[nagdu] Owner training

[Tami Kinney]

Julie,

I was noticing, too, that more people are interested than I tend to 
assume. /smile/ Even though people should know by now that when I 
describe the potential that something I write might be long... /lol/

Also, I never get enough of hearing you talk owner-training! I"ve been 
running around busy, head writing my answers to the questions, polishing 
metaphores about egs, baskets, that sort of thing... Well, I get there, 
because I love talking owner-training as much as I love hearing others 
like you talk owner-training...

It's an addiction! /lol/

Tami

On 01/19/2012 08:57 AM, Julie J. wrote:
> Robert,
>
> You are too funny! We have talked about owner training fairly
> extensively on this list, but not in some time. I'm answering on list
> because usually when someone asks me to write off list about owner
> training, there are several other people requesting that I share my
> thoughts on list. So here goes!
>
> 1. In regard to selecting a dog...you are right the larger schools do
> have multiple dogs to choose from when matching you, but the smaller
> ones do not always. Choosing a dog to begin the owner training process
> is the most difficult part of the whole thing. I've started with older
> puppies for my last two guides. Their temperament is fairly well
> established and you mostly get what you see. With a young puppy you
> won't know exactly what he/she will turn out like until months later.
> The best advice I can give here is to choose a breeder wisely, get in
> lots of socialization and have a back up plan if it doesn't work out.
> Actually the back up plan isn't just for puppies.
>
> 2. Reasons for owner training...these have changed a bit over the years
> for me, but the main reason that has never changed is that I just plain
> love to do it. I like training dogs. I enjoy seeing a young clueless dog
> slowly metamorphose into a competent guide dog. I find it mentally
> challenging and extremely enjoyable.
>
> Other reasons I like to owner train include: complete ownership, the
> ability to choose equipment, the ability to choose what food to feed,
> the ability to obtain veterinary care as I feel appropriate, no need to
> complete any yearly paperwork, no need to go to doctor's appointments
> that I don't need so I can fill out applications, no need to take off a
> month of work and family life, no need to stress about living with
> strangers for a month, and a huge sense of accomplishment for a job well
> done when the dog guides me around an obstacle for the first or even the
> 471st time.
>
> Disadvantages for me...there is no trainer to call if I run into a snag.
> It can be expensive. There are no guarantees of success. It's a load of
> time invested. It can be emotionally difficult at times. I have to
> advocate for myself, always. Sometimes other guide dog handlers and
> service dog users can be quite unpleasant about owner training. And it's
> a lot of work.
>
> 3. Pace and pull...I believe that pace and pull are partly a product of
> the dog's individuality and part training. Again I've started with older
> puppies so I feel I could gauge at least pace pretty well. I prefer a
> strong enough pull to know there is a dog in the harness, but not so
> much that I'm being dragged down the street. In my experience dog's
> naturally pull and it is mostly a process of getting that pull down to
> the level that is comfortable. I used to walk very fast and so picked an
> athletic dog that could keep up. Now since I've broken my foot, Monty
> and I are having to learn to work at a slower pace. It's a process, but
> we are getting there.
>
> 4. Training theory and approaches...my best advice here is to find a
> method that resonates with you. I was originally taught dog training way
> back in the day with the very harsh correction methods. Those methods
> pretty much flopped with Belle so I had to learn a new way of working
> with her. I learned about clicker training and used it with a lot of
> success. Now I use a variety of techniques depending on the situation,
> the dog and what will work best. I lean toward a more positive approach,
> meaning clicker or operant conditioning. Especially in the early stages
> of training I give the dog the benefit of my doubt. Generally I will
> assume a mistake by the dog means that I haven't trained that skill to
> the level I was asking the dog to perform. We back up and practice more
> in lower distraction places, less complicated situations or break the
> task down into smaller pieces so the dog can be successful. Later when I
> am 110% sure the dog knows exactly what I'm asking him to do and is
> blatantly choosing not to do it and a verbal reminder has had no effect,
> I will use corrections.
>
> All that is just me though. No training method is going to be successful
> if the trainer doesn't believe in it, doesn't use it correctly or isn't
> consistent. I also think that one way of training doesn't fit every dog.
