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5 Great Puppy Socialization Ideas For Guide Pups In Training

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Puppy socialization is one of the most important jobs we have as puppy raisers, but what exactly is socialization?

“Socialization means learning to be part of society. When we talk about socializing pet puppies, it means helping them learn to be comfortable as a pet within human society—a society that includes many different types of people, environments, buildings, sights, noises, smells, animals and other dogs.”

It’s been 3 years since I began organizing all of our Orange County Guide Dogs of America group outings to help socialize our puppies.  If you’re a GDA puppy raiser give me a “WOOT, WOOT!”  Anyhow, along with taking over as OCGDA Outing Coordinator I was also told FANTASTIC fliers would help increase the participation in our monthly events.

So, I was duped into designing fliers for our group as well as for the monthly outings.  I wouldn’t say they are FANTASTIC and I’m not sure they increased the number of participants, but it does give me a chance to share some of the awesome outings we’ve organized over the years.

Welcome to OCGDA!

Welcome OCGDA Puppy Raiser!

If you’ve interviewed with one of our OCGDA group leaders then there’s a good chance you’ve already seen this flier.  The three puppies pictured here are Baron, Yuki, and Dublin.

Along the top we took a great picture of our pups lined up along a fountain on one of our Metro Link Train ride outings.  If you look way down the line you might be able to make out a blurry Stetson 🙂

OCGDA Events Calendar

OCGDA Calendar

At the beginning of every year I put together an events calendar outlining our outings for the year.  I generally try to put together one outing a month.  I’m not sure on all of these pups, but I think we have Stetson at the top, Dublin in the middle, Onyx on the bottom left.  In the four square I think we have Duncan, Toby, Apache, and Ember.

All of out outings present different challenges for our puppies in training so let’s get started with our list of great puppy socialization ideas/outings:

1. Outdoor Festivals

Sawdust Festival

WHAT IS IT?

Outdoor festivals are great for puppies in training to get used to different sights, sounds, smells, and people.  We’ve gone to county fairs, pet expos, local school festivals, as well as one of our favorites the Sawdust Festival.

The Sawdust Festival is an outdoor art festival located in the beautiful city of Laguna Beach just a hop, skip, and jump away from the beach.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OUR PUPS WILL ENCOUNTER?

  • Park at one of the outside lots and you can ride the tram to the Sawdust Festival.  We park about a 1/2 mile up the road giving our puppies a chance to ride the tram.
  • There’s tons of wood chips all over the ground.  It’s great for pup’s to learn to walk on different surfaces like this, but another challenge is keeping your puppy from picking these things up with his mouth.  A good chance to work on “leave it”.
  • They do glasswork on site which offers some different noises and smells.
  • Artwork, shopping, food, stairs, and many other distractions for your puppy.
  • Did I mention it’s close to the beach?  We’ve walked our pups down to the beach for ocean breezes and summer fun.
  • Did you see our video of Dublin at the Sawdust Festival?  If not, click here.

2. Ferry Rides

Balboa Island

WHAT IS IT?

Another awesome adventure is taking your puppy in training on a boat or in our case a ferry!  Our puppies need to be exposed to many different situations and what better outing then to ride the ferry to Balboa Island in Newport Beach.

We start off with a long walk to tire out puppies out and head down to the ferry.  Pups and people hop on the ferry for a ride to Balboa Island.  We grab a bite to eat and head back home for a wonderful day of pups, sun, and fun!

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OUR PUPS WILL ENCOUNTER?

  • Number 1…THE FERRY RIDE.  I don’t know about you, but until I started raising puppies I had been on boats, but never a ferry.  The ferry ride is a great introduction because it’s only about a 5 minute ride from one side to the other.  I get seasick on boats, but this one I can handle 🙂
  • Walking along the dock can be a bit creepy for some pups.  The wood bottoms along with a shifty ground can take a bit of getting used to for some puppies in training.
  • Long walks on the beach…well not exactly on the beach, but near the beach.  It’s a great day to exercise your puppy as we walk several miles to and from the Balboa Island Ferry.

