Training My Own Guide Dog

Sagan is not the star of the blog this week. He has been virtually ignored as much as anyone can ignore a teenager. We will get back on track now that Jingles is gone.

The picture above shows Mel and Jingles posing for a picture on March 8, 2014

The picture above shows Mel with Jingles and Rowan the cat sitting on the couch on October 19, 2015. Rowan is laying on Mels' lap and Jingles is at Mel's right side. 

 

For those of you who do not know, Jingles was my fourth guide dog from The Guide Dog Foundation in New York. She was a golden retriever and she was absolutely the most devoted guide I have ever had. She was very calm and quiet. She never barked out loud except when she was dreaming. She went along her way Friday with help from our vet. She had advanced kidney disease which we had been treating for about three years. I am so grateful to have a vet who was willing to come to our home. Jingles was calm and engaged with us until the very end. She will be cremated. I will put some of her ashes in all of my plants inside and outside my house.

The 2 pictures above show Mel and Jingles on the outside patio in May of 2018.  Mel is sitting on the bench with Jingles in the first picture and she is doing a balancing pose while Jingles looks up at her in the second picture. 

Jingles had to be retired after she had a seizure caused by a pesticide treatment applied in my HOA community. She was only 7 years old at that time. She came very close to dying again after another application in the Spring of 2020. I feel strongly that these exposures to dangerous pesticides were the cause of her illness. She was the canary in the coal mine.

The picture above shows Jingles in January of 2019. She is sitiing in the kitchen looking up at the camera. 

Because of her, I went on a campaign to educate my neighbors and anyone else who would listen that pesticides are killing our pets and wildlife. Wildlife, like people who are blind, can not read pesticide application signs. It is up to us to ask questions of our community and municipalities as to what is being sprayed on our athletic fields and playgrounds where we walk our dogs and our children play. It is up to us to use our voices to declare that using pesticides where we live and play is not acceptable. Please be aware that there is a great chance that you and your dogs are being exposed without your knowledge. Your dog may be getting kidney, liver, thyroid diseases, and cancers due to pesticide exposures. Please educate yourself about what is going on in your community and then speak up about it. There are many alternatives to conventional landscape practices. You can be part of keeping our guide dogs and all the other creatures safe. Being silent is being complicit. I want the death of jingles to serve an even higher purpose than being my loyal guide for as long as she was able. Please start asking questions so you do not go through what I have with Jingles. She was a great companion and guide and I will miss her very much.

The picture above shows jingles in the car going to the store on May 28, 2020. She looks like she is laughing. 

The picture above shows Jingles laying in the snow on the back patio February of 2021.

 

 

It’s all about bodily functions and leashes this week. A couple of weeks before, it was all about defecation. This last week there was a crisis of urination. Sagan decided that his waste deposit area was no longer pleasing to him. He absolutely refused to urinate in that spot. He had been going there beautifully since we brought him home at 8 weeks old. The thing that worried me most was that he peed volumes directly on his bed which I thought was really strange. I was just about to call the vet. The next time my husband took him out, he said he lifted his leg for the first time to pee. I think he had a rush of testosterone and he couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to do. I was hoping to avoid that behavior but now he does it sometimes and not others. He is a real teenager now.

The pictures above show Mel and Sagan sitting outside the front of the house. Mel hands a treat to Sagan after he sits patiently while my assistant arrives to greet him. 

The other behavior that has intensified is chewing through his leashes. I keep a house line on him all the time. He just recently discovered that they are great chewing fun. He even managed to chew through his Gentle Leader which I had adjusted a tad too loose. Needless to say, money has been flowing to the pet stores. We kept trying different styles of leashes in an attempt to avoid the wrapped metal cable kind. Well, after he chewed through one too many leashes, we acquiesced and got the cable leash. It can also be used as a tie-down. It does not feel great in my hand but he can’t chew through it. I will give you the link below.

Training is going well I think. I have nothing to compare it to so I just have to hope that he is learning what he needs to and that he is not getting unfortunate information from those of us who are doing the training. I feel like I am not working with him enough myself. I worry about the potential for inconsistencies between the trainer, my husband, and myself. I was hoping to do most of the direct training myself but that is impossible with my foot problem. I just need to relax and trust. He is getting exposed to more and more situations which is exactly what is supposed to be happening. He does get very excited when he sees children and dogs but he is also learning to control his impulses. I have been reassured by many people that he is a puppy and that he will learn how to behave when working in a harness. I am trying not to be impatient.

The other thing I ordered this week that I feel is important for everyone who has pets is to put stickers on your doors saying,” Pets live here. Please rescue in case of disaster.” The wording can vary or you can make your own. I will put the link below.

