puppies inside

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Okay to cry

August 15, 2014

Chippewa

Our session was drawing to an end, in more ways than one. FLDs August, Sammy and Ekco would be leaving with us this day. Tammy would take them back to Leader Dogs for the Blind so they could begin their formal guide dog training.

Emotions ruled. Abe, who suffered through this last April when FLD Zella left, gave sage advice to the teams. "You know it's alright to cry, right?"

Tammy announced each puppy's new "dog" tag number and presented its raisers with thank-you certificates from Leader Dog. Lots of us had blurry vision. Pick (an inmate who volunteers to help in the program in any way he can) was so distraught he left the yard and retreated into Pike Unit. Eric never took off his sunglasses.

A bald man wearing the blue prison uniform is sitting in the bright sun on the seat of a picnic table. Between his legs sits a young yellow lab, whose leash is hanging on the ground. The man is smiling at the camera, his right hand is touching the dog's neck from behind, and his left hand is holding a certificate on his left thigh.

John and FLD Ekco with the certificate.

A man wearing sunglasses, blue prison pants and a white t-shirt is sitting in the sun on a picnic bench, facing the camera. Between his legs is a young yellow lab. The man is holding the dog's leash with his left hand on his knee, and a certificale in front of his body with his right hand. There is a brick building behind him. The man has a somber look on his face.

Eric and FLD August.

A man wearing glasses and the blue prison uniform with a blue ball cap is sitting in the sun on a picnic bench. He is holding a certificate in his right hand by his knee. A young yellow lab is sitting between his legs facing the camera. The dog's eyes are closed. There is a brick building behind them.

Dave and FLD August.

A close head and shoulders shot of the man dressed in a prison blue shirt and blue ball cap and glasses, with his left arm wrapped around the neck of the young yellow lab. The dog is pressed against the man's cheek.

Dave gives FLD August a big hug.

An african american man dressed in the blue prison uniform is sitting on a picnic bench leaning over a black lab. The man's arms and hands are cradling the dog's chest and snout, he is holding a leash in his right hand at the dog's chest, his left hand is under the dog's snout. The man is looking up to the right with a pained expression on his face. It is a bright sunny day with a bright blue sky behind him. The dog's eyes are closed.

Ro and FLD Sammy.

A close head and shoulders shot of the african american man from above. The man has cornrows in his hair. His arms are wrapped around the head of a young black lab that is in front of him. The man is pulling the dog's snout to his face and giving the dog a big kiss on his nose.

Ro plants a big one on Sammy.

The men shared stories.

FLD SAMMY

Ro said that FLD Sammy LOVES apples. He told us that Sammy once stole five apples off the top of his crate over the course of a week. Ro had admonished his roommate for giving the apples to the pup. The roommate insisted he did no such thing. "On Saturday I stopped by my room after lunch to drop off my apple," Ro said. "Sammy was snoring on his back outside the crate, so I quietly put the apple up there and went to work out." His roommate called him back. "There was Sammy in his crate eating the apple!" Ro said.

The picture is taken on an angle. An african american man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left with an apple in his right hand at his chest. His left hand is at his side. The man is looking down at two black labs sitting in front of him. The closest lab to the camera is a very small pup, her leash is draped on the ground. The young male lab is sitting beyond her with his tail in a curl and his legs poised like he his about to spring up. He is totally focused on the apple in the man's hand. There is a brick building behind them with four windows.

Ro shows FLD Sammy an apple he had hidden in his pocket. (Ro's new puppy, FLD GeeGee wants in on the action too.) We had never seen this normally laid back lab so animated. After a quick series of "puppy push-ups" (sit/down/stand/down/sit, etc.) Ro gives Sammy (and GeeGee) some treats. He puts the apple back into his pocket. "You are planning to give that to him in the van, aren't you?" I ask. Ro smiles.

An african american man (left), wearing a white t-shirt and blue prison pants, and a shorter man (right) wearing the blue prison uniform, stand in front of a brick wall. The african american man is cradling a small black lab puppy in his arms and the man beside him is resting his right hand on the puppy. This man's left hand is at his waist. Both men are peering at the camera with a "tough guy" gaze.

Hello FLD Sammy. 2013.

Ro and Abe wanted to re-enact their first photo with FLD Sammy from last September.

What a change in all three of them!

A head and shoulder shot of the african american man (left) and the shorter man (right) in front of the brick building. Now they are holding up a large black lab between them. The man on the left has his arms cradling the dog's body, while the man on the right is hugging the dog's head to his, with his hands holding the dog's head. Both men have big smiles on their faces, in starck contrast to the previous photo.

