A Week Before the Walk-a-thon

For the past few weeks I have been preparing Newman for the walk-a-thon. I have been building up Newman's endurance because he is going to have to walk over a mile for this walk-a-thon. I think Newman will be able to complete the walk-a-thon with ease and we will have a lot of fun.

So far we have raised over a hundred dollars (hundred and forty to be exact) and I am very proud of how much we have raised so far. I am hoping by the end of March two hundred dollars will be donated as the deadline is  approaching soon.

Thank you for your donations!

I will make sure to take a lot of pictures at the walk-a-thon as this is a very important moment for the puppy raiser and the guide dog in training.

Career Change

I received  an e-mail from my AC  right after I posted Shirley's last report card . So I wanted to wait a bit before announcing this news Shirley has been career changed, and that she will be put up for adoption. Not every puppy is destined to become a guide dog.We had worked on a few trouble areas with Shirley. With everyday exposure her anxiety was very low, but still existent. But she just never truly relaxed in large crowds, and her innate fear of small children she never outgrew. And at SEGD's no dog is made to do any thing they are not comfortable with. I was sad and a little disappointed that Shirley did not become a breeder dog or a guide dog, but I knew that SEGD's tough decisions on Shirley were the right ones. The adoption program at the school is awesome and I was reassured she would only go to a loving home.  We were offered the chance to adopt Shirley, and although I love Shirley I don't think it would be fair to Shirley, since we have Newman . Shirley would not be able to go anywhere with Newman, since he would be in coat/cape. Also, the hectic schedule that my parents, Newman, and I have  would have Shirley in a crate for several hours a day and or alone, which is not fair for Shirley at all. Any public time I could give Shirley walks and parks would put her in the situation (kids and crowds)she'd much rather avoid . Wherever Shirley goes she will please her owners and will make a great family dog.

Quick Update on Shirley

We received some recent news about Shirley. I am so proud of her! I hope she continues her success!

CANINE NAME:  Shirley

MONTH:   January 2012

POTENTIAL BREEDER:   Y      N X

           

TRAINING PHASE:

TRAINING/COMMANDS IN PROGRESS

FORWARD :  Dog surges forward on command without encouragement       X

STRAIGHT LINE CONCEPT:  Dog should walk in a straight line, avoiding obstacles, until the team reaches the curb, steps or an obstruction that blocks the path of travel X

RIGHT X                     LEFT   X               RIGHT-RIGHT  X               LEFT-LEFT X

DOWN CURBS:  Dog stops at the end of curb or ramp before leaving the sidewalk and crossing the street    X

UP CURBS:  Dog stops at the curb or beginning of wheelchair ramp before stepping out of the street and onto the sidewalk and crossing the street X

CLEARANCES (OBSTACLES, OVERHANGS) : Dog moves handler around objects on handler’s right side X

TRAFFIC:  How the dog reacts and works in traffic

INDOOR MALL X

OFF CURB TRAVEL: travel on roads that do not have sidewalks

STAIRS                      ESCALATOR

BEHAVIOR: Behaviors exhibited during training

WILLINGLY ACCEPTS HARNESS X

DEMONSTRATES OBEDIENCE SKILLS X

WILLING TO WALK OVER UNUSUAL SURFACES

RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO PEOPLE

RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO CHILDREN

ACCEPTS PHYSICAL HANDLING/GROOMING X

INTERACTS APPROPRIATELY WITH OTHER DOGS WHILE WORKING

RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO NOVEL STIMULI/VISUAL SURPRISE WHILE WORKING

RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO ENVIRONMENTAL SOUNDS/AUDITORY SURPRISE WHILE WORKING

RESPONDS APPROPRIATELY TO ENVIRONMENTAL STIMULI WHILE WORKING

EXHIBITS APPROPRIATE KENNEL BEHAVIOR (NO FIGHTING, PROTECTIVE BEHAVIORS, OR EXCESSIVE BARKING) X

COMMENTS: In the past month, Shirley has been learning a handful of in harness command. She has learned to stop at curbs, go around obstacles, and how to work properly in a mall. Shirley has a tendency to be shy at times, so we are currently working on getting her comfortable around small groups of people. She’s a lovable, sweet, smart girl that enjoys putting her harness on and going to work. Shirley also enjoys running and playing in the fields with her roommates. 

Group Training at the Sanford Mall

Today our group had the outing at the Sanford Mall, which is a good outing for the puppies in training due to the many distractions, people, smells, and noises. I was proud of Newman today, as usual. Newman has already had practice at other malls, so he knew his expectations and procedures that we practiced today.