Link to dog leash https://www.amazon.com/VirChewLy-Indestructible-Leash-Large-Black/dp/B001W82CVY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=VirChewLy+Indestructible&qid=1663594997&sr=8-1

Link to Pet Rescue Stickers https://www.amazon.com/Alert-Safety-Fire-Rescue-Sticker/dp/B01EBFNI4E/ref=asc_df_B01EBFNI4E/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241919781531&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2721577783439462761&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1024667&hvtargid=pla-648386773381&psc=1

After the experience the week before last with Sagan and diarrhea, I have become so appreciative of perfect poops. The regularity of production and the consistency of shape and quantity has captured my fascination. Which foods create the desired effect? What is the best way to clean it up and eliminate odors? Is it okay to put down lime in the fecal zone or is that bad for the dogs? Is it terribly uncouth to put it down our human toilets? So many questions to ponder.

Maybe you think I am going a little crazy or maybe a lot, but as puppy raisers, we need to be observant. The more information we can glean from their bodily functions, the healthier our dogs will be. So far, being consistent with a mostly raw diet has made for the best production values. I rotate brands of raw dog food and training kibble. My intention is to create a well-rounded microbiome so as not to predispose Sagan to food sensitivities. All is well so far except for the overindulgence of tomatoes the week before. As for putting dog poop down human toilets is still on the table for pondering.

The pictures above show Sagan outside on his dog bed enjoying a marrow bone in the sun. 

Training last week was so fun! Sagan is really wrapping his beautiful head around what his education is all about. One day he woke up and seemed to just understand what was expected. He has begun generalizing behaviors outside the narrow training zone of our house and grounds. He recognizes seats as chairs and benches. He reliably knows the difference between doors with different names such as front door, back door, and garage door. I dare not brag though because I know he can wake up another day seemingly to have forgotten everything. It is funny to watch him offer up his behaviors when he is not quite sure what I am asking of him. He is so eager to please and food is a great motivator for him. His training would be much more challenging if he was not food motivated. 

Susie the trainer, and Stu are now taking him on longer training walks. He went to an arts festival yesterday with lots of people and dogs. He did extremely well. He did shy away from school buses but he had never seen such a thing before. I doubt it will become a problem. He is still distracted by children and other dogs which we will keep working on. He is a puppy after all and instant perfection is not expected.

The picture above shows Stu training Sagan at the park. Sagan is sitting at Stu's left side while they pause for a picture.

I want to share a grooming tool that I have found to be absolutely superior. It is expensive but worth it. Poodle hair requires a special brush to get through the curly, thick hair. The Big G Slicker brush by Chris Christensen is a treat to use. Sagan has always endured his grooming sessions with forbearance but he seems to really enjoy them now. He puts his front paws on the grooming table and I lift up his back end. He settles down and I get to work. I have chosen for the time being not to treat him with internal interventions for tick-borne diseases or fleas so grooming is super important. My goal is to make it a meditation for me and a pure joy for him. The link for the brush is below. I am not affiliated with this company in any way.

Overall, this last week has been fun and mostly peaceful except when he found a pen on the floor and proceeded to take it apart. I was on it so no harm was incurred. He moves like quiet lightning at times so I need to be ever vigilant.

https://chrischristensen.com/big-g-slicker-brushes/

Sagan was 6 months old on September 2nd. The week started out with a pretty dramatic case of diarrhea. I can’t be sure what triggered it because there were quite a few variables, one being I gave him commercial food instead of his usual raw, and the other being that there just happened to be a pint of cherry tomatoes just in reach of his curiosity. I was up all night with him. Fortunately, with a bland diet, it passed the next day. He did seem to enjoy the tomatoes. I was not worried because he only ate a few and they are not toxic for dogs. They are actually good for dogs but I suspect he ate one too many.

The Picture above shows Sagan sitting at Mel's side near a park bench. He is looking at something off in the distance.

I had a Lime vaccine scheduled for him on Wednesday but I canceled it partly because he had been sick and mostly because my gut said, “No.” I do not take vaccines lightly and since Lime is not a core vaccine, I just need to do some more research and sit with the decision. We do live in an area where Lime is prevalent but lifestyle is also a consideration. I may rethink when we move to the Rachel Carson EcoVillage next summer.

The highlight of the week was when Susie, the trainer came. She took him on a long training walk into town where they worked stairs and whatever else presented itself. My husband went along so he can learn the methods. This way he can increase Sagan’s walks per week. We are still refining our command list and getting everything defined so we are all on the same page. I am putting the current list below in case you are interested. It is an evolving list. If you have any ideas or comments on this list, I am open to suggestions.

