What a difference a day makes.

Before we start, you may want to read other posts related to training with Ike. Secondly, you might want to read about the first day with Ike.

Isn’t that the truth? This time yesterday I had a dog in my room. Now, I have a big hairy mutt that I’m convinced must be actually crossed with a horse! He’s huge! Oh. Sorry, have I not said what breed he is? He’s a… Oh. Hold on, there’s someone at the door.

Now, where was I? Ah yes, he’s a horse. This is great though because when playing with him I don’t need to be all that careful. I’m quite a strong person so I’m often afraid of hurting dogs by playing too rough. This fella insists on it though. Of course, I need to be careful but wow he really gets into it! At every opportunity we’ve been playing, doing short obedience walks or simply sitting on the ground having a bit of a chat. Granted, it’s a little one sided but we can’t have everything. As I was saying, yesterday he was just a dog that I had to get to know because it served a purpose. Today, he’s an intelligent guide dog who has some really interesting quirks and who loves getting his back scratched! I’m learning little things about him all the time which is really boosting my confidence with him and in turn, he hasn’t stood at the door pining since I got up this morning!

It hasn’t all been good though. Let me start from when I got up. I’m not feeling the very best at the moment. I have a dodgy cold and it’s kind of kicking the crap out of me. I was awake and thinking of getting up when I heard Ike getting sick. This actually doesn’t bother me at all. When you get past the thing of oh I’m cleaning up dog sick it’s really very easy. The only thing I’d say is that I personally like to be very independent. I know that they want to make things as easy as possible while people are training here and actually, I think this is actually necessary because it’s easier to remain as positive as necessary when the only thing you have to think of is the dog. Still, I’d really hate to greet someone first thing in the morning by asking them to clean up dog sick. I’d much rather know where to find the cleaning stuff so I could do it myself. So, I cleaned it up and attempted to feed him. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be a standard thing to do because if the dog isn’t feeling well the last thing you want to do is make him feel worse by giving him food. I knew though that him getting sick was just caused by his pining over moving from trainer to me as his new handler. I tried to feed him an hour after I got up but he didn’t eat again. I don’t mind a dog not eating once. Like us, they can just decide not to eat for different reasons. When he didn’t eat for the second time I decided to enlist the help of the trainer. He was great. He began to give me a glimpse into the behaviour of Ike and told me a few things that the dog needs to simply make him feel better. These nuggets of priceless suggestions were given randomly throughout the day as and when they were needed. I have to acknowledge that the trainer I have is very blunt and straight. He doesn’t mess around and I love that. I couldn’t ask for a more suitable trainer for me. He gives suggestions when I need it and he changes the way he gives me information when I ask for it differently depending on the type of route we’re doing. There are a lot of things that I need to re-learn and even more things that I’ve picked up in the past eight years that I need to forget to effectively pick them up all over again in a way that suits Ike. I am loving this process. It’s hard without a doubt but I think it’s a skill that won’t just serve me well for guide dogs it will probably help in other areas too. Adjusting to change is difficult, this isn’t change, this a complete wipe of the slate to start with a completely new set of protocols and procedures.

So, after the successful feeding with the assistance of the trainer, I took him out to spend. I find that with Ike, he relieves himself really quickly if or when he needs to go. That will be really useful when we return to work.

I made sure to play with him before our first walk to put some of the trainers suggestions into action. We didn’t always use a toy. Sometimes I just had to sit there with him letting him try to catch my hand`. At this early stage, it’s really hard to know what he likes most in terms of attention, petting, playing and even correction and positive reinforcement. To be honest, it’s really frustrating not knowing.

Things from this morning really started to look up. The first and second walks were fantastic and it was through these two simple routes that the early stages of a bond started to show. The dog reacts really quickly to commands and he is really easy to follow. We got quite wet both times so he needed to be towel dried after each one. He really loves this. Especially when it’s done in a playful way. This is really how most things need to be done with him. Through play or really positive encouragement.

For the time between the morning walks and the afternoon one we took it easy. I did a few more play sessions and a few more walks around the inside of the centre but it was very uneventful. One thing I really noticed though was he was much more attentive. I no longer had to say his name to get his attention all the time.