Good-bye FLD Sammy. Almost a year later, Ro (left) and Abe (right) hoist up a much bigger puppy.

FLD EKCO

John shared how FLD Ekco would come to wake him up in the morning. "He'd put his front paws on my bed and nudge me with his nose," he said. "Get up!" John also told us how Ekco always stretched before getting out of his crate, so he started saying, "bow," whenever the pup stretched. "Now Ekco bows on command," he said. A brilliant example of putting a behavior on "cue."

Scott said, "We don't believe you. Show us."

A man dressed in the blue prison uniform is standing on the left side, slightly bending over. His head is not in the picture. The man's right hand is curled at his chest and his left hand is holding the leash of a yellow lab that is "bowing" on the right. The dog has his nose and chest toward the dirt and grass, with his rear end in the air.

FLD Ekco "bows" on John's command.

FLD AUGUST

FLD August's raisers were quiet and no one else ventured a story about him. So I did. I talked about the first time the little guy went on furlough with Tammy and me in the Soo and we took a walk on the bike path next to business loop I-75. August responded quickly to positive reinforcement for loose leash walking. "He just pranced right along," I said. I thought he was a puppy who was eager to learn.

Two men stand in front of a brick building with some plants behind them. The man on the left is wearing a long sleeve white t-shirt and blue prison pants and a blue ball cap, the man on the right is wearing a green sweatshirt and blue prison pants. The man on the left is holding the leash of a small yellow lab puppy, whick is lying on the grass at the feet of the man on the right. The men have somber expressions on their faces.

Dave (left) and Eric (right) with FLD August last October. These three have changed also!

TIME TO GO

For some reason, the photos I took of the guys putting their puppies into the Leader Dog van were all a little bit blurry. My camera has auto-focus, but perhaps I was shaking. Just a little. This never gets any easier. I'll let my "photo-shopped" pictures tell the story of good-bye...

A man dressed in a blue prison shirt is reaching into an airline crate that is sitting in the back of a van. There is a yellow lab inside the crate looking out at the camera. The man is looking at the dog. There is a blue ball in the van on the right side.

John says good-bye to FLD Ekco.

Two men wearing blue prison shirts (the man on the right is also wearing a blue ball cap) are facing the camera with a yellow lab dog to the left. The dog is coming out of the airline crate that is in the back of a van. The man in the middle has his right arm wrapped around the dog's back and is smiling at the camera. The man on the right with the ball cap is reaching his right arm over the other man along the top of the crate and his reaching his left arm in front of the other man to pet the dog under his chin. The man with the ball cap is wearing sunglasses and has a serious look on his face.

Harlan (right) can't contain himself and has to come out to the van to say good-bye.

A man dressed in the blue prison shirt and a blue ball cap with glasses is standing at the rear of a van that has the doors open. The man is facing the camera with a sad look on his face. His left hand is closing the door of an airline crate. You can just see the tail of a yellow lab in the crate.

Dave puts FLD August into the Leader Dog van. Eric could not bring himself to come out to the van.

An african american man with corn rows in his hair and wearing the blue and orange prison shirt is backing a black lab into an airline crate. Both his hands are grabbing the dog's chest and the dog is looking down trying to come out. The man is looking at the dog.

Ro puts FLD Sammy into his crate in the Leader Dog van. He tossed the apple in with Sammy, who waited until Ro left before he ate it.

The african american man is turning toward the camera, walking away from the open side doors of the white Leader Dogs for the Blind van. He is holding a leash and collar in his hands at his waist. He has a sad look on his face.

Ro turns from the van. Nope. It is never easy.

DOGSPEED puppies! And great job raisers!

Two airline crates in the back of a van hold two yellow labs. The lab on the left is sitting down, the lab on the right is standing. Both are looking at the camera.

FLDs Ekco and August, in their crates for the long drive south.

A black lab is sitting in an airline crate, looking at the camera with his tongue hanging out.

FLD Sammy, apple eaten.

"The better to hear you with, my dear."

August 15, 2014

Chippewa

Two lines of puppies are lying along the edge of a wide sidewalk, each of their leashes secured under a large rock. Most of the puppies are looking away from the camera toward a group of about a dozen men standing in a line facing the camera. The area behind the men has been blocked out in green. The puppy that is closest to the camera on the left is a german shepherd, the closest on the right is a black lab. The rest are black and yellow labs, one chocolate lab and a golden retriever.

