I was entertaining my niece yesterday so took her to Newbridge house in Co. Dublin. I had to bring Ike for a free run so it was a great way of doing both at the same time. There are plenty of things for her to do and Ike had plenty of space to run around. Because we were up near Freddie I sent a quick message to his family to let them know that I’d be near in case they wanted to meet up. There’s an outstanding football chalange that needed to be settled! 🙂
No. Don’t worry. I wasn’t playing. They tried talking me into it but there is that minor annoyance of never knowing where the ball is to contend with. 🙂

Anyway, it was a very enjoyable afternoon. So much so that I thought you deserved a few pictures from it. It also gives me the oppertunity to show off my fancy new gallery. What do you think?

[nggallery id=1]

It really made my weekend to see Freddie doing so well. He’s really enjoying retirement! Although, if I was living in such a nice place and I didn’t have to go to work every day I think I’d enjoy retirement too!

I’ve neglected this blog lately. It’s a shame! I enjoy writing in it.

Last Friday marked twelve weeks since I was in the guide dogs centre in Cork with Ike. It’s hard to believe that he’s been here for twelve weeks already.

Things have settled down substantially lately. I said in my last post about Ike that I was changing his food. He’s now on James well beloved. This is a food that is specifically designed for dogs with very sensitive stomachs. It’s also fully natural so it is still very good for him. When he started eating this it was like someone had pressed a button for him. His spending routine became much more reliable and in fact we haven’t had one incident where he has needed to spend on a walk in almost four weeks now. This is an incredible achievement for him. I am delighted that we’ve finally got there. It certainly took a lot of work and a lot of time but I think it’s been worth it.

Ike has been working really well it has to be said. I’ve kept him to reasonably regular routes as I said here before. The main routes he has are to and from work, around my local area, around the area of my office and a few places in Drogheda. I’ve been very careful not to throw too much at him too quickly. There are also places I just couldn’t consider going to yet. For example, I couldn’t walk from my office to Connolly station through the IFSC because I have no idea how to do it myself. There’s a shortcut through the Irish Financial Services Centre that cuts a lot of time off the walk but Freddie knew the way. I just followed him. That’s not something I’d like to get Ike to do yet. I don’t think he’ll be up to taking that kind of responsibility for a few months yet. As I’ve said a few times, his confidence is one of the main things that he needs work on. He’ll have to have a lot of confidence to walk around that area because there are a lot of open spaces and the straight line principal will basically have to go out the window in that area.

Of course, when Ike isn’t working he’s enjoying himself. There are a few people in work that make sure he remembers he’s still a pup from time to time. I don’t encourage that but at the same time, they don’t do it all that often and they know when to stop so I don’t have a problem with it either. It all goes back to my aim when I got Ike first. I want to make as many of his early experiences as positive as possible. That has been of major benefit actually. He enjoys getting into the office to get attention from people. He also enjoys the walk from the train station in the morning when we get to Dublin because again, he knows that on the way there, we’ll stop for a coffee and he’ll get even more attention. These little distractions from time to time keep his mind at rest. As we’ve progressed, he’s needed less and less distractions and less attention but I’m continuing to ensure that everything remains very positive for him. In some situations I’ve actually had to cut back on the positivity because it was having a negative impact on his obedience.

If for example we drove to my parents’ house I’d let Ike out of the car and let him run up the driveway to the front door. He loves being able to walk from room to room getting people’s attention but the lack of control was starting to become a problem. When I called him back or gave him another command it took him a long time to listen. Instead of coming back to me he he wanted to play instead. This wasn’t his fault. In Ike’s mind this was his free time. Listening to me wasn’t that important. I’ve had to start consistently keeping control of him. As a policy when I’m somewhere I know such as my parents’ house I won’t keep him on a lead because I don’t think it’s necessary or fair. Instead I’ve begun telling him to come. When he begins to walk ahead I say no in a relaxed but firm tone. I also hold my left hand out slightly with my palm toward him so he knows to stay behind it. I use to do that with Freddie. My palm was basically a stop sign for him. If we were out somewhere and someone told me he was getting up when across the room all I had to do was open my hand in his direction then point down. I don’t know what it is about it but he always got the message. Ike is also instinctively doing the same thing.

Of course, my family think I’m being very strict by keeping more control over him and they continually give out about it however my firm opinion on this is Ike is my guide dog. I entrust my safety to him every day of the week. This means that I need to rely on his obedience and attention. Letting it waver even in one situation could impact other environments where his attention and obedience is absolutely vital. I make the rules that he follows. I say what he can and can’t do. I feed him, I let him out to relieve himself, I walk him, I play with him, I praise him when he’s done something well and on the very rare occasion where it’s required, I correct him when he’s done something that isn’t acceptable. I am Ike’s one stop shop for what is and isn’t allowed because Ike is my one stop shop for mobility. That’s just as simple as it gets. I admit, when I got Freddie first I was probably somewhat susceptible to others opinions of the way I interact with my guide dog however now I completely ignore them.