Here is an updated list of Sagan’s commands - 

Sagan’s Commands with Explanations, IN & OUT OF HARNESS

1. Sit  dog’s bum to the floor/ground in heel position or any location
2. Down  dog’s body to the floor/ground at any location, legs in any position, head up or down
3. Up Sit  dog’s body moves from down position to sit position, this is mainly an obedience exercise for “puppy push-ups”
4. Stay dog does not move from last command given until release word or another command given, in Sit, Down or Stand position
5. Come dog recalls from any location directly to handler and remains close enough that handler is able to touch dog
6. Let’s Go  to move forward motion with handler, more casual walking with loose leash
7. Heel  dog moves to left side of handler, head in line with handler’s left leg, forward motion with a loose lea
8. Stand dog stands securely on all four legs
9. Back  dog backs up a few inches to a few feet, dog can back up and stand, sit or lay
10. Wait  to stop forward motion, pause, dog can stand, sit or lay, dog should hold position until release word or another command is given
11. Free  dog’s release word to break out of command
12. Get It  to move after and pick up a toy during play
13. Bring It  to bring toy or object back to handler
14. Leave It  to leave food item or object on floor or ground, no attempt to sniff, explore or pick up 
15. Drop It  to drop food item or object directly to floor or ground
16. Thank you  to release object into hand
17. Ready?  indication that handler and dog are ready to begin activity together
18. Touch  to touch hand or indicated object with nose
19. Get Busy  to go potty - release bladder and/or bowels
20. Go to Bed/Place  send to designated bed or any “place” indicated 
21. Down & Under  dog lays and tucks body behind or next to handler
22. Off  to remove paws off of someone or something
23. Yes  indication of correct behavior or response, dog will be reward
24. Head In  to move head into harness
25. Forward  to move forward with handler 
26. Halt  to stop forward motion, pause, dog can stand, sit or lay, dog should hold position until release word or another command is given
27. About  to make a 180 degree right turn, turn away from dog, turn opposite direction
28. Hup Up  to increase speed, speed up
29. Steady  to decrease speed, slow down
30. Left  turn left, quarter turn to left
31. Right  turn right, quarter turn to right
32. Over Left  to move further left on straight path
33. Over Right  to mover further right on straight path
34. Find the Curb  locate and move handler to closest curb
35. Find a Seat  locate and move handler to closest seat
36. Find a Trash Can  locate and move handler to closest trash can
37. Find the Button  locate and move handler to closest button
38. Watch  be alert and move handler straight avoiding obstacles
39. Follow  follow trusted companion following all normal training rules
40. Find the Way  find the most logical path to move handler in straight line
41. Straight  move handler in straight line
42. Straight to the Curb  move handler in straight line directly to closest curb
43. Find downstairs
44. Find upstairs
45. Find the elevator
46. Find the counter
47. Find the door outside
48. Find the door inside

Some of these will get phased out as we become more habituated to each other as a working team. It sounds like a lot but dogs like Sagan are super smart. He won’t go into a real working harness for several months yet and several of these commands will wait until we get there. So far, he is doing great. My husband and I are a little more conscious of how far those curious paws can reach. My counters are getting cleaner and cleaner.

The Picture above shows Sagan outside on a walk. He is standing on all fours and looking up at the camera. He looks like he is laughing.

The below link is the eco-village that we are moving to next year. It is in development. There are a few more units available. I invite you to check it out.

https://rachelcarsonecovillage.org

Something changed in my relationship with Sagan last week. He yanked out the screws from the wall that held the kitchen enclosure secure. I did not yell or cry. I laughed. I thought to myself, “They are just screws in a wall and we can fix that.” If all the damage done is so easily remedied, we will be just fine. It served to motivate me to think about how to phase out the kitchen pen altogether. He is going o figure out pretty soon that he can jump over it so the time has come again to rethink. This journey is keeping my mind nimble. 

I am beginning to trust that he will not bite me now that his teething has slowed down. I actually let him lick my face, raw food breath, and all. I got a little nervous when he started licking my throat but it had a happy ending. He is mostly quite gentle except when he misses his target when going for his bone or toy that is in my hand. I get tough on him when that happens and he is becoming more accurate.

The picture above shows Sagan sitting in the living room. He sits obediently as he looks at the camera for a picture.

Susie, our trainer came and took him for a long training walk. He wears his vest to alert people not to bother her while she is teaching him about curbs and obstacles. I still can’t go on these walks because of my foot. It might be better that she goes alone with him anyway for now. When my foot has healed, we will go out together to perfect our technique. Susie loves working with him because he is so smart and she has always wanted to train a guide dog. We are all learning together. I am so grateful she showed up for me.

