. . . You end up with one happy pup!!!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
On Education
(Warning: this is my soapbox. I try my best to write this as nicely as possible, but it is the truth and it really happens.)
Dante and I went to the library just like any other time. I wanted to look at some stuff and brought some work that I had to get done. I thought this would be a perfect time for Dante to get some "chilling out" practice.
I was looking at some books at the end of an isle, about four rows in from the back corner. I was just inside the isle, and Dante was on my left, just outside the isle. There is a huge table at this back corner that was currently filled with a group of high school students. Now, I will try to write this sensitively, but from first glance, they did not seem like the most mature group of young adults I have ever met.
I mind my own business, with my back to them, and then I hear what I think is someone barking. I ignore it, but hear it again. This is where I say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" to myself.
Now, I have stood speechless on more than one occasion where grown men have made kissing noises at Dante. Most of the time if you ignore them, they move on, but on one occasion he did not, I turned and politely explained Dante's training and asked him to stop, and he did.
But this was not the same. At all. It is one thing to try to distract and get my dog's attention: he is already amazing distinguishing when someone is distracting him and I don't want him to give his attention to them, and when someone wants to greet him. But it is completely different when you deliberately and insistently try to egg him on, work him up and try to get him to react. I have spent FAR too much time teaching this pup NOT to bark in public for you to ruin it in less than 2 minutes. You see where I'm heading, right?
By the fourth time, I decided that I could not let it go. Reminding myself of Whom I represent, I did not lose my temper, but you can imagine that I was rather annoyed. I commanded Dante to "let's go," and we walked determinedly to the last isle where the teenager was "hiding" behind the last shelf of books. A chorus of "Oh"s from the table to our right, meaning that the rest of them were not expecting me to confront him.
We came around the corner and I asked, "excuse me?" In a you are the person I'm looking for, right? (sarcastic) tone. I then gave a rather lengthy educational talk on service dogs, their jobs, and why you cannot distract them. Including "distracting (insistently barking at) service dogs is harassment" statement. I would say that I was rather calm and composed, considering.
You know what his answer was? Apologize, you say? I wish. He then stated, "well, I didn't know he was still in training. I thought he was yours." (soapbox) Like thinking that I was disabled and my dog was currently helping me, any more justifies your actions!!!
A few words on why it can be so detrimental to a service dog team, and I left. Hearing, "did you see what happened with _____ (teen's name)?" "She actually came over and said something to him. . ." following me as I walked away.
As a puppy raiser, one of my most important jobs is educating the public. And doing so in a manner that reflects well on myself and CCI. I am always happy to talk to people about service dogs who genuinely want to learn about them. But it is so much harder to keep the same positive mindset when educating more ignorant (for lack of a better word) individuals. My goal in education? That one less person will bark at a working team. And if that is accomplished, then I have done my job.
Dante and I went to the library just like any other time. I wanted to look at some stuff and brought some work that I had to get done. I thought this would be a perfect time for Dante to get some "chilling out" practice.
I was looking at some books at the end of an isle, about four rows in from the back corner. I was just inside the isle, and Dante was on my left, just outside the isle. There is a huge table at this back corner that was currently filled with a group of high school students. Now, I will try to write this sensitively, but from first glance, they did not seem like the most mature group of young adults I have ever met.
I mind my own business, with my back to them, and then I hear what I think is someone barking. I ignore it, but hear it again. This is where I say "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" to myself.
Now, I have stood speechless on more than one occasion where grown men have made kissing noises at Dante. Most of the time if you ignore them, they move on, but on one occasion he did not, I turned and politely explained Dante's training and asked him to stop, and he did.
But this was not the same. At all. It is one thing to try to distract and get my dog's attention: he is already amazing distinguishing when someone is distracting him and I don't want him to give his attention to them, and when someone wants to greet him. But it is completely different when you deliberately and insistently try to egg him on, work him up and try to get him to react. I have spent FAR too much time teaching this pup NOT to bark in public for you to ruin it in less than 2 minutes. You see where I'm heading, right?
By the fourth time, I decided that I could not let it go. Reminding myself of Whom I represent, I did not lose my temper, but you can imagine that I was rather annoyed. I commanded Dante to "let's go," and we walked determinedly to the last isle where the teenager was "hiding" behind the last shelf of books. A chorus of "Oh"s from the table to our right, meaning that the rest of them were not expecting me to confront him.
We came around the corner and I asked, "excuse me?" In a you are the person I'm looking for, right? (sarcastic) tone. I then gave a rather lengthy educational talk on service dogs, their jobs, and why you cannot distract them. Including "distracting (insistently barking at) service dogs is harassment" statement. I would say that I was rather calm and composed, considering.
