[nagdu] additional tasks

[Tami Kinney]

Hm... Mitzi shows me things I drop, which is handy. She will find a
number of things by name, so she's actually helpful that way. If she
wants to be. I trained those things as a game to keep her entertained at
home, so the full service dog efficiency isn't there. Still, it's
useful. She taught Daisy to do it, too. /lol/ We most often work t into
our ball games around the house, and sometimes the dogs will show me
something that isn't there just to see how long they can keep me looking
for it... So somebody has trained somebody. /lol/

I sort of played around with training her to do laundry, again without
going all the way. So she knows a number of clothing items by name, and
she uses the foundation behaviors in funny ways when we're playing.
Well, the goal was to keep her entertained at home, so I guess that
worked. Kept me entertained, too. Sometimes she will initiate a low key
game of those behavior, say by bringing me her bone and putting it on my
lap and expecting me to figure out what I'm supposed to do in
response. /lol/ 

I would think that teaching anything that keeps the interaction between
the two of you strong while keeping his mind active will go a long way
to keep him (an you!) mentally fit and to make the transition back to
your regular travels easier and safer. I've been noticing that Mitzi
catches on to changes in my vision before I do and will start testing
me, challenging my limitations and making a game out of having me look
for things or respond to something at play... Then she uses this in her
work. Another one of those things that is impossible for a dog to do but
that has been so undeniably consistent that, well, I have a hard time
avoiding that conclusion. Who know? /grin/

Let us know what creative things you come up with and how it works.
Mitzi's a bit small for actually doing the laundry, and her jaws and
head aren't really designed for heavy lifting and pulling... We  have a
front loading washing and dryer now, and sometimes I'm tempted to see
what would happen if I tried extending the training to putting clothes
in the washer. The dry is on top, so she couldn't reach... Well, if we
ever get bored enough, I'll probably find out. /grin/

Your big fellow, with that boxer mouth, though... I can just see it
now. /grin/

Tami

On Wed, 2011-09-28 at 12:52 -0500, Julie J. wrote: 
> Hello all!
> 
> I've been thinking lately about additional things I could teach Monty.  
> He already knows a few tricks like give me five and roll over.  He also 
> knows how to bring in the newspaper from the front porch.  I've been 
> working on brace, which has been a big help since I broke my foot.  I 
> was wondering what things have people taught their guide dogs for fun or 
> to help out around the house.
> 
> I still can't walk, so guide work skills like find a chair or trash can  
> aren't going to be teachable right now.   I'm more looking for ideas 
> that might be useful or fun here at home.
> 
> Thoughts? Ideas?      stories? Brags?  Let's hear them!
> Julie
> 
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