puppies inside: FLD Copo

Showing posts with label FLD Copo. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Sit, down, around, exam

October 22, 2014

Baraga

It was time to work. Deb led the teams through SIT and DOWN exercises that become progressively more difficult. I handed FLD Henry off to Corey so I could concentrate on taking photos.

A man wearing the blue prison uniform and a blue jacekt and navy blue knit cap is sitting with his forearms on his knees. He is smiling and leaning slightly forward toward a yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy that is sitting in front of him, facing him. The puppy is wearing the baby blue Future Leader Dog "working" jacket. There are other men just out of view on either side of the photo.

FLD Henry is focused on Corey, who seems pretty happy to work with the pup.

An african american man wearing the blue prison uniform with a long sleeved white shirt under the short sleeve blue shirt is standing in front of a metal wall. He is looking off to the right and holding the leash to a small chocolate lab in his left hand. The lab is sitting at the man's left side and is looking at the camera.

FLD Hershel holds a nice sit for Brown.

SIT

With no distractions, holding for more than 30 seconds.
With people walking around.
With people greeting the teams.

A man wearing an orange kint cap, salmon colored sweatshirt and blue prison pants is on the left of the photo stretching with his right hand to reach something out of the shot to the left. His left hand is holding the leash to a yellow lab puppy sitting on the tile floor on his left side. The puppy is watching the man. Another man is standing in front of a metal wall on the right. He is wearing the blud prison uniform with his arms at his side. He is holding the leash of a small yellow lab in his left hand. The lab is sitting at the man's left side.

Beano (left) reaches for some extra kibble for FLD Axel when Deb asks the men without puppies to start walking around. FLD Farley (right) sits nicely next to Paul.

At least six men are either walking from left to right or are standing with their puppy sitting on their left side. Two men on the left closest to the camera walking by are wearing green sweatshirts and blue prison pants. An african american man is standing with his small chocolate lab, a man wearing a white shirt and blue prison pants is walking by him. A woman is standing behind him wearing an orange sweatshirt and black pants with a large german shepherd puppy sitting on her left side. Another man wearing the blue prison uniform is walking on the far right side, with an african american man dressed in a white shirt and blue pants standing behind him with a small golden retriever sitting at his left side.

Here come the distractions!

DOWN

With no distractions, holding for more than 30 seconds.
With people walking around.
With people jogging by.

AROUND - without a door. Really? Yep, we can practice "around" even if we don't have a door. (For a description of how we work around, visit this post "Training take 1."

A young black lab is standing on the left, curved slightly behind the legs of an inmate wearing blue prison pants and black shoes. The puppy is looking up at his handler, and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

FLD Eco moves into the "around" position while keeping an eye on his handler.

HANDLER'S EXAM - Each puppy's handler checked eyes, ears, teeth, felt each leg and paw, and ran a brush down its back. Then other team members did the same exam so the puppies get used to other people handling them.

An african american man who is standing is leaning over to a small chocolate lab puppy and his hands are on the puppy's head, checking his teeth. The man is wearing a prison blue uniform with a long sleeve white shirt under the blue shirt, and white shoes.

Brown checks FLD Hershel's teeth during the handler's exam.

A man is standing on the left with his arms at his side looking down. The man is wearing blue prison pants and a blue jacekt with orange stripes, with a white shirt underneath. Another man is standing on the right, leaning over to check the teeth of a yellow lab puppy who is standing between the two men. The man on the right is wearing the blue prison uniform with a long sleeve white shirt under the blue shirt. The man has his hands on the puppy's head and mouth.

FLD Farley leans into his raiser, Steve, while another inmate checks him over.

And just because...

A man wearing blue prison pants and a blue t-shirt is standing on the left with his hands clasped at his waist. He is holding the leash to a young black lab that is sitting on his left side. The man is looking down at the puppy. The puppy is looking toward the camera and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. Another man is standing next to a metal wall facing right with his legs crossed. He is wearing blue prison pants and a blue jacket with orange stripes. At his feet in front of him is a yellow lab puppy lying on a green mat facing him.

FLD Copo holds a nice sit next to his handler, Black. In the background, FLD Farley lies on his mat in front of his handler, Steve.

A closer shot of the black lab puppy sitting next to the man. The puppy is now looking straight up at the man.

FLD Copo looks up at Black.

