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.

In the last post I asked what you would like me to write about next. Elly asked a very interesting question. She wanted to know how I teach the dog new routes.

This is a bit different for everyone and in fact I have a few different ways of doing it depending on where I’m going or how fast I have to get there.

I’ll generalise for a moment first. Some people like to have a sighted person go with them the first time they do a route. This is especially the case when it’s a new dog. By having a sighted person with you you can get very comprehensive details about the area you’re in so in turn when you walk that route with the dog you can provide him or her with very specific and accurate instructions. This gives the impression to the dog that you’re very confident and in turn the dog will replicate this by being focused, comfortable and observant. This is actually crucial as I’ve said before. If you’re not confident when giving commands to the dog it won’t be confident when following them. It takes quite a lot of time before the dog will mature into having the skills necessary to pick up the slack when you can’t. I said in my six week review post that Ike had already started to demonstrate this ability but it’s not something I’d push just yet as to do so could actually have the opposite effect.

When I got Freddie I certainly used a sighted guide for areas where I wasn’t particularly confident in. I also used a few other tricks though. For example, there was a lecture room in college that was in a corridor with six other doors. Aside from counting each door by touching them on the way past I had no way of knowing when to get the dog to find the door. The solution I used that time was to ask one of the caretakers in the college to temporarily put a mat across the corridor a few feet away from the door that I had to find. Therefore when I hit that mat I could start giving the dog the command to “find the door”.

I lived in a house in Dundalk after finishing college. It was in a row of houses and again, without actually counting the drive ways by hand there was no way I could figure out where the house was. Luckily by this time I was confident that Freddie would learn where the house was after a few days but to make it easier I used a small amount of sand and sprinkled it on the path just in front of the house. It only lasted a few days but it gave me a clear indication as to when to give the dog the command to “find the way”.

When I moved to Drogheda I had gas installed in the house. While working they had to pull up a small section of the path across the road temporarily. This coincidently gave Freddie a specific marker that he had to stop at. I then gave him the command to “Find the curb” while sweeping my hand across to the left. By the time they had finished working on the path Freddie had known that the house was right across the road.

Now that I know that area very well I know what to expect before I get to that point. I pass a pole that always emits a low hum and directly after that there’s a really wide drive way that is properly sloped. Once we get over that drive way I stop at the next crack in the path. Specifically the cracks higher on one side. That will line me up exactly with the gate to my house. Knowing this was perfect when I got Ike because he tried to predict when I wanted to stop but he was coming up a bit short. By knowing that crack was directly in line with the gate I was able to tell him to “hop up to the curb” to signify that it was a little further. All of these commands had to be given in a very positive and encouraging tone so as to show him that he was still very good for finding the area that we wanted to cross at but he needed to go a little bit further.

Now, for routes that I don’t know anything about, this can be tricky. In fact, at this early stage, I probably wouldn’t do them with Ike on my own. When we were in Belfast Emma was with me so she was able to give me pointers when we needed to turn. It’s worth mentioning here that because Emma knows me so well she knows that giving me directions isn’t just as easy as saying left, right or straight because the dog listens to her. Ike hasn’t got to this stage yet. He will though eventually because if Freddie is anything to go by, he’ll hear someone saying left or right and he’ll try to pre-empt it by taking the direction before I say it to him. For that reason Emma will usually use some other way of relaying the next direction. This isn’t vital of course, it’s just a nice alternative because again, it allows me to be fully confident in the directions I’m giving him and he’s getting all the directions, encouragement and praise from me so it remains a very positive experience for him.

When in new areas it’s hugely important that you give definitive hand signals to follow up every verbal direction you give the dog. These hand signals are given with your right hand. The table below summarises these:

When walking using a GPS you have to show confidence even when you don’t feel it. If you get an instruction to turn left after twenty metres then you walk about twenty five steps and start to tell the dog to find left. When I was walking to Dublin castle a few weeks ago I had no idea where my destination was but I knew the general layout of that area. I at minimum knew that if I was completely lost I could use the sindero app on my iPhone to find the nearest street names and points of interest. That gave me enough to fall back on to allow me to remain confident.

A few key things you want the dog to find in new areas are crossings, curbs, doors, and turns. For example if taking directions from someone you try to determine what turns you need to take. By knowing that you know when to get the dog to find the crossings. If it’s not a city area then you may not have controlled crossings so in that situation I use curbs to differentiate to the dog that he is looking for something different.

