03/01/2025
The use of silver (reflective) mirrors in training dogs is a trade secret many owner-trainers of assistance dogs don't yet know about (unless they are training with a facility that has them). Using mirrors is a great way to prevent and solve training challenges, and get instant feedback especially if you train alone.
Benefits
There are many benefits to using mirrors in your training. ��1. Mirrors allow you to use a normal stance (sitting or standing) while training your dog so you don't have to crane your neck, or twist around to see if your dog is doing the desired behavior when working at your side or behind you.
2. You can use them to teach your service dog to perform cues behind your back or on the back of a wheelchair, like unzipping a zipper and retrieving an object from a bag slung over the back of the chair. ��3. They allow you to see your position and your dog's position from another person's viewpoint as well as how fluidly the two of you work together. ��4. Leash handling skills and food delivery can easily be observed. ��5. You can see at a glance if how, where and when you give a hand signal works for your assistance dog. ��6. Mirrors are great for shaping behaviors such as heel position, or moving around behind your wheelchair or walker. They allow you to see if your dog is making correct choices during the shaping process.
7. Mirrors allow the handler to observe and prepare for potential distractions the dog may encounter without even looking directly at their dog. ��8. A dog that is socialized to a mirror is prepared to seeing them in public.��9. The best thing about mirrors is that they allow instant feedback that videotaping does not allow. Used in combination with video taping, mirrors can help to solve many problems.
