The Long Road Home

I got an e-mail the other day from my leader telling me that my CFR was considering career changing Ardella - that she had been with a new raiser and was showing signs of stress. Just about 10 minutes ago I got a phone call from my leader saying that my CFR was putting in the papers to career change Ardella, and could I come pick her up on Sunday in the Seattle area? Yeah, I said I wanted her back.

So, travel arrangements aren't set, but I'll have Ardella back very soon to be our loved pet. I'm not going to be able to sleep for excitement!

Class in the Morning, Flock and Fiber in the Afternoon

This morning, Lyn, McCoy and I went up to the Boring campus and learned about the new fine-tuning of the FIR (food-induced recall) and food protocol (used for behaviors like dog distraction, fear of surface changes, over-excitement, etc.). My eyes were opened and I left feeling very good about positive reinforcement methods. I don't think it's any secret that I've never liked the frequent collar and neck corrections. I think that puppy raisers and GDB trainers will be more in sync with the goals of training and I think we'll be up on campus frequently for classes, which I like a lot.

I got some instruction on new handling techniques for McCoy and I will now handle McCoy sitting on my knees where I'll be much higher than McCoy and have better control of him. I hold his collar on both sides and never exert more than light pressure to control him. I act calmly and don't let up on the collar pressure until he calms, at which point I can start gentle massage on his chest and neck area. I'll be looking at ears, paws, etc. later. The idea behind handling is to let the puppy know who is in charge, and that's what we're working on for a little while.

We learned a lot and I'm excited to get started on these new techniques tonight.

We came home from Boring because I thought I should skip Flock and Fiber, but had second thoughts after we got home and so we ate lunch and then drove to Canby for the last 2 hours of the day's activities. I stuck to my budget and was pleased with what I brought home:



The green yarn is lace wool/Tussah Silk lace, 712 yards, dyed by Wolf Creek Wools. The turquoise lace is Shetland wool by Sporfarm, and the fiber is dyed by them as well. It's a Shetland and Fine Wool mix. I got a needle case, some Zephyr ice blue merino/silk lace and a shawl pattern at the Acorn Street Shop booth (the shawl size starts with 890 cast-on stitches!).

I went to the festival by myself for the first hour, and McCoy and Lyn joined me around 4:30. Lyn carried McCoy and we walked around the outdoor booths. Lyn couldn't get far with McCoy without drawing a crowd. We ran into Lyn's supervisor, Sela, and we talked wool and spinning for a bit. She was there with a friend who just bought 4 alpaca and who now wants to learn to spin. Anyway, it was fun, the weather was great, and I look forward to going to the festival again next year. Hopefully, I'll have used everything I bought by then, but I won't hold my breath!

I'm doing another dog-walk shift tomorrow. I may start walking regularly on the Sunday afternoon shift.

Dog walk Friday and other news

I lost count of the dogs I walked today, but I loved them all. I have to say that my favorite this time was a chihuahua/Lab mix puppy (I don't even want to imagine how that came to be - the mother was the chihuahua) named Bruno. He was adorable. If you've ever wondered what a tiny breed would do if it could be a large breed, Bruno is your answer. Bruno and littermates were found in a mud puddle and were nursed back to health, fostered and Bruno is now available for adoption. He was as cute as could be and I wanted to scoop him up and take him home. I walked another Husky named Storm and wanted to adopt her too. I think she was an elder dog, but a great walker. I'm convinced Huskies are the best walkers in the world! We finished early today and I tried to sign up for another shift on Sunday afternoon. The volunteers have all been very welcoming and friendly. I really enjoy volunteering at the humane society!

