[nagdu] Owner training questions

Fri Aug 1 18:20:27 UTC 2014

Barb,

As many hours as it takes? /lol/ Julie already gave my stock first 
response: It depends on how you define training. Truly. If training 
means setting aside specific blocks of time at specific times of day to 
work on teaching a dog to perform specific behaviors, the most truthful 
answer I can give is, "none at all." In terms of my day-by-day, 
minute-by-minute interactions with the dog, teaching and reinforcing and 
shaping, then the answer is 24/7 unless one of us is sleeping. There's 
even a period in a young, energetic dog's life where I may be training 
while I'm sleeping because the obnoxious monster is on some sort of 
restriction (crate, tie-down, whatever is handy) to learn to be quiet 
and self-soothing or self-entertaining while I try to get some sleep. /lol/

Since the guide dog the pup will become will be spending all day every 
day with me, working or resting while I work (or eat), then the dog 
needs to know how to interact with the world at home and away all day 
every day in all sorts of circumstances. So I am always communicating 
how I want her/him to interact, how I want her/him to rest or 
self-manage appropriately while I am busy, how I want her/him to act 
while I am sitting at the table eating, and on and on. I'm always 
communicating what I want in our partnership, shaping the young dog in 
attitude as much as in behavior. Then there is teaching the long list of 
specific behaviors, then teaching the dog how to put them together into 
guide work, then teaching the young dog how to apply all that in 
real-world guiding, then...

So I do specific training in short bits throughout the day, once the dog 
has learned the behavior for the command and how to chain into other 
behaviors. It looks like my current baby poodle is as quick as Mitzi 
poodle, so that takes no time at all. /smile/ Then I wait awhile and 
review the training somewhere else -- in the house, in the yard, while 
there are distracting things going on...Then we play a bit for fun, then 
we will review another way later. Makes trying to come up with a neat 
chart I can point to as a training log nigh-on impossible, but my 
narrative notes are ridiculously long, if tedious. /shrug/ Sometimes I 
use play to train behaviors or partnership, since the reward is built 
into the activity. With this pup, I have the two adult dogs to take on 
the random, rowdy play to expend energy -- and to teach him how to play 
appropriately with other dogs. They're also doing a splendid job of 
teaching him boundaries and respect, and even a few of the house rules, 
so I have it pretty easy right now. /smile/

I don't know if that's a really satisfactory answer for your 
decision-making and planning, since I know you're debating whether to 
owner-train. But the best plan I can give you is that if you're not 
asleep and you're not at work, you are training your dog. This is why my 
stock answer to what it takes to be an owner-trainer is "you gotta love 
it. I mean, really, really, love, love, love training." /smile/

Tami

On 07/31/2014 08:34 PM, Barb breuer via nagdu wrote:
 > I was wondering  how many hours aday do you people who train your dog 
train?
 >
 > Barb
 >
 > Sent from Xfinity Connect Mobile App
 >
 >
 > ------ Original Message ------
 >
 > From: Amber Meloy via nagdu
 > To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
 > Sent: July 31, 2014 at 4:43 PM
 > Subject: [nagdu] Owner training questions
 >
 > Hi all,
 >
 > There has been a large amount of discussion recently about owner 
training on the
 > list and since I have decided to get a new guide dog, I have made a 
number of
 > decisions, and I am now considering another one.
 >
 > The first decision that I made was that I wanted a poodle because I 
would not
 > have as much problem with hair.  I searched and searched but the only 
school
 > that I could find that issued poodles to anyone who did not have 
allergies or
 > someone in their family with allergies, was Pilot Dogs.
 >
 > I applied and continued to research various topics about poodles, 
about training
 > methods, about how I felt about training etc etc.  As I searched, and 
the more
 > questions I asked myself, the more I started thinking that maybe I 
wanted to
 > owner train.
 >
 > There are a lot of things that I am very unsure how to handle, and I 
am writing
 > here in the hopes of finding some advice.  I understand that having a 
grasp of
 > the training methods you choose to use is essential, and I have every 
intention
 > of practicing alone and in my head and reading before actually 
attempting to
 > teach a dog anything.  But before I get to the point where I teach a dog
 > anything, there are a few things I have to take care of…such as 
acquiring the dog…
 >
 > And so this brings me to a few of my first questions:
 >
 > What strategies have you, as an owner trainer, used to find the right 
dog?  I
 > have read a lot about a test that is done to test temperament, but I 
do not
 > recall this test’s name at the moment, nor do I know for sure that 
this is what
 > is used.  I understand that no one can be absolutely guaranteed to 
have made the
 > right choice; that dogs wash out; that this is a fact I may have to 
face.  But
 > there has to be something that you did in the beginning to say, yes, 
I think
 > I’ll give this dog a try.  You didn’t pick him or her because s/he 
was cute.  Or
 > cuddly.  Or energetic.  Or did you?
 >
 > Another big question I have is about costs.  Before anyone comments 
that of
 > course there will be costs, don’t.  I understand that.  But what I am 
looking
 > for is a general idea of some of the things you bought/paid 
for/services needed,
 > and maybe an average of how much that thing/service/experience costed 
you.  For
 > example, if I choose to get various vaccines, I can look those up 
anywhere.  Any
 > vet’s office will let me know those things.  If I want to know about 
the cost of
 > a crate, I could look online or go to a pet store.  If I want to know 
the cost
 > of foods I will feed, I can find that information.  But what I’m 
looking for
 > information on is acquisition of your dog; acquisition of puppy vest 
for still
 > in training; acquisition of harness; any assistance for sighted 
assistance in
 > training, whether that was for training traffic checks or for 
observation only
 > or for a trainer’s professional opinion etc.  Expenses that aren’t 
readily
 > available for me to just look up.
 >
 > Finally, if anyone is willing to talk with me off list, I would be very
 > grateful.  If there is such a thing as a list for owner trainers so 
that I am
 > not cluttering this list with my questions, I would also love to know 
about that
 > as well.  I joined the clicker solutions list and am hoping that when 
I come
 > across a problem with particular behaviors I am trying to shape that 
this will
 > be a viable resource.
 >
 > Thank you all for your input, however much or little it is.
 >
 > Amber M
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