The afternoon walk was a little bit more difficult. Not for the dog but for me. I don’t really understand why but I needed a little bit more concentration while walking through some of the obstacles. Because things like off curb obstacles were such second nature to Freddie, I fell into bad habits by simply using hand signals or by letting him use his own initiative when navigating around them. Again, this is to be expected and it goes back to what I said earlier about re-learning a lot of things. It’s this kind of thing that I’m finding quite easy though. It’s the interaction while not working the dog that I am finding most challenging. And at the risk of sounding a little negative, by challenging I mean I’m almost ready to go absolutely crazy. I simply can’t get over this fella’s stubbornness. I know that I will just need to learn how to and I quote: Make what I want him to do something that he thinks is a good idea and that he wants to do on his own. This is easier said than done because although I’ve heard more than one person suggest this, I have no idea how to implement it. I’ll give you a really quick example. We finish in the run and he’s just spent. He trots in happily by me. Firstly, this is something really different because I’m use to the dog standing and basically demanding praise and attention for this most difficult of tasks… No, Ike just keeps walking in by me straight over to the other corner. I know he’s just having a sniff. This is understandable but calling him doesn’t seem to have any effect. I have to do a quick jig and slap my legs like someone who has a crazy itch that they can’t scratch to get his attention so that he knows I mean business when I tell him he has to come over. I’ve also been told that I need to be careful to not make this a battle of wills as again, when he does something he has to think that it was his idea and he has to want to do it. I just wish I knew what this means and how it’s done. Again, I don’t want that to seem negative. Sure, it’s written in that kind of way but that’s simply where I am at the moment. This will improve with time and when someone explains what the hell I’m meant to do.

Since the final walk today we’ve done very little. I don’t want to overdo it. We’ve played a lot and I’ve sat on the floor with him to give him some attention. I’m delighted to report that he’s now eating for me so I’m hoping this will really help with his interaction with me in the next few days. I’m a little concerned that the only time he’s done a solid spend is when the trainer took him to some grass earlier today but I’m very hopeful that this is a temporary thing and with a second regular feed in the morning he’ll be glad to relieve himself.

So, that’s day two in a nutshell. I’m looking forward to day three and asking the trainer loads of question. I seriously need to figure out what they mean by making the dog think that the task or command was his idea. If I’m to be completely honest, I’m finding his stubbornness very frustrating. I’m trying to stay positive but at the moment, it’s very difficult. But hay! Isn’t that what this is all about? With any luck, in a weeks’ time all this will be behind me and things will be going much better. Well, that’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

This is where the fun starts.

Things didn’t go to plan at all. I was here just 45 minutes and I got Ike, my new guide dog. This was the perfect situation for me. I wasn’t all that thrilled with the thoughts of spending a few hours simply getting to know my environment. Their all just straight corridors and even part of the floor is marked out to make it easy to find one of the turns. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!

The trainer led Ike down to my room and after a brief introduction he left to let Ike and I get a little bit more acquainted I wasn’t prepared for what came next. Ike cried for around five minutes at the door when the trainer left. He stood at the door and no amount of coaxing or talking would make him move. I’m not sure if it was the best thing to do but going back to what I know best, I did some obedience. It wasn’t particularly difficult stuff. No corrections were needed at all but it took the dogs mind off his loss for long enough to get him to focus on me a little more. From here things went a little better. He’d get distracted when he heard a failure voice but by standing in front of the door with him I was able to keep his focus on me. This is something I really hadn’t expected but something I had heard a lot about so I wasn’t surprised. For anyone who is unaware of this process, the dog becomes very attached to the trainer as you can understand. When the trainer hands him over to the new handler it’s a massive wrench for the dog. The poor thing feels very vulnerable and insecure and it is very important for the new handler to build a bond with the dog as soon as possible.

So, that’s what I’m trying to do. I’ve found that every time I bring Ike for a quick walk around the centre he’s more comfortable and relaxed with me when we return to the room. The problem is that every time the trainer comes back we take a little step backward. It’s a little frustrating but I completely understand it.

After a few walks we were given a Kong. This is a rubber toy that they like guide dogs to play with. The thing is, I hate them. I just don’t like them at all. I still gave it my best shot though. I tried throwing it a little bit but although Ike retrieved it he wasn’t particularly pushed. I learned after giving it some time that he prefers it if I don’t throw it for him. Instead he wants me to hold it so he grabs on then we both pull out of it in a crazy gave of tug of war. You wouldn’t believe how relieved I am that he likes this. I am trying as much as I can to ensure I don’t compare Ike to Freddie, my previous dog but it’s a lot harder than I thought for different reasons than I expected. As very few of you know, I was actually quite nervous and even afraid of dogs when I went down to train with Freddie. It was him that put me at ease with dogs. I learned what to expect from dog behaviour from him. I was worried at the start that I wouldn’t be able to get use to Ike because I had no common point of reference but now that I know the two of them play the same I am very confident that I can use this as a solid foundation to effectively create this bond the trainers talk about so often.