I have to sing praises of GDB puppy club leaders and field representatives! I've been having trouble with McCoy biting and mouthing me during handling and play time. I've even sustained some skin breaks. I had resorted to a collar/skin shake that I was advised to use, but my CFR said that that is old school advice and that I should now do a quick pop and then turn my back on the dog. Yay! I think this is a much better technique - much more positive and more dog-language like. My leader also has started sending the new puppy raisers some benchmark guidelines so we can work on where our puppies should be at this point in their development. Again, something I've wanted for awhile - a way to gauge how well my puppy is doing. The manual makes me feel my 11-week-old puppy should be perfect and I know that's not developmentally logical. I was also advised to look at the positives and how far McCoy has come. He's really doing well - he's sleeping through the night and keeping his crate dry, lets me know when he needs to defecate, and he knows his name and comes every time I call him. That's quite an accomplishment for only having him 2 weeks. I'm proud of him!

The last thing to be shared is that Ardella is doing very well. My CFR was very pleased with her behavior yesterday and has no inclination to career change her at this point. She may be going to a finishing family soon and may make it to training yet. This is fabulous news! I feel sad that I couldn't finish her, but that she could make it to training is more than I ever thought possible. I'm pleased that my CFR had the desire to work with Ardella and could see promise in her.

Tomorrow we learn some new puppy handling techniques. Maybe I'll actually have pictures. I'm really looking forward to the training and I may try to weasel my way to Flock and Fiber - I just can't stand the idea I can't go!

Laid back weekend

McCoy's favorite place to lie on hot days has been over an air-conditioning vent. He's had some hot days here, but that's changing, thank goodness! Fall starts tomorrow and I can't wait! My favorite time of year!

After Friday's workout walking dogs, I was pretty sore on Saturday. We didn't do a lot, but we did go to graduation on the Boring campus. I saw Anna there and she had Avani for a brief period of time. Avani has been career changed and was leaving for California that afternoon. I didn't get a chance to take a picture, but I did say goodbye. We've been saying a lot of goodbyes to this litter. It's sad, but I'm sure the ones who have been career changed will be excellent pets.

McCoy drew a crowd as he was the youngest puppy there. He seemed subdued by all the big dogs but it helped keep him still. Though he had to go out frequently to be relieved, he didn't have any accidents and was either in a lap or lying down calmly chewing bones. The big dogs were interested in him too, especially the toys he was chewing. Two pictures of McCoy's first graduation (it was fun even though we didn't know any of the dogs or raisers).





I came home and went and bought a book by Brenda Aloff called Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog. I looked at this last year on the recommendation of Leslie from MARS and have always wanted the book. I looked up the sections on stressed dogs. Interestingly, the sign isn't the tail, it's the face and when panting a stressed dog has a spatulated tongue, while a tired and hot dog's tongue hangs out to the side of the mouth and the face has a relaxed look. Whatever, it's an interesting book that I think I'll find helpful with any dog activities I happen to be doing, especially in social settings with other dogs. It was expensive, but I got a little extra for working Labor Day.

I'm reading 3 books now and had to put 2 on hold because #3 is a library book. I've joined 2 Ravelry swaps - Loopy Ewe 5 and an international shawl exchange. The time lines are long, thank goodness. I have a yen to knit. I always do in the fall. I am struggling because Oregon Flock and Fiber is this next weekend and I can't go because we have to go to a puppy class at the Oregon GDB campus. This is a sacrifice, let me tell you! I work Sunday - I can't go at all!

I've been working with McCoy to teach him his name, to walk on a leash, and to come when I call him. Handling has been a struggle and McCoy HATES it. He often growls and bites, especially when collar corrected (does not seem to like the surprise of the neck-collar correction) but he actually settled today and I'm hoping we get over this soon. When I leash and collar correct him, McCoy is more responsive and doesn't protest so much vocally or with his teeth. My leader told me about a video she has where it took a long time to settle a German Shepherd puppy. She is suggesting I view it and then work with McCoy as long as it takes for him to accept being handled. He is a handful! It's a good thing he's cute!

