From our trainer, Beverli, who is working with Regina and her SDIT, “Baby”, a Chocolate Labrador. Regina has severe mobility issues and is usually in a wheelchair.

Beverli writes:

“Regina and I worked on desensitizing Baby to other animals in Petsmart, including other dogs, cats, birds and small mammals. We purposely encountered dogs that were not friendly, and taught Baby to ignore them and continue working/walking. She is getting better at that, but we will still need to work on desensitizing Baby to other dogs.

Baby seems to have improved greatly heeling next to Regina’s wheelchair and maneuvering around objects and in tight spaces.
Between now and the next session, Regina and Baby need to visit Petsmart/Petco several times to work on ignoring other dogs, and redirecting Baby into “work mode”. At our next session, we will also working on retrieval commands to help Baby pick up items that Regina might drop.”