Phase 8...

Glaze continues to shine as she makes it on to Phase 8!

Phase 7:
-Glaze was taught to make emergency decisions with traffic problems. She learned to decide when to "stop", "hold line", "back up" or "scoot forward" on her travel line for the safety of the team. She learned to maintain position, face the vehicle and to proceed in the original line of direction when the danger has passed. I think this, above all, impresses me the most.
-Trained to inform handler of objects completely blocking a path, then work around it
-Trained to look up and to look out for objects/obstacles over dog's head
-Advanced work routes out and about in San Francisco
-She is now being pre-matched with individual applicants. Yeah!

Phase 8:
-Variety of work environments: country, city, places with no sidewalks
-Intensive indoor shopping mall and store techniques: slower pace, crowded aisles, elevators, escalators, different floor textures, patience and food avoidance situations (hello, food court!)

In this phase Glaze will also receive another health review taking a look at her overall health history.

The fresh, stinging pain of returning Glaze to GDB has scabbed over and is replaced with a swelling pride. I am feeling the itch in the palm of my hand for another trainee...

On a Side Note...

Yesterday, I finally received the formal verification letter from Guide Dogs that Poco, my first GDB puppy-in-training has been adopted! He will always hold a very tender place in my heart and memory as we have experienced many things together. He was with me when my career in Real Estate divebombed and as I started a new position as TA at Gateway School. He was there as I packed up one house and moved to a (temporary) other. We had many a 5am walk -through star lit skies, balmy and freezing weather, and rain. He was (is) reserved but patient and had a deep puppy-dog stare that could melt away any bad mood. I am soothed to know that he has found a home in Alamo, Ca with a patient, experienced woman. I wish them the best in their new adventures together.

Phase 6

Glazey is flying through her formal training as she is now in PHASE 6!

Phase 5:

-Challenging animal and food distractions

-Continuation of obedience and preliminary obedience testing

-Preliminary Blindfold Testing: Instructor under blindfold works dog on a suburban route, distance of about 14 blocks. Glaze has passed this and will now progress to Advanced Guidework Training.

In PHASE 6:

-Difficult distractions detected and worked

-Introduction to new handlers and instructors

-Routes progress to downtown urban areas

-Advanced clearance problems are introduced and situations are set up to teach the dog to disobey a command for the sake of safety (ie. dog will not progress even if handler has given forward command if there is a car approaching or if they have come to stairs the handler has not found)

I am amazed that Glaze has progressed so quickly. In the new expedited training groups she has gotten more than half way through her phases in just 4 weeks! I am so proud of her.

Phase 4!

Well, after what felt like an eternity of no information , I finally learned where Glaze is in her training. My girl has made it to phase 4!!

This means that she has made it through:

PHASE 2:

-Obedience and Distraction Training (learning Heel for the first time as well as practicing sit, stay, down etc) She learned to work through tough distractions like other dogs, food, overly friendly people and scents.

-She was introduced to wearing a harness.

-She learned to run on a treadmill where she learned the commands Forward, Halt and Hopp-Up.

-She was introduced to low height agility obstacles and taught how to place her feet when encountering unusual surfaces as well as stairs and escalators.

-She was walked on leash through gradually more challenging clearance courses with obstacles.

PHASE 3:

-Command reactions encouraged to be more precise. the command Over Here is introduced. The dogs response is to change sides, behind the instructors back, to the opposite side. This will help a blind handler to maneuver the dog safely through heavy doors on the dog's side, revolving doors and store turn stiles.

-She has become comfortable wearing and working in a harness.

-Pattern Training:This is a method of introducing guide work to young dogs in a very positive manner. The instructor causes the correct behavior to happen by cueing the dog before an error is made. These are some guide work behaviors: Stopping at streets, clearing for the handler on the right and left sides, clearing for the handler for overhead obstructions, crossing streets in a straight line, moving forward at a consistent pace, learning the commands Left and Right.

What she's working on now in PHASE 4:

-Continuation in development of reliable responses when faced with distractions.

-Introduction to maintaining a line of travel in spite of a visually impaired handler's natural body movements.

-Establishing a consistent working pace and pull that will be the final pace and pull for the client.

-More difficult obstacle training. Glaze is now guiding in harness through a clearance course. Clearances requiring a stop are introduced.

