[nagdu] Good days and bad days...

[Daryl Marie]

Craig,

I know what you mean about feeling a little alone.  A lot of the guide dog users I know locally have had their first dog for 5+ years and most of them forget what the first 6-12 months were like.
I almost cried a couple of weeks ago when I met a guy who was on his third guide dog, and he said "The first year with any dog is hell... but you can make it."  I think the dogs are testing us to see what we can allow... but ultimately, at least with a dog like Jenny, she wants to please.  To quote my trainer, she is a very sensitive dog.  If I've been scolding her for something, or if she's just having a low day, if I praise/encourage her it puts a big spring in her step.

All that being said, Craig, welcome to the trenches... be consistent, and you WILL make it!

Daryl


----- Original Message -----
From: craig heaps <craig.heaps at comcast.net>
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wed, 19 Feb 2014 19:09:19 -0700 (MST)
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Good days and bad days...



You don't know how encouraging your post is.  Chase is my first guide dog and I've had him about seven or eight months now.  He's real dog distracted and I can feel in his harness when he spots a dog a block away.  Lately, I've been halting him aand moving his slip collar up under his ears when I think a dog's approaching.  If he doesn't veer over, he gets a treat.  If he does, he gets reminded the collar's under his ears. 

But more to your story and the point:  some days he's great.  Right on.  Sharp.  Focused.  Other days he's distracted and intent on doing things his way. 

He just turned two in November, and I hope time will help.  

But mostly he's great.  And it's helpful to know I'm not the only one having good days and bad days. 

Craig and Chase 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Daryl Marie" <crazymusician at shaw.ca> 
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org 
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 1:15:28 PM 
Subject: [nagdu] Good days and bad days... 

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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