If at first you don’t succeed, try try Try again.
- Firstly, you should read this so you know what these posts are all about.
- The first day with Ike
- Day 2 of training.
- Day 3 of training.
- Day 4 of training.
- Day 5 and 6 of training.
- Day 7 of training.
- Day 8 of training.
- Day 9 of training.
- Day 10 of training.
- Day 11 of training.
- Day 12 of training.
- Day 13 of training.
This morning’s walk followed the same route as last Friday. This was the route that initially caused me a lot of problems and as I said back then it posed major doubts for me as to if Ike was suitable for me. I was particularly worried that he would lose confidence at a crucial moment while navigating through the dense crowds and busy streets of Dublin city centre. Today though I was delighted to find that he was much more comfortable. The speed at which we walked the route was very impressive and although he had minor laps in confidence toward the end of the walk it was actually something that I had learned to correct quickly so within a fraction of a second his confidence had returned and he was back on track again. It was funny. Now that I have a better idea of what to look out for in terms of what body language can be felt through the handle of the harnis signifying this drop in confidence, I was able to determine when it dipped so I was able to come right in as soon as possible with the encouragement he needed. I didn’t think that would have been possible the week before last. It was really nice to see that we have made a lot of progress together in the past week.
This afternoon’s walk was where we got to play with traffic. We practised traffic avoidance in a very quiet estate. It would take far too long to get into the technical side of all of this and I don’t think it would be a great idea to explain how it works for Ike and me because it could potentially be different for every guide dog and handler. Basically what happens with exercises with traffic in this organization is a staff member drives around the area to simulate different realistic issues that you and your dog could experience. For example. If you walk out onto the road and a car suddenly approaches in the far lain what should you do? Or, if you are about to cross and you think the road is clear but it is not. What should the dog do and what should you do to praise this without over stating it or encouraging it too much. On this walk we also had an off curb obstacle to negotiate. I wrote about how this works on Friday. Their very challenging for the dog so it was really hard for him to do the traffic controls and the off curb obstacle in the same walk at this stage of the development of his training and indeed more importantly his confidence but he negotiated it all far better than I would have anticipated. He even managed to only brush me past an overhanging bush and from what I gather, if he hadn’t compensated I would have hit it with a lot more force head on instead of only brushing past the outer edges.
The trainer has said that we are in a perfect place for returning home. If I can manage to continue to keep his confidence topped up over the next few days I am very hopeful that it will only take a slight knock when we return home so it won’t take as much time to build it back up again. I’m quietly satisfied though that with the tools that I’ve learned in the past week I will be able to compensate for this laps in confidence when I get home even if the worst happens and he suffers a regression I should be able to begin to rectify it before the aftercare starts next Monday.
I am also starting to find that my consistent approach is starting to pay off with Ike as well. Without being strict in any way he is beginning to figure out what I expect from him. Simple things like staying lying down all the time when traveling on the bus is now something he is doing comfortably. When I started training he wouldn’t even sit for any amount of time. Keeping this consistency is a lot of work but it really does pay off in the long run. I have said it to the people who are training with their first dog as well. I don’t claim to know a lot about guide dogs but the one thing I can say for sure is that if you want the dog to do something it’s best to do it consistently. If you do it one day and not another then the dog won’t know what it’s supposed to do.
Just one more quick observation. Up until today Ike followed the line of the buildings a lot of the time even when it wasn’t actually necessary. Today he ventured out into the middle of a very wide foot path. I think he was doing it because it but him in a straight line for the next crossing but either way, I think it was a nice sign of his confidence returning. I know I speak of his confidence a lot but it is seriously the most important thing for this dog. You would really not believe how much everything revolves around this at the moment. I think it will get easier with time when his routine has been established and he knows where he is and where he has to go but for the moment it doesn’t take a lot to knock him down. I have to be very aware of what he needs to keep him working well. This extends in to all my interaction with him. Believe me, it’s very hard but it should be worth it.
I’m really looking forward to Friday and going home. Just think. I only have three days of training left! Then the fun will really start. For any of you following this entire process, I will blog when I get home on Friday the 28th, the following Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I will then provide one or two other updates the following week but I am hoping that the first week home will mark the end of the harder parts of this entire process. The posts starting on Friday the 28th of this month will focus on getting home, the settling in process for the dog, the aftercare visits on the following Monday, Wednesday and Friday and of course the most significant day of all, the Thursday that I return to work. These should be particularly interesting.
Yes Darragh! they certainly are and will continue to be! and I’ve been following all the posts from the first day, and am really enjoying them so much! Good luck Friday with returning home and the settling in process and returning to work again! I’ll be following your progress with great interest and immense enjoyment!