"Hey, look over here!"

Before we get started on grooming, Scott orchestrates a group photo. He has the men make a "human wall" so the shot could be taken without the fence behind them in view (prison regulations). I end up greening out the fence in post-production.

It is evident the teams spend lots of time grooming their puppies. Coats are clean and shiny, nails are short and all the pups tolerate handling.

Tammy is particularly impressed with Jeremy and FLD Coda. This "finishing" puppy was extremely standoffish when she came to the Chippewa Correctional Facility at the beginning of July. She was not comfortable being close to anyone.

Yet, here she is just a few weeks later, almost snuggling against Jeremy when Tammy comes to check her ears.


Tammy squirts a few drops of ear cleaner in FLD Coda's ear, with the help of Jeremy (center) and Aaron. Notice how Aaron is giving Coda a treat to make this a positive experience. When asked how he managed to gain Coda's confidence so quickly, Jeremy said he followed a positive training plan called "By My Side." He rewarded Coda every time she came near him.

A close shot of a young chocolate lab, wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana, lying on cement and having one of his ears cleaned. There are two sets of arms - one supporting the puppy's head and the other administering the ear cleaner.

FLD Bandit gets his ear cleaned.

This close shot is of two bald men with the head of a german sheherd between them. The men are squatting down. The man on the left, facing the camera, is wearing a white t-shirt and green pants, he is dripping ear cleaner into the shepherd's left hear with his right hand. The man's right forearm is covered in tatooes. The man on the right is facing away from the camera toward the dog, he is wearing the blue and orange prison shirt. There is a bit of grass and part of a brick building in the background.

Doug (left) and Carlos (right) clean FLD Chewy's ear.

A man dressed in the prison blue uniform and blue ball cap is squatting over a young chocolate lab. The lab is lying on his right side on cement with his head nearest to the camera, he is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is resting on the cement. The man is looking at the dog, and is petting his side with his right hand.

Harlan takes a moment to give FLD Bandit a pet.

An upwards looking shot of a young man dressed in a white t-shirt holding a small black lab in his left arm. The man has a big grin on his face and the leash looped around his neck. The puppy is wearing a blue Future Leader Dog bandana with the name "Teysen" embroidered in white on it, he is looking at the camera. The sky behind them is deep blue and there is a brick building behind them too.

And just because this team is so darn cute. Meet Joe and FLD Teysen!

Risky recalls?

August 14, 2014

Chippewa

The chow hall is crowded with teams and puppies and Nylabones and Kongs are strewn about on the floor. The door to the yard is propped open for the summer breeze. Practicing off-leash recalls in a prison isn't very risky. After all, where could the puppies go?

Tammy starts a series of three recall exercises with a "blind" recall. She holds each puppy at the far end of the room and has the handler go out of sight. When he is hidden next to the ice machine, or squatting behind the trashcan, or just tucked in behind another team at the end of the lunch table, he calls. Tammy releases the now-excited pup.

One puppy takes advantage of the situation. His paws scrabble on the tile floor, he snatches a Nylabone and hightails it out the door on a run that reminds me of Norman Rockwell's painting, "No Swimming". His handler goes to fetch him.

This one isn't the only opportunist.

After a few more puppies make a break for it, I can't hold back. I say, "What are you teaching these puppies? How to escape and steal things?" Everyone laughs.

Tammy switches sides for the recall past a distraction (me again, on the floor with my camera); the puppies are recalled away from the door. This works much better.

A very blurry shot of a young black lab running from right to left. The dog is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. There are four men sitting on lunch stools along the left side, all are wearing blue priosn pants and white t-shirts. There is a woman in the background on the right side wearing blue jeans and a tan t-shirt. She is on her knees, with her hands on her thighs. There is an open door in behind the guys on the left.

I have no clue which puppy this is running past me. Note the open door in the background - he completely avoids it!

In this blurry shot another young black lab is running to the left, but the dog's face is more in focus than the rest of the photo. Two men are sitting on the left, one is leaning his tatooed forearms on his knees. The woman behind the puppy has her hands open because she just let the puppy go.

This pup races to his handler and ignores me too.

After these two risky recalls, Tammy has the teams practice the In-For-Training (IFT) recall. The handler has his puppy sit, down or stand, then walks in front to the end of the leash and calls the puppy to come. The pup must not do a "fly by" and must stop close enough for the handler to grab the collar. Easy-peasy.