3. Fire Stations

OCGDA FireStation Outing

WHAT IS IT?

Our annual fire station outing is a great one for puppies in training.  Your pups will have the opportunity to visit the different sights, smells, and sounds of fire fighters and a real life fire station!  Sorry, flames not included…

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OUR PUPS WILL ENCOUNTER?

  • Pups walk in and out of the fire station seeing and smelling uniforms, fire trucks, and fire equipment.
  • Fire truck drive by and siren.  This can be pretty loud so make sure to put some distance between your puppy and the truck if they are noise sensitive.
  • Fully outfitted fire fighter.  Some pups are not too keen on people in masks especially ones that sound like Darth Vader!
  • Did you see our video of Dublin at the Fire Station?  If not click here.

4. Outdoor Malls

Irvine Spectrum Walk

WHAT IS IT?

Outdoor malls are a great place to work with your puppy (indoor malls make for great outings as well).

We always scout our destination beforehand and this can be very important as some outdoor malls are uber dog friendly, meaning lots of pet dogs out and about which can be very distracting for a puppy in training.  Know your dog and know your outings.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OUR PUPS WILL ENCOUNTER?

  • Other dogs.  Sometimes lots of them.  Be aware of not only your dog, but the other dogs you may encounter.  Not all people and dogs are friendly.
  • Mall stores and department stores.  Pups in training get to walk in and out of the mall stores.
  • Food Courts.  A good time to work on tabling your puppy while grabbing lunch.
  • Depending on which mall you visit you can encounter elevators, even better glass elevators.
  • Funny water fountains.  Some pups (just like kids) are quite amused of the many water fountains.
  • We actually had a Scavenger Hunt at the outdoor mall at Fashion Island with Dublin.  Did you see the video?  If not click here.

5. Bus Rides And Amusement Parks
OCTA Bus Training for Pups

WHAT IS IT?

OCTA puts together an awesome training day the first Saturday of October (and now the first Saturday of April too!).  Not only do they set us up with real life bus training, but they also hook us up with passes to Knott’s Berry Farm amusement park.  OCTA Bus Training day is definitely a must attend for puppy raisers in Southern California.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS OUR PUPS WILL ENCOUNTER?

  • Other puppy raisers and puppies in training.  We’ve seen many other groups at OCTA Bus Training including GDA, GDB, GDD, CCI, CST, and many, many others.  One year we even saw a puppy raiser working with a cadaver detection dog.
  • The sights, sounds and smells of a bus.  A lot of us don’t get on public transportation too often.  OCTA bus training day is a great chance to ride the bus free of charge!  Thanks OCTA!
  • The sights, sounds, and smells of an amusement park.  There’s lots to do at an amusement park like Knott’s Berry Farm.  It can get pretty loud with roller coasters and kids running around screaming so keep an eye on your puppy to make sure he is taking the outing in stride.  Your pups can also meet Linus, Lucy, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Woodstock.  Outlaws and gunslingers are also common throughout the park.
  • The bus drop off at Knott’s Berry Farm has a bunch of chicken out front.  Make sure your pup doesn’t go chasing the chicks!
  • Did you see our video of Dublin at the OCTA Bus Training?  If not, click here.

More Outings And Puppy Socialization Ideas

If that wasn’t enough for you then check out our Puppy In Training TV videos.  A few years back we documented several of Dublin’s outings including Bass Pro Shop, Getty Museum, Movie Theater Outing, Disneyland, Metro Link, and many more.

Puppy socialization is important for all puppies not just guide and service dog puppies in training.  Even your family puppy should be well socialized with many different types of people, places, and things so they will grow to be a well-balanced dog.  Some of these puppy socialization ideas are only suitable for guide and service dog puppies, but I’m sure you can think of others that would work just as well for your family pet.

If you’re having problems thinking of different ways to socialize your puppy please leave us a comment below and we’ll help you come up with some suitable ideas for your puppy.

