License to Click

Today was jam packed with information and experiences. The morning routine hasn't changed much, although I've backed up the wake-up time to 5:40. Woohoo, love sleeping in.

As I'm writing this, Trishna is lying on my foot, chewing on her very first toy that I got give her, a very big Nylabone. It looks something like a foot. I figured out that her biggest preference would be for me to hold onto the Nylabone while she wraps both paws around my wrist, holds on, and chews on it. But that is somewhat inconvenient for typing.

So here's what we did today. Morning classwork always starts with obedience (see previous blog for descriptions of doggy pushups). Today's obedience distractions were much higher value that just a plain old cracker. We had to do obedience while other instructors brought their personal dogs and ran them past us and among us. One of the instructors has taught her dog to bark on a visible signal command, which is oh so much fun for a bunch of blind people with new dogs. Lots of wiggling and spinning around, etc. Trishna and I actually did OK, which is good because she has a fairly large tendency to be distracted by dogs. (I think she really does know that she's being set up.)

Then we were off for our morning workout in San Rafael. This was called a "destination workout," because instead of just walking around a block or two, we actually went to a destination, just like I would do in the real world. Trishna and I went to Starbucks, although our instructor had us take the long way around.

Trisha did very well on the way there, weaving through a crowd a people and around bushes, poles, etc. I was the problem on the way to Starbucks. For some reason, I was overly anxious this morning when we started, second-guessing decisions I was making, doing some nervous stepping, and at least one time, not paying attention to what Trishna was trying to show me. It sounds like I was just acting the fool, but it wasn't really that; it just wasn't neat and tidy. Sometimes, it takes a few minutes to settle down when you start this kind of work with a new dog.

So we get to Starbucks and it's really crowded and really hot inside. I looked at my instructor and said, "It's really hot in here. Can we work some more?" and she said, "Yes." And I have to tell you, the way back was beautiful. There was a giant yellow lab that wanted to be Trishna's boyfriend. She got a little distracted, so we had to do doggy pushups in front of him, so she would pay attention to me and not him. But other than that, it was pretty near perfect.

Now here's where the real fun begins. In the afternoon, we got our ID pictures taken, and then we went to clicker training. So you know all those fancy trainers you see on Animal Planet with that clicky device? Well, now I know how to use it and how to get dogs to do things with it. Actually, I'm beginning to learn to use it, and I can get a stuffed dog to do things with it. Trishna had to go to the room and take a nap while we learned (i.e., made mistakes). To make a very long explanation short, basically, we're learning how to use the clicker combined with a food reward to teach the dogs to target certain things (empty chairs, light poles, etc.) or to keep repeating certain, very specific behaviors that could potentially be useful for guiding. I have to tell you it was absolutely fascinating to learn all of the tiny steps you have to use to teach a dog with this tool but just how quickly they're going to be able to respond to us. I'm very excited to try this with a live dog soon.

Lastly, this evening, all of the retrain students got together to have a tribute to their former Guides. It was very moving to hear how others had the same profound experience I had with Stacey. I always knew that they did, but now I really know that they did. There's nothing quite as emotionally complicated as retiring or losing your Guide. It's a very specific feeling, and it was nice to be with people who had this shared experience. And it was nice, at the end, to remember that Stacey and I had a responsibility for loving each other and keeping each other safe, but that Trishna and I also have that same shared experience. We're just at the beginning of the road.