Adaptation is the Name of the Game

Vinson sitting proudly in the morning sun, his breath visible

Sometimes pieces of the puppy puzzle seem counter-intuitive. Vinson has been exhibiting challenging behavior more recently than every before.

Now a game of ball in the big Seeing Eye field is typically a reward for Vinson, a special treat with some recall and obedience work built in. But I got to thinking this morning as I looked over the sun-drenched rolling field and pondered how mild the weather is for mid January, that some of Vinson's behavior may also be signalling a need for additional challenge and exercise.

And so, to the field we went. Vinson performed very well, returning consistently and sitting proudly while awaiting the ball throw.

We'll see if this approach - combining additional fun and work along with our usual daily routines - will help during Vinson's latest puppy phase.

And then there were Three

Today Vinson had another special time in the field at The Seeing Eye - this time it was Vinson, Garcia and Watson together in the sunshine.

Vinson liked to try and keep the others from getting the ball, and Watson showed some of his hearding instincts as he tried to move Vinson into smaller and smaller portions of the field. Eventually they all rested together and enjoyed the crisp afternoon.

Three happy dogs.

Vinson & Garcia Take the Field

Vinson and his buddy, Garcia, finally got a chance to run in the field together at The Seeing Eye. We setup one camera on a tripod and carried another handheld to get the shots.

Full 1080p HD available on our YouTube channel.

Back to the Big Field Now that the Sun has Returned

Vinson finally got to run and retrieve the ball in the Seeing Eye's fenced field this morning. With the past few week's deluge it was simply too wet and muddy to be safe or fun. He was thrilled to get some running in.

In Vinson's case, retrieving a ball was something he seemed to instinctively do - we never taught him to do it. What we have done is take advantage of that behavior to reinforce what we're asking for when we give him the "come" command. As soon as he gets the ball, I always call out "come" to Vinson, which is improving his recall reliability with or without the ball.

Check out the video below or watch it in full 1080p HD on our YouTube Channel. I managed to get some audio of his galloping paws this time around.

Run Rabbit Run

Vinson impersonating a rabbit

Vinson has had a great morning, starting with his first chance to explore The Seeing Eye's 5-acre fenced field across the street from the office!

As Vinson's energy has increased it's become apparent that long walks simply aren't enough to tire him out. He needs to run.

Please turn your attention to the Dumbo-tron

I walked Vinson around the field on leash first, checking to ensure all gates were secure. After Vinson became more comfortable with the new space and calmed, I had him sit, removed his leash, took his favorite ball out of my pocket and gave it a throw.

Vinson sprinted off in search of the ball, dew from the morning grass creating a mist around him as he ran. Time after time, Vinson retrieved the ball and proudly sprinted back to me with it, never straying to investigate things on his own.

Here's a video of this morning's fun (keep in mind that I was throwing the ball and trying to video with the opposite hand). You can watch Vinson's videos in high definition on YouTube by clicking on the video once it has begun playing in the window below. High Def - that's how Vinson rolls.

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Note: The Seeing Eye asks its puppy raisers not to bring their puppies to public dog parks, for a variety of reasons. This private field is owned by The Seeing Eye and is used by Seeing Eye staff with approved dogs only.