You know what his answer was? Apologize, you say? I wish. He then stated, "well, I didn't know he was still in training. I thought he was yours." (soapbox) Like thinking that I was disabled and my dog was currently helping me, any more justifies your actions!!!
A few words on why it can be so detrimental to a service dog team, and I left. Hearing, "did you see what happened with _____ (teen's name)?" "She actually came over and said something to him. . ." following me as I walked away.
As a puppy raiser, one of my most important jobs is educating the public. And doing so in a manner that reflects well on myself and CCI. I am always happy to talk to people about service dogs who genuinely want to learn about them. But it is so much harder to keep the same positive mindset when educating more ignorant (for lack of a better word) individuals. My goal in education? That one less person will bark at a working team. And if that is accomplished, then I have done my job.
 |
| Dante asleep under the table at the library |
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
How do you give them up?
Is the most frequently asked question puppy raisers get. Every single person Dante and I meet asks how I'll give him back. As annoying as answering that question 54835987 times a day is, it is a good daily reminder that he is not mine.
I have two answers to this. One is long and explanatory, and the second straight to the point. We'll start with the former.
First of all, puppy raisers know we have to give them back going into it. We know that our pups are only on loan to us for an all-too-short amount of time. And we sign up for it anyways with the hope of having the privilege to be a small part in helping someone gain independence. If there is one thing we do not want to hear it is "I could never do that." Yes you could. It won't be any easier for me to give back a dog that I have taught, mentored, loved and has been with me almost 24/7 for the last 16 months, than you would. We all will cry and sob and question the decision we made over a year ago to take this puppy in the first place.
But I have to tell you: these puppies bring so much to our lives in the time that we have them, that if you ask me (or anyone who has raised a puppy), I would definitely do it again. If I had the choice to never have to give him up and never have known him; or having him in my life for even a short amount of time, I will do it again in a heartbeat (and I plan to :-).
I have heard it put this way "the pride lasts a lot longer than the sadness." And even though I have not had to turn in a puppy yet, I think this is very true. To see the puppy you have raised go on to reach their fullest potential and be such an important part in someone's life must be an amazing feeling. As much as I will miss Dante when he goes back to CCI next year, I truly want him to succeed in whatever career he chooses.
The second answer I have is much, much shorter and straight to the point. But I think it will be the one I remind myself of the most in the weeks and days heading up to Dante's turn in. So, here it is: I think giving them back is one of those things that you never really know how you do, but God gives you the strength to do as you're doing it. And that is truly comforting.
So, puppy raisers, what is your answer to this question?
I have two answers to this. One is long and explanatory, and the second straight to the point. We'll start with the former.
First of all, puppy raisers know we have to give them back going into it. We know that our pups are only on loan to us for an all-too-short amount of time. And we sign up for it anyways with the hope of having the privilege to be a small part in helping someone gain independence. If there is one thing we do not want to hear it is "I could never do that." Yes you could. It won't be any easier for me to give back a dog that I have taught, mentored, loved and has been with me almost 24/7 for the last 16 months, than you would. We all will cry and sob and question the decision we made over a year ago to take this puppy in the first place.
But I have to tell you: these puppies bring so much to our lives in the time that we have them, that if you ask me (or anyone who has raised a puppy), I would definitely do it again. If I had the choice to never have to give him up and never have known him; or having him in my life for even a short amount of time, I will do it again in a heartbeat (and I plan to :-).
I have heard it put this way "the pride lasts a lot longer than the sadness." And even though I have not had to turn in a puppy yet, I think this is very true. To see the puppy you have raised go on to reach their fullest potential and be such an important part in someone's life must be an amazing feeling. As much as I will miss Dante when he goes back to CCI next year, I truly want him to succeed in whatever career he chooses.
The second answer I have is much, much shorter and straight to the point. But I think it will be the one I remind myself of the most in the weeks and days heading up to Dante's turn in. So, here it is: I think giving them back is one of those things that you never really know how you do, but God gives you the strength to do as you're doing it. And that is truly comforting.
So, puppy raisers, what is your answer to this question?
 |
| 11 week old Dante |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Church Retreat
This past weekend, Dante and I attended a retreat with my church. It was a stretch for Dante to be in public all weekend. I have a tendency to over-prepare as far as keeping him busy and making sure I have (tons) of toys to play with during breaks, but he did much better then I expected.
Friday night was just one workshop, and Dante did well and slept through the whole thing. Usually this is the time when he gets his walk (because it's so hot during the day), so I was expecting him to need a toy to stay occupied, but he was very good.
