Time flies when you’re having… fun?
I would just like to state that I am tired and will continue to be tired until the end of forever. OK. now that that’s out of the way…
Wow, it’s been a while. In my defense, though, I have been very busy. The days start at 5:30 A.M. here and don’t end until after 8:00 in the evening. During that time, we take the dogs on long walks so we can practice street crossings and make sure they avoid all the obstacles on the sidewalks. We also take them on trains and busses, lead them through busy malls, hike with them, and anything else we or our instructors can think of. We learn to groom them, clean their teeth and ears, apply flee protection, give them pills in case they ever need to take them, and learn obedience exercises to make sure they behave themselves.
I would also like to state that anyone who assumes Seeing Eye dogs come to their new owners as docile, perfect angels are sadly, sadly mistaken. When Fawn first met me, she thought I was fun to play with, but she was completely in love with the woman who’d trained her for the past four months and didn’t transfer her affections or respect right away. Getting her to realize I’m her person now has taken and will continue to take lots of work. But for only being together about ten days, we’re making amazing progress. Fawn listens to me now, and is starting to learn that her silliness is fine when she’s off-duty but is a major no-no when the harness is on. I have to be ready to correct her right when she makes a mistake, because a dog’s sense of timing is different from a human’s. I also have to praise her and pet her a lot, which isn’t too hard because she’s very pettable. She likes to jump on me and lick my face, and sometimes in her exuberance she tosses her head around and smacks me in the cheek with her bone. In case you don’t know, those things hurt!
That being said, though, she’s not even 20 months old yet (her second birthday is February 25th), so she’s still learning. Her former trainer told me she was a “sweet, sensitive, yet stubborn little girl,” and apparently that’s the “combination from hell.” but I am just as sweet, just as sensitive, and even more stubborn than she is, so we’re totally going to make it work. Every day is an adventure, that’s for sure.
Well, I should probably do some homework. Cause, oh yeah, my classes at CCR started on Monday. Someone at the dinner table the other day, upon finding out I’m doing training and school at the same time, asked, “Is that smart?” Of course it isn’t, but when has that ever stopped me from doing something?
Honestly, it’s not so bad; I’m just very tired at the end of the day. And… the beginning and middle of the day too. but I wouldn’t change a thing.
KD
Puppy lurve
So… it’s Wednesday morning. Where’s my dog? Am I being an impatient annoying brat? Very possibly. Do I care? Very possibly not.
This has to be one of the longest periods of waiting ever. But it’t’s okay because (hopefully!) within a few minutes, the instructors should be coming up the stairs with newly-bathed, excitable dogs barely out of puppyhood. I wonder which crazy furball will be mine …
We had a few interesting lectures, and while I’m waiting I might as well describe them a bit. Last night we talked about the fact that just because this is an emotional time for us, it doesn’t mean the dog is going to feel the same. Their reaction upon meeting us is going to be something like “… Hi, strange new person. You’re gonna feed me, right?” Which I already knew, but it was amusing to think about again.
This morning we talked about praise, correction, and possible fears the dog might have. Praise is very important, especially right after they correct a bad behavior. Also, when the dog is scared of something, you generally shouldn’t coddle or correct them because that just reenforces the fear. You should just matter-of-factly encourage them, then praise them when they calm down. I think we went over this in my first class back in 2007, but the refresher was nice.
I have the new leather leash all ready. Now I just need a dog to go with it. Still waiting …
And now, I am the proud new owner of a golden retriever/lab mix named Fawn. She’s beautiful. Life is beautiful.
More later.
KD
A Peek Into the Mind of KD 