February 8, 2012

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep 18 – Puppy Turn In Day

December 23, 2011 By 4 Comments

Make sure you bring a handkerchief for this episode of Puppy In Training TV because it’s a real tear jerker.  It seems just like yesterday that we picked up a 7 week old puppy from the “D” litter that we named Dublin.  As a guide dog puppy raiser we work on basic dog obedience training, puppy socialization (taking our pups out in public), and good house manners.  We begin working on these things from the time our pups are 7 weeks old until they are approximately 18 months.  At about 18 months we return our puppies to the schools where they begin a more intense “formal” guide dog training.  This is where they learn to wear their harness, left and right turns, intelligent disobedience, and many other advanced skills.

Black and White Lab Puppy

Curious Pup, Dublin!

Dublin was a shade under 18 months when we dropped him off for “Guide Dog College”.  Puppy Turn In Day is one of the most difficult days for us as puppy raisers.  This is the day we’ve all been dreading when we have to say good bye to our puppies, wish them the best, and hope to see them again wearing a nice shiny harness at graduation.

Check out this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV – Ep 18 – Puppy Turn In Day:

Ep 18 – Puppy Turn In Day

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

That one makes me a little bit sad every time I watch it.  I hope you enjoyed it.  Below is the transcription for this weeks episode just in case you can’t see this weeks puppy training video.

Puppy Turn In Day Transcription

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

Hi Everyone! Today’s Dublin’s last day here. He’s going off to Guide Dog College. Stetson and Linus just wanted to say goodbye. Welcome to this episode of Puppy In Training TV.

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

So Dublin and I headed out the front door for the last time. Just like we had done everyday for the past 1 ½ years Dublin hopped onto the passenger side floor boards of my car. And just like that we were on the road! Heading to Guide Dogs of America with Dublin for the last time.

Traffic can be unpredictable so we left nice and early. Lucky for us we arrived early…a chance to shoot some video of the campus!

The front office is normally closed on weekends so we went through the side gate. This gave Dublin a chance to work on walking calmly through a threshold.

We walked down the hill to the vets office. Then on the way back up the hill we saw Gentry and Denise who you might remember from Ep 17 and our trip to Disneyland.

We decided to walk over towards the puppy nursery and work on one last walk up the brick stairs.

Guide Dogs of America holds a short luncheon to thank all the puppy raisers on puppy turn in day. We also get a nice certificate and photo commemorating our accomplishment of raising a puppy.

We took one final snapshot with Dublin’s pal Chloe and then walked back down the hill and made our way towards the GDA kennels.

And just like that they called Dublin’s name. We’re allowed to walk our pups to the kennel and stay with them for a bit while they get used to their new roomate and their environment.

Dublin’s new roomate isa Yellow Lab Golden Retriever cross named Saffie and look! Chloe and Dublin got to be neighbors!

We went to the outdoor side of the kennel and Here comes Dublin happy to see me!

One final hug for me and Dublin and giving him some last minute advice to be a good boy.

It’s tough saying goodbye!

And finally my first walk without my pal Dublin…thinking back to all the happy memories I spent with my little buddy!

[Video of our adventures with Dublin]

Dropping your puppy off for formal guide dog training is one of the toughest things you can do as a puppy raiser.  We worked really hard with Dublin on his training and we know he’ll do well in college.  Thanks for joining us for our last episode…

Hold on!  That can’t be the end.  In fact we plan on posting more video in the coming months including hopefully a video of Dublin’s graduation.  And of course there’s always a chance for Puppy In Training TV Season 2.

…of Puppy In Training TV and we hope to see you soon!

Please Subscribe

A special thanks to Denise and Gentry for showing us around Disneyland today

If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

Our Final Thoughts On Puppy Turn In Day

One of the saddest and happiest days of puppy raising.  We’re always sad to say goodbye, but happy to let Dublin continue his journey to becoming a guide dog. A few points to add about our turn in day:

  • We always take off our Pet ID Tags at home.  This way we don’t fumble around trying to remove the tags when we’re trying to say our goodbye’s at the kennel.  The only tags you need to leave with your puppy are the ID tags that GDA originally issued to you on Puppy Pickup Day.
  • One of the toughest parts about turn in is so many others are crying that it just makes it that much more sad.  Be prepared with sunglasses and a hanky.
  • We were lucky and all the pups were paired with a kennel mate.  One of the things that made me feel better was to see Dublin playing with his new pal Saffie.  It was the same when Stetson met up with his kennel mate.  However, when we turned Stetson in there were a few pups without kennel mates which made me sad for those pups…so be prepared.
  • You can always call the school to see how your puppy is doing in his formal guide dog training.
  • Northwoods Inn generously donates food for the luncheon.  Special thanks to Northwoods Inn for providing food!

