Published May 18, 2023 | by Miranda Turenne
A black labrador in PADS Assistance Dogs jacket has its two front paws on the lap of individual in a wheelchair.

Training Expert Dogs to Thrive with Novice Handlers 

How to select and train expert dogs to thrive with novice handlers is integral to the work that Assistance Dogs International (ADI) member programs do each day. This selection, preparation, and training involves not just the dog of course, but the handler as well.  

The podcast below explores these topics and more with Kayla Fratt of K9 Conservationists and Miranda Turenne of ADI-accredited Pacific Assistance Dog Society. They discuss the many parallels between detection dog and assistance dog training as well as our industries as a whole.

K9 Conservationists exists to provide expert dog-handler teams that help scientists collect the data they need “from dead bats on wind farms to invasive mussels on boats to the scat of jaguars in the Guatemalan jungle” using a dog’s keen sense of smell. This is an innovative and dynamic group that values collaboration, knowledge sharing, and humane hierarchy-based training.

While certainly there are exceptions to the rule - most assistance dog placements go to novice handlers and this poses a unique challenge! 

In this podcast several topics are discussed including how to: 

  • Select dogs that are highly biddable and task oriented
  • Build foundation skills to fluency
  • Train with the transfer to recipient in mind
  • Select and prepare recipients for the unique experience of becoming half of an assistance dog team
  • Match dogs and handlers for optimal success
  • Train and support the human half of the team to handle and support highly skilled dogs 

To learn more on this topic you can listen Here: K9 Conservationists (Nov 8, 2022) | Training Expert Dogs to Hand-Off to Amateurs with Miranda Turenne 

 

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Miranda is sitting in a field smiling at the camera. She has a dog sitting on either side of her.Miranda is Instructor and Assessment Coordinator with ADI Member Program Pacific Assistance Dogs Society. She has been training highly skilled assistance dogs to excel in Mobility, Hearing, PTSD and Accredited Facility Dog partnerships for over 15 years. Miranda has a degree in education and is a voracious lifelong learner who credits much of her success to the diversity of her teachers across multiple industries and disciplines of dog training. 

Miranda lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and shares life with her husband Lewis, a stunningly beautiful assortment of dogs and a cat named Kevin.

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