Coming Soon (a.k.a the blog’s first name game)

After waiting since July I finally have an official puppy assignment! Woohoo!

When we found out Dulcie was not going to be a Breeder I asked if I could get a female golden retriever at the Holiday Luncheon this year. I was so excited when I was told that it was going to happen and even more excited when I got my assignment. I’ve been sitting on this for a couple of weeks to make sure that everything was official (didn’t want to get my hopes too high) and now it is! So, here’s my puppy assignment;

Female Golden Retriever from the Kash/Blythe litter born on October 13, 2014. Litter letter “J”.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with GDB naming policies here’s a quick run through. Each of their litters is assigned a letter and each puppy in that litter will receive a name beginning with their litter letter. Only names that are not currently “active” are considered for new litters. An active name means a name already belonging to either a working guide, active breeder, or current puppy in training. Since this is a little confusing I will give an example. My first puppy’s name, FREYA, is currently an “active” name since she is a working guide dog whereas HILLY’s name is no longer considered “active” because she has been dropped from the program. So, until Freya retires there will not be another Freya named at GDB, but there could be an “H” puppy named Hilly. Does that make sense? Anyway, because of the restrictions GDB has to get really creative with their names sometimes. I’ve been particularly lucky when it comes to names, so hopefully Miss “J” will follow that trend.

Now some of you may be asking why I am calling her Miss “J” instead of by her name. The simple answer to that is; I don’t know it yet. As raisers when we receive our assignment we are only given their birthday, parents, and their letter. This is because mistakes do happen and GDB doesn’t want a raiser to get used to a really nice name only to have it change before the puppy gets to them because they accidentally gave them an active name. Plus, it’s really fun to play the Name Game. The Name Game is guessing your puppy’s name before you get it. I have so far guessed two of my own puppyies’ names correctly (Freya and Dulcie) and a couple of names in my club.

Which brings me to my next point; CONTEST TIME!

I think it’s really fun to have a little contest to see if anyone can guess the name correctly. And this contest comes with prizes. First the rules of the game.

1. Two (2) names per person please. Any more names after the first two submitted with not be taken into consideration.
2. In the result of a tie there will be a tie breaker. And here it is. I know two other people who are getting two of my Miss J’s sisters. If there is a tie, the winner will be whoever also guessed one of these two puppies’ names. If no one also guesses one of these two sisters’ names then the tie will be settled in the old fashioned style of “First Come, First Serve”. So get your guesses in early!
3. Names must begin with “J”. Well I guess they don’t have to, but you have a much better chance of winning if you submit names that begin with “J”.
4. With your name submission please also give me your email address so that I can contact you if you win the prize.
5. Have fun and be creative!

The prize will be either a handmade leather leash or a handmade tie fleece throw. Winner’s choice.

6 Things at 6 Months

Some crazy, little black lab turned a WHOLE six months yesterday. Wow! It’s hard to believe that time has flown this fast. Quinoa as I have definitely had our ups and downs. I don’t have a lot of natural patience for labs (you caught me! I’m a golden person) so it’s really a practice and a mentally active activity to remain patient with my labbies. So far, there have been two exceptions to this and that’s Freya and Hilly. My two other female black labs. So poor Quinoa is held to a standard that just isn’t her and I have to remind myself that she is her own dog. Every puppy has taught me something a little different, and Quinoa is really teaching me…or rather reminding me…that each dog has their own personality and we have to accept, love, and embrace their own personality. And it’s not that Quinoa doesn’t have a great, little personality. She does. It’s just not what I have come to expect and love in my female black labs. So, we have gone through a journey together and I have come to embrace all of her. It’s been a wonderful experience and I have grown attached to this little poop-head.

Quinoa, a black lab, out in the back yard at almost 6 months

For six months old I think I’ll post about her personality which has taught me so much.