Even though I didn’t expect it to be so difficult I was slightly prepared. I had spent months walking my sisters dog an untrained and completely stupid mutt because I actually missed the company of a dog but it gave me a little bit of an idea of how to cope with a completely different dog.

Anyway, never mind all that, I asked one of the other trainers if they’d give me a ragger. This is a toy made of rope with knots on each end. I love it because I can really feel what the dog is doing and I’m delighted to find that Ike seems to love it more than the Kong too! Oh playing is such a funny event. Ike is so vocal! I get growled at and he even uses his paws to try to get it off me. The playing field is now even!

That’s really what today all is about. Play, the occasional walk around the inside of the centre and getting to know Ike. He’s getting use to me slowly but surely. I have a feeling that this bond is going to take a while to build but I think when it’s done, it will be completely solid and I’m looking forward to the challenge.

One thing I’ve really noticed about Ike is he is a real licker! He licks everything! The walls, the floor, the door, the bed, and the bags oh… and me! This has settled down since about two hours after I got him but if it continues, it’s something I will need to fix.

I have to say that his behaviour has been impeccable. I have had him with me for the entire day and he hasn’t caused me one problem. Considering that his obedience shouldn’t really be that good with me yet that’s really saying a lot. Getting him under chairs is exceptionally easy and I can easily forget he’s there when he’s settled.

The one thing that bothers me a little at the moment is he didn’t eat for me tonight. This isn’t something that I’m overly concerned about as he seems very attached to the trainer so this must be quite distressing for him. I’ll report it to the staff, monitor it and if it continues tomorrow I’ll start doing something about it.

The centre is fantastic. I have to say one thing though. The dog’s bed is right under a counter type thing. Ike is a very large horse of an animal so when he stretches he hits his head off the bottom. He did that after drinking today as well.

Responsibility is probably the biggest part of effective mobility in my opinion. When training with a guide dog, it’s important that you portray confidence all the time. If you’re not confident then the dog won’t be. In my experience it’s as simple as that. If you’re not confident and you’re the leader of the pack between you and the dog then how can the dog be expected to be confident? After all, you’re the dominant one. You’re the stronger one. You’re the one that always has to be in control. That’s how the pack works. Taking responsibility for this is vital.

How can you be confident though when you’re entrusting your safety to a four legged hairy mutt? Let’s face it, at the start, how are you meant to trust that this dog isn’t going to have a brain wave one day and figure out that if he knocks this fella out he won’t have to walk me everywhere. I know. I know. They love working and they love doing what their trained to do. I’m just making a point. How can I be expected to implicitly trust this animal with my safety and mobility when to me, it’s little more than a trained pup. I can’t do it. Well, more accurately, I can’t and won’t do it right away. It takes time. For me, that’s what the three weeks training in Cork are for more than anything else. I won’t trust the dog; I’ll trust the trainer who is walking behind us. If the dog makes a wrong move, I may not detect it right away until I become use to its little subtleties. The three weeks training in Cork will help begin to create a bond between the dog and me. This bond is by far the most important part of the dogs training with me. The bond builds this pack mentality for the dog and probably more importantly, it builds a trust for me with the dog so that I believe it’s able to do what it’s been trained for.

As I said at the start, it’s important that I take responsibility for my own mobility. Life doesn’t stop just because my situation changes therefore it’s important that I don’t stop either. When I return from training in Cork and I have had some training at home, I will need to launch back into work with the dog at my side. I know from conversations I have had with the trainer that this is going to be a particular challenge with this dog as it would probably be more comfortable for it if I ramped up slowly to my usual routine. I will have to take this into account in a lot of situations however unfortunately the most complicated routes that I do from the perspective of a guide dog are unavoidable. This is where the responsibility for confidence comes in. If I am very clear and concise in my instructions to the dog it will hopefully be able to keep its concentration focused on smaller tasks. With this more granular breakdown will come an increased number of milestones. With every milestone comes praise for the dog for doing it right. With smaller tasks, more praise more frequently the dogs confidence should remain high.

I can only do this if I am confident in the routes myself. For that reason I have begun analysing every route that I walk every day. From home to the train station, From the station to work, from the work to the park, from the park back to work, from work to the train station, from the train station to home and all the other routes in between. I am walking each one both on my own and with friends to ensure I intimately remember and understand every stage.

The aim is that I will be able to use these routes as a foundation for the dog for a number of months. They are challenging as they contain a lot of crossings, off curb obsticals, crowds of pedestrians, noise, barriers and distractions. Once we master these routes I will be able to slowly increase the scope of the dog’s routes steadily over the next eight months to a year.