We worked hard with Dublin’s obedience training, house manners, and socialization as you can see on all the puppy training videos we produced for our Puppy In Training TV series.  I’m sure he’ll do well at Guide Dog College and even if he doesn’t make it as a guide we’ll still love him just the same.

How about you guys?  Are you puppy raisers?  What’s it like for you on Puppy Turn In Day?  We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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5 Dog Links You Need To Check Out…NOW!

December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sorry we’re a bit late this week with our awesome doggy links of the week…

Here we are again at the end of the week (actually it’s now the beginning of the week) with our favorite posts from the top dog blogs around the world.  We’re going to keep it short and sweet…so lets get started with our adorable puppy pic:

Dublin Puppy In Training

Dublin Puppy In Training

Now that we got the adorable puppy out of the way lets check out this weeks doggy blog articles:

  • Discouraging Your Dog’s Bad Behavior in 10 Easy Steps – A great thing about working on your dogs training is that it will strengthen the bond between you and your dog.  One of my favorite points in this article helps curb destructive chewing.  We use the same technique when training our own guide dog puppies.  Another good point this article brings up is that you can change a dogs bad behavior and that bad behavior is not permanent.  In other words you can teach an old dog new tricks.
  • Top 7 Holiday Dangers To Avoid For Your Dog – some great tips on foods your pet should avoid not just over the holidays, but always.  Some foods you may not be aware of are onions, grapes, and raisins My ex-girlfriend actually gave my dog a few grapes and I flipped out.  Lucky for us it was only about 3 which apparently was ok for a dog his size.
  • Top 10 Dog Breeds That Don’t Shed – Every day I wear black clothes by the end of the day I can see long yellow golden fur all over.  If I don’t vacuum at least once a day the little fur ball tumbleweeds start forming.  Lucky for me I don’t have allergies to dogs.  However, lucky for some others not all dogs shed like my Labrador Retriever, my Australian Shepherd mix, and my Golden Retriever.  This week we came across a list of dogs that do not shed so if you’re interested in not having to vacuum or use a lint brush on a daily basis then check out this weeks list of dog breeds that do not shed.
  • 5 Easy Ways To Raise Funds For An Animal Shelter – If you volunteer at an animal shelter/rescue then check out this list.  In fact if you volunteer for any non-profit organization (we volunteer as puppy raisers for Guide Dogs of America) you might find some helpful hints on how to raise funds for your favorite charity organization.  If you’ve been following our blog for a while then you know we raised money for Guide Dogs of America through Dublin’s Puppy In Training TV video series (let us know if you want to sponsor an episode).
  • 10 Great Holiday Gifts for Great Pet Lovers - If you haven’t already checked out our list of most popular dog toys then you might want to check it out now!  However, if you can’t find the perfect dog toy then you might want to check out this weeks list of holiday gifts for pet lovers.  It’s definitely a more high end list, but maybe you’re looking for something special this year like a pet portrait or personalized doggie jewelry…not really my cup of tea.

That’s it for this weeks Puppy In Training link roundup.  If you want to submit a link for next week then just leave us a comment in the comments section below.  Did you write a great blog article this week?  Let us know about it.

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep 17 – Dogs At Disneyland

December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Today we’re going to find out if Disneyland is the happiest place on earth for doggies too.

We took our guide dog puppy, Dublin to Downtown Disney when he was about 6 months old, but we usually don’t take our guide dog pups to the actual Disneyland park until they’re over 12 months old.  In fact we sometimes don’t take our puppy’s in training to Disneyland at all if we don’t think they’re ready for the hustle and bustle of people, activities, characters, sights, sounds, and smells of a theme park.

If you’re thinking about taking your puppy in training to Disneyland be prepared to turn right around and head home if you notice your puppy stressing out from all the activity.  You don’t want your pup to be frightened of the happiest place on earth.  Lucky for us we have a Disney Passport that gets us in and out of Disneyland and California Adventure Parks just about any day of the year.

So without further adieu check out this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV!

Episode 17 – Dogs At Disneyland

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

Dogs At Disneyland Transcription

Can you tell where Dublin and I are? That’s right it’s the happiest place on earth! Disneyland. Welcome to this episode of Puppy In Training TV!

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

First stop at Disneyland navigating the parking structure to the tram.

Then Heading Down 4 flights of stairs

Next…we worked on weaving in and out of the poles on the way to the tram. A good exercise in heeling before entering the amusement park.

And now…boarding the tram.

Getting from the parking lot to Disneyland is an adventure in itself. After walking the parking structure, stairs, and weaving…our final leg is the tram ride. Dublin kept asking “are we there yet?”

Finally! Exit the tram and on to Disneyland! The happiest place on earth! And time to work on Dublin’s Puppy Training in Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Fantasy.