1. Happy – Quinoa is literally one of the happiest dogs I have ever met. She does have that typical gloomy lab look occasionally, but a lot of the time she is one happy, happy puppy.
2. Excitable – Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought or shouted out loud “YES, IT’S A NEW DAY AND I’M ALIVE AND AWAKE AND I’M SO EXCITED TO GET UP!!” or even “WOOHOO! THAT’S A TOY! BEST DAY EVER!” Me neither. But Quinoa has. And she thinks these things every. single. second. Seriously, I’ve seen puppy enthusiasm before but Quinoa definitely holds the trophy.
3. Extreme – On the flip side of things have you ever thought “I DON’T WANT TO SIT IN THE BACK! I WANT TO SIT IN THE FRONT! THIS IS THE WORST DAY EVERRRRRR!!!!!” Quinoa has. On a daily basis. Heck on an hourly basis her day changes from the best to the worst day ever. If you’ve ever seen the movie Tangled, you know what I mean.  (If you haven’t, watch it.) Ever. It’s really strange because she doesn’t (often) vocally express her joy or dismay, but her face is more than enough. It’s been…definitely a different way for me to train a puppy.
4. Confident – I would venture to say that Quinoa is the most stable puppy I have ever, ever had. I have actually only seen her react negatively to one thing and one thing only. What you ask? Her head collar. I honestly don’t worry about taking her anywhere because she completely does not care about her surroundings. And I’m a little bit of a worrier so the fact that I could take her to Downtown LA tomorrow and not worry is saying a lot for her. (I won’t of course, she’s too young for that kind of stimulus. While I’m 99.999999% sure that she would be absolutely fine, it’s better safe than sorry. She’s got at least 8 months left to make it into that kind of stimulation.)
5. Curious – This is sometimes a good thing and sometimes the most annoying thing ever. To have a shadow every minute of everyday saying “Whatcha dooooiiinng?” or “What’s that? It looks cool. Can I have it? Is it for me? I bet it’s for me.” is a little exhausting. But her curiousness also gives her this zest for life with is just so endearing.
6. Responsive – She’s also one of the most responsive puppies I’ve ever had. I don’t know if this is entirely her personality or if it’s because of the new training protocol. But I’ve never had her look at me as if to say “Um, no I won’t listen to you because why should I?” She can get really bratty but generally I just have to say her name in a disapproving manner and she’ll stop whatever she’s doing that is “naughty”. Not that she’s very naughty. She’s actually very good. But she’s excitably and a bit mischievous when she wants to be. So, I’m glad she responds so well to her name and verbal commands.

Quinoa, a black lab, in her Halloween costume. She was a “Dirigible Dog”; a steampunk inspired costume complete with her own Jet Pack.

Quinoa has actually matured into a really nice, little girl. She was always an easy puppy but I really love the amazing amount of change that I see in her already. Of course she will be entering into her teenage years soon, so who knows how long it’ll last. Haha!

Quinoa, a black lab, at almost 6 months playing with a GoughNut

Which brings me to a bit of news concerning Quinoa. When I agreed to take her on, she was supposed to leave me when she turned six months old to another full time raiser. However, it does not look like that is going to happen. Instead it looks like in order to keep her in the club we will have to have her at least 3 days a week. My roommate and I have been talking about it and thinking really hard about if we can afford to do two puppies both mentally, physically, and financially. I also considered whether or not it was good for her to do so much switching and whether I could emotionally handle having a female black lab around full time again (if you haven’t been able to tell I was very attached to Freya and am very attached to Hilly). We finally came to the decision that while it would take a little effort to coordinate, that we didn’t want to see Quinoa transferred because we have become attached to her. So, when we get our new puppy Quinoa will stay so long as we are able to coordinate it. I’m hoping that means until recall, but we’ll see. For now, we will take each day in stride as Quinoa has taught us to do.

