Pawbla
Experienced Member
So, recently, a man contacted me seeking help with his dog. He's on a wheelchair and can only move well his right arm, which he uses to move his wheelchair (one of those electric wheelchairs). He has a 6 months old labrador x husky puppy that he wants to train so he can go out with her off-leash.
I've started with a "look at me" command, and socialization. The puppy, Ona, is quite fearful of dogs and people, so we're counter-conditioning that. She still needs a LOT of socialization. She pulls a lot on the leash, but apparently she walks okay off leash with this man's mother.
He also wants to train her to sleep at his feet and follow him around.
Any suggestions on exactly what to teach? I'm starting with "look at me" and "heel" on the left and right side. Any other things you might find useful? I've also thought about teaching her "speak" in case he needs something or he's in trouble, and to ring doorbells (I think she'll be tall enough).
A problem I've encountered is that in parts of the city there is no wheelchair access (to get on/off the sidewalk) so he has to walk on the street instead of the sidewalk. This poses a problem with Ona, because there's not enough space for her to walk besides her owner. So she'd have to walk in front of him. The mother suggested her to walk on the sidewalk, but she'd be 2-3 meters away from her owner, which is contradictory to what we're trying to teach, right?
Thoughts? I'm wondering if I'm doing things okay. It's my first time with this kind of case and I want her to be well trained, her owner is a very nice man and I think it will do wonders for him.
I've started with a "look at me" command, and socialization. The puppy, Ona, is quite fearful of dogs and people, so we're counter-conditioning that. She still needs a LOT of socialization. She pulls a lot on the leash, but apparently she walks okay off leash with this man's mother.
He also wants to train her to sleep at his feet and follow him around.
Any suggestions on exactly what to teach? I'm starting with "look at me" and "heel" on the left and right side. Any other things you might find useful? I've also thought about teaching her "speak" in case he needs something or he's in trouble, and to ring doorbells (I think she'll be tall enough).
A problem I've encountered is that in parts of the city there is no wheelchair access (to get on/off the sidewalk) so he has to walk on the street instead of the sidewalk. This poses a problem with Ona, because there's not enough space for her to walk besides her owner. So she'd have to walk in front of him. The mother suggested her to walk on the sidewalk, but she'd be 2-3 meters away from her owner, which is contradictory to what we're trying to teach, right?
Thoughts? I'm wondering if I'm doing things okay. It's my first time with this kind of case and I want her to be well trained, her owner is a very nice man and I think it will do wonders for him.