I’d also just like to summarise a few other problems that I’ve had with Ike that just took time to sort them out.

He hated his bed. Even in the centre he wouldn’t get into his plastic bed. With the mat on the floor he was a little more comfortable but even with that he was a bit hesitant. When I got him home I really wanted him to sleep in his bed. I wanted him to be comfortable in it and importantly, I wanted him to recognise that this is his space. It’s a space that I don’t interfere with at all when he’s in it. He however got really nervous and anxious while just sitting in it. I sorted this out over about a month by spending a certain amount of time every day just sitting beside his bed talking to him while he was in it. I also gave any treats such as bones when he was sitting in it. I did everything I could think of to make him more relaxed. As time went on he became more settled. Now he’s quite happy to go there to relax in the evenings and I actually have to go over to him in the morning to give him a bit of a rub before he’ll bother to get up.

The other problem I had with Ike is in cars. He really didn’t like them and in fact got quite travel sick. I am a little frustrated that the centre didn’t make me aware of this during training as it was something I could have prepared for to make this particular experience even more positive for him. I didn’t give it a second thought. Freddie had no problems jumping in and out of cars and because I admittedly have limited experience with dogs I never really considered that Ike would be uncomfortable in them. It was only through a brief conversation with his puppy walker that my suspicions were verified. The way I got around this was quite simple. When Ike was in the boot I sat in the back seat so that I could reach my hand across to give him a rub. This always calmed him down. I reduced the attention I gave to him over time. I also ensured to correct any crying or any excessive walking around so that he understood what I expected. E rarely use taxis but for the first few times I arranged to have a friend pick us up. This was great because he loves dogs and gave Ike a lot of attention. I also made sure that we weren’t in a hurry and when we got out I had a few minutes to play with Ike. This was a little strange. When traveling to the train station in Drogheda for example I got a taxi early one morning so that I had some time to play with Ike after we got out of the car for a moment. It wasn’t particularly crazy playing. It was just a case of letting him run after his toy for a minute or two. This kind of rewarding destination approach was suggested by his puppy walker and has worked wonders for Ike. It has now got to the stage where Ike travels in cars with no problems even though we probably have only used a taxi once in the past month. At least now I can depend on him to behave properly and remain reliable when traveling in cars. I couldn’t do that twelve weeks ago.

So. There you have it, a quick summary of Ike after twelve weeks.

Dumb and dumber

Yesterday was my third time seeing Freddie since retiring him in June last year. I’m very fortunate that the family he is with don’t mind meeting up with me from time to time. Of course, I wouldn’t want to be a burden either and it’s always something I’m very conscious of. I actually don’t know how people retire guide dogs and never see them again. That’s more of a question than a statement. Their obviously better able to handle the transition than I was.

Now that I have Ike and I’m able to independently, freely, easily and confidently get around the country once again I have to admit that not having Freddie around is much easier than it was while waiting for Ike. Of course it’s obvious that Freddie meant a lot to me for a lot of different reasons but truthfully, retiring him was a massive blow to my ability to do simple things like walk from where I work to O’Connell Street. That’s only a ten minute walk but there are a minimum of three difficult crossings on the way there. Of course I made sure that I did it with the cane. I wouldn’t let it stop me but because it was a lot harder I lost all motivation to go over there unless I absolutely had to. That’s just one example. I’m quite sure that anyone with a guide dog understands where I’m coming from.

Yesterday we met up with the family that has Freddie in Newbridge house in north county Dublin. It’s a huge place that caters for families so it was perfect for the day that was in it. The weather was fantastic. The sun was out for most of the day as well so there were a lot of people out enjoying themselves. There are loads of green areas around there and a very relaxing path that brings you around the grounds.