Erin & the Pack

Pumpkin Festival, Big Fresno Fair, & Dulcie Update

On October 5, 2014 a couple members of my club and I went to Lathrop for the local puppy club’s pumpkin festival. Quinoa was just old enough to attend with clearance from my CFR and because she has proven herself a stable puppy she was allowed to attend. It was a lot of fun, but it was really hot. So instead of walking around, we mostly just stayed at the picnic tables under the shade and chatted with other raisers. Since Career Changes were allowed, both Hilly and Dulcie could and did come. I got some really cute pictures done at the photo booth and I even won a dog mat in the raffle (I never win anything!). I’ve decided that the mat will be puppy #9’s special mat. (More to come on puppy #9 soon!) I am a little disappointed that I didn’t walk around and take more pictures or buy a pumpkin, but it was still a great day and Quinoa did really, really well with all of the sights and sounds.

Dulcie (left) and Qunioa (right) at the pumpkin festival

Last Saturday my puppy club had a presentation at the Big Fresno Fair. Quinoa, at 5 months and 1 week old was deemed old enough to attend. Sometimes “old enough” depends on the puppy. Since Quinoa has never shown a negative reaction to anything, she got approval to attend.

We rode the shuttle bus to the Fair with three older puppies. This was Quinoa’s first time on public transport and she did awesome! She was a little hesitant to get on the bus at first, but I think it more to do with the fact that the steps were really high and she’s still very tiny. I think she wasn’t too sure how she was going to tackle the stairs (and to be honest, she struggled walking up them so she had to hop up them). The bus ended up being very full so I had to pass her off to another raiser her already had a seat since I didn’t want her riding without the other dogs for her first time. I ended up having to take the next bus. I’m a little annoyed at the bus driver for not allowing me to sit in back with the wheelchair rider even though there was PLENTY of space and at some of the other passengers who got on after me and took the last seats instead of letting me sit down. But, such is life. Quinoa got to ride with the other dogs so that’s what is important.

Quinoa walked all around the Fair (except the area where the carnival rides are – our puppies aren’t allowed there) and did great. I had to take her head collar off a couple of times since it was a long day and I didn’t think she could handle 6 hours in both her head collar and jacket. She still did very well without her head collar on. She sat politely for the presentation and afterwards was very good meeting some of her “fans”. I was proud of her.

She has gotten much better with her head collar and jacket in just the past week that I think we’re actually making progress now. It’s still quite a journey to go and we’ll see where she ultimately ends up. But she’s a good puppy so I’m hopeful.

Erin & the Pack

5 Things at 5 Months

On October 1st little Teeny Quini turned a whole 5 months old. That means she’s almost the age that I hate! For those of you who don’t know 7-10 months old is the most horrible time for a puppy. But for now, she is still a reasonably good puppy.

I think for her 5 month day I’ll list 5 things that we are working on with her to show what some of the issues are that come up when puppy raising. The strange thing is, Quinoa is a pretty solid puppy so she really doesn’t have a lot of things that we have to work on right now. And they are lab problems. Haha! I’m such a golden person.

1. Body sensitivity: Quinoa does not like her puppy jacket or her head collar. But she is getting much, much better about wearing them and walking politely at the same time. We’ve been making outings a bit of a game for her and she gets treated constantly so she is making great progress. The reason that this is a bit of an issue is because if she is uncomfortable with the jacket she’ll probably be uncomfortable with the harness and she has to wear the harness to work. And the head collar is just a tool that she may have to wear so she needs to be comfortable wearing it. I keep telling her that she just needs to walk in it. Which she is starting to do! I’m so proud of her.

2. Control: Quinoa is such an excitable puppy. Seriously. I’ve seen my fair share of puppies, both good and bad. And Quinoa is possibly the one with the least self control. She can’t control herself when someone says her name. She can’t control herself if someone walks by. She can’t control herself. Period. She’s such a funny puppy and you know, this is a maturity thing. But, she does need someone to teach her what it means to be in control of her little body. And you know, she is getting better and I’m sure as she gets older she’ll be better and better.

3. Bratty behavior: Oh my goodness. Quinoa is such a little brat. She HATES it when some dog else is getting attention in stead of her. She HATES it if some dog else gets to run around and be crazy and she doesn’t. We are working on her realizing that she doesn’t get attention all the time and that she doesn’t get to play every second of the day. My sanity would quickly disappear if that were the case. Again, this is mostly a maturity thing, but if she isn’t told that the behavior she is exhibiting is wrong then she’ll never learn. She is learning slowly but surely.

