was very understanding and receptive to my special needs.

I had watched everything I could on the training of Canine Companion and what they were trained to do. I soon realized that I was over my head and was going to need help. I called some Special Needs Dog Training Centres to see if I could get the help. I was told that they did not train family pets but they would help if I wanted one of their trained dogs. Now I knew I was on my own.

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