Learning with Banjo

Hi, this is Sophia. Timber and I graduated in January as a CVC dog team. OccuPaws decided we were doing well together and gave us the chance to work toward being an independent team. COOL!

Timber is with the Weils now so they can teach him to be a guide dog. The Weils said I could use Banjo while Timber was away. It is fun having Banjo here! He rests at my feet when we are not working just like Timber does.

Yesterday the Weils came to my house to start teaching me how to work with a guide dog. I have to concentrate more than with a CVC dog. Even though it is more work, I feel a lot more freedom when it is just the dog and me. It feels awesome!

The Weils said soon I get a different harness with a real guide dog handle. They said it would help me feel the dog’s pull better. Right now, sometimes I want to walk faster than the dog. Mr. Weil told me I need to slow down and let the dog do his job. There is so much to think about!

Banjo now knows how to get to my best friend’s house. I also want to teach him how to take me to the library and maybe even the bait shop where we get ice cream!

I’ll write again soon.
-Sophia

Career Change Dog Available

Hi Everyone,

My name is Daisy! I'm a spayed female black lab, a little over a year old, very quiet, in good health and sweet. I've decided I would like to change careers from being a guide dog trainee to being a family pet.

So I'm looking for a new home and family to love and care for me. If you are interested in meeting me or talking about me, you can contact Nicole at nicole@occupaws.org or 608-444-9555.

You can also find out about career change pups and get an application for me at http://www.occupaws.org/forms.html Just look for Career Change Dog application form.

Love,

Daisy

Welcome Alice

Hi Everyone,
I want to introduce myself. My name is Alice and I am 10 weeks, and one day, old. I moved in with my "raisers" 5 days ago. I LOVE them! There are six people for me to follow, a big dog named Jeff, and two cats named Christopher and Marc. I don't think that cats are thrilled about me being here but they have been polite.

I am being a good girl, I think. I go outside to go potty most of the time. Sometimes I just can't help it; I'm a baby, you know. I am sleeping longer and longer in my crate every night. I just get lonely sometimes. My mom sleeps in a sleeping bag on the floor next to me for part of the night. She said she's not doing it for much longer, though. One morning, Jeff came and layed down by me and put his paw by my crate and stared at me until I went to sleep. That was nice. I think he was just trying to help his mom, though.

I like to spend my days looking for paper to rip up. My mom said it a bad idea and gives me a dumb baby bone instead. I also like to chase Jeff's tennis balls around the slippery floor. He's been nice at sharing with me.

My mom has been trying to take me for walks. I don't mind the leash, but leaving the yard makes me nervous, so I just sit down. She said Jeff could come on our next walk. I think I'd like that. She also said something about the mosquitoes were trying to kill her. Maybe she should put some Vectra (or whatever it's called) between her shoulder blades. It seems to help.

My computer time is up. I'll tell you more later. This is Alice saying..."Peace out!"

It's My Birthday!

Hey Pups!

It's my birthday today! I'm now one year old ~ together with my OccuPaws siblings Maddi, Sonny, Finley, and Sparta. We'll have to have a party at our Thursday night training class! I'll help my mommy make cupcakes so we can celebrate.




I even got a dog wash so I'll be nice and clean for the party (Thanks, Animart, for providing dog washes for OccuPaws dogs!)





What a busy week this has been! I almost got a ride in the UW Med Flight helicopter, at Lakeview Park, at the Middleton Police National Night Out.



I had to jump out quickly 'cause the helicopter then took off. There were hundreds of kids there to give me lots of petting, and I even met some of the Police K-9 dogs. They were also very well trained!

On Saturday I helped volunteer at the National Mustard Day in Middleton. There were hundreds of kids there! I attracted all the kids to our table, and my mommy sold them Mustard Day t-shirts. We work good together as a team! I got to meet the Klements sausages (they race around the diamond at Brewers games, but for some reason they don't smell like sausages....)





and Culver's Scoopie, who brought "Mustard Custard," but I couldn't have any. I met the Mustard Girl, too,





and the biggest weiner in the world, the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile! His license plate said "YUMMY."




All that work all day and I still didn't get a sausage....but my mommy said I was a VERY good girl and gave me some yummy treats before bed.