What about you guys?  What are your favorite outings with your puppy in training?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Socializing A Puppy In Large Crowds

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Last weekend we took a little outing to a small German restaurant in downtown LA for our friend Rachael’s birthday.  Happy Birthday Rachael!  While this may not sound like a big deal to you and I it can be quite the adventure for a puppy in training.

Lets sit back and think about this for a second.  How do many disabled people get around town?  Living in southern California we take hopping in the car and shooting off to our destination for granted.  Many people often have to take public transportation.  After all, a blind person can’t just hop in the car and drive off to…well, anywhere without assistance!  And, unfortunately guide dogs cannot yet drive cars.

One thing I often do is think about what my puppy’s life will be like when she becomes a working dog.  Public transportation is often times a must for our dogs, so I always make sure to expose my pup’s to different types of public transportations like trains, buses, trams, etc.

So that’s where today’s journey begins!

Puppies On A Train!

I bet you’d rather see Puppies On A Train rather then Snakes On A Plane…Me too!

Our first stop was the Orange Metrolink Train station.  This was actually our second trip on the Metrolink and I wasn’t too worried about Adelle however, this time was a little different then our first train trip…

  • We left the same time around 9:30am so no differences there.
  • As soon as the train reached our stop the loud speaker announced the train was full and it was standing room only.
  • We had to stand scrunched up for the entire hour+ train trip to Union Station!

Apparently everyone was heading to China Town in downtown LA for a Chinese New Years parade.  The good news: This was an opportunity to work with Adelle in a totally new situation.

PUPPY SOCIALIZATION TIP #1: Avoid the train station on Chinese New Year!  Actually check to see if anything big is going on the weekend you’re planning any puppy outing events.

Puppies In Large Crowds

Puppies On A Train
Good down stay Adelle!

Adelle had experienced a train ride a couple months earlier so this was a great opportunity to work on the train in a large crowd.  While I wasn’t totally prepared for this situation apparently she was: Adelle was a super star and stayed in a sit stay or down stay near my feet the entire ride.  She even got a little more comfortable once some of the people left our cabin. See below…

Good Down-Stay, Adelle!
Good Down-Stay, Adelle!

The crowd was just as crazy when we got to the Union Station, but we were able to make our way to the yellow line metro tram.  We hopped on and made our way towards Wurstkuche (don’t as me how to pronounce that).  Once again Adelle was a star staying close to me in a sit-stay.

We took a 15 minute walk from the Yellow Line to our final destination.  This gave Adelle a chance to get a little bit of energy out since she had mostly been in a sit-stay or down-stay on the tram or train for the last 2 hours.

It also gave us a chance to relieve Adelle and give her a little bit of water.  We gave Adelle the command “Better Go Now!” and she did her business on a small patch of dirt just off the side walk.

PUPPY SOCIALIZATION TIP #2 – Bring an outing pack with you including food, water, towels, toys, poop bags and any other essentials you need when out with your puppy.  You’ll notice in most pictures I’m wearing my backpack filled with puppy supplies.

Adelle Sit-Stay
Me: Wanna grab a beer?
Adelle: Sorry, I’m working!

We got the chance to relax with friends, enjoy the atmosphere, and have a few drinks (Adelle and I stuck to water).  The sausage at Wurstkuche was delish and they have quite a variety of mustards!

After some good food and good conversation we walked on over to Japanese Town for a few road snacks.  We took the Yellow Line back to Union Station and noticed it wasn’t quite as crowded…I think everyone was still in China Town for the parade.  Here’s a good shot of us back at Union Station:

Adelle At Union Station
Adelle At Union Station

Lucky for us there were plenty of seats on the train ride back to Orange.  Adelle got comfortable and took a nap on the way home!

Introducing Your Puppy To New Things

As a puppy raiser we work on three main areas when getting our pups ready for their advanced training:

  1. Obedience Training
  2. Good House Manners
  3. Socialization

Today was a great exercise in socialization because not only did Adelle have the opportunity to see new sights, sounds and smells, but she also had the chance to work in large crowds.

