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A day in the life of Sunshine, 3 month old Leader Dog For the Blind Trainee

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goldwyn > 11) The sky is clear and it will be a bright, Sunshiny day. Lou takes Molly for a walk and Sunshine and I train. For the past week we have been learning "recalls". She learns that when I say "sit" in my command voice, she is to sit in front of me facing me. I then hold up my hand, palm facing her and command "stay". At first I would back up a few steps and then, just before she started to come towards me, I would squat low open my arms, and call in a bright cheery voice "come!" She comes running, I command "sit" again, and I give her a chunk of Mollie's kibble. Dogs will do just about anything for food and love, and not necessarily in that order. After two weeks of recall training, I can now turn my back on her, walk a long way away, even around a corner, and she will hold her sit for about 20 seconds until I call her. We will start training her to "down" later this week. Starting in a few weeks we will join an obedience class which we will attend for two hours weekly for several months. We practice our lessons formally for 10-20 minutes every morning, and then reinforce them all day. That's it. That's all it takes to train a great dog.

goldwyn > 12) Lou comes home from her walk with Molly as Sunshine and I head out for our walk. Sunshine wears a blue bandana that says "Future Leader Dog". As she grows she will start wearing a cape that looks a bit more official. Sunshine greets Molly as if she hasn't seen her all day.

goldwyn > 13) I try to keep her in the Leader Dog "heel" position, to my left with her hips at my knee, but she is still young and rambunctious and exploring the world so I let up on the leash a bit an let her snuffle. Once we start classes in July, I will reel her in and teach her to walk in the position a Leader Dogs must maintain.

goldwyn > 14) We started leash training when she was about 9 weeks old, and she fought me and lagged behind at first. Now she leads with gusto. This is a good sign. The problem will arise soon when she begins forging ahead and tugging me along. She needs to be in position with a loose leash. Sunshine is feisty and willful and I am certain we have battles in the future over were she will walk. She already has the swagger of a lioness.

goldwyn > 15) Sunshine thinks the leather leash is a toy and likes to nip it. She frequently takes it in her mouth and struts along as if she is walking herself.

goldwyn > 16) There is a commuter train station a few blocks from our house so we go there often. She needs to get used to the noise and wind of the train. Leader Dogs must be fearless. They cannot jump or shy away from noises and unusual sights. Part of my job as puppy trainer is to expose her to as many sights and sounds as possible. We start with her in my arms as the train rolls by on the far track. By now, after only a few visits to the station, she is completely unimpressed even if the train is whizzing by only a few feet away.

goldwyn > 17) The 6:10 train already has a Sunshine Fan Club. The regulars love to cuddle with her and the riders wave from the windows. Before that there were fan clubs for all four of our previous trainees. We allow all this contact now as she learns to socialize with all kinds of people, but in a few months, when she dons her cape, we will ask people not to pet her as she trains. This is good practice for both her and the people. She needs to know the difference between work and play, that everyone doesn't want to play with her, and people need to know that working dogs must to keep their minds on their work.

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