Now the man is leaning down with his face close to the nose of the black lab. The lab is reaching to the man's face.

Black leans in for a puppy kiss.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Ten years to tell a story

October 22, 2014

Baraga

When Deb Donnelly and I arrive, the teams in Unit 8 are ready and waiting for us. Puppies are settled on mats with Kongs and Nylabones at the ready.

A low shot of a young black lab puppy lying on a green thick mat. To the left are the lower legs of the puppy's raiser, he is wearing blue prison pants and black shoes, his right hand is just visible between his knees. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and there is a red Kong on the mat by his right shoulder. The puppy's head is resting on the mat.

A relaxed FLD Eco seems to be listening intently.

Another low shot, this time of a small chocolate lab lying on the tile floor with his chin on the floor between his front paws. He is just behind the lower legs of his raiser, who is also wearing blue prison pants and black shoes. To the left in the background is a blue mat, but the puppy chose to lie on the floor instead. There is also a yellow, green and blue Nylabone puppy chew toy on the tile in front of the mat.

FLD Hershel, on the other hand, doesn't seem interested. What is it about the floor that is more comfortable than his mat?

Deb has lots to talk about. She's come from a circular road trip to prisons in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin before getting to Baraga and continuing on to Chippewa. She reports that Minnesota's Lino Lakes Correctional Facility, which started raising puppies in July of 2013, had their first puppy issued to a client the day before. Leader Dog "Lino" is now a working guide dog.

With the return of the first Baraga puppies looming in December, the men are interested about the process. Deb explains that Leader Dogs for the Blind takes in 44 puppies each month. Leader Dog veterinarians can only accommodate 11 dogs a week. (This places a demand on the breeding department on the other end.) When the puppies return they are subject to a series of medical exams and x-rays to assure excellent health. Some are pulled for breeding; those that aren't are spayed or neutered. About 14 percent are career-changed for medical issues. The rest go into formal guide work training.

"We always train more dogs than we need," Deb says. Up to 24 blind or visually impaired clients in a given "class" live in the Polk Residence at Leader Dogs for about three and a half weeks. Here they learn to care for and work with their new partner. Extra dogs are necessary so the trainers can make the perfect match with each team.

There are questions about what will happen in December when she comes to bring FLDs Axel, Bear and Copo back to Leader Dog. Deb suggests that the men develop a "good-bye" ceremony for themselves, something that can be consistently recreated for each puppy that leaves.

Saying good-bye to your puppy is hard, no matter whom the puppy raiser happens to be. After returning five of my own puppies I can attest that it never gets easier.

"The dogs do way better than the people do in this," Deb says. "They adapt very well, most of them, very quickly. It's like going to camp for them." A collective sigh and the looks on the men's faces make me believe they are not quite convinced.

A black lab is lying on a thick green mat between the legs of his raiser, who is sitting on a lunchroom table stool. The man is on the left side of the table and is wearing blue prison pants and a long sleeved white shirt. His elbows are resting on his knees and he is looking up toward the right. A second man is sitting on the stool opposite on the right. He is also wearing the blue prison pants and a long-sleeved white shirt. This man also has his elbows on his knees leaning forward with his hands clasped. He is looking at the camera. In the background are two other men sitting at another table. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and has a white Nylabone chew toy between his front paws, and a second one on the tile floor next to his mat. The puppy's chin is resting on his right leg and he is looking at the camera.

Ricky (left) and Doug (right) sit with their puppy. FLD Bear is one of the puppies slated to return to Leader Dogs for the Blind in December.

An african american man is sitting on a lunch table stool, bending over to pet a golden retriever puppy that is lying on the lile floor between the man's feet. The man is wearing the blue prison pants and a long sleeve white t-shirt and white shoes. The man's left forearm is resting on his left knee and he is petting the puppy's side with his right hand. The puppy is lying on its left side with its head toward the camera. He is wearing the blue bandana. A nylabone chew toy is on the floor by his head.

P reaches over to give a sleepy FLD Gage a pet. This little guy will be staying for a while, but P will be sad to see FLD Bear leave. P was promoted from FLD Bear's team to raise Gage.

A man wearing blue prison pants and a green jacket is sitting on a lunch table stool with his left forearm across his left knee and his right elbow on his right kneww with his chin in his right hand. The man is looking forward to the left. At his feet is a black lab that is lying facing right. There is a lunch table in front of the team, and another one in the back ground.