Dog Walk Friday

Today I completed the mentorship training and am now an official Friday dog walker at the local humane society. I learned where to find doggy bags, leashes, how to put on Gentle Leaders, and the entrances and exits to take to ensure dogs don't meet nose-to-nose when retrieving a dog from a kennel or putting them back in.

I walked 5 dogs: 2 American Pit Bull Terriers, a Husky, an Australian Shepherd and a 4-1/2-month-old German Shepherd/Rottweiler puppy. Of the 5, my favorite was the Husky - he was my 4th dog and did no pulling whatsoever. He was my cool-down dog. I got a workout - sweat, sore hands, red face - a definite workout! We walk the dogs on a designated pathway and take the dogs in order, from kennel 1 to kennel whatever. No cherry picking as the dogs know when they are next to be walked and if you pass them by, it is a sad disappointment. As morning walkers we greet dogs that have been kenneled for 12 hours and they really want to get out of their kennels and GO! We walk each dog 2 times around the pathway. Each dog is different and I'm exposed to every breed of dog. When McCoy gets older, I'm going to stay later and take out dogs that need extra socialization, especially the older ones and the ones that people tend to pass by a lot.

I got home dirty and grimy. I wear a T-shirt and apron to work and have a special pair of shoes that I put on and take off at the shelter. Clothes come off in the laundry room at home and there is always a clean pair of clothes in the dryer waiting for me when I come in the door. I wash my hands before leaving, and wash my hands when I get home.

It was good to get home and see McCoy and Aidan. I gave them extra hugs and was thankful they are dogs with homes and futures. I know walking dogs will be a rewarding job - any way to keep the dogs leading a somewhat normal life leads them into a situation where they'll eventually be adopted. A dog finding a forever home feels as important to me as raising a guide dog. I look forward to this adventure.

Afterwards...

It is always satisfying to see what happens to the stationery we create after it leaves the studio. {Hint, hint, send us your pictures!}  These are programs and menus, we created for a lovely bride Christina earlier this summer. You can view the entire stationery collection here. 

 

By the way, you should have seen this amazing menu! Her parents spent "countless hours preparing the sauce, meatballs and ravioli." Yum.

Programs and Menus, Flora and Fauna Press. Photography, Michael Wilson at Daylight Portrait.

The update

It was just a "what I'm seeing" update. My CFR is not seeing the stress we saw, she is seeing an aloof dog, not a stressed one. Even though people driving her up to Tacoma did see the excessive panting Lyn and I saw, my CFR said she hasn't seen that at all. However, Ardella did go from a truck full of puppies to a truck with only 1 other dog, so I think that had something to do with it. My CFR's biggest concern is that Ardella is having relieving issues on outings, but my CFR said she has some ideas and wants to continue to work with her. She's not giving up on her yet.

Ardella went to a Mariner's game. Apparently she sat like a statue through the game and acted like this was dumbest outing she had ever gone on in her life. I would have read that posture differently, but my CFR sees Ardella as a dog that isn't very interested in raiser or other people in general. She's going to start the new food protocol with her to see if it will help increase raiser awareness. It will be interesting to see how things progress. We'll get another update next week.

Stay tuned

Ardella update tonight. I'm nervous!

McCoy and other things

Life is a blur right now. I now remember why I didn't blog much in the beginning with Ardella. This boy does not sleep through the night and crate training and doing business is starting from scratch. Nights are interrupted and I feel sleep deprived, but I take comfort in knowing this is a short phase. McCoy doesn't seem to know the difference between doing his business outside and doing his business in the crate. I know you aren't supposed to bathe puppies right away, but I couldn't stand the smell any longer and today he got a bath. Now he's wild from post-bath effect. I don't think I've ever met such an endearing puppy though. I want to cuddle him and kiss his head all the time, but he won't have anything to do with anyone for longer than 5 seconds. Does puppy ADHD exist?

Taking pictures is a challenge, but here are 2 we got on Sunday that show McCoy's face. All of them have some blur to them because he doesn't want to be still.



