IT MAY LOOK LIKE CHAOS BUT
this village hall filled with thumping
tails, padding paws and eager
barking is all part of the learning
curve for these special dogs.
And there is method in the
(apparent) madness.
This is an organised puppy
parenting class where, under the
experienced eye of dog trainer
Judith Warner, puppies learn to
become assistance dogs for charity
Canine Partners.
If all goes to plan, these carefully
chosen pups will grow up to help
their human partners with an
amazing variety of practical tasks
from housework and shopping to
dressing.
But first they must learn their craft
with the help of Judith and her band
of puppy parents - volunteers who
house and train the dogs during their
education programme.
At today's weekly class at
Hounsdown Community Hall, the
dogs - mostly golden retrievers and
labradors - are practising the skills
they will need as accomplished
assistance dogs.
Training is based on play, praise
and reward to turn eight-week-old
puppies into highly skilled and
talented Canine Partners.
"We might start off playing with a
rope toy and rewarding the puppy
for tugging on it," explains Judith.
"Later that learned behaviour can
be used to tug a rope attached to a
door handle or tug a wheelchair. Dogs
are also socialised so they get used to
working in every kind of
environment from streets to busy
shopping centres, lifts and even
swimming pools."
At around 14-18 months old,
dogs are sent to Canine
Partners headquarters in
Sussex for a two-week
advanced training course
where they meet potential
partners and learn to work
with their specific needs.
By the end of their
training, dogs can
respond to around 100
commands including:
Carrying out a range of
emergency response procedures.
Even more remarkable is the
dog's ability to act on its own
initiative - vital for helping
their partner in a new or
emergency situation.
Classes usually involve some
problem solving to encourage
this behaviour. Today, dogs
are presented with a
cardboard box. If they work
out the desired behaviour
(placing a paw in the box)
they are rewarded.
Judith set up the first Canine
Partners satellite training group
in Totton in 2001 and now offers
support to eight puppy parents in
the area. Over the years she has
helped train some 60 assistance dogs
- including Dixie (below case study).
"We look for a puppy that has a
good medical history and a desire
to be with people. We want them
to have a natural retrieve and to
be relaxed, sociable and
not fearful. They
should be steady,
loving dogs.
"I see happy dogs
developing into happy
mature dogs and going on
to lead useful lives, giving
somebody a greater sense of
independence and self-esteem.
"I've seen reserved people develop
into confident and relaxed people
with a friend by their side. It's
absolutely amazing what these dogs
can do for people."
Meet Dixie
MEET DIXIE THE DOG. SHE CAN open and close doors, collect mail,
carry shopping, strip beds, unload the
washing machine and even retrieve her
owner's medication in an emergency.
She is an assistance dog, trained to
help with the everyday tasks her owner
finds difficult.
For former accountant Maureen
George, Dixie is a lifeline.
Maureen, 66, has had difficulty
walking since 1972 when a moped
accident left her with severe leg injuries
and a broken neck. Initially she was
able to move around using crutches,
but gradually her mobility worsened
and she now uses a wheelchair.
She relies on Dixie to help her with
the tasks most people take for granted
from doing the weekly shop to routine
trips to the doctors.
Dixie - a retriever and poodle cross -
has been trained for her special role by
Canine Partners, a national charity
which aims to give people with
disabilities more independence and a
better quality of life.
Visit Maureen's Chandler's Ford
home and it is Dixie who bounds to
the front door and opens it. At
Maureen's request she will even shake
guests' hands.
Remarkably this super clever dog will
also help Maureen with fiddly tasks like
removing her gloves and manoeuvring
her wheelchair into position so
Maureen can pull herself into it.
"I heard about Canine Partners from
my carer who had seen it in a
magazine," says Maureen.
"I applied and within weeks they
came to assess my house and my
needs to see if I would be suitable."
After meeting several dogs, Maureen
was chosen' by her first assistance dog
- her beloved Kimba.
Sadly, Kimba - who Maureen
describes as her heartbeat' - died
earlier this year.
At first she was reluctant to take
on another dog while her grief was
so raw, but was persuaded when
Canine Partners told her about Dixie,
a boisterous puppy who needed
special attention.
"Kimba was my everything and I
used to say
I couldn't imagine life without him
because I felt like my heart had been
torn out when he died," says
Maureen.
"But Dixie is a special dog. Kimba
was unique, but Dixie is a different
character. She's so much fun and she
keeps me on my toes. We go
everywhere together - we go to the
theatre, on the train, day trips and
we're even going on holiday.
"If I drop something or need my
glasses, Dixie will get them for me. In
an emergency Dixie will fetch my
angina spray. She also opens doors
which is hard for me.
"Getting clothes out of the washing
machine is painful, but Dixie does it for
me. She even strips the bed down and
will collect my prescription at the
doctors. She can undress me and is
already taking over some jobs from my
carer, like stripping the bed.
But, says Maureen, dogs like Dixie
and Kimba go further than the vital practical assistance they provide.
"What they do for you is wonderful
but it's so much more than that.
These dogs mean everything to the
people they look after. They are your
life and your joy.
"Dixie gives me a reason to go out
and people talk to you more when you
have an assistance dog.
"I like people and with Dixie we can
go anywhere and enjoy life.
"She's a companion. She senses when
I'm not well and if I have to stay in bed
she'll stay with me.
"You feel safe with them. I never feel
scared when I have them. I also feel
more independent.
Life's too short. You have to go out
and enjoy all you can and Dixie helps
me to do that.
"She lifts my spirits. She helps
me to live."
10:47am Friday 18th July 2008
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