Black and FLD Copo, who is also slated to return in December.

Inmate raiser Black will have it especially hard in December. He was promoted from FLD Bear's team to take over as Copo's raiser, so he'll be saying good-bye to two puppies.

Black feels so changed by this program that he recently made a generous donation to Leader Dogs for the Blind. (His job in the Baraga Correctional Facility pays him 74 cents per day.)

Deb feels their pain. FLD Jedi, the 20th puppy she's raised, is due to go back to Leader Dog within a couple of weeks.

A woman dressed in black pants and an orange fleece jacket is standing with her hands on her hips on the right of the picture. At her feet is sprawled a large german shepheard dog, he is practically lying on her feet with his chin resting on the tile floor. He is facing to the right. On the left of the picture is an african american man sitting on a lunch table stool facing the woman. He is wearing the blue prison uniform and white shoes. At his feet in front of him is a small chocolate lab that is sitting on a blue mat with a yellow, green, and lbue nylabone puppy chew toy in front of him. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandan and is facing the right.

Deb Donnelly speaks to the inmate raisers with FLD Jedi sprawled at her feet. Brown (left) sits with his charge, FLD Hershel.

"There's somebody out there who needs this dog more than I do," she says. She tells a story about one of the puppies she raised long ago. The puppy "graduated" and was matched with a young man, it was his first Leader dog. Deb got the chance to meet the painfully shy and reserved man. He had a difficult time speaking to her.

Some years later, when he received a second dog, Deb witnessed an amazing transformation. The man stood up in front of everyone. (Back then the graduating teams were introduced as a group to the raisers during "visitation" night at Leader dog. Now the puppy raiser has an individual visit with the new team.) Deb says he would never have done that the first time she met him. He announced that his goal was to meet one million people. He asked that each and every person should come up and shake his hand.

With a catch in her voice, Deb says, "It took me 10 years before I could even tell this story."

A close head shot of the large german shepherd puppy lying across the woman's purple running shoes. The dog is facing the camera with his chin on the tile floor. His leash is lying on the floor by him and his left front leg and paw are across the woman's shoes. He is looking directly into the camera. He is also wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

FLD Jedi makes sure he stays close to Deb.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Baraga "stars"

August 14, 2014

Baraga

There were now seven puppies being raised in the Baraga Correctional Facility. Thanks to Tammy, an AKC CGC Approved Evaluator, the four oldest, FLDs Axel, Bear, Copo and Dax, were able to earn an ACK S.T.A.R. Puppy certificate.

As the "star" teams lined up for photographs, the other teams asked to have their pictures taken too. I was happy to oblige.

Here are the S.T.A.R.s...

Four men kneel on one knee on the cement, all are wearing the blue prison pants and white t-shirts. A young yellow lab is sitting between the second and third man, all are looking at the camera. The puppy is wearing a black graduation hat, the blue Future Leader Dog bandana, and a medal around his neck. The men are holding certificates up, and there is a sign that reads "I'm a star" in front of the lab. In the background is a wooden staircase on the left and a white brick building on the right.

TEAM AXEL Baraga has three-man teams with one main raiser and two assistants. From left to right are Doug (who joined the team after Steve was given FLD Farley to raise), Beano (FLD Axel's main raiser), FLD Axel, Mondo, and Steve (who started as Axel's assistant raiser). Steve was on the team when Axel passed the AKC S.T.A.R. test, but he wanted Doug in the photo with the team. "He worked his *** of with Axel," Steve said.

A man wearing blue prison pants and a long-sleeved white t-shirt is squatting in front of a wooden staircase and pointing at the camera with his right hand. He is looking down at a young yellow lab that is sitting on his left side. The lab is wearing a black graduation hat with a yellow tassel, the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and a medal around his neck. There are legs of two other men standing to the right.

Beano points to get FLD Axel to look at the camera.

Two men dressed in blue prison pants and white t-shirts are leaning over a young black lab who is sitting between the legs of the second man. The first man, on the left, is wearing a blue baseball cap. The men are smiling as the second man is putting a black graduation hat on the lab. The lab is also wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and a medal around his neck. There are legs of a third man standing to the right.

Black (left) and Ricky (right) have fun putting the graduation hat on FLD Bear.