As we started our adventure down main street we noticed everything was setup for Halloween

I put Dublin in a sit-stay while we watched this horse and trolley go by.

That’s Gentry down there with Dublin. She’s going to be our tour guide at Disneyland today.

We started off our journey by walking through frontierland…past the Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyers Island…up the short flight of stairs and to one of our favorite spots the Haunted Mansion.

If you go to Disneyland during the holidays make sure you visit the Haunted Mansion. The entire ride gets revamped for the Nightmare Before Christmas.

We left the Haunted Mansion and right outside was Splash Mountain…Dublin looked up at me and said I want to go on that ride!

Sorry Bud…it looks like you’re a little to short for Splash Mountain. Maybe when you’re older.

How about we go on the Winnie the Pooh ride instead.

Alright…if you want a little more adventure then lets take the ferry to Pirates Lair on Tom Sawyers Island.

As you can see the ferry ride made Gentry a little overly excited.

Pirate’s lair was pretty cool. We saw some geese. Sat on the stage. Lots of stairs and uneven places for the pups to walk including this bouncy suspension bridge.

We also found a spot for the pups to pump for gold. You two have to work harder then that.

Dublin and Gentry said “Is this the gold we were pumping for” Make sure you two guard the gold! If not you go to the bone prison.

Dublin and Gentry Guide Dog Puppies

Dublin and Gentry Find Gold

It looks like Dublin and Gentry were snoozing on the job because they ended up in prison

Hey wait for us! Dublin wanted to ride the Mark Twain boat, but we were a little too late…plus I didn’t tell him, but you can’t catch that boat from tom sawyers island.

Instead we hopped back on the ferry and headed back to the mainland where the pirate band awaited us.

Back on the Disney mainland we visited the Big Thunder Ranch Halloween Roundup and saw some awesome pumpkin carvings.

Dublin and Gentry posed in front of this pumpkin head dude.

Then Dublin went over to the donkey, Pocahontas to say hello.

Disneyland is puppy in training friendly and has designated spots throughout the park for relieving your puppy…Good Busy Dublin!

After Dublin and Gentry both went potty we went over to Fantasy Land and visited the Snow White’s Scary Adventure, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey, and one of our favorites Peter Pan’s Flights.

After fun in Fantasyland headed over to Tomorrowland for the spooky Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Sorry Dublin you’re too short for this one too.

It had been a long day so we started walking back down main street past the giant mickey pumpkinhead. Then headed out the exit back to the tram.

Dublin was pretty tired on the tram ride back so we hopped off and started our walk back through the parking lot for the car ride home.

As we walk off into the parking lot sunset we’d like to thank you for joining us for this episode of Puppy In Training TV.

Please Subscribe

A special thanks to Denise and Gentry for showing us around Disneyland today

If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

Our Final Thoughts On Dogs At Disneyland

Dublin was the second puppy in training we took to Disneyland and while he was a very good boy throughout the day his reactions and behavior were much different then our first guide dog pup, Stetson.  We took both pups on a few rides and Stetson really could care less what was going on around him and for the most part just lied down by my feet.  Dublin was more interested and wanted to peek out and watch all the activity going on.  Both pups did great and showed no anxiety in front of the crowds and different, sights, smells, and sounds.

While Disneyland may not be a puppy in trainings happiest place on earth I do think that our pups happiest place on earth is by the side of his owner/handler no matter where they may be.  Thanks to Disneyland for being such a puppy in training friendly park and thanks to Denise and Gentry for being our tour guides for the day.

Have any of you taken your pups in training to Disneyland or any theme park?  If so, tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

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6 Dog Blog Links You Should Not Miss

December 10, 2011 By 4 Comments

Welcome to this weeks Puppy In Training weekly roundup.  As we mentioned before we are doing our best to roundup our favorite dog blog posts from the past week across our favorite doggy blogs.  Our goal is to try and help you by sifting through the best of the best blog posts (well at least the best posts in our mind) and getting you a short, concise list of our favorite 5-10 posts for the week.

We also like to post an adorable puppy picture for the week and here’s this weeks pic:

