Wheelchair - 2 Part Series

This set of classes start with teaching loose leash walking beside and behind a manual wheelchair. Other related tasks are available as separate classes.

CA$75 (~US$59)
(3x30 min web cam consults available for extra purchase)

Class Goals: Your dog learns the 4 desired positions to walk and settle with a manual wheelchair in open areas, ramps, parking lots/parkades and in tight spaces like bathrooms and elevators. She also learns where to position herself when getting in and out of the vehicle. We use platforms, targeting, capturing, shaping and chaining to teach the dog new skills. Suitable for small to large dogs.

Whether you are an owner-trainer or professional trainer working with a client or training their dog for them, you will learn how to properly fit and equip a wheelchair, simple muscle-building exercises to prepare your upper body to prevent injury, and how to maneuver a wheelchair including safely loading and unloading it from a vehicle. Discover international standards for public wheelchair accessibility. Create 3 food delivery systems for people with limited hand, arm or shoulder movement using common materials. Learn 5 ways to teach a dog to find 4 positions near the wheelchair. Find out a great technique to enjoyably increase the LLW distance using a "stations" approach.

This class can be adapted for electric wheelchairs and scooters but be prepared to use your creativity or ask for help in SDTI's Wheelchair Facebook Group only for students.

9 lectures and 25 practical lessons (each with a checklist of objectives) are included to keep you on track. There are over 230 video clips to watch!

Prerequisites:
Foundations Skills Level 1-3 (or equivalent)



Materials:
Access to a wheelchair you can practice with both on your own (for about 2 months) and to train with the dog. (Trainers can borrow or rent one from a medical service such as Red cross, a Pharmacy, mobility store or buy one second hand from a thrift store, garage sale, or internet Marketplace.)
An office chair that rotates and is on wheels may be helpful depending on your mobility level.

(3x30 min web cam consults available for extra purchase)

A hand delivered retrieve is a major task for most mobility dogs.

Class Goals:
Level 1 Dog learns how to take and correctly hold objects of many different materials, shapes and sizes for 20 seconds.   

Level 2 Dog learns how to pick objects off the ground while safely carrying them for a distance and delivering them to you with a shared hold to prevent dropping. He will also place items where you indicate. Your dog learns to control his mouth pressure and to pick up delicate objects with his lips or front teeth. He brings back stationary objects you point to in the distance and by their name and also picks up dropped objects without a cue.

Prerequisites:
at minimum an understanding of the principles of marker-based training, a nose target and an understanding of duration

Register at this link during the monthly registration period.

Note: Please avoid training this with hard objects during the teething period (12 weeks to 5.5 to 6 months.) to avoid the dog making a negative (painful) connection with the task. 

Level 2 is an advanced skill and requires a certain level of maturity from the dog. For best results, start level 2 when the dog is a year or more of age.