Bean the 7 month old Bouvier des Flandres has completed his 4 week assistance dog residential stay with us.

He came to us shortly after arriving from France and is taking on the very important role of being an assistance dog for his owner.

When Bean arrived he did not respond to any cues including his name. He was frightened of buses, stairs, doorways, people, motorbikes and lifts making it very difficult for his owner to take him anywhere including down the stairs to the toilet!

When out and about he would dart from left to right as he was so frightened. He had no interest in toys and showed very little motivation for working for food.

During his stay we have focused hugely on his confidence building and he has made fantastic progress! He has been taught his basic obedience commands, to walk on a loose lead and to settle in public. We have taken Bean’s training to London, in trains and tubes, where he has walked on a loose lead past buses, motor bikes, dogs and people and remained relaxed and focused.

We have taught him to settle in public places to allow his owner to take him with her when she is in a social setting.

Bean can now accompany his owner down the stairs or lift to go to the toilet, walk the busy streets of London on a loose lead and settle in a coffee shop making his road to becoming an assistance dog easier for his owner. We will continue to work with Bean’s owners to ensure he continues to make progress and help them through the Assistance Dog Awards in our Online Assistance Dog Programme.

Bean is a delightful big boy and has been a challenging dog. Watching him tackle London transport and streets was lovely to see and he is lucky to have such dedicated owners to continue his training journey.

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