Yellow Labrador Retriever

Dublin A Yellow Lab Puppy In Training

6 Blog Links You Should Not Miss!

  • 10 Interesting Facts About Dogs – One that I found very interesting was nose printing your dog…a dogs nose is like your fingerprints.  Another one that might be interesting to our Puppy In Training readers is that puppies have difficulty holding it during potty training until they are about 4 months old.  Check out the article for all 10 interesting facts about dogs.
  • Pet Obesity Chart – This infographic was actually brought to us by Pet 365, but I found it through my Blog Paws feed.  Since I have Labrador Retrievers I always keep an eye on their weight (Labs have a tendency to be obese due to their love of food).  Stetson was getting a bit chubby about a year ago so I cut back on his feeding and now he’s looking quite svelte.  Take a look at the chart to see a few stats on dog and cat obesity.
  • Should You Let Your Dog Sleep In Bed With You? – We let Stetson and Linus sleep in bed with us.  All of our Guide Dog Puppies In Training have to sleep in their crates.  However, are we allowing our dogs to many liberties by letting them sleep in our bed?  This article may answer that question for you.
  • Merry Christmas, Kids.  I Poisoned The Dogs – Don’t worry this one has a happy ending.  This article just goes to show you that we all make mistakes with our dogs.  In fact my guide dog puppy, Dublin got into a box of chocolate cookies last year.  We ran to the emergency vet and ended up inducing vomiting.  Lucky for us no permanent damage.  No matter how close you watch your pups you never know what may happen.
  • A Puppy For Christmas! Things To Consider – This is a must read article if your considering purchasing a puppy as a Christmas gift.  If you ask us then our answer would be “No, do not get a puppy as a Christmas Gift!”  unless you know the amount of time and responsibility a puppy requires (and the person receiving the puppy knows this too) the holidays are a difficult time to take on a new pet.  We wrote a very similar article on Christmas Puppy As A Gift a few years ago.  Go with the alternative and buy a picture of a puppy, a collar, or a leash and after everyone agrees go out and adopt a puppy at your nearby rescue or shelter.
  • 21 Things You Can’t Do With A Puppy In The House – This one is a good reminder that puppies are a large responsibility and even thought they are cute and adorable they will take up a large chunk of your day.  The one I always fear the most when getting a new puppy is #7 “Sleep More Than 3 Hours In A Row”.  I’ve been lucky my last two pups have slept most of the night, but if I have another Stetson (he only slept 2 hours in a row for the first 4 weeks) I might not make it.

That’s this weeks list of my favorite blog articles for the week.  I notice a Christmas theme in this past weeks readings.  I’m sure that trend will continue for the next couple weeks and perhaps a few new years articles?  Enjoy the articles and if you have an awe inspiring article you’d like me to read and possibly link back to in our roundup then leave us a comment with a link in our comment section below.

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep 16 – Guide Dog Pups Visit The Fire Station

December 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We’ve been raising guide dog puppies for the past 5 years and we had always heard about visiting the fire station, but after raising Stetson then Derby and now Dublin we had never visited fire fighters or a fire station until today!

Visiting fire fighters and a fire station is a great outing for our guide dog puppies.  You never know when they might run into a firefighter fitted with a full gas mask or perhaps the screaming sounds of the siren.  Today we had the opportunity to let our puppies see, hear, and smell everything at our local fire station.

Check out this weeks Puppy In Training TV episode:

Episode 16 – Guide Dog Pups Visit The Fire Station

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

Guide Dogs Pups Visit The Fire Station Transcription

This week we got to visit the Orange County Fire station right in our backyard…Irvine, California! Joining us on today’s outing are Yuki, Archer, Miles, Chloe, Wriley, and of course the star of our show…Dublin. My name is Colby and welcome to Episode 16 of Puppy In Training TV.

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

We got to the fire station a little bit early so we made sure our pups “got busy” before we walked across the street to the fire station.

As soon as we saw the fire truck return we headed over for an exciting day working on puppy training with fire fighters.

We started off by introducing our puppies to a fire fighter fully suited wearing a gas mask. Can you hear that (pause)…He sounds a like darth vader…I was expecting to hear…Luke I am your father… Our pups all had a different reaction to this unusual looking human…the look, sounds, and smells didn’t bother Miles one bit. Dublin got excited to see the fire fighter like he was his new favorite toy. Chloe was a little bit hesitant of this strange looking thing.

After all the puppies observed, sniffed, and greeted the fire fighter in his gas mask they pulled the fire truck around to the back for more puppy training exercises.

Our entire group did some heeling exercises around the truck. Dublin was a little bit excited and was pulling more than he does on his regular walks.

After heeling around the fire truck we got all the dogs in sit-stays and down-stays and let them hear some of the crazy sounds that come from a fire truck….yay! no howling! all of our dogs did really well…while some became alert to the sirens none of our pups seemed fearful. After popping up to attention they all recovered very well.

By the way, who was in charge of making all that noise…looks like a future fire fighter!

After listening to the sirens Dublin and I posed in front of the big red fire truck for a glamour shot.

We were all hungry after a morning at the fire station so we headed down the street for a bite to eat.

Once we got to the University Town Center the farmers market was going on with a crowd of people.

We made our way through the crowds and stopped in at the Steelhead Brewing Company for some lunch and a break for our puppies.

Many thanks to the firefighters at the Orange County Fire Station in Irvine for working with us and our guide dog puppies. We’ll leave you with the whole crew posing for a picture. Thanks for joining us for this episode of Puppy In Training TV. We’ll see you next time!