> I guess that's another advantage of owner training. If I try teaching a
> skill one way and it doesn't work, that doesn't mean the dog fails. It
> means that I find a new way of presenting the information to the dog.
> Belle required repetition to understand things. With her it was practice
> makes perfect. With Monty if I do too many repetitions he starts
> thinking there is something else he needs to do. He'll start getting
> creative, adding, elaborating or improvising. For him 3 or 4 run
> throughs, then a break to do something else works best. He also
> generalizes scary fast. I had to be about 3 steps ahead of him or he'd
> make giant leaps of learning in new directions that I wasn't prepared for.
>
> 5. sighted help...If you have people available to help you, sighted or
> blind, it will be most useful. Knowing what is coming up can be helpful
> during the early stages of training. In the beginning the dog won't be
> guiding, you will actually be guiding him through what you want him to
> learn. A cane is useful too. Safety is the main thing. Whatever you need
> to do to keep safe is the right thing.
>
> I'd say that I do about 98% of the training independently. My son enjoys
> setting up obstacle courses on the front sidewalk for me to work
> through. I'd also have him help with early moving obstacles. first he'd
> push the wheeled trash can around. Then we'd progress to skateboard,
> bike or scooter. Much later I had my husband drive a car to practice
> traffic avoidance. If you don't have sighted assistance, it can still be
> done. I know of owner trainers who do it this way.
>
> The second part of this question was about socialization and where to
> take the dog...I did not take Monty to work with me until he was fully
> trained and then some. I did not purchase a vest that said puppy in
> training. Again I was working with older puppies. By the time I was
> absolutely certain they weren't going to have an accident in a store and
> I had had the dog long enough to know them well enough to gauge what
> socialization was appropriate, I was starting the very beginning of
> harness work. I put the harness on and took them into businesses wearing
> it. I did have a patch that said "service dog in training" with Belle. I
> lost it for a while and didn't find it until after Monty was past that
> stage. I am also extremely conservative with taking dogs into public
> during training. I plan very carefully. I do not take young dogs into
> public because I need to buy something or run errands. Each time I take
> a young dog into a public place it is a specific training session with
> specific goals in mind. I frequently use dog friendly places for the
> majority of early socialization, parks, outdoor festivals, farmers
> market, school playgrounds, outside of stores, walks downtown, hardware
> stores etc.
>
> With Belle and Tia I worked from home or was going to school. My time
> was very flexible around their schedule and training. With Monty I
> worked part time. He was in his kennel while I was at work. I have
> absolutely no idea how you could owner train a dog while working full
> time with no one at home to help. Perhaps if you started with an adult
> dog and had an employer who was agreeable to bringing a dog in training
> with you to work.
>
> 6. When is the dog fully trained...for me it is when I stop questioning
> myself every time I leave the house. Have I taken the dog to this place
> before? Is he familiar with that type of situation? How did he do last
> time? How long will I be gone? Is he ready for this type of situation?
> When I quit doing that and instinctively reach for the harness, then the
> dog is fully trained.
>
> I hope that answers some of your questions. I firmly believe that owner
> training a guide dog is not rocket science. I think there are a lot of
> blind people with the ability to do it. The crucial factor is
> commitment. Belle took about a year and Monty a little longer to get
> from adolescent to capable guide dog. During that time I'd work every
> single day on their education, rain or shine, arctic freeze or
> blistering heat, we were working. Not everyone has that amount of time
> or wants to devote it to dog training. I happen to find it extremely
> enjoyable. I found it no hardship to spend my free time training.
> Actually the opposite is true. Now that Monty is a fully trained guide
> dog I find myself dreaming up new things to teach him or the occasional
> daydream about getting another dog. I don't know if I will owner train
> again or not. I know the determining factor will be my available time
> and physical ability to do the work and not the desire to train. My
> heart will always be with owner training.
>
> Anyway this has gotten extremely long. I hope you find something useful
> in there. Please feel free to ask any questions or to talk about owner
> training freely.
>
> Julie
>
>
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