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

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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.

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!

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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.

Top Picks For Our Puppies

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   We Like: Beef Collagen Sticks - All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
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   We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home.
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   We Like: Crazy Dog Train-Me Treats - We use these as our high-value treats for our guide dog puppies.
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Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.