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If you’d like to sponsor an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit PuppyInTraining.com

Our Final Thoughts On Guide Dogs Pups Visit The Fire Station

Puppy With Firefighter

Dublin Checking Out The FireFighter

Our Fire Station outing was awesome!  Getting the opportunity to visit a fire fighter in a gas mask was great for all our pups.  Dublin got excited and thought it was play time when he saw the Fire Fighter in mask.  Some pups were worried while others thought the gas mask was the best thing ever (Miles…).   Walking around the fire truck and and letting the pups listen to the siren were also a great experience.  Overall I was very pleased with Dublin’s reactions on this outing.  While he was a bit overly excited he calmed down and did very well.  And of course he did just fine lying quietly under the table during lunch.

If you’re interested in sponsoring an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit our sponsors page and fill out the form.  We’ll see you next time!

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5 Doggy Links You Should Not Miss

December 3, 2011 By 2 Comments

Welcome tor our first Puppy Training Weekly Roundup!  So what exactly is our Puppy Training Weekly Roundup?  Well it all started way back when we decided to compile a list of top dog blogs.

Step 1 my list of top dog blogs is now COMPLETE!

Step 2 is to add the top 50 dog blogs to my Google Reader account. CHECK!

Step 3 visit Google Reader every day and read my favorite blog articles.  CHECK!

Step 4 add cute puppy picture to post to try and attract more readers/subscribers. CHECK!

Yellow Labrador Retriever Pupppy

Dublin A Puppy In Training Endorses This Weeks Roundup!

Step 5 at the end of every week share my 5 favorite dog blog posts from the week…SEE BELOW!

Why am I doing this?  There’s so much information blasted out everyday I thought it would be nice to see just a short list of my favorite readings from the week.  Now you don’t have to scan through 50 blogs and hundreds of posts to find the top 5.  Of course your top 5 might be slightly different then mine in which case you’re welcome to subscribe to all the blogs on the top 50 dog blogs list.

Puppy Training Weekly Roundup 1

  • Let’s Talk: Has Your Dog Had Ill Effects from Chicken Jerky? – There was a Chicken Jerky scare back in 2007 and it’s back again here in 2011.  The FDA has advised consumers who feed their dogs chicken jerky to carefully monitor their dogs for hours after feeding the treats.  We stopped feeding the jerky tenders to our dogs after the first scare in 2007, but just to let everyone know we never had any problems with the treats and our dogs.  We figure it’s better to be safe then sorry.
  • Bed Bug Dog Inspection – We knew bed bugs were on the rise, but after checking out the statistics in this article I’m thinking about moving Stetson from K9 Nosework training to Bed Bug Sniffer Training.  Seriously, check this out:

Consider that six years ago, there were 537 bedbug complaints and 82 violations (in other words, verified infestations); last year, complaints topped out at nearly 11,000, with 4,084 violations cited (nearly double that of the previous year).

  • Super Tough Dog Toys For Super Tough Dogs – So this one isn’t really a blog post, but Johann puts together some awesome Squidoo lenses and this one on super tough toys for super tough dogs fits our Labs to a “T”.  In fact, I’m not so sure these are super tough enough for my boys.  We’ll have to do some of our own experimentation and report back our findings.  Thanks Johann, Gracie, and Nancy for putting together this awesome lens.
  •  Top 10 Dogs For The Energetically Challenged – I’m sure there are many of you out there who are just looking for a companion to relax on the couch with you and watch football all day Saturday and Sunday.  Well here’s a list of dogs for those who enjoy the couch potato.  One thing I noticed that I found a bit funny was that many of the couch potato breeds have a tendency to be obese…go figure!
  • Five Training Tips For First Time Dog Owners – It can be a bit hectic bringing home that first puppy or dog.  This is a great article giving you five wonderful tips for the first time dog owners.  We always preach tip #1 – Be Consistent.  It is so important to be consistent with your puppy’s training.  If not, they will have a very difficult time learning any command or behavior you try to teach.

That’s a wrap!  I hope you found this weeks Puppy Training Roundup useful.  I’m sure over the coming weeks we may make some changes like add more posts or have fewer posts.

Anyhow, if you’re a dog blogger and you wrote a particularly interesting post this week then please leave me a comment with a link in the comment section below and I’ll definitely check it out.  Who knows, maybe I’ll include the link in next weeks roundup…there’s a thought (thinking outloud again)…if we start getting some great links to blog articles in the comment section maybe I’ll include my favorite link from the comment section from each week in the following weeks Puppy Training Roundup.  We’ll see…maybe a good chance for you guys to get an easy link back to your amazing posts!

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep15 – Guide Dogs Of America Open House

October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Guide Dogs of America Open House is held every June in Sylmar, California.  This year Dublin, my guide dog puppy in training and I attended the event.