Three men are squatting in a row, all are wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts, the man on the left is wearing a blue baseball cap. the men are holidng up certificates and smiling at the camera. A young black lab is sitting in front of the middle man with a pained expression on his face. He is wearing a black graduation hat and the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and a medal around his nec. There are wood rails from a staircase behind them. The middle man is also holding a sign in front of the lab that reads, "I'm a star."

TEAM BEAR From left to right are Black, Ricky (FLD Bear's main raiser), FLD Bear and P (who is now the main raiser for FLD Gage; Doug has taken his place on Bear's team).

Three men dressed in blue prison uniforms and white t-shirts squat in front of a wooden staircase, holding certificates up. All are looking at the camera. There is a young black lab lying down between the man on the left and the man in the middle. The middle man has his right hand on the lab's back. The lab is wearing a black graduation hat, the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and a medal around his neck, he is looking at the camera. There is a sign lying on the cement in front of the dog that reads, "I'm a star!"

TEAM COPO From left to right are Harvey (FLD Copo's main raiser), FLD Copo, Luke and Keylor.

Three men squat on cement in front of a wooden staircase, they are all wearing the blue prison pants and white t-shirts, and holding certificates up in front of their knees. Between the middle man and the man on the right a young german shepherd is sitting and leaning against the middle man, who has his left arm around the puppy. The puppy is wearing a black graduation hat, the blue Future Leader dog bandana and a medal around his neck, the dog looks like he doesn't like the hat on. A sign is lying in front of the dog, and reads "I'm a star!"

TEAM DAX From left to right is Patrick, Chad (FLD Dax's main raiser), FLD Dax and Kyle. Dax doesn't seem impressed.

And here are the other teams...

Three men squat in front of a wooden staircase wearing blue prison pants, the two men on the left are wearing white t-shirts, the man on the right is wearing the blue prison shirt. In front of the middle man sits a small black lab puppy. Everyone is looking at the camera.

TEAM ECO From left to right are Wayne, James (FLD Eco's main raiser), FLD Eco and Jerod.

Three men are squatting in front of a wooden staircase on the cement, all are wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts. In front of the middle man is a small yellow lab puppy, who is sitting and looking at the camera. Between the middle man and the man on the right a small yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy is lying down with his head facing the camera. The man on the right, an african american, is holding the leash to the puppy lying down.

TEAM FARLEY From left to right are Steve (FLD Farley's main raiser), Paul, FLD Farley, FLD Henry (the puppy I'm raising) and Brown.

Three men are squatting in front of a wooden staircase, wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts. The men in the middle and right are african american. In front of the middle man sits a small golden retriever puppy, who is looking slightly down to the ground, with his leash lying on the ground beside him.

TEAM GAGE From left to right are Mater, P (FLD Gage's main raiser; P started the program as an assistant on FLD Bear's team), FLD Gage and Shearon.

Before leaving, Tammy reminds the men to stay aware of the end goal and purpose of a Leader Dog. Stealing a line from Bev Blanchard, Manager of Canine Development at Leader Dogs for the Blind, she said, "If your grandmother became blind, would you want this dog to be her Leader Dog?"

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Time to work

August 14, 2014

Baraga

Back inside Unit 8, Tammy started the session with questions. FLD Bear's team was concerned about furloughs. Furloughs, where the puppies are brought outside for outings, are a work in progress. Leader Dogs for the Blind isn't convinced that furloughs are even necessary. Concerns about the puppies reacting to things they won't see in prison, like traffic or kids, has turned out to be not much of an issue. The puppies Tammy and I have taken on furlough adjust to new environments quickly and don't seemed stressed by traffic or strangers.

This is all good. The busy, noisy and crowded prison setting seems to give the puppies adequate socialization.

For now, puppies must be over four months old before they are taken out and furlough volunteers have requirements they must meet. Everyone, from prison officials to Leader Dog to prison puppy counselors, is working to develop standard protocols for furloughs.

A bald man wearing prison blue pants and a white t-shirt is sitting on a concrete floor with a small yellow puppy on his lap. The man is looking at the camera and holding a red Kong toy with his left hand - the puppy has his eyes closed and is chewing on the kong. The man's right arm is resting on his knee. Behind the man is a yellowish brick wall with electrical conduit attached to it.

FLD Henry seems content to hang out with Barry.

Training got underway with the relaxation protocol, switching positions from sit to stand to down. Some of the puppies settled right into the exercise, others worked at it.

