Puppy Raiser

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

December 23, 2011 By Colby 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.

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.

Puppy Raiser Questionnaire – In For Training

November 30, 2011 By Colby 5 Comments

It’s been over a month since Dublin went in for formal guide dog training and I really haven’t done too much here on the blog, on his facebook page, his YouTube channel, or on his Twitter account. However, that’s all about to change starting with this short blog post about one of the last reports we filled out before turning Dublin in for formal training.

A couple months ago we received a letter in the mail telling us that it was time to bring Dublin back to guide dog school for his formal guide dog training. Included with that letter was a short questionnaire that we filled out letting the guide dog trainers know a little bit about Dublin, how he did in his dog obedience training classes, and anything that might be helpful during his stay at guide dog college. Here are the questions and answers we provided.

Dropping Dublin off at Guide Dog School

Puppy Raiser Turn In Questionnaire

Dear Puppy Raisers:

Listed below are some questions that will help the trainers in knowing a little more about your puppy.

Please fill it out to the best of your knowledge and bring it with you to the luncheon.

THANK YOU

Puppy’s Name: Dublin

1. How many family members worked with the puppy?: 1

2. Where does the puppy sleep at night?: Crate next to the bed

Have you ever used a crate?: Yes

3. What are the dogs favorite activities: he likes playing with my o

ther dog Linus or lay quietly chewing on a bone.

4. What is it’s favorite toy?: Kong

5. What reaction does your dog have to loud noises?: Startled or alert and recovers quickly.

Barking dogs?: Alert sometimes excited.

6. Has your dog been exposed to other animals?: Yes, horses, dogs, cats, birds, donkeys, llamas, snakes, lizards.

7. In what kind of neighborhood environment did your puppy grow up? (Sidewalk less areas, livestock areas, high traffic areas): Condo community with sidewalks on a golf course.

8. How is your puppy at being restrained?: excited, but ok.

During Vet exam?: excited, but ok.

While cleaning its ears?: Dublin has had many ear infections and will sit calmly to get his ears cleaned.

While on tie-down: he remains quiet on a tie-down.

9. Any chronic health problems?: Ear infections.

10. Any problem areas?: Over excited on meet and greets. Mouthy behavior. Doesn’t like getting his nails trimmed.

11. How much is your dog currently eating?: 1 1/2 cups 2x a day.

What brand of food?: Purina Pro Plan Chicken.

12. Please list anything you would like the trainers to know about your puppy?: He’s still a very mouthy dog mostly licking now. On a couple occasions with other dogs on outings he’s been very excited and lacked focus, but when we’re not with other dogs on outings he usually does quite well. His obedience is good, but can use work on sit-stays and down-stays.

As I mentioned it’s been a little over a month since Dublin went off to college. We still haven’t heard anything back from our little puppy in training, but at this point in time they always say that “no news is good news”.

As a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs of America I know we all receive this Puppy Raiser Questionnaire, but how about the other organizations? Do any of you out their who puppy raise for other guide or service dog organizations receive a similar questionnaire? Let us know in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Guide Dog Training Tagged With: Formal Guide Dog Training, Guide Dog Puppies, guide dog puppy, Guide Dog School, Guide Dog Training, Guide Dogs, In For Training, Puppy Raiser, Puppy Raising

Are You Interested In Becoming A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser?

June 8, 2011 By Colby Leave a Comment

Are you interested in becoming a guide dog puppy raiser? I was asked that question a little over 5 years ago while attending the Orange County Pet Expo way back in 2006.

At the beginning of 2006 it was just myself and my rescue dog Linus at the house, little did I know that by the end of the year I would have not only fostered 10+ dogs and puppies from the local shelter, but I’d also embark on the journey of a Guide Dog Puppy Raiser! If you haven’t had a chance you might want to check out our last article on How I Became A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser.

Are You Interested In Becoming A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser?

I’m currently raising my third puppy, Dublin for Guide Dogs of America and I’ve been doing my best to help out with the puppy raising program whenever needed. Recently I was asked to put together a flyer with information about our local Orange County Guide Dogs of America (OCGDA) group. Take a look:

In case you were wondering: Stetson (my first GDA pup) is in the picture along the heading. He’s actually the smear of black pixels at the far right. Future Guide Dogs: Baron is the yellow in the first circle, Yuki is the black Lab in the middle, and that’s Dublin (my third GDA pup) on the far right.