When we got there I left Ike in the car for a moment and I said a quick hello to Freddie. As usual on these visits he had a moment of uncertainty but then it all came back to him and he became his usual bouncy self. I forgot how he felt compared to Ike. He’s much more firm and strong! His hair is also a lot shorter, there’s not as much hair on his tail and his ears are a lot shorter as well. I’ve been told a lot that he’s getting very gray around his face but you wouldn’t think he’s getting on in years by the way he was acting yesterday. After giving him loads of rubs I went back over to the car and let Ike out. Of course, to be safe I kept Ike on a lead until he was introduced to everyone but there was probably no need. He said hello to Freddie and Banjo, the family’s younger dog and was happy to just stand sniffing around for a few minutes. Freddie was let off the lead first because he wanted to go for a sniff. That is something I’m really missing with Ike. Freddie was let off; he went over to whatever it was that was interesting him, had a sniff then came back. There was no silliness about it, he just did what he had to do then came back and he was perfectly happy with it. No prompting or praise was required either. Now, I’m reasonably confident that Ike will settle into that kind of thing as well but still, it’s encouraging to see Freddie still has that awareness to come back when he’s done without any hassle. I let Ike off next and he did his usual puppy routine. He ran around the place like a dog that hasn’t seen the light of day for an entire month, barked once or twice at nothing at all then settled down. I actually like that about Ike though. He just goes crazy and blows off lodes of steam. I use to worry about Freddie. He was always so calm and reserved. I thought he should probably want to go mad every so often. I know I certainly do. Ike makes me laugh. In the mornings if he seems a bit stressed for any particular reason I let him out in the front garden. He runs around a small tree over and over again, stops for a second, barks at nothing then runs around it in the other direction. After he’s done that he plays with me by walking towards me then running away again so I can’t catch him but when he’s had enough he’s happy enough to start the day as normal again. It’s just his quirky personality. He has to be allowed do it a few times a week because he’s such a sensitive dog he needs to just let it all out a bit more regularly than Freddie needed to. That said, Freddie was very sensitive as well. In fact, I didn’t think there could be a more sensitive dog than Freddie until I got Ike.

Anyway, back to yesterday. Both dogs were happy enough to explore separately for a while. When we were all together and everything was sorted out, we walked over to a large green area where I could encourage the dogs to interact more. Banjo, the families only dog before Freddie arrived on the scene was quite happy to go hunting around the bush areas so Freddie and Ike had a lot of time to get to know each other. It was fantastic getting descriptions of what they were up to from Emma. Both dogs also hung around my side a lot so I could be aware of what they were doing. That wasn’t intentional on my part. I was equally as happy when they went off doing whatever it was they wanted to do. It was very funny at times. I use a whistle to call Ike back just as I did with Freddie. Ike’s recall is fantastic but it’s not as quick as Freddie’s. Ike just couldn’t be bothered running as fast. He prefers trotting around. Seriously, that dog is so lazy you need a rocket in the mornings to extract him from his bed. When I called Ike back Freddie rocketed toward me and Ike trailed behind plodding along. I obviously hadn’t intentionally called Freddie back. He just associated the whistle with coming back still. “Ike, you should be ashamed that a ten year old dog is still stronger, more agile and faster than you! Ha-ha”. Actually, let’s recap. Ike should be ashamed that a ten year old dog with arthritis in his hips and his front paws is stronger, more agile and faster than he is considering Ike is not even two yet! I’m quite pleased with that actually. A few times Ike tried to become the more dominant dog over Freddie but Freddie was still well able to put him in his place. I think the family who have Freddie were a bit worried but I’ve been around Freddie when he did that a few times and I’m not at all worried. If either of them were in any danger I would have stepped in straight away. Emma gave me a running commentary once or twice as well which was very entertaining. At one stage Freddie had his mouth around Ike’s neck. It’s harmless enough. He wasn’t bighting. Ike used his paws to push Freddie off and Freddie came back to me for attention. Mainly because although Freddie is stronger than Ike, he’s still a huge wuss. Ike is a much harder dog. Ike has been stood on while out, he’s got under my feet more times than I can count at this stage but it never bothers him. He simply doesn’t care. That’s very useful actually and it’s just one of the many reasons why Ike makes a fantastic guide dog.

For the entire day they got on great. It was nice to see Freddie so full of energy. It was also lovely to see Freddie interacting with his new family so seamlessly. Even Banjo the other dog seems to get on great with Freddie. They chase each other around a lot but they’re both very easy going. I think it’s actually banjo that has Freddie so fit. I doubt he’d be as willing to get up and move if he was just being walked every day.

Freddie is feeling great! He’s put on a lot of weight which is a little concerning considering this will very likely intensify the arthritis in his hips if it isn’t handled but it was kind of expected and it’s no reflection on his new family. Freddie was doing twelve hour days and a hell of a lot of walking when he was with me. It stands to reason that now that he’s taking it easy he’d put on some weight. I’m just hoping that his weight relaxes soon because I’d like to see him continue with this new found energy for a long time yet. Aside from his weight though he’s doing really well. His coat feels fantastic and I don’t think his tail stopped wagging yesterday. I miss the level of interaction he gives compared to Ike. He lets you know what’s bothering him and what he’s enjoying by his very straight forward body language. I find Ike a lot harder to read. He’s getting easier. Not because I’m getting use to him but he’s starting to show the same kind of body language that I understand such as simply wagging his tail or putting his ears up.

It was lovely to see Freddie again yesterday. It was also brilliant to introduce the two dogs, remember why Freddie was such a good dog and recognise why Ike is going to be equally as perfect for me. The two dogs are very different. They have their own quirks and sensitivities but their also very alike in a lot of ways. People tell me a lot that the two of them look very similar. They also respond very well to commands and hand gestures. They both like to keep me within a certain range, they’re both very loyal, they both love playing in a very specific way and their both tortured because they have to put up with me.