Your pal,

Casey

Upgrading

Dayton's life goal is to grow like a weed. This weekend, he upgraded to a bigger crate, and my nights are much more peaceful now, as I no longer hear the scrape scrape of his nails as he readjusts in a crate that is growing too small.

I'm not sure if it is the new crate or that we're away from home together for the first time since he came to live with me, but our nights have been filled with him panting in his crate. I think that both places we have been over the last couple of days are a little warmer than my apartment, but not enough to make him sound like Thomas the Tank.

I'm also used to him sleeping in a different room than me, so it's possible I've just never noticed him panting at night. At home, I just moved his crate from the hallway into the office. He needs to be content in his crate wherever it is located, so now that I know he's completely content in my apartment and that he's settled into life with me and my pack of dogs, I figured it was time to start moving the crate around.

The first night, he slept peacefully, but the following night was filled with yipping and readjusting and whining.<

Time will tell, but all the work and lack of sleep is worth it to make him into a well-rounded dog some day.

I'm visiting my mom in Waukesha right now, and she has a fenced in yard. He seemed so surprised to be granted so much freedom. I've been working on recalls out there with him, and it's so hard to remind myself to only call him when I am certain he will comply. I don't want him to learn that "come" means ignore me unless you feel like coming over here. I must only tell him to come when I can either correct him for not doing so, or I am 100% certain he will comply.

Needless to say, at this age, I spend a lot of time calmly walking over to retrieve him when I know he won't come trotting if I tell him to come.

He's going to be five months on Wednesday, and I've heard that's when they really start to develop their own agendas. I'm hoping Dayton doesn't know he's supposed to do this, but I'm sure I won't be that lucky.

All of the dogs are sleeping for the night, so I think I had better take advantage of the quiet and do the same.

Owwie!!!

Mom said we were going to have fun today...



Noooooo not the vet office....

OK, OK, I'll be brave.

A treat you say...me love you Doc!!!

Gordy

Bully

Monte attended play group Saturday morning. We arrived for the end of adult playgroup where he can play some larger dogs and learn to settle - no problems. At puppy playgroup, he was the playground bully, not malicious, but relentless. It was every pet owner's worst nightmare, other owners wanted nothing to do with the yellow lab.

Labradors tend to play harder than other breeds. Monte was probably the largest puppy and he doesn't know that. We kept having to restrain him to let his "victim" get up. It was strange though because the other puppy didn't seem to mind and usually wanted more.

Needless to say, Lisa and I were exhausted after playtime.
And the day was just beginning.

Our next stop was the Farmers' Market on the square. Monte handled the crowd well and kept his head up, not looking for edibles. We made our way to the OccuPaws site and met his brethren. We spent a few hours greeting people with Hailey and Promise. The exposure to different people, especially children, is invaluable.

Monte took a short nap at home while we ate a quick lunch and then we were off to a baseball game. Our last attempt to see a Mallard's game got rained out and it wasn't looking good as we left home. However, it ended up being a great night for baseball and Monte met a lot of people before the game. No issue meeting Maynard or Millie (mascots) this time. He endeared himself to all the spectators sitting near us and received a few head pats and chin rubs. The Mallards won and we quickly left before the fireworks, not wanting to risk it and we were tired.

Recent adventures

Hi, it's Hailey again. My person and I have had lots of adventures in the last few days, so I thought I'd share a few. First, we went hiking, on a really nice trail. Unfortunately, my people forgot water, so we couldn't go to far, since it was hot out. And then after that, we went to Costco, where I got my own cup of ice, which I appreciated. My mom says that now that it's cooler, we'll go hiking more, instead of just walking in the city. I like the city, but it was fun to walk on a path instead of concrete.

Then I went to my grandad's office on Friday afternoon. I've only been there a few times, but I know how to find his office. I even know which way to go from the bus stop to get there. The people there like me a lot and talk a lot about how small I am and how puppy-like I am compared to Promise. Well, I'll tell you, I am a puppy, and Promise is a big dog, so don't be surprised. But I settled nicely and slept. After flopping down on the floor for some belly rubs. Then tonight, I was walking with my mom (and doing SO well at not pulling the leash) and I saw a FROG. I don't think I've seen a frog before, but it was all hoppy and small. But I was very good, and I just noted it and kept on walking. Didn't even pull on the leash or act too distracted.

