The shocking truth

Yesterday, Frankie and I went to Petco. I needed to get some supplies for the tank I'm putting together for my soon-to-be-new-pets, some Crested Geckos (thanks, Kati!).

Frankie did very well. I hadn't taken him to a pet store in quite a few weeks. I'd found that I really couldn't "train" in a pet store because it's so distracting. What with all the sights and sounds mixed in with all those smells, it's hard to keep him going in the direction I need to go rather than the direction his nose is leading him.

Don't get me wrong, pet stores are great training grounds. But your dog has to have the basics down solid before throwing in that many distractions.


When I started taking over the training of Frankie, I was at a disadvantage. My only physical "connection" to Frankie is via a short lead attaching his harness to my wheelchair. I basically have no "leash" control like you would normally have... I don't have a leash from my hand to his collar.


I recently started using an electronic collar (e-collar) with a wireless remote. I know there's a lot of controversy for this type of training device, but it's a great tool for the handicapped trying to train our own service dogs. It gives us the ability to issue a physical correction along with a verbal correction. And that's a good thing.

Without it, I'd have to rely on someone else doing all the training. But with it, I get a sense of freedom and power.

I'm a dog trainer. With this e-collar, I can still be a dog trainer. Even if I can't physically handle a leash, I can still train with the push of a button.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Workers free dog trapped in sewer pipe

MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The sound of barking underneath a street Tuesday led a team of city workers to a dog trapped in a narrow culvert - and you might say they used a backward approach to rescue the mutt. The sickly, scared dog was about 50 feet from the nearest entry point, but since the culvert was just 15 inches in diameter, the workers couldn't fit into it themselves. Not even offers of food could draw out the dog. "He was exhausted," said Tony Talamantez, a public works foreman. Then Talamantez and his colleagues had an idea. They rigged up a long video camera used to inspect drain pipes, and approached the dog from the back. They used the camera to nugdge the dog forward until he reached an entry point big enough for a person to pull him out. The camera recorded the rescue, showing the dog scampering ahead in fits and starts as the camera pokes him in the rear end. The dog wore no tags, only a worn collar. But Julia Gosen, animal control officer for the city, said ...
Read more

Crested Geckos - great pet for the disabled

Image
A few weekends ago at the Austin Reptile Expo, I had the opportunity to meet a really neat woman who breeds and sells Crested Geckos. Since I have lizards as pets and have written before about how great they are as pets for disabled folks, I thought I'd write about the Crested Gecko in particular. The woman I speak of is Kati of Kati's Crested's . She's here in Austin, TX. I had never held a crested gecko before this Expo, but I had seen them in a tank at a local reptile store. They are very kewl lizards! Soft to the touch, almost like suede. The one I held jumped from one hand to the other and held on with it's prehensile tail! The crested gecko originates from New Caledonia (an island east of Australia). Adults range from 6-9" in total length. In the wild, they are nocturnal, arboreal animals living in the forests. Most wild specimens are tail-less, presumably because they dropped their tails while escaping from a predator. All of Kati's cresteds are c...
Read more

Axe Me A Question

Go ahead and ask. Ask the questions you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair. Nothing is too embarrassing. You might as well ask me on this blog since you are somewhat anonymous and don't have to look me in the eye. What have you always wanted to ask someone in a wheelchair? Here, I'll start: Q: "Hi, my name is LaLaundria! I wanted to know how do you take a shower?" A: Well, LaLaundria, I sit down. On a shower chair. I have grab-bars installed in my shower/tub and my commode rooms to give me extra balance. A shower chair is a hard plastic chair made to fit in showers and tubs. I have a shower massage type shower head that helps get the water closer to my hair. Howze that? Ask away, no question is off limits! (Oh Jeez, what am I getting myself into!)
Read more