Thank you for sharing!
What specific trained tasks did he perform in assistance to your mobilty need?
For example:
"Gait/ balance assistance" (like a moving cane)
"Lift from a seated position" ( by using handle on harness)
How did you train to this?
Did you adapt standard AKC Obedience commands, and how?
What would you recommend to read/do as a DIY SD owner-trainer?
Any one or two good books?
What existing AKC temperament and obedience tests (or TSA, etc type checks)
would you suggest as a best practices Public Acess Test?
Feel free to PM (use envelope icon on top bar)
Oh, I can speak on training endlessly. Start brewing the Coffee!.
I will touch on a couple of questions today and we see where the conversation takes us.
Teauful was trained for Balancing, Counter balancing, bracing, and support for me going from knee to standing. Lift from seating. Over time additional skills were aquired. Additional skills were aquired simply by having fun. It is my belief that service training must be enjoyable for the dobe. If not its a wrong fit.
What I recommend is understanding that 99% of individuals are not suited to be trainers for more resons than can be listed. That is. ot said to make me look unique. I had decades of Doberman experience. I had the time to dedicate to training. I have the ability to place Teauful in many situations that are needed to have a well rounded training experience. Having the ability to reach out to trainers online was very important.
Some challenges that I didn't see coming with an owner trained serive dobe was how prepared I needed to be for unexpected.
The three year old that comes out of nowhere to pull on ears in a grocery store. The law enforcement officer that thinks Dobermans brains press against skull and explode. The nurse that just starts groping Teauful because she is "a nurse" as if it's a pass. Then there are professional service dog trainers that will walk up without representing themselves as professional trainers and a simple petting turns out to be a full behavioral test. There are "trained" service dogs that bolt from their owners to come sniff Teauful. There were the attack at dog park where Teauful stood still as a maladjusted dog bit into his neck. There are the storw owners that expe t you to take your dog to the bavk of restaurant, or want to interact. The list is literally endless.
Training a service animal is more training me the owner than training Teauful. There were times I should not have taken Teauful to places. Petting zoo for example, or an ice cream shop with a walkable dairy with goats.
Then there are bad days for service animals. When he forget a critical command, or simply woke up on the wrong side of the bone. Being able to accept that your dobe is worn out, or headed for burnout is very important.
Then there is the maintenance. Brushing teeth, constant paw inspections, outdoor weather conditions, and how long he has been performing duties without a break. There is lots to keep track of.
Having a service dobe is a great responsibility that when done well is a great reward for both owner and dobe. I wanted to be upfront that when I staeted out, I had heard of the challenges, but until I was fa ed with the day to day tasks, I didn't full appreciate the responsibility.
As far as books and videos, they are all over the map. For us, there was no one way to do things. When I brought out his harness and he jumped up in excitment and when fitted he would be professional, then I knew we had the right mix of fun and business. Like Avatar, when I placed my hand on the guide handle, it connected us physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I hope your experiences will be as positive.