One last thing I’d like to mention…when I take Adelle out with me I always have her best interest in mind.  While we were out for someone’s birthday party I still keep my attention on Adelle and make sure she is not overly stressed in any situation.  If you introduce your puppy to a stressful situation too early you may cause more harm then good.

PUPPY SOCIALIZATION TIP #3 – Make sure any puppy outing is age appropriate for your puppy.

PUPPY SOCIALIZATION TIP #4 – Be prepared to leave any outing that might be to overwhelming for your puppy.

What about you?  What do you do to help socialize your puppy?  Do you have any puppy socialization tips?  Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.

Are You Working On Your Puppy Socialization Skills? We Are!

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As guide dog puppy raisers there are three main things we try to accomplish while raising our pups.  First, we work on their basic obedience training teaching them all the basics including commands like “Sit”, “Down”, “Stay”, etc.

There are only nine basic obedience commands we teach our puppies in training.  If you want to see a list of all nine commands then check out this post on guide dog training.

Second, we teach them good house manners…basically we are letting our pups know what they can and cannot do in the house.  Some of these things are:

  • Potty training
  • Crate training
  • Staying off the furniture
  • No jumping up on people
  • No barking
  • No begging
  • No counter surfing
  • No digging through the trash

The third and final thing we are constantly working on with our pups is socialization!

Puppy Socialization For Guide Dogs

I’ve been organizing our puppy raiser outings for the past two years and I try to do my best to give our puppies many different experiences similar to ones they may encounter when they become working guide dogs.

Puppy socialization is a little bit different for puppy raisers versus your average pet dog as our pups get a yellow Guide Dogs of America vest that have the words “Puppy In Training” written on the back.  This gives us the opportunity to enter many different places that regular pet dogs aren’t allowed to go including office buildings, grocery stores, movie theaters, shopping malls, amusement parks, buses, trains, and many other public places.

Puppy In Training Vest
Toby wearing his yellow puppy in training vest

Getting our puppies out of the house and socialized in these different situations is an essential part of our job as guide dog puppy raisers.

Socialization Is Not Just For Guide Pups

Guess what?  Socializing your puppy or dog is not just for guide dogs.  It’s a really good idea to socialize your family or pet dog as much as possible too.  You won’t have the same privileges as a guide dog pup, but some businesses like pet stores, hardware stores, and outdoor malls allow pet dogs.  These places present great opportunities to socialize your pet.

I know many of you are excited to get your puppy some socialization skills, but be very careful if you’re puppy is not yet fully vaccinated.  We usually avoid places heavily frequented by other dogs until after our puppy’s final round of vaccinations.  Consult your vet for more information on the dangers of disease and your puppy.

One more thing we always keep in mind is whether an outing is age appropriate for our puppies.  Over exposing or over socializing your puppy can sometimes do more harm then good.  If you notice you’re puppy getting fearful during an outing you should be prepared to end your outing short and take your puppy somewhere where he is more comfortable.

Socializing Our Puppies At Irvine Park

This past Saturday our local guide dog group had a nice little outing at Irvine Park.  It gave our guide dog puppies in training a chance to socialize with different distractions in a park setting.

Puppy socialization at Irvine Park
Stetson is in this picture. Can you guess which one is him? Hint: You can see my leg on the far left.

You may have noticed Stetson and some other career changed guide dogs in the panorama picture.  This is one of the few guide dog outings where we are allowed to bring our well-behaved family dogs.

While at the park we didn’t just work on proper dog on dog interaction we also worked on some basic obedience skills in a fun and social way by playing a few games.

GAME 1
Game 1 had us working on loose leash heeling as we went to different stations holding a tray full of food and water.  If your pup pulled on his lead then you were in danger of spilling a tray full of food/water.

GAME 2
Game 2 required us to put socks on our dogs in a fun relay race.  Handling our pups paws is something we do on a regular basis to teach our pups that it’s okay for people to handle their paws.  Putting socks on our pups was a perfect way for us all to handle those big puppy paws.

