We currently train service, therapy and facility dogs. Who am I and what is Helping Hounds Working Dogs
My background:
My name is Adri Dizy, and I have been working with dogs in a variety of ways since 2014. My professional journey with dogs began as a groomer’s assistant, and soon after I trained to be a dog groomer. As much as I loved spending so much time with dogs, my own disability made groo
ming full time too difficult. Pet grooming is essential to the well-being of our pets, and it was a great start to my career. Groomers truly are super humans, who have incredibly difficult, heart wrenching, underappreciated work. (I will also happily refer you to some excellent local groomers!)
I began training my own service dog, June, in 2016. She was fully trained and certified through the Alberta Service Dog act in 2018. The Alberta Service Dog Act requires that owner trained dogs be tested annually, and June has been certified for 3 years. An astounding trainer in Edmonton who is recognized by Assistance Dogs International, as well as the Alberta Qualified Service dog trainers, assisted June and I with our training. I was lucky enough to apprentice under her, and had the opportunity to co-puppy raise, as well as assist in training a number of working dogs. I have since then been taking on clients privately, mostly through friends, family and word of mouth. My credentials:
I am currently a student at Diamond In the Ruff and am training under an incredible, highly experienced instructor and ‘trainer of trainers’. Colleen McCarVill is certified through the Council for Professional Dog Trainers, and has further training and certification in behaviour modification. Colleen and Diamond in the Ruff train their students in line their company’s philosophy: “Training with our hearts and minds, not our hands.” For more information on Colleen and her many credentials, you can visit https://www.diamondintheruffinc.com/
In Canada, there is no required license or registration for dog trainers. In Alberta, experienced trainers have the ability to apply to become an Alberta Qualified Service Dog Trainer. This is ultimately my end goal, but I am only at the start line of this journey. What sets me apart:
Many of the Alberta Qualified Trainers have experience and education, but do not have certification through a national regulatory body. It is suspected that in the near future dog training in Canada will become a regulated industry. This is where the Canadian Association of Professional Dog Trainers comes into play:
“... the CCPDT - in full, the Certification Council For Professional Dog Trainers - offers independent exams across North America to certify that dog trainers have achieved a certain minimum standard of knowledge (or knowledge and skills) and is an organization of “certificants.” Certificants have taken and passed one of the CCPDT examinations, and continue to recertify to retain their credentials (such as being able to call themselves a Certified Professional Dog Trainer or CPDT). To earn CCDPT certifications, individuals must meet strict requirements, including having a certain number of hours physically training dogs, plus achieving a certain minimum score in a psychometrically sound examination. Additionally, certificants are required to meet certain continuing education requirements to maintain their certification, use humane training practices and follow a Code of Ethics. The CCPDT is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The NCCA provides impartial, third-party validation that a program has met recognized national and international credentialing industry standards for development, implementation, and maintenance of certification programs.” http://www.capdt.ca/Become-a-Dog-Trainer.php
Something that makes Helping Hounds Working Dogs unique is that we are a program run by marginalized individuals, specifically for marginalized individuals. Every member of our team has a disability. We are a service for those who don’t have the privilege to easily access service dog and accessibility needs. We understand that most individuals, specifically disabled individuals very rarely have $20,000- $30,000 to put toward a service dog. We are a safe space for anyone regardless of disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and housing status. We work on a sliding scale (anti-capitalist) basis. In order to create a safe space we do not service cops, do not train police dogs, and refer first responders to organizations that specifically provide service dogs to those individuals. Anyone who is homophobic, racist, transphobic, islamaphobic, or in any other way discriminatory to our most vulnerable communities will be removed from the program immediately and referred elsewhere. My philosophies:
I am a firm believer in force-free and positive reinforcement-based methods. This means I do not use adverse tools or methods such as shock collars, prong collars, or anything which would scare the dog into performing the desired behaviour. I believe that all working dogs will see the highest level of success by building their confidence, creating close communication, rewarding them for their work. These methods build a dog who wants to work, who does not burn out, and who loves their job. Training should be a fun and engaging activity; the more fun the dog has, the more they will want to work. Services I provide:
Training for service dogs and therapy dogs: I am able to provide training specifically for service and therapy dogs. I can assist you along all the steps of your owner-training journey, including providing mock public access/ therapy dog tests. I can also help find the right breeder/ adoption agency and dog to suit your needs. Max (our OT) is available for assessments and assistance. Temperament testing and dog selection: Any dog training to have a job must have the right temperament and be in great physical health. This is to ensure your success, but also the well-being of the pup. I will help you choose the right breed for your needs, find solid reputable breeders, and help with training every step of the way. If you are looking to adopt or rescue, I can help temperament test and choose the right candidate. There is no guarantee that any dog will be a successful working dog, but if and when issues do come up, I will work with you to make modifications and accommodations which will benefit you as well as your pup. Occupational Therapy services: Max Bellerive (they/them) is an Occupational Therapist. They are able to assist by assessing individuals and their families for how a service dog could best help and fit into their lives. They are also able to assist individuals in accessing alternative accommodations and resources if a service dog is not suitable for their needs. Helping Hounds Working Dogs is the only service dog training program in Alberta that has an Occupational Therapist on board. Here is an example of how an OT can help with the service dog training journey:
"John has cerebral palsy and a full time wheelchair user. His service dog is trained to retrieve dropped items, assists in un******ng, pressing automatic door buttons, and even tapping his credit card at the store. However, John has difficulty holding a leash, and getting his dogs working gear on and off. An occupational therapist can find alternative ways to attach the leash to his chair, and can help modify equipment by adding magnets instead of clips. Max can report to me that his service dog must be trained to put his paws on John's lap to ease the process of gearing up his dog." The future of Helping Hounds:
Although licensing is not necessary in Canada, I am waiting until fall 2021 to have a grand opening when I have certifications and additional information. This will be when I am available to provide a broader range of services, apply to become a qualified service dog trainer in Alberta, and ideally begin a “program trained” dog service. (A dog who is fully raised and trained for a client who is unable to assist in training.) We will also be opening up a training program for “Man Trailing.” Man trailing is the sport of finding individuals using very advanced scent training. These dogs are often used for finding missing persons, as well as finding “criminals on the loose.” I will not be training dogs for the benefit of the unjust,oppressive police system. However, I hope to train a group of man trailing teams to assist with finding missing individuals in the Edmonton area. I hope to be able to use these dogs to assist in the search for Canada’s missing and murdered women and children, individuals in crisis, and other ethical search and rescue missions.