The Pictures above show Susie and Sagan on a training walk into town. Sagan walks closely by Susie's left side and she directs him as they approach an obstacle on the sidewalk.

 

The other behavior that has changed this week is that he is learning to occupy himself more. He has an empty marrow bone that he throws up in the air or kicks around the patio. It goes a long way and it keeps him moving. It seems as if he is creating puzzles for himself with it. He takes it inside his tunnel and leaves it there. Then he runs around the patio for a minute and remembers his bone in the tunnel and pounces on the whole thing. He gets all tangled up in the tunnel until the bone is revealed. Then he starts over. I sit with my late afternoon libation and enjoy the show. Of course, being blind, a lot of it is in my imagination, so I reserve the right to embellish the story.

Susie and I are refining our list of commands that we will work from over the next year. There are so many details to think about when teaching a command. Right now I am deciding how far from a curb or down stair I want him to halt before actually reaching the step-down. If it is a staircase, do I want him to cut across my body to target the rail or stop and wait for me to tell him to find the rail. These are things I never thought about before because my previous guide dogs already knew what to do. I have forgotten how we did it so we are creating our own rules. In essence, I am making a custom-made guide. That is the beauty of training my own dog.

The picture above shows Sagan and Susie at a crosswalk. Susie uses the command word "halt" and Sagan sits immediately waiting for the next command word "let's go" when it is safe to proceed across the street.

Clear communication is the key to all relationships, right? Well, Sagan has been expressing himself clearly this last week. He chewed through his Gentle Leader and his house leash. Logically you might say, “He just needed something to chew on and the leash was right there.” We will never know but it sure seems like he had a clear purpose for his efforts. He was quiet about it and fast. I have no idea when he accomplished the destruction. I know that doesn’t mean much since I am blind. He could have done it any time. The thing is that he never chewed on leashes before now and he almost always has something to chew close to him. Gentle Leaders and leashes are not cheap and we are going through them too fast. I can’t help but think he had a method to his madness.

The Picture above shows Sagan lying on the floor in front of the couch with his stuffed lamb toy between his legs. 

Sagan is wanting to communicate with all the children he sees and dogs. He is very social and he wants to play. He is a baby still and it is so hard for me to keep him restrained. It feels wrong to insist that he be quiet and still when so many exciting things are going on all around him. It is my job to do just that if we are to become a working team. Of course, all puppies need to play so I am learning how to play in ways that satisfy his needs. I am working on a controlled fetch game. So far, I haven’t figured out the best rules for us so mostly it has been his rules up to now. As a person who is blind, I need more precision as to where he drops his toy. I am teaching him to put it in my hand. This is challenging because he doesn’t want to let it go. He also prefers to take the toy to his bed rather than bring it to me. My experiments with this failed last week so this upcoming week we will get some very high-value treats and work on it when he is hungry but not too hungry. I continue to find ways to communicate with him without the benefit of eye contact. I will keep you posted. Hopefully, next week I can report success.

The picture above shows a side profile of Sagan outdoors. He is standing fully on all fours as he observes neighbors who walk by. 

 

Overall last week was fun and we made good progress in his training. We went to several stores where we sat a watched the doors open and close and the people go by. He stayed down and under my chair without much prompting from me. He went on a long training walk with our trainer and she said he was wonderful. Susie, the trainer, and I are learning together how to work with Sagan. She and I are working on our communication skills with each other so we can support our project. I feel very fortunate that she is such a good trainer and she is excited to train a guide dog. Finding her was a gift. I am excited to find out what is next. Adolescence is coming soon so I want to have a good foundation so we can move through it as well as possible.

The Picture above shows Sagan and Mel at the Dogs and Cats Rule Store. Sagan sits patiently at Mel's side as Mel looks down at him with a smile. 

My boy is growing up in every way. One day he looks chubby and the next he seems to be taller and lean. One day he runs to me and jumps on my lap with his toy and the next he runs to his mat and ignores me completely. One day he obeys every command perfectly and the next he has selective hearing. We are having to readjust to new attitudes and his new physical strength, also. “Tough love” is the learning for this last week. I am a softy so I am learning. Fortunately, my newly retired husband is home more and he is great at catching behaviors and acting quickly.

Sagan had new experiences this week. We went into a pharmacy for the first time and walked the isles. He acted like this was no big deal. He paid no attention to items on shelves or people. He stood in line like he was already a pro. I was so proud. Then right after we went to a beverage store where once again he acted great. I was holding him and my cane while we followed my friend around the stores. I need more practice handling my cane and Sagan at the same time. It is pretty awkward. I am learning to let go of attempting to look dignified. There is no real need to worry about my dignity though because everyone looks at his cuteness.