Two bald men are sitting on lunch table stools on the left of the picture, they are both wearing blue prison pants and white long-sleeved t-shirts. They both have their hands folded on their knees and are looking down at a small golden retriever puppy that is lying on a cement floor to the right. The puppy is on the left side of an african american man who is standing between the sitting men and the puppy. This man is wearing glasses and the same blue pants and white t-shirt. He is looking down at the puppy. There are stainless steel ice machines in the background.

FLD Gage has figured out the relaxation protocol!

As an example of the flexibility mentioned in a previous post, Tammy opted not to have me demonstrate how to teach the "stand" with FLD Henry.

"All the puppies had very good stands during their demonstration," she said.

Instead, we got right into recalls, with three scenarios. First, "hidden" recalls. Tammy held each puppy in the far corner of the room. The handler went out of sight and then called his puppy. P did a great job with FLD Gage. He knew the young golden was not up to a challenging recall. To set the stage for his puppy to succeed, P just stood around the corner to call him.

The second recall was past a distraction: ME, on the floor with my camera. Turns out I was less of a distraction than the other puppies sitting along the sidelines.

A young yellow lab puppy is running from left to right, he is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The puppy is the only thing in focus in the photo. There is a man in the background to the left, wearing blue prison pants and a white t-shirt. He is standing and facing the puppy. On the right are two men sitting down on the lunch room stools, both wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts, the one on the left is wearing a blue baseballc ap. Between these two men is a black lab lying on the cement floor. The picture is taken from floor level, so the ceiling is visible with long florescent lights.

FLD Farley races past FLD Bear and his team.

A floor-level blurred shot of a small golden retriever puppy digging in to run from left to right. A woman wearing a blue t-shirt and glases has just let the pup go - she is on her knees and her hands are spread out. There are several men in the background sitting on lunch table stools. The puppy's rear legs are off the floor and his head is low looking to the right.

FLD Gage has a quick take-off, but pauses to check me out.

A young black lab is leaping forward from left to right in the center of the photo. He is the only thing in focus. Behind him to the left is a woman dressed in blue jeans and a blue t-shirt, she is leaning over with her hands on her thighs. There are a few men in the far background, and two men on the right sitting on lunch table stools. The men are all wearing the blue prison pants and white t-shirts. There is a black lab lying on the floor between the legs of the man on the right, looking at the puppy flying by. Both labs are wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandanas.

FLD Copo takes some air on his recall.

Another blurred shot from floor level, this time of a german shepherd running from left to right. The shepherd is in focus and is looking to his left side.He is wearing the blue bandana.

FLD Dax races by and visits every puppy on the sidelines.

A low shot of a black lab puppy standing close and looking right at the camera. He has a leash hanging off his collar to the left and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The background lunchroom is out of focus.

FLD Eco.

The third recall was the In-For-Training (IFT) on-leash recall. Every team did great.

GROOMING

A woman wearing glasses and a blue t-shirt (on the left) is holidng the snout and ear flap of a small yellow lab puppy that is sitting down in th emiddle of hte picture. A man wearing a white t-shirt is next to the woman and his holding the puppy's collar. An african american man on the right, wearing a white t-shirt, is holding a small plastic bottle with his right hand just above the ear of the puppy, about to drip ear cleaner into it. His left arm is resting on his left knee.

Tammy holds FLD Farley's snout and ear flap so Brown can administer ear cleaner. Steve helps steady the puppy.

A black lab puppy is lying down. The hands of two men are above him, the hand on the left is giving the puppy a treat, the other hands are wiping the puppy's ear with a cotton ball.

FLD Eco is getting the treatment. One handler is feeding him kibble while the other is swabbing his ear.

A man wearing blue prison pants and a white t-shirt is kneeling next to a young black lab. The man is checking the puppy's right ear. The dog is sitting on the floor facing the camera. The man's right hand is holidng the ear flap up and his left hand is holding his collar. Another man is standing behind them, but only his legs are visible.

Doug checks out FLD Bear's ear.

BACK LEG WORK

While Tammy was helping the guys clean ears, a few of us went out to the yard to assemble a PVC ladder for rear-leg work. Puppies don't know they have rear legs, which can lead to anxiousness on stairs. Having the puppies walk through the rungs of a ladder on the ground helps them realize they have back legs.