So those are my adventures as of late. My mom says she really appreciates that I'm getting the whole not pulling on the leash thing. Sometimes it's hard for me because the world is SO exciting, but I have to admit, it's kinda nice not having to get corrected. And I've learned that if I don't pull, we get places faster. I've gotta get my mom to carry the camera more, because we've seen lots of fun things.

Monte Five

How did Monte celebrate his five month birthday?

1. Went to the park to play with Buddy
2. Lost his final canine tooth, no more needle bites
3. Attended OccuPaws training class
4. Tried the PediPaws nail trimmer
5. Stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings
6. Had fish oil with dinner
7. Trimmed nails the old-fashioned way
8. Destroyed his new toy
9. Received a big bone
10.Slept in a different room

Disappointed that we didn't get to show off Monte's new skill - HEEL without being lured.

Geyser in Tahoe

Hi everybody, Geyser here! I just wanted to tell you all about Promise’s and my trip to Lake Tahoe, California a couple of weeks ago. It started out by riding in the car to Chicago with Doug, Caroline and their son, Tyler (who lives in China, wherever that is)

We got to stay in a hotel the first night and that was really fun except that Caroline said we couldn’t rough house in the room :( Oh well. The plane ride was OK but I overheard Doug and Caroline talking about how there isn’t as much room in the bulkhead as there used to be. Promise was a little put out that she had to curl up into a ball for the entire trip, you all know how she likes to lay frog legged all the time. We slept the whole flight and when we woke up, we were in Nevada and it was REALLY hot there!

I was glad that Caroline and Doug remembered to bring our booties, and even though I don’t really like wearing them, it’s better than burning your pads. When we finally arrived at our destination, I was surprised at how many people were there – moms and dads, brothers and sisters and cousins. There were even some KIDS for us to play with - YAY!!! Oh and there also were 2 other black labs like us, except they were just pets, not service dogs like Promise and me.

The house we stayed in was HUGE. There were three floors and Promise and I immediately had to explore every room. There also were RULES, like no dogs in the kitchen, no rough housing inside (that stupid rule AGAIN), stay with the family, blah, blah, blah. I took the liberty of bending a couple of the rules and it kinda got me in a little trouble. I know I am not supposed to get in the trash but those first few days, I just couldn’t help myself. Caroline says I need work on my “impulse control” and I am still trying to figure out what that actually means. Anyway, I got caught red-handed with my head in the downstairs bathroom trash not just once, but THREE times!!!!! What was I thinking????? Doug caught me in it the last time and that’s when I decided it wasn’t worth getting in it EVER AGAIN!

I also had a few problems at the lake at first. Apparently, everyone was supposed to stay together which I didn’t understand right away. I mean, come on, there is a whole huge beach – why couldn’t I just take off and do as I pleased?????? To make a long story short, I had quite a few “time outs” the first couple of days. Promise of course had to be the “goody two shoes” and never got in any trouble, thinking back on it now, I probably should have followed her example. Oh well, on to the exciting part!

We got to take a trip down the Truckee River in these big rafts! It was so much fun (well until the rafts filled up with water and Promise and I had to sit in them). The trip took most of the day because we kept stopping to swim and fetch bumpers and play in the river. I was really tired after that and was a good boy for the whole rest of the trip! Promise and I got to work in Tahoe city a bunch too – there was a lot of stuff and pedestrians on the sidewalks, so we got lots of practice on our clearances.

By the end of the trip I had learned what “staying with the family” meant, and you know what? It’s really not so bad; this family was really FUN – always stuff to do, never boring. I think I learned a lot about life on that trip!

Promise and I are back home now and working hard on our guide dog skills. I think Promise is almost done with her training and she will go to her new blind human in a few short weeks. I am going to miss her so much. She has been such a good role model for me, and I have learned tons of stuff from her. Well got to go, it’s class night and I don’t want to be late!

This is G-man signing off for now!

