Hi everyone

I'm posting this here not because my dog is or will be my assistance dog but because there are issues that someone with experience of training mobility dogs may be able to advise on.

We adopted our dog, a tiny Staffie ***** called Polo, before my mobility got really bad. At the time I was expected to recover. Polo was perfect as she is obviously a small breed and had lived with cats, kids and other dogs all her life. Let me make no bones (pardon the pun) about it though, had Polo ever been assessed as an assistance dog she would have "failed".

Polo was quite a porker when we first adopted her and was therefore quite slow to walk and didn't pull. She has always been a sensitive soul and has separation anxiety so mostly has to come with me unless she can be supervised at home. As she started getting fitter, she obviously became more energetic and although she is great offlead, to get to where she can be offlead she has to walk on the lead. The way I was taught to train looselead walking is quite hard for me physically to do, lots of unpredictable changing of direction or worse stopping every time she pulls. Unfortunately she won't tolerate a halti or gentle leader.

I am now on two crutches or a rollator and it's likely I will be getting a wheelchair soon.

A year ago she was attacked by a group of labradors which has left her extremely scared of other dogs. She has to be muzzled while she is on the lead as obviously she can't escape them and therefore reacts. She knows "leave it" fairly well but obviously some other dog owners simply don't have manners and won't call their dogs away saying their dogs are friendly, that's not the point though is it.

I have taught Polo some useful cues such as getting up on a raised surface for strokes/grooming/getting her harness on and also a fairly reliable retrieve. Her recall is good and she will stop periodically for me to catch up when she's offlead.

I really need some tips on her lead work and to prevent her jumping up at me to greet me. The downside to having such a small breed is that I cannot bend to greet her and if I sit down to she is like a torpedo to my face. She knows "get down" but ideally I'd prefer her not to have to be asked to lol.

I only use positive methods and tend to use clicker work most of the time. Rehoming her is never, ever going to be an option. My husband is blind and my children are not old enough to have the responsibility of walking her, especially with her issues, so I must find a way to deal with this.

Many thanks

Kathy