What About the Injured, Disabled or Elderly?

Before reading the following, please remember to ALWAYS properly balance your corrections with lots of praise and play as the best rewards for compliance and good behavior. This is the essence of my Nature-Based Discipline, Praise & Play Method™, and it is what makes my Perfect Dog® system so successful. 

 Accidents happen. You were just about to eagerly get stuck into transforming your pet into the “Lassie” dream dog when suddenly you’re laid up with two broken arms and a twisted ankle from an adventurous ski vacation. What do you do? Do you put it all off until you’re finally mobile again, resolving yourself to enduring yet more chaos and destruction from your four-legged menace?

Or, what about the disabled and even elderly who must daily live within the restrictions of their limited mobility? Will these people ever be able to achieve the same kinds of amazing training results that I do with my dogs?

The answers to the above are “No” if you’re temporarily injured and “Yes” if you have longer term challenges with mobility.

Using an e-collar (I discuss electronic collars under the “Equipment” section on DVD #1) is a great alternative when your body is not up to doing what I do in the DVDs. An e-collar is a perfect solution for you to be able to start (or continue) your dog’s training when your body just isn’t able to implement the kinds of nature-based physical corrections demonstrated using the Command Collar and a Freedom Training Line.

Simply replace whatever corrective technique I show within the lesson with equivalent communication using an e-collar. You may only need to use the vibration mode on the e-collar, depending on your individual dog’s strength of will. And, you may not need to use this substitution technique all of the time. There may still be some nature-based physical corrections that you’re capable of implementing such as the “Knee Bump” correction that is highly effective for discouraging jumping up. It’s always best to use the techniques demonstrated within the DVDs wherever possible.

If you are in a position where you must use an e-collar, still have your dog wear a Freedom Training Line and the Command Collar in addition to the e-collar. This is 1) for back up, 2) so you have a means of stopping your dog (e.g. by stepping on the line) if he decides to bolt or evade a correction, and 3) so other people in your household can manually correct the dog when needed.

So, don’t let any physical hindrances on your part get in the way of creating an awesome future for you and your dog. Your dog didn’t have a choice who he went home with, so you owe it to him to do whatever it takes to give him the best life possible.

Remember that the goal of all my training is the golden “Trust Zone” where your dog can be fully trusted to behave acceptably within the boundaries you have established for him inside and outside the home. The Trust Zone is a place of peace and harmony between you and your dog, it maximizes safety and possibilities for play and exercise, and it provides your dog with true quality of life. Even if you have to be a bit creative and make some extra effort to get there, it’s thoroughly worth it!   – Don Sullivan “The DogFather”