Although I have become more used to not having Glaze around, I still think of her often. I think one of the hardest things is trying to find a suitable explanation for the littlest munchkins at summer camp as to why Glaze is no longer on campus. Time after time, they ask when she's coming back and every time their little faces fall as I tell them that she is not coming back. One little girl's eyes filled as she asked "Not ever?" My heart breaks every time.

Next Saturday, I will be going to the campus for the annual Fun Day, a day for all puppy raisers to get together to learn and love and talk all about our puppies with those who understand most. It is very much like a new mommies group! It will be very difficult for me to not wander off to the kennels, hoping to catch a glimpse of Glaze.

Phase One

July 13, 2009

Today Glaze starts Phase One in her training. This phase is dedicated mostly to physical health. During her physical evaluation, her hips will be x-rayed and her eyes/ weight will be checked. She will then be assigned a "string" and a specific training kennel. A string is about 35-55 dogs with 5 instructors and 4 or 5 Canine Welfare Technicians, although Guide Dogs has just launched a new expedited training program where the dog to instructor ratio is much smaller and each dog gets twice as many training sessions per day. I hope she is placed in the expedited group.

Prior to meeting her trainer, Glaze's personality and controllability will be evaluated in order to prepare her instructor how to motivate her most effectively.

Of course her days will not be made up solely of intense training. Check out some of her kennel enrichment activities:

-Food-stuffed Kongs (she is gonna LOVE that!)

-plush and squeaky toys

-baby pools

-playground equipment

-Different scents (vanilla, peppermint, lemon etc) sprayed into the kennel

-bubbles

-mirrors

-music (Bad to the Bone?)

-T-Touch, massage and Reiki

-treadmills, campus walks

-cuddle time

Many of these are things I was not allowed to do with her, or wouldn't have even thought to do with her (Reiki? Massage? Scents?) and I know that she is going to be in doggy heaven!

I spent the better part of Sun. de-Glazing my house. Swept up all the fur-bunnies hiding out in the corners and under the furniture. Took apart her crate and cleaned it out, putting it away until a new inhabitant arrives (it's just too darn sad to look into an empty crate). The house is much quieter without her nails clicking around on the floor downstairs, sometimes it's so quiet that I find myself looking for her in all the bathrooms--whenever the house was quiet when Glaze was here it was most likely because she had her head in the toilet, tanking up. I am enjoying my freedom, but am missing her none-the-less!

Recall

July 11, 2009

Today, the day most bittersweet in every Puppy Raisers days, I returned Glaze to the Guide Dog for the Blind campus in San Rafael, Ca for her formal guide training. I walked her down the kennel corridors, the last walk with her on the end of my trusty leather leash, dogs barking her welcome. She followed me with a little less bounce in her gait, her tail a little lower, her brow a little more furrowed. Her easy confidence was replaced with a timidness I haven't seen in Glaze in a long time. She wasn't sure what to make of all the kennel noise and the amount of dogs all in one place. She looked at me like she was expecting me to correct these ill-mannered animals for their needless, overwhelming vocalizations.

With a Guide Dog Personnel Escort, I picked out a soft fleece and a spankin new Nyla Bone as we made our way to her new home. She was led into a kennel large enough for me to stand and/or roll around in comfortably, with both indoor and outdoor accommodations. She had housemates on either side, a yellow on her left, black on the right. Though apprehensive at first, I knew she would come to relish their company. She has always been happy to see another dog-- sometimes distractedly so. I laid her fleece in a corner where she could cozy up and put the bone on top. She sniffed around inside, stuck her head out the door to the outside then came back in and looked at me like "now what?". I wished that I could explain to her the importance of what was to come next for her. I wished that she could understand why I was going to leave her there and not return for her later. I wished that she could know that she is going to be fine, she is going to have fun, that even more people would come to love and cherish her. Before making a complete blubbering fool of myself (well, maybe after) I patted her on the head, ran my hands down her flank and told her that she is a good girl. She snuck in a lick (as we all know, she cannot hold her lick-er) and walked away to stick her head out the door again. I took my leash and left the kennel, closing the gate behind me.

In an effort to support the dogs and not to confuse or distract them, puppy raisers are not allowed back in the kennels while the pups are in training. I will not see Glaze again until graduation (hopefully) or until she is "career-changed". She now has 10 phases of training ahead of her and I will receive simple phase reports as time goes on. On Monday, she begins Phase One.