There’s a ton of stuff going on at the GDA open house.  Puppies in training have the opportunity to participate in the puppy trials (we arrived too late and I didn’t  get a chance to take Dublin through the trials this year).

There’s also a silent auction with tons of goodies for dogs, cats, other pets, and tons of cool stuff for us humans as well.  There’s several booths with…you guessed it tons of doggy stuff for sale.

GDA Open House
Dublin Lovin’ it!

Guide Dogs of America also does a guide dog training demo.  There are tours of the campus and also tons of other goodies are given away in the GDA raffle.

I’m sure I’m missing other cool things that happen on this awesome day.

We were able to put together our most recent puppy training video starring Dublin in Episode 15 – Guide Dogs of America Open House.  Check it out:

Episode 15 – Guide Dogs of America Open House

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

Guide Dogs Of America Open House Transcription

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

We recently made our way back to Sylmar for the Guide Dogs of America Open House. That’s Dublin standing at the gates of GDA and I’m Colby welcome to episode 15 of Puppy In Training TV

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

We’re back at GDA campus and that’s Dublin hopping up on stage. We’ll see him there again later. Do you remember the last time Dublin and I posed out in front of the Guide Dogs of America sign? If you guessed back during episode 1 puppy pickup day then you’d be correct.

When we arrived at GDA we walked down that very same hill from episode 1 towards the Silent Auction As we mosied on down we saw this pup working on his “Get Busy” command You might also notice his handler petting him while he potty’s. Puppy raisers pet their pups when they potty. Why you might ask? Because when they become formal guides this helps their vision impaired handler determine if their pup is going #1 or #2.

Ahhh…the GDA Silent Auction. There’s always great stuff here. Tons of stuff for dogs, but that’s not all their are usually gift baskets for just about anybody from Laker fans, to cat lovers, to wine tastings, to restaurant and golf outings, and of course you can find something for your puppy…including a little bit of attention from a fellow puppy raiser

This years theme was june in bloom and some of the pups got quite festive

Open house is a great time to see future guide pups in training!

Every year at open house Guide Dogs of America sets up a beautiful stage to match the years theme…perfect photo op. Here’s a short clip of Dublin posing with his two siblings Daisy and Denali. Can you tell which one is Dublin?

Our puppies are given a chance to show off their obedience skills and tolerance to distractions at the puppy trials. Unfortunately we showed up late and missed the puppy trials, but still got to see that llama dublin was just staring at, a horse. We even got dublin up close and personal with a few chickens.

While we were hanging out by the chickens Dublin was a good boy and remained in a down-stay while he received a few pets

This little guy was all tuckered out after a long day at GDA open house.

As we were walking out Dublin told me he could work as a guide just like the other pups working in the lobby so I told him to show me a sit stay…pretty good Dublin, but I think you have to be a little more still to take one of their jobs.

After a long day at the Guide Dogs of America open house Dublin relaxed for the car ride home. thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next time!

Our Final Thoughts On Guide Dogs of America Open House

We love attending the Guide Dogs of America Open House every year.  Although we did not get an opportunity to go through the puppy trials we did see all the items at the silent auction (unfortunately, no bidding for us this year).  We also got to work on Dublin’s guide dog puppy training by seeing unusual distractions like the llama’s, horses, and chickens.  We also got to work on his meet and greets which in general is an area we need to work on.  However, today he was absolutely awesome with his meet and greets.  Dublin surprises me again!

Dublin was much improved from his day at the Universal City Walk.  I’m hoping his behavior on the train, tram, and bus during our visit to the city walk was an anomaly.

I’m glad you were able to join our puppy in training tv blog post.  If you have any questions or suggestions for an episode please leave us a comment in the comment section below.  Oh yeah…after you watched the video do you know which puppy was Dublin on the stage?

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Puppy In Training TV – Ep14 – Trains, Trams, Buses, And Puppies

October 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s important for us to take our guide dog puppies in training out and about exposing them to different people as well as different situations.  Dublin and I rode the metrolink to San Clemente back in Episode 7 – Puppy Training Ride.  Today in Episode 14 we had the opportunity to once again ride the metrolink train, but this time we took it north to the Union Station in Los Angeles, CA.  Not only did we ride the train, but we also had the opportunity to ride the tram and bus on our way to the Universal City Walk…you could call it a “Transportation Puppy Training Day!”

We found our train, tram, and bus riding experience to the Universal City Walk to be invaluable.  It’s very important to expose our guide dog puppies to public transportation as it’s one of our pups likely modes of transportation when they become working guide dogs.

Anyhow enough jabber…on with the show!!!

Puppy In Training TV Ep14 – Trains, Trams, Buses, And Puppies

Here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.  If you’d like to sponsor an episode take a look at the Puppy In Training TV Sponsorship page.