Every year around this time Irvine Park sets up a cool Pumpkin Patch for the kids.  There’s also a petting zoo, trains, kids running around, ducks, peacocks which are all good distractions and help us puppy raisers teach our guide pups about self control.

How do you go about socializing your puppy or dog?  Do you have any fun activities you like to do when working on dog or puppy socialization?  Tell us about it in the comment section below.

Puppy In Training TV – Ep 17 – Dogs At Disneyland

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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.

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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 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.

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

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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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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!

Puppy In Training TV Ep13 – GDA Puppies And The March Of Dimes

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Just recently, Dublin, my guide dog puppy in training and I had the opportunity to work our guide dog booth at the March of Dimes – Race for Babies.  It’s a great opportunity for us to not only raise awareness about guide dogs and puppy raising, but also to expose Dublin to new situations and experiences.

Lucky for us the March of Dimes race was right up the street from us at Fashion Island in Newport Beach and many of our friends were there to help out including Yuki, Archer, Varrick, and Miles.

So without further adieu here’s this weeks episode of Puppy In Training TV.

Episode 13 – GDA Puppies And The March Of Dimes

If you’re interested in sponsoring an episode of Puppy In Training TV visit our sponsorship page.

GDA Puppies And The March Of Dimes Transcription

PuppyInTraining.com Logo and Website Address

YEP! That’s me and Dublin walking in super slow motion. Today we’re volunteering at the GDA booth at the March of Dimes – Race For Babies. I’m Colby and I’m with Dublin. Welcome to Episode 13 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 now you know were at the March of Dimes Race for Babies you might be wondering what exactly is the March of Dimes. Well…their missionis to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. They carry out this mission through programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy.

There was a lot going on at this event and it was good training for Dublin. We walked around for a while and eventually found the GDA booth.

Dublin’s puppy friends Yuki, Miles, Varrick, and Archer were there helping out as well

There was lots of great information at our booth on Guide Dogs, Puppy Raising, and even a glasses that simulate the different types of blindness.

There was a lot going on in and around our booth. As you can see there was a giant inflatable slide for the kids. Tons of adults and kids running and walking by and many other informational booths up and down the street and there was even a band playing across the street.

When we first arrived Dublin decided to relax for a bit and gnaw on a bone, but it wasn’t before long that we saw a couple clowns come by.

One of the things we like to do with our pups is get them used to all different kinds of people including people dressed up in costume. It looks like Varrick was a little hesitant with this clown. Dublin seems to be the exact opposite and overly excited to meet this clown.

Can you guess who we saw next? None other then the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow! Awesome! another person in costume gave us another chance to socialize Dublin with a strange and new experiences. First Yuki…I think Dublin got a little jealous here.

We have been working on Dublin’s mouthy behavior. He licks and likes to put has mouth on your hands…not quite biting, but not very welcoming either. Training must be paying off because as you can see Dublin is not being mouthy at all with these kids and just rolled over and enjoyed the attention.

Near the end of the day we saw a giant check for over 1.3 million dollars go by…that’s pretty cool!

After a morning of fun with kids, clowns, and Captain Jack we packed up and headed home. I’m glad you joined us for this episode of Puppy In Training TV. I hope you enjoyed it and we’ll see you next time!

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Final Thoughts On GDA Puppies And The March Of Dimes

This was the first year we attended the March of Dimes event and it was a great experience for Dublin.  Even though Dublin was a little excited to meet both the clown and Captain Jack Sparrow I was pleasantly surprised that he didn’t show any fear or hesitation.  On top of meeting people in costume Dublin was absolutely excellent with all the little kids around him.  Again, I was surprised because I thought he’d revert back to his mouthy behavior, but I guess puppy training is paying off as he relaxed and just enjoyed the moment.

I hope you enjoyed Episode 13 GDA Puppies And The March of Dimes!

How’s your puppy training coming along? Have you been working on puppy socialization with your pup?

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