[nagdu] Question for owner trainers

[Tami Jarvis]

Hi!

I've only owner-trained one dog so far, and I got her from a breeder 
that happened to have an older pup who needed a home that was right for me.

Most equipment I have gotten off the shelf, except for my guide dog 
specific gear, which I got at first from Julie's company, On The Go, 
which is now Pawpower Creations, where I have gotten the rest. I am too 
lazy to design my own, although I did cobble together an early training 
version of a guide dog harness from spare parts.

The age question is a bit trickier to answer, and there is a lot of "it 
depends" in the equation. Because of the business and operational 
structure the guide dog training programs are working within, the phases 
of training are compartmentalized from the puppy-raiser/walker phase to 
the training of the specific guide dog behaviors and work. For an 
owner-trainer, there is a lot more overlap.

I tend to consider the whole package under the term "guide dog 
training." There's a lot more to what the dogs do in the course of their 
work than go left, right and forward!

So the early training in obedience and manners, along with the 
socialization and exposure, can start the second you get your pup. 
/smile/ Naturally, with a young puppy or a pup with no or limited 
training, the actual "training" sessions are small and undemanding. But 
you will be spending an awful lot of time with the pup beyond formal 
sessions laying foundation for future training and teamwork.

As for the specific guide dog training -- you can build in some 
behaviors and commands while you are doing the socialization and 
exposure. So with Mitzi, I began from the first to use those commands 
along with basic leash walking, as well as some important safety 
behaviors like stopping at curbs and the like. Actually, it made walking 
the dog a lot more fun and relaxing for me, and I discovered that she 
was learning to communicate helpfully with me very early on. So I do 
that with the family pet, too. I may be using my cane and doing 
cane-style orientation, but the pup picked up quick from Mitzi about how 
to direct me around obstacles and even to be aware of overheads. So I 
can let her go ahead of me and just kinda stroll along with my head 
elsewhere without bunging myself up. Cool!

When to put on a guide dog harness and really refine and put the 
building blocks together to come up with a real working guide? It 
depends! /grin/

I would suggest considering two factors, both having to do with 
maturity. One is physical structure. Different breeds mature physically 
at different ages, and of course individuals within those breeds reach 
phases of maturity at slightly different ages. So you can use the 
general expectations for the breed of your dog to come up with a good 
idea of when to consider asking more of the dog physically by starting 
it in harness. Observation of your individual trainee is important, too. 
I believe it can really help to avoid orthopedic problems later on to 
wait until you're as sure as you can be that the dog's skeleton and 
connective tissue are ready for adult stress, especially the unusual 
repetitive stress imposed by the harness and pull.

I also would look for psychosocial maturity, as well as how the pup is 
doing in applying what you have been teaching it so far. How 
consistently does the pup remember to stop at curbs without having to be 
reminded? How often does it still get excited by distractions and end up 
pulling or almost pulling you into things. Does it listen and respond 
appropriately to your voice commands on a fairly consistent basis? How 
does it handle stress? Has it started to show signs of having a sense of 
responsibility? And so on.

In general, I think in terms of starting a new train between 12 and 24 
months on the guide dog part. But I don't consider anything between 12 
months and 18 months as viable for intensive training. So with Mitzi, we 
were doing short stints on familiar routes with a good reward at the end 
not longer after the 12-month mark; however, she was far from ready for 
more until around 18 months. Then we expanded our horizons more, but I 
was really, really tender with her. She started showing me she was ready 
to take over the job by around 20 months, but I waited until she was 24 
months to let myself think of her as finished. I didn't want to put too 
much pressure on her and jinx that wonderful yet delicate temperament of 
hers.

If I go poodle again, I will first approach the same breeder for my next 
pup, since she breeds for temperament and good health, and I feel likely 
to come up with another Mitzi in both regards. If I switch to Dobie, I 
will check various breeders and am already sending out feelers among 
people I know and trust who know dobie breeders here and there, and 
their stock and so forth.

With poodle, I plan to use the same general rules of thumb for when to 
move from one phase of training to another, based on the maturity 
factors. I want to do everything I can to ensure my guide has a long and 
productive career!

I'm not at sure about the maturing process for dobies, but will be 
researching that as I come nearer decision time in a couple of year... 
Or am I down to the one year left? Yikes! I want to go with baby puppy 
(8 to 12 weeks) this time, so I need an early start. Possibly, I need my 
head examined!

I will also be checking shelters when the time comes, as well as other 
sources, including word of mouth. More important than breed X or Y is 
the physical health and temperament of the individual prospect. I feel a 
bit nervous about the notion of a shelter dog, especially an older pup, 
because of the possibility of bringing home bad baggage that can ruin 
everything... But I know enough owner-trainers who have had really good 
success with shelter dogs to think it's worth looking!

So there's a long answer to good short questions.

Tami

On 01/24/2013 12:20 PM, Danielle Nicole Larsen wrote:
> Hi guys!
>
> I have a few questions for those who owner train their dogs
> I know I have asked some of these before so please be patient haha my memory is horrible !
>
> 1: where do you get your dog from?
> 2: where do you get your harness / equipment ?
> 3: is there a certain she that is good to start this type of training?
>
> Answers would be awesome!
> Stay warm, everyone!!!
>
> Danielle and TSE puppy in training, D-mess :)
>
> Sent from my iPhone
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