The two pictures above show Sagan walking down the front walkway and sitting on the front lawn as he waits patiently for Mel to get into the car for an outing. He is wearing his new Martingale collar. 

Our dog and people trainer came this week. We learned how to teach the “leave it” command. This is important for guide work and general safety. He learned the command quickly and it will be my job to enhance it by increasing the difficulty. I have had to revise the method to fit my inability to see very well what his reactions are. Instead of using tiny little treats for him to leave, I put a little peanut butter in several Kong toys which are larger. So far, he understands. The challenge will come when he meets the dropped ice cream cone or lovely smelling bits of decaying dead things. We will set him up lots of times in front of our house and other places.

The picture above shows a close-up picture of Sagan resting his head on Mel's lap as they drive to the pharmacy.

We switched him over to a martingale collar for better control. I am finding that I still need him to wear the Gentle Leader in order for me to feel secure in my ability to manage his pulling.

I reached out to other owner trainers this last week for a therapy session for myself. I question my ability to be able to actually shape a super smart and physically strong male dog into a working guide for me. I was advised again to relax and to embrace tough love with consistency. They keep telling me not to compare myself and my dog to others. Every dog is different and every handler does things differently. I am a bit of a perfectionist and I don’t like feeling like I am making stupid mistakes. My biggest fear is that I am going to do something I can’t undo. I am also afraid that somebody else will damage his training in some way. Being a perfectionist control freak is not very endearing to others. The anxiety is seeping into my night dreams replacing the classic college anxiety dreams; you know the one when it is time for the exam and I never went to class. It is definitely time to get back to my meditation practice.

The picture above shows Sagan walking down the front walkway to the front door after his exciting trip through town. He looks very long in this picture. 

Well, I overdid it! I fed him too much and now he is a little chub boy. He is definitely food motivated which makes training easy but I have been giving him treats that are too high in fat. I was also using food to keep him occupied when I could not attend to him or if he was bored. The vet said he was a fine weight last month but this month he gained a lot, so adjustments must be made. Sagan doesn’t know it yet but he won’t get those lovely marrow bones or bully sticks nearly as often. I am switching to meat broth ice cubes and vegetables. I was also giving him kibble with his raw food morning and night. Now the kibble is just for training treats. I feel a little bit guilty about this because I am so nutrition conscious. I am calling it a learning experience. After all, I haven’t done this before and it is a grand experiment.

The Picture above shows Mel and Sagan outside of the Doylestown Friends Meeting building. 

 

Sagan got his rabies vaccine this week. Now he sports 4 tags on his collar along with his bell. He is a noisy boy which is a good thing. I can keep up with his counter surfing much better. He did get a prize tomato the other day when I was inattentive for one second. He thought it was interesting but not so much that it was a problem. Needless to say, more vigilance is required since he is taller and smarter.

 

We found 2 teeth on the floor this last week. The vet says most of his baby teeth are gone. Teething has been fascinating. I have not thought about dogs' teeth much before now. He has lost so many so fast. I am sure it is not comfortable. I can forgive his mad dog behaviors.

 

The picture above shows Sagan on his 30-foot leash exploring the grounds outside. 

 

The goal for last week was to increase his exposure to the world and to add another formal training session per day. Training sessions are about 20 minutes long or maybe a little more if he is really excited about what we are doing. I have begun to name behaviors that we do all the time like going inside and outside a door. I use the words that will eventually become commands. My problem is deciding on which words I want to use and stick to them. Indecision is one of my flaws which Sagan is teaching me about. Confidence and decisiveness are essential when training a dog. They learn fast to take advantage of squishy thinking and under-confident commands. I am learning to think ahead and to not be such a softy.

 

Overall, we are doing great. My biggest concern is barking. I know barking is natural and I don’t need to stop it altogether but it does need to be managed. Jingles, my retired guide absolutely never barks except when she is dreaming. I have been spoiled by her silence.  I try not to worry because he is a puppy. Guide dogs do not get to bark out in the world so this is a real project. I am a quiet person so hopefully, he will mellow out.

The Picture above shows Sagan and Jingles laying side by side on the couch.

 

Training Sagan is teaching me so much about myself. I am learning again about the fear that goes with such a visceral, ferocious love. He has become the center of my world which is not super healthy for me or my relationships. I have neglected my own self-care and my body and emotional balance have suffered. Recalibration is in order now. This is a spiritual journey with an external, practical result if all goes well. I am grateful to the people who tolerate my single focus these last few months. Balance will return.