[nagdu] Question for owner trainers

Fri Jan 25 00:24:16 UTC 2013

I wanted to add that the shelter where I got Monty was extremely small.  
There were only 4-6 dogs at any given time and they lived in a residence 
with the family that ran the shelter.  I guess that is one perk for 
living in the middle of nowhere. *smile*  Monty had been there for about 
a month.  the family knew his behaviors and could give me quite a bit of 
information about how he acted around various people, other dogs and 
cats.  It was a much better situation than a large kill shelter.  I know 
someone with a guide from one of those, so it can happen.  However the 
more you know about the background of your dog the better IMO.

Julie
On 1/24/2013 5:34 PM, Tami Jarvis wrote:
> 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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>
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