Especially this one:



I've had 3 days of work with McCoy and have discovered that being on tie-down on a dog bed right next to me works much better than having McCoy in a crate. I've actually produced the last few days, so I'm hoping things don't change here. We take frequent breaks to go outside and I think I catch his signals to go outside much better this way. We have fewer accidents during the work day anyway.

McCoy is taking up much of our time, but Lyn took a trip to the Lewis River with Aidan on Saturday and got some nice pictures. Aidan loved hiking on the trail and was quite adept at climbing up rocks. He loved walking beside the river, but wasn't fond of swimming in it.



They hiked along the East Fork of the Lewis River and saw Lucia Falls.





I have done the Dog I and II classes for volunteers at the humane society and later this week will be doing a mentoring session with a seasoned volunteer dog walker. I thought this would be a fun and relaxing volunteer activity, but it turns out that dog walking will be quite a workout. They want us to work on basic obedience skills with the dogs while walking and want us to do things the humane society way. That can be a challenge when I want to correct the guide dog way, but I look forward to volunteering. I'm learning a lot about head collars and good harnesses. I have had good luck with harnesses and now know that it's because I get the kind with rings on the back, not on the front - the front rings act a lot like head collars. I may extend my time to socializing dogs when McCoy is older. I'm quite aware of transmission of disease, and bought shoes this weekend to replace the shoes I'll be using strictly for dog walking. I have this routine of putting on and taking off shoes in the garage, but may change that to changing shoes and clothes at the shelter.

More pictures of McCoy. I wish my daughter would send me the pictures she took of McCoy on Sunday. Keri, please get a Flickr account! I promise I'll only get the pictures of McCoy! : )

Getting McCoy

Lyn took videos of me getting McCoy. In the beginning I'm telling him "It's not Ardella." There was an older puppy in one of the first kennels that was visible from the puppy doorway. It looked EXACTLY like Ardella and I was a little upset that I was looking at Ardella in a kennel, not able to pet her. It sort of took away from the anticipation of getting McCoy. Fortunately, it wasn't Ardella and I was able to enjoy the happy occasion of receiving my puppy.



The things you forget about young puppies! I didn't remember puppies sleeping so much or having to do business every 20 minutes. I also didn't remember why doing business in the backyard where there are a lot of pine cones was something we gave up early with Ardella. There was a reason for moving to the cement driveway that could be swept off and hosed down. I am so in love with this puppy though! His fur feels like velvet and he follows me everywhere. We did the first recall exercise with McCoy tonight and he got so excited. He doesn't know his name yet, but that's coming along. The kibble helps!

The Real McCoy!

They were just a little bit late today. Lyn and I arrived at 11:50 thinking that if we only had 10 minutes to wait we'd be in good shape. However, we found that the truck wouldn't arrive until 2 or 2:30, so we left campus and went out to eat at a nice Italian restaurant in Gresham. We arrived back about 1:30 and Amy drove up about the same time. We went into the kitchen/receiving area to look at the blackboard and found Ardella's and Phineas's names in the kennels. They are both leaving today to go north to our CFR. Phineas also happened to come into the kennel and he and Amy had an unexpected and emotional reunion. I didn't see Ardella, but was so tempted to ask to do so.

Outside we waited with other club members and about 2:30 the truck drove in. They started handing us the puppies out in the parking lot, along the grassy area. I was the last to get a puppy, but did get the chance to see other club members receive puppies. Amy got Josh, Pam got Dublin. I got McCoy and the name really suits him. He's a Bingham/Alanis puppy, so he's Ardella's half brother (same father). He is very, very active! Here he is getting his first drink of water.



He likes to put his feet in the bowl and splash. He also has been playing since we brought him home. He runs, he doesn't walk. He was quite squirmy on the way home and only started falling asleep as we got off the Interstate to get on the main street to our home. I'll have more pictures, maybe even short videos of us picking McCoy up, but I have to feed the boy and show him the rest of the house. He just peed on the floor, bounced in it and barked. I think we're going to be raising a dog with Personality!