Trains, Trams, Buses, And Puppies Transcription

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

I hope you’re enjoying my great camera work of the incoming train and the headless Dublin :) Anyhow…welcome to the latest episode of Puppy In Training TV

Guide Dog Puppy Training Starring DUBLIN
With Linus Aussie Shepherd Rescue
Also Colby The Human
And Stetson Career Changed Guide Dog

That train you just saw speeding by was the Metrolink. We hopped on the Metrolink in Orange with our GDA pals and headed off for an adventure to the Universal City Walk in Los Angeles.

In episode 7 we took the metrolink south to San Clemente and visited the beach and walked the pier. This time we took the train north to the Union Station in LA.

After exiting the train we did a head count. Yuki…Check, Dublin…Check, Baron…Check, Wriley…Check! Then we headed through the tunnels to meet our tour guide.

All of our pups did really well riding the train and walking through the train station. As you can see and hear their are tons of strange sights and sounds not too mention the different smells.

Our second leg of the trip was to hop on the tram. It was a little bit cramped in their with people and pups, but Dublin got comfortable in a down-stay.

After exiting the tram we had a great opportunity to walk up a long flight of stairs. As you can see Dublin was a little bit eager, so I did my best to slow him down and keep him in a nice heel position.

Once we reached the top of the stairs we saw a sign to our final destination the Universal City Walk, However, we still had to take the third leg in our public transportation training trip…a short bus ride to take up the hill.

After a train ride, a tram ride, and a bus ride we made it and gave our pups a chance to pose out in front of the famous Universal Studios rotating globe.

The Universal City Walk was pretty crowded with people with lots of noise and activities going on. Our first destination was the Karl Strauss Brewing Company for a bite to eat.

After relaxing and having a bit of food we came downstairs and let the puppies hang out by this interesting water fountain.

As I mentioned the Universal City Walk was crowded! But there was tons of different things for the pups to see, smell, and hear.

A Giant Gorilla…A Giant Guitar….Some crazy Dancers…And Skydivers floating around in a giant tube. Now those are some things you don’t see everyday!

Baron even got to check out a little yapping puppy.

On the way out Dublin thought it would be a good idea to hang out by the Sparky’s Mini Donuts….so we went ahead and bought of few…Sorry Dublin donuts are for the humans…

After a long day we started our bus, tram, and train ride back home.

When we finally got back on the metrolink Dublin absolutely zonked out. Then when we got in the car he squished his head between my backpack and the chair and started snoring away.

Thanks for joining us on our Train, Tram, and Bus Ride to the Universal City Walk. We’ll see you next time!

Our Final Thoughts On Trains, Trams, Buses, And Puppies

You may have noticed in the video that Dublin was a tad bit eager.  In fact, he was probably on his worst behavior, constantly pulling and trying to move out in front of me throughout the day.  Fortunately, about half way through the day Dublin started behaving more like a normal guide dog puppy in training.  However, today’s trip to the Universal City Walk was definitely one of Dublin’s worse outings.

Why the change in Dublin’s behavior?  I’m not really sure because we have been on many outings before with other GDA pups and he’s behaved just fine.  He wasn’t fearful and the sights, sounds, and smells didn’t seem to bother him.  He seemed to be dog distracted more than anything and had an extra dose of energy pulling towards our other guide dog puppies in training.  Hopefully Dublin will adjust and mature a little bit more before he starts his formal guide dog training at school.  Since shooting this puppy training video Dublin has definitely shown improvement and this seems to have been a one time event.  As I mentioned I’m not too sure what happened…I guess he was just having one of those crazy days.

Have you taken your puppy in training on a train, tram, or bus.  If so, how was the experience?  How did you puppy handle all the different sights, sounds and smells?

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Formal Guide Dog Training

October 9, 2011 By 5 Comments

Dear Colby,

Well, the time is here, the day you’ve been anticipating since you picked up Dublin all those months ago.  It is now time for Dublin to come in for his formal guide dog training.

We know this is a hard time for you and we would like to try to make it a little easier by inviting you to a Luncheon on October, 29, 2011 at 12:00 noon.

This is just a fun day for you and the other puppy raisers for moral support and to say good-bye to your puppy until Graduation Day.  After we are done eating, talking and playing, we will walk the dogs down to the kennel where you will be able to put them in their runs.

Please give us a call to let us know that you will be attending and how many of you in your group.  If you cannot make it or prefer to bring Dublin in on a different day, please give us a call to let us know when you will be bringing him in.

While he is here, please feel free to call at any time and we will let you know how Dublin is doing in his training.

Enclosed you will find questionnaires to be filled out and brought to the luncheon, along with his Veterinary Medical Records and jacket.  If you would like to bring a toy to share with the others, please do so.  (Hard rubber toys, Kongs, hard bones would be great!)

