training a dog for an older owner - Page 1

 My mom has a five year old wheaton terrier, a very nice dog.  She adores him.  She now lives in a house with a large fenced in yard, so he gets lots of exercise.  She is considering moving to assisted living in a year or two.  They will take the dog there, but she will have to walk him.  At her age, and her general condition, I don't think this is an option.  We cannot take the chance that he will pull her down.  There are at least two possibilities.  One, my brother can take the dog.  He adores the dog, and will take good care of him.  The dog will get long walks (he is retired), but little off lead time.  The problem is that my mom adores the dog, and would miss him terribly.  The apt is only 90 minutes from my house, so I can take the dog to visit her, but it is not the same thing at all.  I think it would be really upsetting to my mom to lose her house , her independence and her dog all at once.

I was thinking of a second alternative.  Do you think this is workable?  We could have a pro teach the dog to work on an e collar so that he has solid recall and would walk calmly by her side.   I would not do the training myself. I did train my own dogs with e-collars, but I would not depend on my limited experience for such an important task.  In the house, he is always calm, he is a very gentle dog, and has never even come close to tripping her.  She could also hire a local kid to take him on longer walks or to a DP a few times a week.  Eventually, if she is using a walker, she will have to part with the dog, and either my brother or I will take him, but for the next few years, I think with the right training, this could work.  What do you think?

Phoebe

I like option two myself. Get the dog evaluated by a professional trainer, one competent in service dog training, perhaps. That would be step one. The fact that dogs are welcome in her assisted living home is great for her.  I would hate to have to deny her that. Also her dogs age  and temperment seems to be a plus.

What a great idea, never thought of the service dog angle.  Thanks so much!  He is a doll, very friendly and gentle, just a little bouncy for her sometimes.  When he is outside, if he sees a critter, naturally as a terrier, he wants to eat it.

In the winters he is in Arizona, where he gets only leash walks, so I am sure he could deal with the limited activity year round, especially as he ages.  I will be spending the weekend with my mom, we can discuss it.  She is not making any immediate plans to move, so there is plenty of time to train the dog.

Did you know that disabled people actually train their own service dogs? Take a look at the Teamwork books:

sdog.danawheels.net/books.shtml

Also, when I was at a CKC show last year, watching the OB, a lady using a walker was competing for a CD title with her dog!

I think the dog could be trained, I don't see why you would need an e-collar to do it.
My Grandmothers dog went with her everywhere without a leash and would never have left her side.  They were very gentle with one another.   The dog outlived her and was taken by a cousin, the dog was never the same.

 I just spoke to my mom, and she was completely thrilled with the idea of having professional help to train the dog.  I will work on this over the summer.  If any of you know people in Ulster County NY, please let me know.  I will ask Sue Sternberg at the Roundout Kennel and Shelter.  I have met her before, adn I imagine she is well connected to trainers there.  The truth is thath no matter where my mom lives, the dog should be better trained.  My mom can't do it alone, she is 88, and has limited experience training dogs.  But we are sure the dog is an excellent candidate, he is easily trained.  The reason I thought of the e-collar is because he has to be completely reliable on lead, I can't have him pull her over, even once.  

I completely believe you can have reliability without the use of an e-collar.
Best of luck.

I too don't know why you'd want to train this dog, if he is as described, with an e-collar. I do use one and am not against them, but why not have a professional trainer work with your mom and her dog without the e-collar? If you can find a trainer who trains service dogs, that would be a plus. Hope you can find someone like that.

Ok, have you two ever trained a Wheaton? I have, many of them. There are two kinds; the ones who are afraid of their own shadow, and the ones who are bounding with energy and easily distracted. If yours is as calm as you say, god bless him, he's one in a million. I have also trained more dogs for elderly people who cannot control them than I care to count. It's never an easy situation.  At 88, needing to live in an assisted living home, this woman will likely NOT be able to make an appropriate correction on a training collar if the dog acts out. Motivational training alone will not cut it, in this type of situation the dog MUST know its boundaries. The dog WILL pull her down and hurt her at some point. You may want to contact  That’s My Dog! E-Cadamy School for Trainers, in Hazel Green, Wisconsin and see if they have graduates in your area. If you check out the video on unleashedunlimited.com, they have some really impressive demos of companion dogs trained with ecollars. The dogs are happy and exceptionally well trained by my standards, which are quite high.

 KCzaja,

Boy, you have Rory pegged.  He is a sweetheart, but he is a terrier.  He loves to run, chase critters, and play with dogs, loves all people. The reason she does not walk him is that he did pull her over once when he was a pup.  Now my brother lives with her, and he walks the dog.  But he is not interested in moving with her to this complex, and I completely support his position, he has no need, is too young, and would not like it.  My mom is in great health.  She is not looking at assisted living, just an apartment in a senior place where they also have assisted living and full care capabilities for when she needs it.  Personally, I would rather she lives with me, but she will make her own choice.  So yes, her health is very good for her age, but when I walk with my mom, I always hold her arm.  She can get in and out of a car fine, and walks about her house without any aid, but must avoid uneven surfaces.  I will contact the trainer you recommend, thanks very much.  Rory was previously trained with a boundary wire and e-collar, and to this day will not step foot in the LR, despite the fact that he has not worn that collar for several years, ever since the fence was put in.  That is one reason that I think he will be easily trained with an e-collar, in the right hands.  And absolutely, my mother does not the reflexes to do the training herself.

Phoebe