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HOW TO HELP GET YOUR DOG
USED TO A WHEELCHAIR/CART or HARNESS

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  • First of all….Relax. Dogs feed off our emotions, if you are stressed your dog will pick up on this.

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  • Don’t rush it. Think about it, this is a strange contraption you are attaching to your dogs body that they don’t understand will help them.

 

  • When you are both relaxed, make sure you have some ‘High End Treats’ to hand. Special treats you know he/she loves that will help motivate them.

     

  • When the harness or cart arrives, un-pack it in the same room, leave it close and let them sniff it and become familiar with it.

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  • Put it together close to them (for harnesses, adjust as needed), and again, leave it close to them for a while, so they can see it, sniff it, and move a cart around (without them in it).

 

  • If your dog shows any interest in the cart or harness or tries to move towards it, let them sniff and touch it, again use treats and lots of praise “good boy/ girl”.

     

  • When you feel your dog is comfortable around the aid, place them in the cart/harness, but only leave them in it for a few minutes, still using lots of praise and some treats. You may at this point if your dog is relaxed, make a few adjustments to get the fit better, but if they become unsettled, pop them out and leave it until another time.

     

  • Keep up the high end treats and lots of praise in connection with the harness or wheelchair. The idea is to get your dog to associate going into the cart or harness with good, positive things.

     

  • Try again in an hour or two, or even the next day.

     

  • Only move on to another stage when your dog is relaxed.

     

  • When your dog is in the wheelchair (or harness) and relaxed, place a treat just in front of their nose and give it to them, (in the case of a cart) then step away a step or two and hold out another treat (you can substitute this for a favourite toy such as a ball if this motivates your dog more)

     

  • Eventually your dog will start to move forward on their own to reach their treat / toy, as they get distracted to the cart or harness attached to their body. Use lots of praise at every point, making a big fuss of them, especially when they move forward and tell them how wonderful they are.

There are various tips to try if your dog is still unsure about moving in a wheelchair.

Take them to a favourite walk/ area, before placing them in the wheelchair. 

Attaching a lead can sometimes help and giving a gentle tug as you walk off with the excited command “come on pup, walkies, lets go”. 

Have a friend or dog they are used to, join you on a walk. 

                                               

These ideas are excellent to help ‘distract’ your dog from the wheelchair and feel comfortable with the walk or seeingtheir friend etc. Once this happens, you will rarely have any problems as they will quickly

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realise the wheelchair (or harness) gives them the freedom to move more independently, (or be helped to move from place to place in the case of a harness) as they did before. Again, at every stage always use a positive, upbeat tone of voice with lots of praise and treats.

 

Some dogs take to a wheelchair straight away the moment you place them in it, others take longer to adjust, some only take to them when they are completely unable to walk on their own any more (lose the use of both back legs) and a few do not take to one at all,... but most do with time, encouragement and patience.

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Don’t get discouraged yourself though, relax, be patient and keep trying another time.

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