Special Needs Dogs

Deaf & Hearing Impaired Dogs
In our obedience classes being deaf doesn’t hinder their learning at all! We actually train EVERY dog with hand signals, because all dogs understand body language better than Verbal Command. We talk too much to our dogs, confusing them… so being Deaf is kind of an advantage. We also teach Deaf dogs to Check In, since they can’t hear you calling for them

Blind & Vision Impaired Dogs
Vision impairment requires a little bit of modification, but training is still possible.  We teach them a touch signal (right shoulder tap  = sit) and verbal command for each skill. Fully Blind dogs are also taught to check in and heel against their human and gain confidence through learning new skills

Missing Paws & Legs
    Dogs with a missing paw or leg can do every skill we learn in obedience – though some may need some modification in learning.

Wheelchair Bound
     Dogs in Wheelchairs can learn obedience – though we do modify a good bit. For example, they can’t sit – so they learn Stand in one place instead and Down becomes Bow.

Obese
      Dogs who are overweight struggle to walk long distances, get up from Down and may even not be able to do simple commands like wave and play dead. Through training, we will also create an exercise plan to get your dog in shape and on the road to a healthy life. You should also consult you vet before training to develop a diet plan and determine if your pet is healthy enough to start an exercise plan. We will use their meals for training, so they won’t get extra calories from treats. By the end of the course, you will already see progress and have to do fewer modifications.

Arthritis
     Dogs with Arthritis may struggle to walk long distances, get up from Down and may even not be able to do commands like jumps and play dead. We modify as we need and have alternative skills. As long as your vet clears your dog for general activity, obedience may actually help with arthritis pain. A body in motion, stays in motion.

Retired Racing Dogs
It is common for Retried Racing dogs to not be able to sit. This is easily accommodated – Similar to Wheelchair Bound Pups – we simply replace the Sit command with a Stand – Stay command. We can also modify other tricks that are not easily done without sitting, like wave.