On Saturday morning, we arrived at the camp and our workshop was at picnic tables outside, and Dante did OK. He kept trying to eat the ants and dirt on the ground, but I gave him a Nylabone, and that kept him occupied most of the time.
After lunch (where he took up the WHOLE underneath the table) we had some free time. And Dante got to go . . . SWIMMING!
When he first set foot on the sand, and saw the lake, I could see him thinking "OMG! I know what I'm doing here!!! This is the BEST day ever!" He must have remembered swimming with Margo. He. Went. Crazy.
By the time I got his vest and gentle leader off, he was so excited and crazy that he almost pulled me over. I can walk on my ankle, but balance is still not the best, so before I landed on my face, I decided it best to hand him over to my mom and stick with picture taking.
He insisted on holding onto his leash until we gave him a ball. He was so cute! When he first went in, he was swimming funny trying to keep his whole body up high. It took him half an hour to swim normally.
He had to come out every 5 minutes to shake off and get everyone else wet:
After an hour or so, we decided to get him out so he could get cleaned up and dried off. After Dante calmed down, he then got to go on his first boat. He didn't want to get into the canoe at first, but some kibble fixed that and he had a fabulous time!
Dante doesn't "wind down," but goes a mile a minute until you physically make him lie down, and then he conks out cold. He was out in less then a minute of getting inside. Then he slept . . .
. . . And slept . . .
. . . And slept . . .
. . . For the rest of the afternoon and night. Tired puppies are good puppies. Dante was a very good puppy.
On Sunday, I don't think Dante had recovered from all that swimming, and he slept all morning during service and lunch afterwards.
Oh, and he also got a matching shirt like the rest of us. I took off his vest and let him wear it because everyone knows him and I knew there wouldn't be a problem with him.
I had to take this picture at lunch on Sunday as proof that he CAN, in fact, curl up in a tight ball!
Have I mentioned how much Dante LOVES everyone at church?? And they love him. A little too much. I noticed especially after this weekend that Dante is getting too distracted by people (my fault as much as his), so we are back to "no petting" for a while.
Dante was so good all weekend. At the stage he's in right now, his behavior is often hit or miss, so I am so glad he did well.
And to end, here are a few pics that my sister took of us working:
Friday night was just one workshop, and Dante did well and slept through the whole thing. Usually this is the time when he gets his walk (because it's so hot during the day), so I was expecting him to need a toy to stay occupied, but he was very good.
On Saturday morning, we arrived at the camp and our workshop was at picnic tables outside, and Dante did OK. He kept trying to eat the ants and dirt on the ground, but I gave him a Nylabone, and that kept him occupied most of the time.
After lunch (where he took up the WHOLE underneath the table) we had some free time. And Dante got to go . . . SWIMMING!
When he first set foot on the sand, and saw the lake, I could see him thinking "OMG! I know what I'm doing here!!! This is the BEST day ever!" He must have remembered swimming with Margo. He. Went. Crazy.
By the time I got his vest and gentle leader off, he was so excited and crazy that he almost pulled me over. I can walk on my ankle, but balance is still not the best, so before I landed on my face, I decided it best to hand him over to my mom and stick with picture taking.
 |
| I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever gonna break his habit of carrying the leash. |
He insisted on holding onto his leash until we gave him a ball. He was so cute! When he first went in, he was swimming funny trying to keep his whole body up high. It took him half an hour to swim normally.
He had to come out every 5 minutes to shake off and get everyone else wet:
After an hour or so, we decided to get him out so he could get cleaned up and dried off. After Dante calmed down, he then got to go on his first boat. He didn't want to get into the canoe at first, but some kibble fixed that and he had a fabulous time!
Dante doesn't "wind down," but goes a mile a minute until you physically make him lie down, and then he conks out cold. He was out in less then a minute of getting inside. Then he slept . . .
. . . And slept . . .
. . . And slept . . .
 |
| He's not technically sleeping here, but you get the idea ;-) |
. . . For the rest of the afternoon and night. Tired puppies are good puppies. Dante was a very good puppy.
On Sunday, I don't think Dante had recovered from all that swimming, and he slept all morning during service and lunch afterwards.
Oh, and he also got a matching shirt like the rest of us. I took off his vest and let him wear it because everyone knows him and I knew there wouldn't be a problem with him.
I had to take this picture at lunch on Sunday as proof that he CAN, in fact, curl up in a tight ball!
