Day four of Doggie Training:: the pre-match

Okay here is the introduction to my pre-match:

Meet Renelle
a female black golden/lab cross

We are working on the "alert" which is when she nudges me persistently somewhere on my body to get my attention. Here we are using food as a motivator (reward). Renelle had an unexpected challenge of the fact I was wearing a skirt. She wasn't sure if I had legs (her trainer Ken refuses to wear skirts - I am sure his wife appreciates that!). So she used the physical clue of the hand sign for "alert" (closed fist tapping on the leg) and aimed for that spot.

My four class mates and I took turns with our matches so on the fourth try we were no longer using the hand sign and we were placing our hands in different positions so the the visual was different every time. She was uncertain, but aimed where I had previously used the hand sign. When I dramatically repositioned my legs, she was uncertain of where to poke, but did well.




Renelle has quite a personality. She is willing to try anything and was hopping all around me trying to find a spot to "alert" me. Which makes the skirt a wonderful challenge for her.

Peace!
C

Day one of Doggy: My Room

Okay, here are some pictures of my room:


The Bedroom


The bathroom - everything is wheelchair assessable.


Each room has a patio. I get a view of the Dog park.

Day three of Doggie Training:

Well, today we worked on correction and adding more commands (both verbally and signing). We worked all afternoon with 4 of the dogs.

3 of the dogs were the similar white with yellow one was a pure lab the other was a golden/lab mix, one of which was a pure lab male at 75 pounds! Very strong dog. One was black golden/lab mix and the sister of the black one yesterday. Today I really got to see the different personalities of the four. The smallest one (female, white/yellow, golden/lab mix) made me think of a regal presence. The next one (female, white/yellow, lab) pranced around. the black golden/lab was I guess lack of a better word, normal and then the male....well, he was definitely male.

The weather was crazy today. It started out sunny with clouds, and then around 10:30 the wind started to blow really hard and it got cold! Then all of a sudden it hailed for 10 minutes! It was coming down hard!

Tomorrow is the pre-match and I am looking forward to finding out my potential ears and friend.

Peace! C

Day Two of Doggy Training: First day of class

Well, today was interesting. The first half of the day was lectures on Orientation to Team Training and Canine & Motivation. The second half was Command introduction. We practiced on our Instructor and then on 4 of the 7 dogs that are available for placement. It was actually hard.

There are a series of steps in commanding a dog. 1) get the dogs attention (of course you only have a few moments to tell the dog what you want it to do, so timing is everything!), 2) give the command (the inflection in your voice has everything to do with it) 3) if the dog performs the correct action you praise it, and that is the end of that command, if it does not preform the command, you have to correct the behavior, right then and there, when you correct the behavior you repeat the steps, getting the dogs attention and then giving the command again and then praising. I know it sounds simple, but when you have to think about what you are doing it is hard.

The next lesson was walking with the dog and doing the command steps (first Ken the instructor than a dog. I worked with a couple different dogs. It was pretty cool.

I know you want to know about the dogs. I can't tell you their names yet, but they are cool names! However, I can describe the dogs. All four were females, two were pure labs, they were so white! around their muzzles and face, down the chest, on their bellies and down parts of their legs, the rest of their coloring was a light yellow. The other two were female and lab/golden mix. One was a typical light golden color, and the other was black. They all were quite beautiful! You might be wondering why I can't give names yet, that is because they have procedures in which to inform the puppy raiser, when their dog is placed, and they don't want to ruin it for them until the puppy is for sure placed.

The volunteers feed us lunch and then after class was over for the day we got to meet most of the employees of the CCI, then a tour of the campus. Very cool! There is a block of cement in the kennel area that Charles Schultz drew Snoopy. He just picked up a stick and drew! I will see if I can get a picture of it.

Well, I got a couple quizzes to do. I will ask couple of the questions and would be interested in your responses (if you want to contribute).

1) What qualities would make you a good Team Training Student?

2)What are three ways you can motivate your dog?

Peace!
C

Day one of Doggy Training: Traveling

Well, I left Arcata around 12:45 (with a lot of praying!) and made it to Santa Rosa at about 5:00. As usual made a stop in Willits and then found Trader Joes!!!!!!! ( guess where my second home is!) in Santa Rosa before heading to the campus.

By the time I got to the campus I had a raging headache! So sorry no pictures. Of course I discovered that I forgot my shampoo, conditioner, soap, and advil! So after a quick Dorm meeting i ran over to Target. Sigh, I am usually sooo good at packing completely. Oh well.

Of course I am thrilled to have a wireless Internet connection, while I am here. I was worried I would be tied to the wall, but, it turned out perfectly for that!

This Team Training consists of about 4 for the hearing dog and 4 for the skilled companion dogs. We shall see how it goes tomorrow for the first day of classes.

My headache is a mild ache now, so I will get ready for bed and sleep the rest of it off.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers!

Peace! C

Doggy Shower!

The Guests: Amberlee, Amanda, Sarah, Don, Peggy and Jay (of course the party was at Jay's house!)

That is Leslie Jay's first guide dog in the back ground. She was a cutie!
Getting a message from my Prince. No we did not plan our out fits!

Who can get the cat! Bulls eye! right in the stomach! several times!

Pin the bone in the dogs mouth...I won!


The girls with their prizes (everyone won something!) They were little toy dogs. Amberlee's wouldn't stay on her had so she stuck it in her shirt!


All the gifts my wonderful friends got me and my puppy. A great way to start our journey together!

Thanks everyone!

Peace! C

For the dog....