It’s been nearly five years since I started raising my first Guide Dog puppy for Guide Dogs of America (GDA) and I just wanted to put together some helpful hints on how if you’re interested, you can become the next Guide Dog Puppy Raiser for GDA.

Step-by-Step How To Become A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser

This is applicable to Guide Dogs of America and the process while probably very similar is probably slightly different for every guide and service dog organization.

Before we start raisers must live in the Southern or Central California area. Some parts of Washington can also Puppy Raise for Guide Dogs of America.
Visit the Guide Dogs of America Website and read as much information as possible about the entire organization.
After reading through as much of the GDA website as possible if you’re still interested in Puppy Raising fill out the puppy raiser application.
It can take a while before you get your home interview. At this point you play the waiting game (I waited nearly 3 months and nearly gave up hope), but I’d suggest you look into attending your area group meetings and outings before your home interview. Participation and involvement is a big part of the puppy raising program.
Go to the Classes, Meetings, and Events Page.
Find out which meeting site is closest to your home.
Contact the Area Leader by phone or email and let them know you’d like to attend meetings.

Once you start attending meetings you’ll have the opportunity to meet other puppy raisers, attend puppy outings and trainings, and ask questions. As puppy raisers, one of the coolest (and one of our favorite) parts about raising a Guide Dog puppy is that you have the opportunity to take your puppy most places that the public can go including into grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls, and to the office at work (I made sure to get permission from my boss first). Here’s a video we put together showing some of Dublin’s first days at our office:

If you’d like to be alerted to Dublin’s future Puppy In Training TV episodes then you can follow our Blog, YouTube Channel, Facebook page, or our Twitter account.

I hope this short step-by-step guide helped you learn a little bit about becoming a guide dog puppy raiser. Of course if you’re interested in becoming a guide dog puppy raisers for Guide Dogs of America and you still have questions please feel free to leave me a comment in the comment section below or send a message through our contact form.

Filed Under: Guide Dogs Tagged With: Guide Dog Puppy Raiser, Guide Dog Puppy Raisers, Guide Dogs, Guide Dogs of America, Puppy Raiser, Puppy Raisers

Puppy In Training TV – Ep9 – Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island

April 1, 2011 By Colby 3 Comments

We raise puppies for Guide Dogs of America and Dublin and I both attend our monthly meeting at Orange County group in Anaheim Hills, CA. As a group we plan one organized outing to help our puppy raisers work on their guide dog puppy training, visit places, and do things they might not normally do on their own.

We recently had the opportunity to go on a Scavenger Hunt with our OCGDA group at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Ten Guide Dog Puppies In Training participated in this years Scavenger Hunt including Dublin’s sister Denali.

We all arrived at Fashion Island around 10am and split up into two teams. Each team was given a set of clues and had to solve each clue by visiting different stores in the mall, having dogs perform basic obedience and socialization, and maneuvering through different areas of the mall (walking up and down stairs, riding the elevator, and visiting the koi pond).

Puppy In Training TV – Ep9 – Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island

This weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV focuses on our Scavenger Hunt Outing. By the way, are you following us on Facebook? We already posted a bunch of pictures to Dublin’s Puppy In Training Facebook Page. Don’t forget to “like” Dublin’s page.

Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island – Transcription

As always here’s this weeks transcription of our video

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

Hey Guys! Colby and Dublin here. We’re heading off the Fashion Island tomorrow for a Scavenger Hunt. 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

As I mentioned we had a Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. We had 10 guide dog puppies in training at the event and we split up into two teams. Each team received a set of clues and had to solve problems, perform tasks, and visit stores throughout the mall.

We were in charge of making the clues so our good friend Anne took Dublin through the Scavenger hunt while we played scorekeeper.

We did our best to ask each handler and their puppy to perform basic obedience and manuever through every day obstacles like walking up the stairs on a loose leash.

We also incorporated a “get busy” area with one of the clues

We were also lucky to have Dublin’s sister Denali join us!

Fashion Island has a great koi pond and some of the pups really wanted to swim with the fish.

All the pups had a chance to ride the elevator and also sit quietly at the bookstore.

There’s Dublin and Anne trying to figure out the next clue. And as you can see Anne is using the H204K9 water bottle and NEOSLING.

The fountains were pretty noisy and in this clip the pups had to lay in a down stay while their puppy raisers snapped a pic.

We were constantly on the move because the team to finish first got bonus points.