Two men in blue prison uniforms stand on the left side holding the leashes of two labs that are on the right. The man closest to the camera is bald and is looking down at a young chocolate lab. The lab is walking toward the man and looking at him, he is also wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana. The second man is behind the first man and is an african american, although he is mostly out of sight. The leash he holds is attached to a young black lab that is sitting further to the right looking at him. In the background sitting in front of two large windows are two men.

Chris (in front) and Ro call FLDs Bandit and Sammy.

Before heading out to the yard for more training, Ro rolls a large blue ball into the room as a distraction.

A group of at least five men and their puppies circle a large blue ball that is on the floor. Some of the puppies aren't interested and are looking away, others are straining to sniff it.

Oooo, the big blue ball!

Friday, November 28, 2014

On the spot at Chippewa

August 15, 2014

Chippewa

Without puppies to slow us down, Tammy and I get to the Chippewa Correctional Facility with two minutes to spare. The guys, as always, are waiting for us.

Two men are standing in front of a brick building looking at the camera and smiling. They are wearing white t-shirts. The man on the left has a blue baseball cap on his head and is cradling a small yellow lab puppy in his arms. The man on the right is resting his left hand on the puppy's side. The puppy's front legs are hanging over the man on the left's right forearm. The puppy is looking at the camera and is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana with the name "Adell" embroidered in white.

Tim and Bryan meet us in the yard with their charge, FLD Adell.

A man wearing the blue prison shirt with green pants is squatting on a tile floor with a young yellow lab sitting between his legs. The man's hands are wrapped around the dog's chest. The dog is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and is looking toward the camera, with his leash hanging to the left. The man has his head turned to the left and is smiling devilishly at the camera. There is a woman in the background over his left shoulder, she is wearing a black shirt .

Harlan strikes a pose with FLD Ekco.

FLD Henry pays me no mind when we enter the chow hall where we will have class. Tammy starts the same training plan we put together for Baraga with the relaxation protocol. Eric does a nice job handling Henry.

Two men wearing blue prison pants and white t-shirts are standing with two small yelow lab/golden retriever puppies. The man on the left is stepping toward his puppy, holding his leash with his left hand. The man is looking at the puppy. The puppy is sitting and looking at the man. The man on the right's head is not visible. He is standing a step away from his sitting puppy (which is the same breed as the other puppy), and he is holding the leash with his right hand. The puppy is looking up at the man. In the background are steel lunch tables with attached stools, a white brick wall and two windows.

Eric (left) takes a step away from FLD Henry during the relaxation protocol. Henry's brother, FLD Harley, sits for his handler Brian.

This time Tammy decides that I will demo how to teach the stand. I hope I'm up to it - the nine-week-old Henry doesn't know stand and this is a tough crowd. Not because they are inmates, but because many of them are accomplished puppy raisers. My demo is rough.

I take Henry from Eric and ask the pup to sit. He swings out in front of my left side to face me, and sits. In the just over two weeks I've had him we've made good progress with sit, but not position; Henry is a long way from knowing "leg." I could use light leash pressure to help guide him back into proper heel position, but without thinking I reposition myself instead. I take a half step forward to encourage Henry to stand. It takes a couple of attempts before he stands, but then he sits right back down. This is one way to teach stand. Another way? I kneel down and with slight pressure forward on the leash I help him up with my hand on his belly. I rub it a little to keep him standing.

Somehow my stand demonstration morphs into a discussion about "silky leash" training. The guys want to see what I'm talking about. Henry rocks this demo - every time I give slight lateral pressure on his leash, he gives into the pressure and moves toward it. He is learning to overcome his natural reaction to pull against pressure (oppositional reflex).

Ideas for applications for this technique fly around the room. Loose leash walking, positioning (into heel or under tables, for example), ignoring distractions, direction changes, "around."

See what I mean about accomplished puppy raisers? Thinking all the time, just like we want our puppies to do.

Two small yellow lab/golden retriever puppies are sitting on at tile floor like bookends. They are brothers and look like it. The puppy on the right is slightly ahead of the other and is looking right at the camera. He is wearing the blue Future Leader Dog bandana and his leash is going off to the right. The puppy on the left, slightly behind the other puppy, is looking up toward where his leash is going off to the left. There are stools behind the two puppies.

FLDs Henry (left) and Harley (right) sure look like brothers, don't they?

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Okay to cry

"The better to hear you with, my dear."

Risky recalls?

Friday, November 28, 2014

On the spot at Chippewa

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