Slight change in plans

My leader just called to say that what was finally put on the puppy truck for me was not YLM puppy from an "A" litter, but a BML puppy from an "M" litter. Oh joy! I get my black Lab!

Update tonight, and then tomorrow is the BIG DAY!

Minus 5 Days

We're getting closer!

I got the Loopy Ewe Sock Club shipment today. Probably the last Wollmeise I'll ever get, and fortunately it's in the cooler color combination that I like. I got the Wollmeise, a sock pattern, a sheep notepad (love these) and a project bag.



Lyn and I went to downtown Vancouver where he and Virgil went to Mon Ami for coffee and to run errands, and I went to StitchCraft to visit with Nicholette. I ran into Barb coming out the door and we had a mini catchup session on the wedding and Ardella. I stayed for quite some time and came away with yarn for a sweater. It's Brae Tweed, a supersoft yarn, and I'm trying to decide between 2 patterns - Mr. Greenjeans or Amused, both Knitty patterns.



Virgil and Lyn came in to visit for a little while. I had a close encounter with Virgil and a ball of yarn the first day Virgil came to our house, but he was great in the shop. He just went to sleep. I am in awe of what this dog can do! Now he's not perfect - he's only 8 almost 9 months old. I can't let him out of my sight when he's awake. He has destroyed a box of Kleenex, an exercise band, and a Wubba that I wasn't aware was under a couch. However, 95% of the time he's an angel. I can't resist his face. Have I said today how glad I am that he's visiting?



Here's a picture of Aidan, who feels a little left out. He was enjoying being an only dog after Ardella left. My nephew Colin has guinea pigs who he thinks are adorable. He has created a new family term to describe cute animals and Aidan received the first title of "guinea pig cute" from Colin. So, here's my guinea-pig cute Aidan:



Finally, my cousin, Sam Baker, has released his third CD, Cotton. Lyn's birthday is Tuesday. Guess what he's getting! Can't wait to hear it!

Good News Friday and 6 Days and Counting until P Day

I am still receiving Baby Boy "A" and after keeping Virgil for the last few days, I'm so thrilled! I can't wait to raise a male puppy! We'll be getting 3 new male puppies in the club (we have a lot of female puppies).

I talked with one of my leaders today about Ardella. We will be saying goodbye after she has been with my CFR for awhile. There was a concern that we shouldn't cause Ardella more stress by having her see us again and then leave us so close to having made a few transitions. If she is career changed, we still get a choice to keep her. However, we're hoping that after my CFR works with her, she can still make it to advanced training. I'm happy with this plan.

I LOVE Virgil. He's such a good boy! We went out for coffee with Karren and Annalynn today and he was well behaved. Karren and I switched puppies for a walk we took and I felt like I was with Ardella again. I sneaked in a kiss on Annalynn's nose and felt like I was giving Ardella a kiss goodbye. It was good therapy.

I forgot to add this, but I have good knitting news, too. The newest Loopy Ewe sock club yarn is Wollmeise. It's been a long time since I bought any Wollmeise and I'm excited about getting this upcoming package.

A Welcome Guest

This is Virgil. Unfortunately, his raiser had an emergency family situation and needed a sitter, but I was able to take Virgil, so he is here with us for about a week. He's a handsome boy! He's almost 9 months. He's awesome. He does his business on command, is very good when meeting people when we are walking, and is a very good car rider. He's even calm around cats.

It's great to have a guide dog puppy in the house again! This will definitely help the time pass more quickly and I probably won't get many of those projects finished that I had planned to do. Oh well... : )

Virgil's funny face - I think he got tired of having his picture taken. It was hard to get a picture of him looking into the camera:



He's very good on tie down. We're going to enjoy having Virgil here!



P.S. I am so ready for a new puppy cam on the Guide Dog Blog!