Have I mentioned how much Dante LOVES everyone at church?? And they love him. A little too much. I noticed especially after this weekend that Dante is getting too distracted by people (my fault as much as his), so we are back to "no petting" for a while.
Dante was so good all weekend. At the stage he's in right now, his behavior is often hit or miss, so I am so glad he did well.
And to end, here are a few pics that my sister took of us working:
Monday, August 6, 2012
Are we really...
...starting school already????
Nylabone?
 |
| No, there is no picture in that frame yet..... |
This isn't so bad!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Shopping Buddy
When I first started taking Dante on public outings, he had a hard time figuring out what he was supposed to do. He did well if I was continually working him and giving him commands/walking, but as soon as we stopped, he would start barking because he didn't understand that he could just sit or lie down and chill out.
So, up until around six weeks ago, his outing would be really short (under 15 minutes). He was with me but I wasn't "working" him in the sense that he was doing commands and such, but trying to teach him that it is OK to do nothing sometimes. About six weeks ago I think it finally clicked into his brain, and he has been doing fantastic ever since. He will only let out the very occasional woof! and has even been able to come with me and sleep through church and lunch afterwards.
The last few weeks, I have been re-introducing "real work" into Dante's outings, and he has proven himself to be a fabulous sidekick who can transition easily from working to sleeping ;-)
A funny example: A few weeks ago, I had Dante at Kroger, and he was barking like crazy and I couldn't get him to quiet down, so I left with him. My mom took him back the next week by herself, and one the employees came up to them and said, "Dante is doing so well today; he hasn't barked at all!" I get really embarrassed when Dante starts barking, so I love that our grocery store is so welcoming of puppies in training and understand that "in training" does mean that they are not perfect!
I love practicing "jump" at Kroger, because these are low, wide and sturdy, and a different surface under his paws.
We practiced some obedience in the empty isles.
 |
| I have proof that you can sit well on a slick floor. You now have no excuses. |
"I can even jump onto a slippery shelf!"
 |
| Only $5.99? You're coming with me, cutie pie! |
And then when my ankle starts hurting, Dante can settle well at a table while we wait for my mom to finish her shopping.
Tired puppy = successful day!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
A Letter to Dante
Dear Dante,
We need to set some things straight right now, Mister.
Now, there are some very good things that you do, in fact a lot of the time you behave relatively well. You don't rush through doors, or bark in stores anymore, and you can settle very well under the table at restaurants now. When you want to, you perform all of your commands fantastically, and you don't try to eat the rabbit poo anymore (YUCK!). You don't even destroy your toys in typical Retriever fashion.
But there are a few things that we need to talk about. I am not enjoying your puppy brain lately. You're not necessarily bad or not listening, but you walk around as if you're aloof of me and all around us; like your brain is in a fog. That doesn't work so well when we are walking around lots of people, and you go one way, and I another.
Next up is that you are sassy. Oh, so, so sassy. This cannot go on any longer. I do not like the way that you put your paws on my knee like you're hitting me when you don't want to listen. And I most certainly will not condone you rolling around on your back throwing temper tantrums.
Please stop rubbing your Gentle Leader. You stopped a long time ago, and now are picking it up again?!?!?
Stop stealing socks.
And last but certainly not least, I would like to know at least 24 hours in advance when you decide that you don't want to listen ALL day long, so that I may plan my schedule accordingly.
One last question: could you please speed up this phase of your puppy-hood?
I still love you,
Hannah
We need to set some things straight right now, Mister.
Now, there are some very good things that you do, in fact a lot of the time you behave relatively well. You don't rush through doors, or bark in stores anymore, and you can settle very well under the table at restaurants now. When you want to, you perform all of your commands fantastically, and you don't try to eat the rabbit poo anymore (YUCK!). You don't even destroy your toys in typical Retriever fashion.
But there are a few things that we need to talk about. I am not enjoying your puppy brain lately. You're not necessarily bad or not listening, but you walk around as if you're aloof of me and all around us; like your brain is in a fog. That doesn't work so well when we are walking around lots of people, and you go one way, and I another.
Next up is that you are sassy. Oh, so, so sassy. This cannot go on any longer. I do not like the way that you put your paws on my knee like you're hitting me when you don't want to listen. And I most certainly will not condone you rolling around on your back throwing temper tantrums.
Please stop rubbing your Gentle Leader. You stopped a long time ago, and now are picking it up again?!?!?
Stop stealing socks.
And last but certainly not least, I would like to know at least 24 hours in advance when you decide that you don't want to listen ALL day long, so that I may plan my schedule accordingly.
One last question: could you please speed up this phase of your puppy-hood?
I still love you,
Hannah
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