Here come Dublin and Baron. I think Dublin recognizes me he really wants to say hello.

And here’s team kelly over at Macys getting More practice on the elevator.

And getting another down stay in front of the bed at Macy’s.

Muttropolis had an adorable Kissing Booth and Kelly posed for a picture the puppies also did their best statue pose outside next to the Lab Statue…can you tell which pup isn’t real?

Here’s another pose with a smaller dalmation statue.

And this is a great shot of Team Yellow Dog in front of a vending cart. Can you spot Dublin in the pack?

There was a lot going on throughout the day as you saw in all the video clips. We finally had a chance to grab lunch and the pups were all exhausted and relaxed under the table. Team Kelly beat out team yellow dog by a hair…We got one final shot with Dublin in front of the big fountain and headed home.

Hey Guys! Thanks for joining us for this episode of Puppy In Training TV. Dublin had a great time today at the Scavenger Hunt. He got to hand out with his sister Denali and he also got to work with a different puppy raiser today. Once again, thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next time.

Please Subscribe

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

Final thoughts on the OCGDA Scavenger Hunt 2011

We were observers today and not so much working with Dublin and his training. Our good friend Anne had the opportunity to work with Dublin and it’s good for him to get used to training with a different puppy raiser.

We also enjoyed seeing Dublin’s sister Denali who is doing very well in her puppy training.

Overall we noticed most of the dogs doing great job as we watched all the puppy raisers work with their puppies to walk politely up the stairs, stay calm in the elevator, work on self control, lay quietly under the table during lunch, perform sit-stays and down-stays, work on loose leash walking, and meet and greet adults and children.

Thanks everyone for making it out to the OCGDA Scavenger Hunt 2011. Here’s a list of the ten puppies in training that attended this outing: Baron, Jeanie, Varrick, Dublin, Kelly, Archer, Yuki, Denali, Wriley, and Chloe.

We try to get sponsorships for our Puppy In Training TV episodes. If you’re interested in sponsoring our next episode visit our sponsors page at Puppy In Training TV. If you have any questions leave us a comment in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Puppy Training Videos Tagged With: Guide Dog Puppy Training, Guide Dogs, Puppy In Training, Puppy Raiser, Puppy Raising, Puppy Training

iPhone Puppy Raisers, There’s An App For That

September 14, 2009 By Colby Leave a Comment

Are you an iPhone user? If you’ve seen the commercials then you probably know there’s an iPhone app for just about anything you can think of. Guess what? There’s now even a free app for Puppy Raisers. Guide Dogs of Texas Inc. has released a silly iPhone app for Guide Dog puppy raisers. It’s very simple and probably meant to promote their program. The app is called Pocket Puppy Raiser Lite and as far as I can tell all the app allows you to do is rub your puppy’s belly while he’s sleeping.

Pocket Puppy Raiser

Here are the instructions on how to play Pocket Puppy Raiser:

Tap the Guide Dog Logo for more info about guide dogs!

If the puppy is asleep, try rubbing its belly!

If the puppy is looking at you, with its big puppy eyes, try touching his nose for some kisses! Wipe the drool away by rubbing the screen!

If the puppy has its toy out, play with it by dragging the toy back and forth!

As I mentioned my puppy only sleeps and all I can do is rub his belly. I have the lite version of the app. However, for an additional 99 cents you can get the full version which allows you to do more than just rub the belly.

For more information about Guide Dogs of Texas visit their website at http://www.guidedogsoftexas.org

Filed Under: Guide Dogs Tagged With: Guide Dogs, iPhone app, Puppy In Training, Puppy Raiser

24 Ways A Guide Dog Can Be Disqualified

April 24, 2008 By Colby 6 Comments

I just received a letter in the mail that it’s time for Stetson to return to the Guide Dogs of America for his formal training in Sylmar, CA. I’m sad and happy at the same time. It’s going to be difficult letting Stetson go on to the next stage of his life. However, this is exactly what we’ve been working towards over the past year.

I think of it as Stetson graduating high school (his training time with me) and moving on to college at GDA. Of course when he graduates college he’ll move on to his career hopefully as a guide dog. If he doesn’t make it as a guide dog then he can be career changed to life as a pet, therapy dog, search and rescue, or possibly some other type of working dog. If Stetson comes back to me as a pet I’ll do my best to get Stetson trained as a therapy dog.