I took no pictures of this because I got busy helping with another rear-leg exercise. We set large rubber bowls upside down; the idea is for the puppy to place its front paws on the bowl and then move its rear legs. Many of the men wanted to place their puppy's paws on the bowl to help them out. I struggled to explain that we wanted to "capture" the behavior by letting the puppies make the decisions. Waiting to let the puppy try something, then rewarding the puppy when it does something that is starting to look like what we want can be challenging. It takes patience and an ability to "read" the puppy's body language.

Next up, pictures of some "STAR" puppies!

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Back to Baraga

August 14, 2014

Baraga

Flexibility is a good trait to have when you are a puppy counselor. Our August trip to the UP prisons began with the long drive to Baraga again, instead of starting at the Chippewa Correctional Facility like we usually do. Tammy wanted to head to Baraga first because we would be taking three puppies from Chippewa back to Leader Dogs for the Blind. No need to drag FLDs Sammy, August and Ekco across the UP and back.

A small yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy is lying in a cubby hole of an end table. He is clearly asleep.The end table is wood with one drawer above the cubby and is situated between two hotel beds.

FLD Henry, my sixth and newest Leader Dog puppy, finds a safe place to take a nap in our hotel room. I picked up the yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy from Leader Dog on July 25. This was his debut trip to the UP prisons.

As usual, Tammy and I planned the training session during our drive. Each month Leader Dog has topics for all puppy counselors to cover with their puppy-raiser groups, inside or outside. Our topics for August were obedience "stand" and "recall," grooming, and stairs.

The plan was to start the teams off with the relaxation protocol, followed by a series of three recall games, grooming (including ear cleaning), and ladder and bowl exercises designed to help develop confidence on stairs. When we arrived, the men were anxious to show us the demonstration they presented to Deb Donnelly in July when she came in our place.

Fine with us, their demo was tight and impressive.

A man wearing blue prison pants with a white t-shirt is leaning forward with his right arm stretched out in front of a black lab's nose. The man is looking down at the dog. The lab is standing at the man's left side and is looking at the man's open right palm. The lab is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. There are two other men standing behind the first man watching the man and dog. They are wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts. The man on the left is african american and is wearing glasses, the man on the right is wearing a blue baseballc am and has his hands in his pickets. The are outside in bright sunlight, casting long shadows to the right, and in front of a white brick wall.

Ricky asks FLD Bear to "touch" as P (with FLD Gage) and Black observe.

Two men stand facing left with their puppies at their left side, both are wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts. The man on the far left has his hands crossed in front of him; his yellow lab puppy is lying on the cement next to him, and wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The man on the right, closest to the camera is holding his right arm at his waist and looking down at his german shepherd puppy, which is sitting on his left side. The german shepherd is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and is looking at the man's right hand. The man's left hand is at his side holding the dog's leash. The men are in bright sunshine outside of a white brick building. A man is standing in a doorway in the far distance behind the man on the right.

Beano (left), with FLD Axel, stands in line with Chad and FLD Dax. The teams lined up on opposite sides of the yard facing each other.

A line of four men are walking from right to left with puppies at their left side. All men are wearing the blue prison pants with white t-shirts. The man closest to the camera (on the right) is looking down at his yellow lab; the lab is looking up at him. The next two men in line have black labs and the last man has a german shepherd. The men are walking on pavement in bright sunshine in front of a white brick building. There is a dumpster in the background near the building on the left.

The teams loose-leash walk their puppies. The teams opposite will pass by them.

A amall golden retriever puppy is sitting on pavement next to a man's legs, which are clothed in blue prison pants and black shoes. The man's body is not in view, his right hand is reacing to the puppy's mouth, obviously giving the puppy a treat. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The pair are on pavement in bright sunshine.

FLD Gage, sitting in excellent heel position, demonstrates the soft and proper way to receive a treat.

"Training the Future." The inmate puppy-raising teams of the Baraga Correctional Facility.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Bodily fluids, part 2

June 27, 2014

Baraga to Houghton

Tammy and I planned to take FLDs Copo and Dax on furlough to Houghton, which is about a half hour's drive north of the Baraga Correctional Facility. Chad, lead raiser for Dax, reminded us that the German Shepherd got car sick when others took him out. During a previous visit it was suggested they give him ginger snaps before traveling - ginger can ease motion sickness, even in dogs.

