puppies inside

Friday, January 9, 2015

Attachment happens

September 25, 2014

Chippewa

While Tammy was answering questions, FLD Ashley lost her lunch. Men leapt into action faster than a dedicated group of volunteer firemen. Morrison scooped up what he could with a poop bag; Harlin ran over with some paper towels to wipe up the wet stuff; Abe ran out and returned with a bottle of spray bleach and more towels.

In a jiff the mess was gone.

Robert said, "Ashley had a terrible day yesterday." A bee sting caused her face to swell up. After a call to the vet some Benadryl helped with the swelling, but the antihistamine wasn't setting right in her belly.

"I stayed up all night with her," he said, and added, "Until this happened, I didn't realize how attached I've become to her."

A black lab is lying on a tile floor with her chin on the floor between her front paws. She is facing to the left and she is between the legs of a man sitting down, only his legs dressed in green pants and black shoes are visible and his tatooed forearms and hands, which are massaging the puppy's ears.

FLD Ashley enjoys the "ear slide," a Tellington TTouch massage technique that can help calm a stressed puppy.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Chippewa redux

September 25, 2014

Chippewa

Tammy promised the guys in Pike Unit we'd be back before the end of September. She wanted to do the training we didn't have time to do earlier in the month. So, up and back we went in a one day trip.

We stopped in Mackinaw for a photo op before heading across the bridge.

A large handsome German Shepherd puppy wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana is sitting and facing the camera. In the background the Mackinaw Bridge sretches off to the right. There is blue sky.

FLD Chewy poses with the Mackinaw Bridge. He was returning to Chippewa after a complete veterinarian check at Leader Dogs for the Blind. His gait and joints are fine.

A smaller yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy is sitting in front of some large boulders. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and is facing the camera with his eyes pinched shut. In the background above him stretches the Mackninaw Bridge over the Straits of Mackinaw.

FLD Henry makes a goofy face for the camera.

We got inside Pike Unit after 2:00 p.m. Before starting the relaxation protocol, which has become our opening exercise, Tammy asked if anyone had questions or concerns. FLD Bandit's team reported that the young chocolate lab wasn't eager to get into vehicles when he went out on furloughs. Ro worried about FLD GeeGee eating rocks in the yard. Harlin asked for tips on what to do when FLD Bentley decides to abruptly stop walking.

Tammy asked me to demonstrate "silky leash" with FLD Henry, as a skill for the men to work on with FLD Bentley. This technique teaches the puppy to give in and move with light pressure on the leash instead of pulling against the leash (opposition reflex). Unfortunately for the demo, Henry is pretty savvy with this method. Every time I gave light pressure on his leash he moved with it, so our audience did not get to see how to handle it when the pup resists. Fortunately, the guys are adept at understanding concepts.

As for keeping FLD GeeGee from eating rocks, well, the teams needs to be observant and proactive. Tammy suggested that if GeeGee stopped playing with the other dogs while in the yard and started scrounging around, she should be brought back inside right away. "Don't give her an opportunity," she said.

The teams don't have access to a vehicle to work on getting the puppies comfortable getting in and out of a car, so Tammy set up some chairs to simulate the tight quarters of the passenger side floorboard. This is where Leader Dog likes our puppies to ride because that's where they will be with their handler when they are working guide dogs. Tammy sat sideways on the chair and then swung her feet and body around to face forward. "Get situated first, then ask the puppy to join you," she said.

Tammy suggested that the men set crates up on something higher so the puppies could get used to jumping into small spaces. And she advised them to explain to furlough volunteers that they should not force the puppies into the car. "Have them use treats to coax them in," she said.

Three men, dressed in blue prison pants and white t-shirts are sitting and facing the camera. They all have their hands resting on their knees, and each one has a puppy lying on the tile floor between their feet. The puppy on the left is a yellow lab, the middle puppy is a black lab, and the puppy on the right is a german shepherd.

All in a nice settle during Tammy's discussion.

Now it was time to do some work...

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

We work

September 12, 2014

Baraga

Tammy got the group working on our September skills right away.

A man wearing the blue prison uniform and a blue knit cap is standing on the left facing the camera. His hands are at his side and he is holding a leash in his right hand. A small yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy is sitting on his left side. Another man, wearing blue prison pants and a long-sleeve white t-shirt is standng in front of a door with a window in it. His right hand is in his right pant pocket, and his left hand is holding a leash attached to a young yellow lab puppy that is lying on the tile floor on his left side. The puppy is facing the man and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. A woman wearing blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt with a treat pouch around her waist is standing on the right with her back to the camera.

Tammy leads the group in the relaxation protocol. Corey is handling FLD Henry; Bart is handling FLD Farley.

An african american man wearing blue prison pants and a white long sleeve and glasses is standing facing the camera with a small golden retriever puppy sitting on his left side. The man is looking down at the puppy and the puppy is looking up at him. The man's hands are hanging down at his sides. The puppy's leash is lying on the tile floor attached to his collar. The puppy is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana.

P and FLD Gage have great focus during the relaxation protocol.

Two men are sitting on opposite sides of a steel lunchroom table. The man on the left is wearing blue prison pants and a white long-sleeve t-shirt, his left elbow is on the table and his right elbow is resting on his right knee, his hands are clasped. The man on the other side of the table is wearing the blue prison unform and his resting his folded arms on the table. A third man is standing to the right, but his head is out of the picture. He is wearing blue prison pants and a white t-shirt. He also has a blue surgical glove on his left hand. His right hand is holding a leash attached to the collar of a young yellow lab, which is moving toward him from left to right.