4.  Garbage Mouth: This is so typically lab. She likes to put everything in her mouth and lately she’s been testing her limits. So, while she was never all that bad and still isn’t she is doing it more. And it’s only leaves. We finally got her to stop playing with rocks and pulling up grass. Now we are just working on a leaf here and there. Really, she’s only every touched a sock once and that’s because Rosie (my parents’ dog her best friend) was playing with it and when I told her “that’s enough” she dropped it and has never tried it again. Really, she’s a fairly easy puppy when it comes to picking things up because she doesn’t really do it. She’s never really touched something that isn’t her toy. So, why isn’t it OK for her to pick up anything she wants. Well, I can see what she’s eating but her future handler won’t be able to. So I can easily call the vet if she’s eaten something that may make her sick, but her future handler won’t be able to. And, seeing as her future handler will be blind or visually impaired it’s probably a good idea to teach her not to move their things like shoes, socks, etc. And if a potentially harmful thing were to be left out accidentally it’s good to teach her not to touch it. Safety first.

5. So…I’ve really run out of things that we are working on. Seriously, her issues are sort of small except for the body sensitivity thing. She’s just a good, pretty easy puppy to raise. She loves her sleep and is happy just chewing on a toy most of the time. And she’s unflappable. Seriously, she’s a very solid puppy.

I’m actually really enjoying her. She’s a very fun puppy and I think she’ll do great things in her life.

Erin & the Pack

Dulcie’s Back!

Today I got to see my little Doodle-Bug again for the first time since January.

Dulcie, a red golden retriever, at a year and a half years old

A career change is always a mix of emotions, and it was no different for me. Dulcie is such an amazing dog and when we released her for Tier 1 placement I had assumed that we would have a little more time to process her career change and make plans for if she could not go into another line of service. And maybe it would give me a little more time to process the fact that I couldn’t keep her. People ask me all the time how I can give them up and my answer rarely varies; I’m raising them for someone who needs them. I just want them and I can’t keep them all.

But Dulcie is a pretty hard one to come to terms with the fact that she was never mine and will never be mine.

She was just so gosh darn excited to my co-raiser and me. We took her on a long walk and my co-raiser brought a ball for her to play with. They aren’t allowed balls when they are puppies in training, so I suppose it’s sort of symbolic. She took to the ball right away! And it seems like she is already getting used to life as a career changed dog. Which is great! The fact that she was behaving differently up at Guide Dogs kind of shows that she really didn’t like Guiding.

Dulcie being very excited about getting picked up!

She’s just such a sweet, sweet girl. And I was secretly happy when we hit traffic on the way home because it meant that I got to stay with Dulcie a little longer. Every time I have gone up to Guide Dogs to get a dog, I’ve come home with a dog. And I had to leave Dulcie again once we got out of the car.

To answer everyone’s question, yes it was hard to say good-bye again so soon. BUT, at least she is home where she can stop stressing out and at least she is with her my co-raiser who not only finished her but also is the only reason why I got to raise Dulcie to begin with. And, a whole bunch of us are going to the lake tomorrow so I’ll get to see her again very, very soon! And I (most likely) will get to have her for a whole week soon which is very cool! As hard as it was to pick her up knowing she wouldn’t be coming back to me, it was so good to see her again. It was so very, very good. I missed her a lot and just seeing her again was such a wonderful thing.

So, while this is hard for me (as it is for everyone involved), I can’t keep them all. I wish I could. But Dulcie will end up right where she is meant to be. I have to believe that she will.