Always Something

There is always something to work on when training a guide puppy. Our focus the last week has been grooming. Specifically nail trimming. Monte is quite a cry baby and the least bit of pressure would cause him to cry, which upset the nail trimmer. I have been trimming his nails every couple days to get him to settle down and accept it. We have progressed to the point where he tolerates it without crying; it's over in a few minutes - then a big treat.

We also need to do more traffic work. Not the real guide dog work of stopping at curbs and pivots, but simply walking in traffic as cars or (loud) motorcycles pass by. Tonight Monte was intrigued by every vehicle. The sirens of emergency vehicles on television startle him. The best way to get him used to the noises is repetition. An afternoon trip to the streets of Madison just might do the trick.

Heeerrre's Gordy

Hello All!

I want to introduce myself. My name is Gordy. I am an 8 week old Yellow lab from the Shamrock Acres Kennels in Middleton.

I want to thank the Gordon Flesch Foundation for their generous donation to the OccuPaws Children’s Visual Companion Dog program and for giving me my name in honor of the founder of Gordon Flesch.


I am fitting well into the Schultze household. I have met many new friends: Harley, Roxie, Stitch and Reggie. I like to follow Reggie around the yard, but being a border collie, he wants to watch me! I understand that on Thursday I will meet more new friends at training class.

I have been to so many places, my head is spinning. I have been to Finn’s, the Original Pancake House, Culvers, Goben cars, the Mayor of Madison’s office, the Dr.’s office, and best of all, the home of the Maestro of the Wisconsin Symphony orchestra. My friend Harley came along and showed me how to behave. He told me that when I am “big” I need to lie quietly and wait wherever I am told to wait. All the older dogs have also told me that I should be quiet at night in the crate. We talk all night about crate manners, because my crate faces Roxie’s at night. It makes me feel much safer and happier to see another dog at night, especially Roxie. You can see picture's of all my adventures here.

Today, I will be going to Gordon Flesch to introduce myself to some of the employees there. What fun!

Gordy

Terrible Fives

Monte seems to thoroughly enjoy his trips to The Dog Den and he takes full advantage of the opportunity to be a normal dog and work on bite inhibition. As soon as the car door opens, his olfactory senses are triggered by the scent of other canines, and he gets amped up.

We are working on calmly approaching the facility. This last week we walked around the corner to a Mexican restaurant before joining playtime. The Montessori school next door was having a rummage sale to raise funds, so we had to pick up a few "new" toys, which made his wait even longer.



Remembering the joy of training a young puppy who is seemingly attached to our waist with an invisible leash, eager to please, and hanging on our every word. This describes the first five months of puppy raising. Monte celebrates his five month birthday and officially enters the Terrible Fives, which in human terms is a combination of a defiant two year old and an independent teenager.

On Monday night, Monte was eagerly anticipating playtime as we walked to the building. Unfortunately for Monte, we had signed up for another training class. Monte thinks he knows all the stuff and he does for the most part, however, his hearing appears to be impaired by dogs, birds, leaves, bugs, horns, grass, whistles, shadows, ...

Since he has entered the Terrible Fives, Teenager Class is very appropriate. The first class was a refresher of puppy class: marker word, SETTLE, WATCH, SIT,and DOWN. The WAIT command was introduced. This made Monte look smart because we were able to leave him standing and walk through the door until released (OK). We have been practicing this command for quite some time; his training started at eight weeks of age.

The training classes offer us a great opportunity to "proof" his responses while working and playing with other breeds and being guided by expert trainers. The sessions also remind me that we are working with a young puppy and our expectations need to be tempered.

Many Thanks to The Dog Den Staff (unofficial puppy sponsor),
Monte, Banjo, Cinder, Neva, Marley

Almost a Big Dog

Puppy playtime was eventful for Monte. This week he was the one losing teeth. In the span of forty-five minutes he lost three of his canine teeth (only one left). Mostly the result of biting the other puppies as he left telltale red stains on the other dog's ears and neck.

Then at dinner time I caught him chewing on something under the table. I was curious what he had located as I thought I scouted the area for chewables. Well, it turned out to be a molar. Four in one day; just a few more before Monte is officially a big dog.