We loaded the puppies into airline crates in the back of the van and tossed Dax a few ginger snaps.

In Houghton, it was too early to check into our hotel, so we headed to Culver's for lunch. Opening the rear doors of the van revealed a distressing sight. Poor Dax had tossed his cookies; he was slimy with saliva. Another fine mess to clean up!

A young black lab is lying on cement on the left and a young german shepherd is lying on the right. Both are looking up to the right and wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The pups are leashed to a grey plastic picnic table.

FLDs Copo and Dax relax at an outside table at Culver's The two beautiful pups drew lots of attention. They were both calm when strangers walked by or even stopped to pet them. We spent some time inside as well.

After settling in at the hotel, and before dinner, Tammy decided we needed to take a walk. "There's a little park on the water, just a ways past the school," she said. Houghton is home to Michigan Technological University. I didn't mind taking a walk, but I was feeling a bit under the weather due to a nagging toothache that wouldn't get taken care of until after this trip. "It isn't too far," Tammy assured me.

Off we went. It was a beautiful afternoon on the bike path that spanned the city on the southern shore of the Portage Lake canal.

"Are we close yet?" I asked Tammy as we left Michigan Tech's Minerals and Materials Engineering Building behind. "I think it's just beyond that curve," she answered.

We walked on, letting the puppies sniff and explore as long as they didn't pull on the leash. We paused at a playground so the boys could watch some children play. They were both curious, but polite.

"Are we there yet?" I asked after what seemed like a mile or so later. "I think it's just past those trees up ahead," Tammy said.

We walked on. A couple of people on jet skis in the lake came zooming by. FLD Dax stopped abruptly and watched them intently until they were long gone. Tammy allowed him time to observe and then we continued.

I felt like my toothache had migrated down to my feet. "Close?" I asked. "yep," Tammy said.

At last, we came upon the spot Tammy had promised. A few picnic tables were nestled among some trees near the shore. Dax wasn't sure of the water at first, but soon was leaping about like the puppy he is, in spite of his size.

The German Shepherd puppy is on leash in the water, jumping toward the camera and the black lab puppy which is at the bottem of the picture looking toward the german shepherd.

Splish, splash two puppies have fun in the water.

And I got to rest.

The young black lab is sitting in sand looking at the camera. His mouth is open his tongue is hanging out just a bit. His leash is hanging from his collar to the left.

FLD Copo, full of sand.

A head shot of the german shepherd who is looking up and over to the right. His ears are up in high alert and his mouth is slighly open.

FLD Dax poses for a portrait.

By the time we made it back to town, I was hungry and tired. I hope I wasn't too cranky. We stopped at the Pizza Works and ordered a "Mediterranean" to go, planning to eat it on a park bench down the street. The owner said, "I'll deliver it."


FLD Dax seems to be enjoying the rest as we wait for our pizza.

A view down a busy city street. There is a man on the left dressed in a green apron running toward the camera carrying a red pizza box. There are several parked cars and other cars with their lights on driving on the street. There are brick buildings in the background.

Dusk settles in. The pizza man delivers as promised. I'm going to live!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Puppy work

June 27, 2014

Baraga

Tammy packs a lot of exercises in her training class. We work on settling with the relaxation protocol, loose leash heeling by "connecting the dots," meet & greets, and ignoring distractions.

We even play a "doctor's waiting room" game, a real-life simulation. Handlers and their puppies enter an imaginary doctor's office. They must maneuver past annoying patients who reach out to pet their puppy, take a seat, and put their puppy under the chair. They are given a clipboard and asked to write their name, their puppy's name and number, and something their puppy has taught them. A rolling cart adds a noisy distraction to a chaotic scene.

At the end of the session Tammy gives the AKC Star Puppy test to teams Axle, Bear, Copo and Dax. Everyone passed!

A young black lab is sitting next to a man's left leg. The only part of the man visible is his legs and part of his body; he is wearing the blue prison uniform. The lab is wearing the blue Futre Leader Dog bandana and is looking up at the man. There is another man wearint the blue prison uniform sitting on a chair in the backgroun with his arms crossed across his knees; his shoulders and head are not in view. There is a wadded up tissue on the carpeted floor on the right side.

FLD Bear looks up at his handler during the relaxation protocol. Notice how he ignores the tissue distraction.

