From our busy trainer, Beverli, who had her first session with Roxanna and her SDIT, Red Australian Cattle Dog, “Abby Rose”. Roxanna suffers from agoraphobia (difficulty leaving her home due to anxiety), and panic attacks.
Beverli writes:
“Today I assessed “Abby Rose” to get a baseline for where she was in her knowledge of basic training skills. We all went for a walk, and I taught Roxanne to reinforce “heeling”. I also showed Roxanne how to redirect Abby Rose when she heard another dog, or saw a person walking on the sidewalk. Abby Rose is a very friendly dog, so she wants to meet and lick everyone we pass! We will be working to help Abby Rose learn to ignore other people and dogs we encounter in public.
We started learning the “touch” command today, as a building block for anxiety and panic attack service work. Homework given for the next session was working on “touch”, and “heeling with random stop/sits, with Abby Rose’s focus on Roxanne.”
Abby Rose has a wonderful bond with her Roxanne. She has a great work drive, and is a fast learner. She and Roxanne will do great in our course!