Category Archives: Guide Dogs for the Blind

Spelling Lessons Needed

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We got the following email today from Apex’s handler. Part of her job is helping with a grade school. Emails like this just make my day!


GoodAfternoon,
Ijust returned from working in the K-4 class where “your son” sat in the lap ofa child.  The child knew he was a LAB (he has one at home)  and toldApex that “he should know how to spell by now.  He was not a LAP dog andto get off”.  Needless to say – the adults in the room roared and Apexlooked as if to say “What?”  (we- the class- had been working on aspelling lesson)
Tooprecious…

Couldyou please provide spelling lessons in the future?

On to phase 4

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Casey in a gold Christmas bow (photo by Lisa Thompson)

After staying in phase 3 last week I was relieved to see that Casey has moved on to phase 4! Keep it up girl! Here is an outline of what Casey is learning in phase 4:
Phase 4: Intelligent Disobedience
Formal Harness Training

  • Working past challenging animal and food distractions continues.
  • NEW! After preliminary testing, more extensive work inside buildings begins.
  • Notable Accomplishment – Traffic Conditioning (Exposure)

Body Handling Acceptance

  • Continues as in Phase 3. . NEW! New handlers are added to assess the dog’s comfort and willingness with strangers.

Physical Agility Programs

  • Obstacle Course Progression – Intelligent Disobedience Training Begins
  • NEW! Some clearances now require a stop. 
  • NEW! Addressing errors is now introduced for basic clearance work.
  • NEW! An overhead clearance is any obstacle that is above the dog’s head. 

Socialization

  • Extra socialization assignments are done with individual dogs as needed. CWTs focus on additional relaxation sessions for all dogs as training progresses. These sessions could include one or several of the following activities: community run time, kennel enrichment programs, grooming, individual play sessions, office time at staff desks, and relaxing campus walks.

Bad Bitie Day

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Yakira with mini black Goughnut

Today Yakira and I had a bad day. I guess the stuff we have done so far this week just haven’t been enough to drain out her energy. Monday we had puppy class at the Murray Library and stopped at Costco. Tuesday we went to the vet for her shots and did a 15 minute walk. This morning she woke up ready to go and wanted me to do something about it. She nipped at my leg and ripped a hole in my jeans. We went on a 30 minute walk and that helped but it just wasn’t enough. I’ve never had a puppy that used their mouth the way she does. I hope that we can figure out how to help her with this. Yakira is a very smart puppy and somehow I’m not sending her the right kind of messages about this biting thing. One thing I’ve got to do is to make sure she gets enough socializing and exercise everyday so that she isn’t bored and looking for trouble.

16 Weeks!

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Yakira with Christmas tree in the background

Today was a big milestone in a young puppies life. At 16 weeks they get the last of their puppy vaccinations. Now she is fully immunized against all those yucky puppy diseases. The restrictions are now lifted on going to parks and other high traffic dog areas and having to carry her into the vet. I’m looking forward to taking her down to the Jordan River Trail in the next week or so. I know she is going to love it.

First Sleepover

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Yakira went on her first sleepover this weekend. Lisa has been wanting to take her and show her off at church so she took her for a few days. She was a good girl on Friday and on Sunday but Saturday she was a real challenge to handle. Now Lisa knows some of the challenges we are facing with the spunky little girl. It was good for Yakira to have her first sleepover. We went to Lisa’s tonight to pick her up. Lisa kind of wanted to have her stay another night but I just wanted her to come home. It is so good to have our little black monster back home.

Trip to "Our House"

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Our local cub scout pack has a tradition of going to a local nursing home called “Our House” each December to decorate their Christmas tree and sing carols with the residents. As part of my job as the cub scout committee chairman for our pack I go along. So Yakira came with me. We all had a good time singing. One of the boy’s mother is a rather talented piano planner and I put together carol books so we would know the words. The funniest part was when one of our boys picked “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” to sing. I had never really paid attention to the words before. So there we are singing about Grandma being dead with a bunch of old “grandmas”. They seemed to enjoy the song anyway. Maybe they enjoyed the humor of the situation.

Bringing Home the Tree

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Yakira in the parking lot

My family has the tradition of going into the mountains to cut down our own Christmas tree. We like to go the Saturday after Thanksgiving. There wasn’t much snow down in the parking lot but it got deeper as we climbed the hill to our favorite area to find a tree. Yakira had a great time. She got a little cold when we got off the beaten path and the snow was deeper than her legs. I sat down on a log and picked her up, cuddling her inside my coat until she warmed up. Meanwhile Bill got our tree cut down and headed off to help Eric and Danny get their tree down the hill. Our tree is rather little because we put it up on a trunk. This keeps the tree from being too tempting to the puppies. But my sister’s house had 16′ ceilings in their living room so their tree is much bigger and is hard to get down the hill. I was really impressed by Yakira on our trek back down the hill with the tree. She just plugged her way along, keeping a steady pace until we got back to the car.

After the trees were all back to the cars we ate baked potatoes with chili, hot chocolate and other yummy treats. Yakira was very tired after her tromp through the snow and slept on the way home. She loves to put her chin in the notch in the folded up seat in the back of our station wagon.

Yakira sleeping in the back of the car

Phase 3 & 18 months old

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Casey – photo by Lisa Thompson

This week’s phase reports came out a day earlier because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Our CFR (Community Field Representative) is on vacation but our club leader used her connections to find out how Casey and Radison are doing. They are both is phase 3! Way to go girls. Here is what they learned in phase 2: In Town and Responsible Lead

  • Body Handling Acceptance
  • Kennel Adjustment and Routine
  • Wearing the Harness
  • Pattern Training Progression
  • Planned Distraction Route
  • Up Curb Exercise #2
  • Physical Agility
  • Responsible Lead Session
  • Obstacle Course Progression

Now what she is learning in phase 3: Preliminary Testing

  • Preliminary Obedience Testing
  • Obedience and Distraction Training
  • Preliminary Blindfold Testing
  • Difficult Distractions
  • Body Handling Acceptance
  • Guidework Training
  • Pattern Training
  • Up Curb Excercise #3
  • Physical Agility Programs
  • Obstacle Course Progression

Today is also Casey’s 18 month birthday. It is hard to believe that our little sweet girl is a year and a half old. It looks like Casey is probably in the same string as her brother Crosby, Radison, and Snickers who all went back on the truck at the same time as she did. Keep up the great work Casey!

Phase 1

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Casey – photo by Lisa Thompson

We got the phase report today and Casey is in phase 1. Now Casey is really learning how to be a guide dog. In this phase they cover:

  • Food Reward and Clicker Techniques
  • Obedience Responses & Teaching focus around distractions
  • Formal Obedience
  • Food Refusal Protocol
  • Socialization
  • Body Handling Acceptance
  • Introduction to the Harness
  • Treadmill Training
  • Pattern Training
  • Up Curb Exercise #1
  • Developing Physical Agility
  • Dog Agility Walk
  • Back Up Chute
  • Obstacle Course

I’m so excited that Casey is getting to learn all these things. I can’t wait to see the next phase report.

Three Months Old

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Yakira on a quilt

Today Yakira is three months old. She has been with us for a whole month and it is hard to believe that it has been that long already. She is such a smart little girl. In someways too smart. She makes connections sometimes that are not intended. Yakira is a very oral puppy and she likes to not only put her mouth on you but she likes to clamp down with her sharp little puppy teeth. I’ve been working do redirect that biting to toys but instead she has learned that if she bits me I will give her a toy and play with her. Opps! So now I’ve got to work to teach her another way.

Yakira sleeping on the quilt