In conjunction with this I am also revising material I received in the pack given to me when I qualified with my previous guide dog to ensure I clearly remember all of the different commands. I am attempting to ensure that this entire process goes as smoothly as possible because I know that as soon as training begins it’s going to be an uphill battle. Things that I never expected to go wrong will crash down around me. It’s inevitable that the dog will probably get sick, the weather will go against us, I’ll have habits to break or something else will happen to set us back a little bit. Hopefully the more prepared I am the better I will be at getting back on course afterword.
So that’s it in a nutshell. The preparation for the training is ongoing but even though I’m trying to cover off anything and everything that can go wrong, I know that nothing is certain. Hopefully I can prepare for that uncertainty too?

During the training I will attempt to document each stage, each set back and more importantly each success. If this interests you, look under the new guide dog category for these posts.

So, I’m exactly two weeks away from traveling to Cork for training with my next guide dog Ike if all goes to plan and the weather doesn’t completely mess everything up.

Emma noticed on Sunday night that a new picture had been added by Irish Guidedogs to their facebook page of Ike showing him with a santy hat in his mouth. The caption underneith it reads: Ike disappointed that he missed Santa.

I contacted the trainer last week to see how everything was going and it seems like things are progressing reasonably well. There still a lot of work to do but hopefully by the end of the training it will all be sorted.

For obvious reasons known to people who have gone through this process I cant say all that much just yet. During the training however I will provide regular accounts of how things go. It will be as much for me to look back on as it is for visitors to read about.

Six months after my Fairwell to Freddie, my previous guide dog, I’m still waiting for the new dog Ike to be fully trained in preparation for the class in the middle of January 2011.

It’s been a long, boring, difficult, frustrating and challenging six months. Still, I’ve navigated my way around the country and even to England, Spain and Italy with just the cane so I really can’t complain. Not having the dog has limited what I can do and where I can go substantially but I’m lucky that I still have quite good cane skills so I haven’t been completely left high and dry.

It’s funny how things change. Originally when I applied for my first dog I had hoped that it would make getting through crowds easier. Crowds have always been one of my weaknesses. I just can’t keep my Barings while walking through them. Interestingly now that I’ve experienced the benefits of using a guide dog my reasons for looking forward to the new one are slightly different!

There are three homeless people around this area. Leaving aside if they are legitimate or not, I’m tired of walking into them. There’s one man who stays in the same place but the other two keep moving! Also, the man who stays in the same place stands where the other two are sitting or something so their almost completely impossible to miss. I’m sure there as tired of being met with a cane every day so you’d think they’d warn me when I’m approaching? No. They don’t. They just wait until they get poked. Actually, last Friday there was a new person sitting at one of the walls. He or she really got on my nerves. I was walking along trying to listen out for people coming toward me and trying to make sure I didn’t land on my behind by slipping on the ice when this idiot grabbed the bottom of my cane and tried to steer me around by it. This is like showing a red rag to a bull for me. Leave my cane alone! Don’t touch it! For any reason! I don’t care if a bus is coming toward me, leave my cane alone! There are other ways you can direct me if it’s absolutely necessary!

My next reason for looking forward to having a dog again is simply relaxation. I haven’t gone for a walk for the hell of it in six months. I miss strolling around Stephens green during lunch. It’s nice to just get away and have a few minutes to think from time to time. I probably didn’t appreciate how much I’d miss it when it was gone.

Christmas shopping. Before I had Freddie I use to get friends to give me a hand with this. No, the dog was completely useless for finding good presents for people, but he was great at finding doors to shops. This year I neither have the motivation or frankly and honestly, the independents to do this as efficiently as I have been able to for the past seven years. The simple act of asking people to help with this is also embarrassing! Yes. I’m well aware that that’s stupid thank you very much.

Yes, I’m looking forward to January. So much so that I can’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit at all this year. I just want the whole thing to be over so I can get on with 2011.

Oh, I really miss the social side of things. I’ll never again complain that people come over constantly when the dog is around. I actually miss it! This isn’t as sad and pitiful as you might think! It’s simply a thing of logic. Say you’re out on your own for whatever reason. If you’re surrounded by people, it can be difficult and actually even intimidating to simply strike up a conversation with a complete stranger. In fact, I did this last week and began by talking to an empty chair. Stupid! I know! The fact is that when you have a dog, people are more likely to come over and say hello. This gets the ball rolling nicely. By that simple conversation you can gage a dozen little helpful things about what’s going on without asking one single obvious question.

So, today, I’m going to have to bight the bullet. Today is the day where Christmas shopping can’t be put off any more. Things need to be done.

It’s been a difficult six months but I think it was just the six months I needed to give me a good kick in the ass and make me appreciate what I had and what I’m striving for again.

Bring on 2011!