Stetson Posing As A Bear

Stetson the Bear

While thinking about Stetson departure I took a look back at his puppy manual to see what last minute things we could work on to get Stetson ready for “college.”

From the Guide Dogs of America puppy manual:

Causes For Disqualification

In order to successfully complete guide dog training and become a useful mobility aid to a blind person, a dog must meet certain physical and temperamental requirements.

Physical

Size

26 inch maximum height
20 inch minimum height
Allowance of 1/2 inch at each end for exceptionally nice dogs or special need
Weight in direct relationship to proper size

Cosmetic

Scars that are large enough or severe enough to cause negative comment from the general public
Down (or non-erect) ears on a German Shepherd Dog
Severely undershot or overshot bite
Missing teeth (enough to interfere with keeping tongue properly in mouth)
Any obvious disqualifying fault that the general public would be able to notice about any breed that GDA uses.

Temperamental

In discussing temperamental causes for disqualification there is no correct way to list them as there are too many different factors involved with each individual dog. Obviously with the responsibility that a working guide dog has, it is important that the dog be able to handle stress and pressure during the normal course of working. Some of the causes as follows but are not limited to:

Aggression toward people or extremely fearful of people
Uncontrollable dog aggression
Uncontrollable animal distraction/interest
Fear biting
General suspicion of environment
Excessive energy
Destructive behavior
Sound shyness
Over sensitivity to traffic
Lacking ability to remain focused in distraction areas
Overly sensitive to pressure in guide work
Too insensitive to correction, requiring force beyond the average blind person’s physical ability
Lack of willingness to work as a guide dog
Car sickness
Immature and/or irresponsible decision making

Many dogs will display some of these in the very beginning but the instructors will work with them, giving them evey possible chance to show improvement. If the undesirable characteristic continues or increases, it will be necessary to terminate the dog’s training. Many times, a dog will improve and reach a point that the original problem was eliminated. Some dogs will start with no concerns but with added pressure of learning to become a guide dog, will manifest the undesirable behavior. We try to give each dog as much individual time, effort, and opportunity to succeed in becoming a guide dog, but we must adhere to a work standard that will give each blind person the best possible mobility aid through their guide dog as possible.

The Goal Is To Be A Guide Dog

Our ultimate goal is to get Stetson to be a full fledged guide dog. However, if he doesn’t choose to be a guide dog we will welcome him back home and get him (hopefully) involved with therapy dogs.

Stetson will be heading to the GDA campus in Sylmar, CA on May 10th to start his formal guide dog training.

Have you raised a guide dog, service dog, or any kind of working dog? Do you have any pointers for me when I drop Stetson off at the GDA campus? That is beside bring a lot of tissues.

Filed Under: Working Dog Tagged With: Guide Dogs, Guide Dogs of America, Puppy Raiser

Guide Dogs of America Website

There’s a puppy raising FAQ page on the Guide Dogs of America website. That page answers almost any questions you’d have regarding the Guide Dogs of America puppy raising program.

Do you have any other questions regarding Guide Dogs of America puppy raising? Just leave me a comment if you do and I’ll do my best to answer your question.

Filed Under: Working Dog Tagged With: FAQ, Puppy Raiser

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

Ep 18 – Puppy Turn In Day

Puppy Turn In Day Transcription

Our Final Thoughts On Puppy Turn In Day

Puppy Raiser Questionnaire – In For Training

Puppy Raiser Turn In Questionnaire

Are You Interested In Becoming A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser?

Are You Interested In Becoming A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser?

Step-by-Step How To Become A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser

Puppy In Training TV – Ep9 – Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island

Puppy In Training TV – Ep9 – Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island

Scavenger Hunt at Fashion Island – Transcription

Final thoughts on the OCGDA Scavenger Hunt 2011

iPhone Puppy Raisers, There’s An App For That

Pocket Puppy Raiser

24 Ways A Guide Dog Can Be Disqualified

Causes For Disqualification

Physical

Temperamental

The Goal Is To Be A Guide Dog

Top 5 Questions People Ask A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser

Top 5 Questions People Ask Me As A Guide Dog Puppy Raiser

Guide Dogs of America Website

WELCOME TO PUPPYINTRAINING.COM!

Click “Like” To Join Us On Facebook!

PUPPY TRAINING VIDEO

Sponsors

Puppy Of The Week

The Cutest Puppy Ever Part X

Most Popular Posts

Featured Sites

DAILY UPDATES

Recent Posts