[nagdu] Good days and bad days...

Shannon Dyer solsticesinger at gmail.com
Thu Feb 20 01:29:36 UTC 2014


Hi, Daryl.

I think we've all had days like you've described. My Acelet has been the most difficult of my three dogs for me to bond with. Things will go really well for a while, and then, something will happen and I'll wonder if we've made any progress at all. We've been a team for a year and a half now, and, for the most part, we have our issues worked out. Still, every now and then, we have a day from hell.

Shannon and the Acelet
On Feb 19, 2014, at 4:15 PM, Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Hi, all!
> 
> Just wanted to share a little bit about this past week.  Jenny and I have both been REALLY stressed the past month or so.  At home, we've had water damage, so contractors have been coming in and out of the house with fans, dehumidifiers, taking them away, cutting holes in the ceiling, re-insulating the attic... needless to say it's been stressful.
> Add to that the stress of my starting a new job and the strain of two recent trips away from home, and I have been frazzled and Jenny has not at ALL been focused.
> 
> On Saturday, things went really really well!  We had our first ever traffic check, and Jenny behaved herself really well when in the presence of another guide dog (she has a moderate dog distraction problem), even when that guide dog stuck his head under her harness handle to give her a sniff.
> Sunday... it all went to hell!  Jenny seems to think that scrounging is a badge of honour, so it seemed like every ten feet I was correcting her for that.  Then she went absolutely ballistic when my husband came to get me from the bus... getting her to lay down and stay there was moderately successful, but then when we walked to the car she picked up and ate a cigarette but, while excitedly running and wagging her tail.  I gave her the hardest leash correction I have given in my life, we went into the car, came home...
> And then I took her for a pee, where she refused to go pee and scrounged something else off the ground.  I took her inside, where she excitedly wanted to say hi to my husband.  I very firmly told her no, to go to her bed and to stay there.  Perhaps I should insert here that my trainer told me that being firm and consistent with Jenny is something I need to work on (particularly making my voice sound like "I mean business")... so each time Jenny got up off her bed, I firmly told her to stay there.
> She wasn't there long - maybe ten minutes in total - and I don't know what I did, really...
> But for the most part over the past three days she has been the most angelic guide dog ever!  The scrounging has decreased exponentially, she is walking steadily with me, something we have always needed to work on in the slush, and I hope to God I never have another day like Sunday again.  I have Mommy guilt, quite likely unwarranted... but I feel a HUGE shift!
> 
> Just thought I would share.
> 
> Daryl and Jenny (the stinky sleepy dog)
> 
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