The list below is what CCI does provide (which is quite a bit actually):

Bowls - for food and water
CCI I.D. Equipment - specific to the student's placement category
Dog Food - They will send home a 20 lb bag with us (cross your fingers and pray that there will be an us).
Grooming Supplies - brush, shedding blade, flea comb, nail clippers, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.
(Thank GOD!!!!)
Toys - Fleece toy (for interactive play)
Training Equipment - appropriate collars and leashes
Veterinary Products - Heartguard, and anti flea products.

This next list is what is recommended by CCI:

Remember this is a Golden/Lab Mix which can be anywhere between 60 -85 pounds.

Toys:
Galileo Bone
Nylabone
Plain Sterilized Bone
Hercules Bones
Nylabone Plaque Attacker
Kong (apparently you can but peanut butter in this and they are happy for quite some time!)
Plush Toy (not a kids toy!)
Tennis Ball
Rope Toy
Hol-ee Roller Ball

Supplies:
Folding water dish
Blanket (for boundary purposes when out and about)
BioBag USA 100% Biodegradable Dog Waste Bags


For those with inquiring minds I hope this helps.

Peace!
C

Assistance Animal pointers for family & friends

The first couple paragraphs are a repeat, therefore important to know! So to clarify, every time is says "you" they mean me!

"It is particularly critical in the first month after Team Training that you (they mean me) establish control and achieve responsiveness in your dog. In conjunction with getting to know and bonding with your (again me) dog, setting the ground rules and maintaining control and leadership will be your (that is me) primary focus."

"An important consideration is how family and friends should interact with the dog. It is very important that family and friends regard the dog as a working animal. It will be detrimental to the working relationship in the long run if the dog receives inviting looks, petting or verbal stimulation from those around you (me). Therefore, the best way your family and friends can support you is to ignore the dog for the first month home. This does not mean you (me) cannot discuss the dog or share with others what the dog is trained to do for you (again me), but they are not to interact with the dog via petting or prolonged eye contact."

"If you have given the dog a command, others should not interact and interfere. the dog must respond the first time every time. Other people touching and talking to the dog will distract the dog from its job."

'Discourage others from approaching the dog with excitable and emotional greetings. If your friends encourage your dog to get excited as they approach, the dog will pull out on the leash to meet them and will lose focus on you. If this is repeated often, the dog will quickly think its job has changed from being a calm working companion to an out-of-control greeter. Encourage people to remain low-key and to ask if they'd like to shake hands with the dog."

"Since the dog is on a specific diet, it must not accept treats and snacks from people. these extra treats also lead to health problems and obesity."

I know for many of you this will be difficult, but PLEASE follow these guidelines. I need the dog to be focus on its job and that is assisting me with hearing.

Peace!
C

Canine Companions for Independence

Sorry it has been so long, since I last posted. Not much to report, just a couple things which I will get to later. For now it is Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) that I have some exciting news about!

On February 17 I got THE email! I have been invited to attend Team Training at their March 29 - April 9 Training!!!!!! Of course there is no guarantee that I will come home with a puppy (more about that in a moment). Sadly that is Easter weekend and Amanda (my partner in crime! Wahaha! aka Team Training Assistant) is not able to come, however I was informed that she does not have to be there, if she can GREAT!!!! if not, that is okay. That is SUCH a sucky weekend! Oh well!

Anyway, yesterday I received my Team Training Student Manual (basically a binder filled with all sorts of information!). I was able to look at about half of it last night (I was doing my taxes, Thanks Daddy for your help! and my chequebook), the rest I will look at tonight.

Here is the basic schedule:

Check in at the Campus Dorm in Sunday March 28 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with an orientation at 7:30 pm.
Classes start on Monday March 29 at 9:00 am
Graduation is April 9
Check out is anytime after Graduation or 10:00 am on April 10.
I will try to write each day about my experiences during Team Training and will add pictures where I can.

They provide lunch everyday, except Easter Sunday (that is a free day, so I get to go a crowded church). Breakfast and dinner is up to me, they do have a kitchen that is available to use and a Gasp! Shall I dare say it! A TRADER JOES near by!!!!!!!!

Some people want to know what I will need. I will list below what CCI does provide (which is quite a bit actually):

Bowls - for food and water
CCI I.D. Equipment - specific to the student's placement category
Dog Food - They will send home a 20 lb bag with us (cross your fingers and pray that there will be an us).
Grooming Supplies - brush, shedding blade, flea comb, nail clippers, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.
(Thank GOD!!!!)
Toys - Fleece toy (for interactive play)
Training Equipment - appropriate collars and leashes
Veterinary Products - Heartguard, and anti flea products.

You know I never realized there was SOOO much for a pet, either that I forgot!

CCI said not to buy a bed, since I do not know the size of the dog. We will be visiting a pet store to get toys and treats, Jay knows what works and what doesn't.

Now an important note from CCI to family and friends:

"It is particularly critical in the first month after Team Training that you (they mean me) establish control and achieve responsiveness in your dog. In conjunction with getting to know and bonding with your (again me) dog, setting the ground rules and maintaining control and leadership will be your (that is me) primary focus."

"An important consideration is how family and friends should interact with the dog. It is very important that family and friends regard the dog as a working animal. It will be detrimental to the working relationship in the long run if the dog receives inviting looks, petting or verbal stimulation from those around you (me). Therefore, the best way your family and friends can support you is to ignore the dog for the first month home. This does not mean you (me) cannot discuss the dog or share with others what the dog is trained to do for you (again me), but they are not to interact with the dog via petting or prolonged eye contact."

Okay. I think that is it at the moment. Check back often to see my news I have.

Peace! C