Finding a specific door to a shop in a busy street can be difficult. There are a few tricks to it. Let’s take boots on Grafton Street as an example. By knowing that area now, I know that if I smell the coffee from McDonalds I know I’ve gone too far so I need to turn back. Unfortunately sometimes it’s just a matter of cancelling out the shops before finding the right one. There’s a photography shop that I go into sometimes on the top of Grafton Street near the shopping centre. It’s very hard to find. Up at that side of the street the shops have very narrow doors so it’s really hard to hear where the openings are. By that I mean, shops with big doors usually have fans blowing air into the shop. Or they have music playing. Sometimes you can just feel the heat or you can feel the lack of solid space on one side if you’re walking beside a shop with a big opening. For this photography shop I know that directly inside the door there are steps going up. The shop before it has a ramp. The doors feel similar though so I only know that I’ve gone into the wrong shop when I encounter the ramp. HMV isn’t too far away from that shop either so I know when to slow down to start feeling along the wall. When I say I feel the doors I try to do this as inconspicuously as possible. I won’t exaggerate though. It’s a really hard place to find so when all else fails and I’ve misjudged the distance away from it I grab a passerby and ask them where it is.

In Drogheda I could walk around there on my hands and still know where I am so shops that have small doors don’t pose as much of a challenge. It’s also quieter in Drogheda so it’s easier to use other noises as land marks. For example, an electrical shop is very near to a part of West Street that gets considerably narrower. When I start to try to find the door into that shop I know that the shop before it has a wide door or coming from the other side, the shop before it has round plaques on the wall outside it. I also know that on the other side of the road it’s between two crossings. There are a number of land marks that are easier to hear and because I’m originally from there I’ve kept up with the small changes that have been made over time.

Giving commands to a guide dog is kind of funny in a way. You have to be consistent and logical while remaining very positive and encouraging. For everything it does right you have to give loads of praise. On the other hand, Different dogs require different levels of interaction. I would consider Ike as a dog that requires more than the average level of interaction. Of course this will become less necessary as time goes on but I’m aware of dogs that started out that required much less praise and encouragement. As I always say to guide dog owners and even people interested in guide dogs. Every guide dog and handler is different. As well as this every partnership is also different. What works for one will unlikely work for another. Every command that I use works well with Ike but may be completely counter productive for another dog. Equally, my method of finding places may also be unsuitable for some and just completely silly for others. I know people who have fantastic awareness of obsticles in their environment. I have great spatial awareness. Different people use different strengths to their advantage.

HELP! What would you do?

I have had Ike home now since the 30th of January.

Since class started on the 12th of January I have encountered issues with his spending routine. He intermittently but persistently relieves himself while working.

Imagine the following: Your working in a job that requires you to regularly walk to other offices and other buildings. You get half way to one of these buildings when your dog suddenly needs to relieve himself. You want to of course get him to a grassy area but the nearest one is five minutes away and when he starts showing these signs five minutes is just a little too far away. You try desperately to get there in time. Sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t. When you don’t you need to listen to the disgruntled people walk by giving out and complaining that your dog has just messed the foot path. If you do make it, you still have to continue on your way to or from the job you were doing. The result is that a half an hour job now takes 45 minutes or more. This results in quite a substantial decrease in availability from a manager’s perspective.

Now imagine something else. You’re with a group of friends. You’re on the way to a pub when your dog needs to relieve himself again. You make it to a grassy area but you are holding everyone else up while your dog finds a suitable place to relieve himself.

Imagine you’re with a few people from upper management and your dog does the same?

Imagine your just getting to know people when your dog shits right in front of one of them as their walking?

Imagine the comments from people who say: “Wow. Your last dog didn’t do that”.

Imagine the constant struggle of trying to get your dog to relieve himself on a schedule that really should be perfectly suitable for him. Imagine spending 45 minutes in Stephens green in the afternoon giving the command over and over again.

Imagine not ever getting frustrated, annoyed or stressed about this.

I don’t have to imagine. I have to do it every fucken day. I have stood there at Stephens green using a voice you’d only use when talking to a small child walking up and down the grass area that he uses in desprit hopes of him spending. He does it eventually and if he doesn’t, I have no choice but to stay there until it happens because if I don’t I know that he won’t last the afternoon.

I have been late for work because in the mornings he just stands there looking at me. I have to run with him around the yard before he feels the need to go yet if I don’t make sure he spends he will need to relieve himself less than five minutes after we leave the house. I can’t explain how frustrating it is to spent twenty minutes trying to get Ike to spend but failing then after five minutes working he needs to go.

I have stayed calm, positive, friendly, patient and understanding for three months now but I have reached the end.

I can’t do this anymore.

The staff in the guide dog centre have been great. I can’t fault them. They have today suggested that I change Ike’s food to see if that helps. I’ve been asked to give it another month before doing anything else after changing the food.

I think I’ll try this. One more month. Hopefully within that time things will improve.

Ike’s work is fantastic. If it wasn’t I wouldn’t be so bothered by this. I am willing to do anything and everything it takes to make this right. I could say that Ike isn’t suitable for me because of this issue but what then? Go back to the Cain/ No! Thanks but no! I couldn’t do that again. I have no other choice but to find a solution to this.