Erin & the Pack

Dulcie Sighting

One of the rules of puppy raising is that once your puppy goes back for formal training you are not allowed to visit them. It’s an understandable rule when you think about it. I mean, it sucks, but it’s understandable. I remember going to Rocco, my second puppy, in April of 2010. Freya had been in training for two months and I was terrified of seeing her for several reasons not least of which was the fact that I would have started bawling. Every single time I saw a black lab I ducked for cover. Luckily none of the black labs was Freya and I left the campus happy with my new puppy.

Well, yesterday I went with a friend to pick up her recently career changed puppy from the San Rafael campus. Almost the whole ride up there I thought about whether or not I wanted Dulcie to be in the kennels. If I accidentally saw a glimpse of Dulcie in her kennels I really wasn’t sure if I would be happy or sad. I finally decided when we got there that I really hoped I didn’t walk past her kennel run and I really hoped that she wasn’t in her kennel run. I didn’t think I could handle it. So, I walked through the kennels and went to kennel reception with my friend, took some pictures of their reunion, and walked back out. We were stopped by this particular dog’s trainer who was waiting outside to say good-bye. (This is super cool guys! I don’t think I can put into words how cool it actually is.) We chatted for a while and started to leave when who should come out of the kennel kitchen but a dark golden with a happy prance, a gorgeous coat, and sweet, sweet eyes. At first I told myself that it was her sister, Delfina, who was also in training because it couldn’t be Dulcie. But this she recognized the puppy we were taking home who just happens to be Dulcie’s best friend and my friend said she heard “ulcie”.

How did I take it? Well, I stiffened up and walked past her without looking down. I think if I were to actually have looked at her I would have gotten on the floor and tried to call her over to me…which is a “no no.” I may have cried a little…but no one can confirm that. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do with puppy raising. Not get down and cuddle my girl when she was literally 3 feet away from me. Do I know if she recognized me and tried to get over? No, I wasn’t looking. Am I happy I saw her? No. I really wish I could have sat down and cuddled with her just for a second and told her how proud I am of her. Am I sad I saw her? No. She looked so happy and that was so great to see. So, I’m very neutral about the whole experience really.

But, here’s hoping that I get to give her a cuddle real soon!

Erin & the Pack

4 Things at 4 Months

Well, since Quinoa has been with me now for almost a month I figure I should probably finally introduce her to the blog. And what better way to do that than on her 4 Month Day. Well, OK. she turned 4 months on Monday but because I went out of town for Labor Day weekend I didn’t see her until late in the evening on Monday and because life is life, I waited until today.

Quinoa, a black lab, at 4 months old

So here are 4 Things about Quinoa that you should know now that she’s 4 months old.

1. Quinoa is spunky, willful, and stubborn. These can all either be good or bad qualities to work with, but when it comes to Quinoa they are fun and endearing. She isn’t too much of any of the three and that perfect little mix makes for a pretty solid dog
2. Quinoa is fearless. OK, maybe she isn’t “fearless”. I have seen her become cautious around to separate things, but they were both things that I would probably be a little cautious around too. She isn’t noise or object reactive which is so nice. And a little bit of caution is good in a guide dog. Otherwise the team may get eaten by a hungry mountain lion! (Sorry inside joke.)
3. Quinoa likes her sleep. Seriously, I wake up super early in the morning to walk Hilly about 2 miles and I was really worried that when I had to wake Quinoa up she would not want to go back into her kennel and would cry and cry and cry. The exact opposite happens. When she was a little younger I had to almost drag her from bed, make her go potty so I wouldn’t have an accident while we were gone, and then she gratefully and sleepily wandered back into her kennel all the while looking at me like I was nuts to be awake so early. I think once she hits five months I may not have to disturb her beauty sleep to make her pee since she should be able to hold it until 7am by that age. It’s really, really nice to have such a mellow yet confident puppy.
4. Quinoa is happy. I’m so used to my female black labs being smart, intense girls…but Quinoa is a little dopey. She isn’t nearly has smart as Hilly who is miles away from Freya in terms of intelligence (Heck, I’m probably miles away from Freya). It’s such a strange change for me to have a dopey black lab. I’m not saying I don’t like it, just that it took me a while to figure out what was different.