A young german shepherd dog is sitting at the left side of a man standing on the left. The man is wearing a prison blue uniform, his upper body is not in the picture. Beyond the dog are three other men in prison uniforms sitting on chairs. The firs tman is looking at the dog wtih his arms resting on his knees, the second man is leaning back in the chair with his hands folded on his body, the last man is sitting up straight with his hands in his lap. The german shepherd is giving a huge yawn.

Is FLD Dax relaxing, a little stressed, or just bored?

CONNECT THE DOTS - Tammy sets up a course using orange cones at various distances apart. I demo a loose leash walking exercise with FLD Baker. The task is to treat the puppy at each cone, as a reminder to keep the rate of reinforcement high. After my demo, Tammy asks for someone to try it next. Mondo steps up first with FLD Axel.

A low shot of an orange soccer cone (on the left). A small yellow lab puppy is standing on the right looking toward the camera, he is held by a brown leash by a man sitting on a chair behind him. The man is dressed in the blue prison uniform, but his head is out of the picture. Two other men are sitting beyond the cone watching. They also are wearing the blue prison unfiorm. The man on the left is leaning his right elbow on his right knee and his left hand is on his left knee. The man in the middle is african american and is resting his forearms on his knees with his hands clasped.

FLD Farley wants to try.

Three men are standing in a row facing toward the left. They are wearing the blue prison uniforms and each has a black lab puppy sitting on their left side. The puppy in the middle is wearing the light blue "working" jacket, the other tow are wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandanas. A couple of other men are sitting in chairs behind the row.

Teams in line for meet & greet practice.

MEET & GREETS - Tammy has the teams line up on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Step by step they approach and retreat. Eventually the handlers are able to meet and shake hands in the middle without the puppies reacting.

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left with his hands at his waist holidng the leash of a young yellow lab that is sitting on the man's left side. The man and puppy are looking to the right at another man dressed in the blue prison unfiorm. Ths man is facing the camera but he is bent over looking to the right at a small yellow lab puppy. This man is holding the puppy's leash in his right hand at his right knee. He is reaching toward the puppy with his left hand, holding a treat for the puppy, trying to get its attention. A woman dressed in blue jeans and a light blue t-shirt is standing in the background behind them looking on.

Steve uses a treat to "lure" FLD Farley while Barry and FLD Axel wait patiently for them to approach.

AKC STAR PUPPY


Ricky gives FLD Bear a hug while Black looks on. One of the puppy behaviors in the Star Puppy test is the "owner can hug or hold puppy (depending on size)."

An african american man wearing the blue prison uniform is sitting on a blue chair leaning over and hugging a young black lab puppy. The man is laughing and looking at the camera, his right arm is around the puppy's neck. The puppy is tilting his head up toward the man's face.

P gives FLD Baker a big, happy hug.

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform with a long sleeved white t-shirt under his blue shirt, is sitting on a chair and leaning over toward a german shepherd that is lying on the floor at his feet. The dog is facing left and his left pay is on a stuffed animal, which he is sniffing. The man is reaching to the toy with his right hand and his left forearm is resting on his left knee. A man is sitting to the far right, just out of view.

Chad reaches to take a stuffed toy from FLD Dax. "Give" and "take" is another part of the Star Puppy test.

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is sitting on the floor on the left, facing away from the camera. Lying on the floor facing the camera is a young black lab puppy. The man is grabbing a stuffed toy in the dog's mouth with his right hand.

Ricky "gives" the stuffed toy to FLD Bear.

A closer shot of the man sitting on the floor, only he has taken the stuffed toy from the dog and is holding it in his right hand away from the puppy. The black lab is now standing up looking at the toy. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his tail is wagging.

FLD Bear has given the stuffed toy to Ricky, but is still interested in it.

A low, close shot of the head of a small yellow lab puppy lying on his right side on the floor. The puppy's eyes are closed and he is sleeping. Between his front legs is the stuffed toy.

FLD Farley snuggles with the stuffed toy. The men asked to borrow the toy for the month for distraction practice. Later, Steve told Tammy that FLD Farley slept through the night all curled up with the toy.

A floor-level close shot of a small black lab puppy lying on the floor with a white nylabone toy under its front paws. The puppy has his head up looking straight ta the camera. His leash is attached to his blue collar and is off to the right. There are men out of focus in the background.

And just because. FLD Eco is too cute.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Monday, November 24, 2014

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Sunday, November 9, 2014

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