FLD Farley is interested in the blue glove that his raiser, Steve, is wearing. Teammates Bart and Paul look on as Steve asks Farley to get into heel position.

A closer shot of the man standing, with the man sitting at the table with his arms folded. Now the yellow lab pup is just about to sit at the man's left side, his nose is reaching up toward the man's left gloved hand.

Steve demonstrates how FLD Farley can't keep his eyes off the glove. I show the team how to work on impulse control with Farley so he can ignore the glove.

Six puppies are lying down along a wall on the right, all but one are facing left. Opposte the puppies are a line of men dressed in blue prison pants and white t-shirts. The men are sitting or standing and looking at the pups.

Here the puppies demonstrate a nice down/stay.

We head out to the yard to do the CGC and IFT assessments. I am so busy helping Tammy that I don't get many photos...but FLDs Axel, Bear, Copo, Dax, Eco, Farley, and Gage (the puppies eligible for the CGC) are all successful.

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left, but he is only visible from the waist down. He holding a leash to a small yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy that is standing on his left side. Both are facing the camera, but the puppy is looking at an older black lab that is being walked by from the right.

FLD Henry stands calmly as FLD Bear and his handler walk by during the loose leash walking portion of the IFT.

Tammy decided to add a tic-tac-toe game after the group CGC and IFT assessments. Lots of fun and good training!

An outside shot on cement with a white brick building in the background. A group of men are standing in the background with their backs facing the building. There are nine cream colored plastic chairs set up in three rows of three like a tic-tac-toe board. There are two men sitting in two chairs in the first row (furthest from the camera), one man in the middle seat in the middle row, and one man in the far right seat in the last row. The men sitting have puppies with them.

Tammy designates two teams - "sit" and "down." The game is played like tic-tac-toe, but the puppies on the sit team have to sit for the duration, or they are out. The puppies on the down team have to hold a down or they are out. This is a fun game that challenges the raisers and their pups to hold position in spite of the distraction of other puppies and handlers walking by.

Three men and their puppies are sitting in a row. The man on the right has a german shepherd, the man in themiddle has a yellow lab, and the man on the left has a golden retriever. The puppies should all be lying down, but the only one that is is the golden retriever! There is a man in the background on the left standing with a black lab sitting at his left side. The men are all smiling.

Unfortunately, two of the "down" team puppies don't want to hold position. A row or diagonal of puppies on the same team must hold position for at least three seconds after the last pup is in position. As you can see, only FLD Gage with P stays down. Steve and FLD Farley (middle) and Chad and FLD Dax (right) are disqualified and the game goes on.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

All flavors

September 12, 2014

Baraga

"Puppies are awake, but quiet," I report as Tammy turns the Leader Dog van west. We plan the afternoon's training session as we drive. September's topics are STAY, TRAFFIC, and STAIRS. Of course, traffic is out.

As an American Kennel Club (AKC) evaluator, Tammy can "test" some of the older puppies for the AKC Canine Good Citizen program. She plans to have all the teams participate (good training), with the assistant raisers marking the scores she gives. We'll do FLDs Axel and Bear's In-For-Training (IFT) assessments at the same time; everything except traffic.

Poor FLD Chewy gets carsick during the long drive. We stop in Ishpeming to clean out his crate and park FLDs Hershel and Henry. Although we arrive at the Baraga Correctional Facility about 1:30 p.m., we don't actually get into Unit 8 until after 2:00. Evidently, chocolate labs are popular in the UP and some MDOC employees want to meet the little guy before we present him to his raiser.

"Now we have all flavors," RUM Steve says as he picks up Hershel. Eight puppies now - two yellow labs, three black labs, one German Shepherd, one golden retriever, and a tiny chocolate lab to round out the mix.

When we get down to Unit 8, we hand off FLDs Chewy and Henry to the inmates. I race in ahead of Tammy to be sure I capture the delivery of FLD Hershel.

An african american man dressing in prison blue pants and a white long sleeved t-shirt is sitting in the foreground on the right, facing the camera. His hands are clasped in his lap. On the left is a group of inmates sitting at metal lunch tables. There are two puppies visible sitting in front of their raisers. In the background, two women are coming in through the lunch room door. The first woman, wearing blue jeans and a grey shirts, is carrying a small chocoalte lab puppy.

Raiser Brown patiently awaits his new charge. The room fills with "Awwwwwws" as Tammy shows off Hershel to the other teams.

A clsoer shot of the man sitting in the chair. He is looking at the camera with a half-smile on his face. The woman wearing the grey sweatshirt is standing behind him to the left and and smiling. She is about to hand the small chocolate lab puppy over the man's left shoulder. The puppy is already looking at the man.

Tammy loves this part of her volunteer job - handing off a new puppy!

This is a head shot of the man and the chocolate lab being set on his left shoulder. The man is smiling broader now, and his eyes are sneaking a peak at the puppy. The puppy's front paws are resting on the man's shoulder, still being held by the woman.

The meeting - a bit tentative?

Another head shot of the man, who is now REALLY smiling! He is reaching up to hold the chocolate lab puppy with both of his hands, his left hand over the top of the puppy and his right hand supporting the puppy's chest. The puppy appears to be sliding down the front of the man's chest.

Tentative? I think not. FLD Hershel, meet Brown!

Two african american men are standing in front of a metal wall, both are wearing white long sleeved t-shirts. The man on the left is cradling the small chocolate lab puppy in his arms, the puppy is on his back and the puppy's leash is lying across his body. Both men are smiling at the camera.

Team FLD Hershel. Brown and Phil, one of his two assistant raisers, pose for a team picture. The third team member was not present.