Quinoa, a black lab, at 4 months old

That’s pretty much Quinoa in a nutshell. I’m really enjoying this little girl. Seriously, her nickname is Teeny Quini. She’s pretty darn small. I think she’ll get a little bigger than Hilly who stands at 21 in. from foot to shoulder, 41 in. from nose to tail, and weighs a whopping 52lbs (for those of you who don’t know, that’s very small) but I’m not sure if she’ll get much bigger than that. She is, so far, a really nice puppy and really fun to raise.

Quinoa, a black lab, at 4 months old

Erin & the Pack

Phase 2

Last Thursday and crisp, neat, new little number appeared next to Dulcie’s name when I opened the phase report in the morning. The smart, little girl is now now in phase 2. So far, she’s at a phase a week which is normal and good progress. I’m so proud of her!

Here is a quick overview of what Dulcie has been learning this past week.

1. Obedience & Distraction Training
2. Body Handling Acceptance
3. Kennel Adjustment and Routine
4. Wearing the Harness
5. Pattern Training Progression
6. Planned Distraction Route
7. Up Curb Exercise
8. Physical Agility
9. Responsible Lead Session
10. Obstacle Course Progression

It looks like she must be having so much fun up on campus. I absolutely can’t wait to see her again! I hope she remembers me. I’m a little nervous that she might not remember me since I haven’t seen her since January.

Erin & the Pack

Phase 1

Woohoo! The long wait is over! Dulcie showed up on the phase reports last week in phase 0. Seeing as we knew all of her health examinations were good as gold, the fact that she was in phase 0 meant that she was just waiting to be placed into a training string. What’s a training string you ask? Basically it’s a group of dogs assigned to a trainer.

But this week the little number “1” appeared next to Dulcie’s name when I opened the phase report this morning. This means that she’s been assigned to a string and is finally starting her harness training. I honestly can’t wait to see her go through the phases and figure out what she wants to do with her life. She’s such a sweet girl and has amazing potential.

Here’s what the little Doodle-Bug is learning in phase 1:

1. Clicker Training – when the puppies are with us we use the word “nice!” to mark desired behaviors. When the puppies enter formal training the trainers start using the clicker to mark desired behaviors. So, in phase 1 the dogs are introduced to the clicker.
2. Collar Response – the dogs are taught to respond to pressure on their collar in an appropriate manner.
3. Formal Obedience – the dogs learn the formal commands of guidework.
4. Food Refusal Protocol – the dogs are taught when to accept and when to refuse food.
5. Socialization – the dogs are introduced to riding in the training van by practicing on a “mock” set-up in the kennels.
6. Body Handling Acceptance – the dogs are introduced to body handling through full body grooming. These sessions will help them learn how to interact with a visually impaired handler.
7. Introduction to the Harness – the dogs are introduced to the harness in a calm manner and will even wear the harness in short, relaxed settings.
8. Treadmill Training – the dogs are introduced to the treadmill which teaches them how to pull into the harness and maintain lead.
9. Pattern Training – this is a fancy way of saying that the trainers will start introducing the dog to guidework behaviors that they will have to perform on a day to day basis.
10. Up Curb – the dogs are introduced to the up curbs
11. Developing Physical Agility
    1. Agility Walk – dogs are introduced to various surfaces and are taught to place their feet up on a surface in a safe and calm manner.
    2. Back Up Chute – dogs aren’t able to back up normally, so the “back up chute” is designed to teach the dog how to move backwards so that they can perform this in the real world in order to stay safe in future traffic situations.
    3. Obstacle Course – there is a training obstacle course on campus which teaches the dogs how to navigate around and past obstacles.

Doesn’t it look like she’s learning a LOT!? I’m sure she’s having a lot of fun! At this point in her training, everything is set on the easy level. There aren’t many distractions and those that are introduced are low key and easily moved past and Dulcie won’t be asked to stop anywhere on the obstacle course until she has learned a little more.

Good job Dulcie! We are so proud of you here!

Erin & the Pack