Again, thank you for all the love, support and a job well done!  If you are thinking about a new puppy, please give me a call — we have PLENTY coming up.

Sincerely,

Guide Dogs of America

Dublin is Going In For Formal Guide Dog Training

So there’s the official letter from Guide Dogs of America we just received.  It’s hard to believe that my little puppy is already going into formal guide dog training.  It seems like not that long ago we were picking him up and putting together his first Puppy In Training TV video.

We still have a few weeks left with Dublin and plan on shooting several more videos and posting several new episodes of Puppy In Training TV during that time.  So stay tuned as we work furiously to get those last few episodes up to YouTube and the website.

As guide dog puppy raisers we always here the question: how do you do it?  meaning how to you let your puppy go?  I have to say it’s very difficult, but at the same time very exciting to see the puppy you raised move on to help someone achieve independence.  While I’m sad to see Dublin leave I’m happy that he will be doing something special for someone else.

Have you turned in a puppy in training to formal training?  If so, tell us about your experience.

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Orange County Transportation Authority Service Animal Training

September 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of our favorite guide dog puppy training events of the year is the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Service Animal Training.  Dublin and I had the opportunity to attend this wonderful event last year and lucky for us Dublin gets a second chance to enjoy this awesome event.

If you are training a service animal and live in the southern California area we highly recommend that you try and make it out to the Fullerton Park and Ride this Saturday, October 1st, 2011 from 8am-12pm.  OCTA does a great job allowing you and your puppy in training to work on riding the bus and getting on an off using both the steps and the ramp.

Not only does OCTA provide bus training for service dogs in training, but they also give you a courtesy pass into Knott’s Berry Farm where your puppy gets the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a major amusement park.

OCTA Bus Training And Knott’s Berry Farm

Some of our favorite parts about OCTA Bus Training are:

  • You get to experience riding the bus with your puppy in training
  • You get dropped off right outside Knott’s Berry Farm where there are a ton of live chickens hanging around…another great experience for your pup
  • You get a courtesy pass into Knott’s Berry Farm
  • Applications for OCTA Bus Mobility Trainer are available. This No-Fare Identification card allows a Trainer/Handler to ride the OCTA fixed-route system free of charge with a Service Animal

Just in case you missed last years episode of Puppy In Training TV.  Here is Dublin’s puppy training video from our OCTA Service Animal Training experience:

OCTA Service Animal Training Details

Here’s the letter received from the Orange County Transportation Authority on this years Service Animal Training.  Of course we  had to include an image of Dublin at last years training.  During training they allow you to walk on and off the bus using the regular stairs and as seen in this picture the bus operator also extended the ramp for us to walk across.  Hope to see you all at the Fullerton Park n Ride!

Orange County Transportation Authority

OCTA Service Animal Training

Dublin at OCTA Service Animal Training

Service Animal Training Day
Saturday, Oct. 1st, 2011 8:00am-12:00pm

All Service Animal Trainers/Handlers:

You are cordially invited to OCTA’s annual Service Animal Training day with your Service Animals in training! This is an opportunity to add the experience of riding an OCTA transit bus, including the sights and sounds of beautiful downtown Buena Park and Knott’s Berry Farm into your training program!

Training Day: October 1st, 8:00am to 12:00pm at:

Fullerton Park and Ride (Stalls 1 & 2)
3000 West Orangethorpe
Fullerton, CA 92833

Check-In: Beginning at 7:30am, sign-in and pick-up your Knott’s Berry Farm courtesy entrance bracelet (Good only for AM entry and shopping – No Rides). Then, enjoy unlimited practice boarding, riding, and alighting an OCTA transit bus along a designated training route. Departure shall be every 20-minutes with training stops along the way.

Training Route Schedule

Bus A Departs at: 8:00am, 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am & 12:00pm*
Bus B Departs at: 8:20am, 9:20am, 10:20am, 11:20am
Bus C Departs at: 8:40am, 9:40am, 10:40am, 11:40am
*Note: The last bus at 12:00pm will be “pick-up” only – No Stops!

Training Route via FP&R: (R) Orangethorpe, (R) Magnolia, (R) La Palma,
(L) Dale, (R) Lincoln, (R) Beach, (R) La Palma, (L) Magnolia, (L) Into FP&R.

Check-Out: It is very important that you sign-out, as we account for each rider returning safely!

For agencies within Orange County, applications for OCTA Bus Mobility Trainer will be available. This No-Fare Identification card allows a Trainer/Handler to ride the OCTA fixed-route system free of charge with a Service Animal.

Do you plan on going to OCTA Service Animal Training this year?  Have you gone in the past?  We’d love to here your experiences.  Hopefully we see there this year!

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