Beautiful Morning Walk on the Training Path

Our morning walk around The Seeing Eye's training path this morning was beautiful - golden morning sunshine, beautiful grounds and blue skies. I couldn't resist the chance to snap a few photos as we rounded the path.

We've been progressing very well on proper leash walking and sitting on command.

Goodie. Two Shoes.

On his daily trip through the building to say hello to staff, Vinson and I stopped off in the Donor & Public Relations office again - the scene of last week's shoe theft. Vinson had a wonderful time playing with the team, but then he seemed to recall the shoe hiding place. Moments later he gave us all a laugh when he managed to pop out from under the desk with a complete pair of shoes in his mouth!

The shoes were quickly collected and returned to their proper place, while Vinson and I returned to my office, where he's currently sound asleep.

Morning Routines

Sitting on Sarah's lap

As time goes forward we've focused on establishing consistent daily routines - feeding times, "park" times and locations, walk time, nap time, etc. By sticking to the schedule we've reduced accidents and miscommunication between Vinson and ourselves.

One of Vinson's favorite routines is to spend some time playing with Sarah and sitting on her lap after his morning trip outside before heading off to The Seeing Eye with Ryan.

15 Weeks Old!

Vinson turned 15 weeks old on Sunday, June 11! Just one more week and we'll be down to two meals per day instead of three.

As he continues to grow, he consistently sleeps through the night now and accidents in the house are almost non-existent (he's better at letting us know when he needs to go, and we're better at reading his signals).

Happy 15, buddy!

The Intrigue of Cat Food

Vinson watching the cats eat through the gate

Vinson is still fascinated by the smell of the cat food. In this photo, he's watching intently from the other side of the gate as the cats enjoy their dinner in the opposite room.

Trip to the Garden Center

Sarah & Vinson checking out the plants

On Friday, Vinson enjoyed a trip to a local garden center. He was well behaved for the most part, managing to resist the urge to tug at the plants.

Vinson enjoyed meeting new people (who gladly took his business card) and smelling all the flowers before heading back home.

Vinson surveying the scene

Have You Seen this Man?

The front and back of Vinson's business card

I recently made some business cards for Vinson, modeled after real Seeing Eye^® staff business cards. Our daily travels mean we encounter lots of people that want to meet Vinson, so I thought it would be nice to have something informative to leave with them.

The front of the card features a photo of Vinson laying with his face between his front paws; and his job title is, appropriately, Seeing Eye® Puppy.

The card explains a bit about the puppy raising program and includes the URL of this blog. I also included some general information about The Seeing Eye in hopes of spurring some interest and additional support for the organization.

If you happen to come to The Seeing Eye, Vinson's cards are available at the reception desk.

Just another way that Vinson is working hard for The Seeing Eye!

Shoe Theft and Giant Plush Dogs

Vinson and I just came in from our morning walk around the training path. I've found the routine to be a good use of energy and time for us to work on leash training.

On the way back in, we stopped to visit some coworkers. Vinson really liked all the dog toys in their office, but he most preferred someone's shoe! Just a few seconds under the desk and the shoe went prancing by.

In an adjacent office there is a life-size plush German shepherd. Vinson was fascinated by the very silent, large dog. He brought a toy to it and then gave it a kiss. Funny little guy.

He's sleeping soundly now in my office, resting up for a special photo shoot this afternoon.

New Toy

Vinson with the big bone

Sarah arrived home tonight with a new chew toy for Vinson. We've found that having a toy that's new to Vinson can provide a positive energy outlet for the (now not-so) little guy. Tonight, it was the big bone - a very tough, large toy in the shape of a bone. Vinson immediately took to the toy and brought it to his bed (under our supervision).

Celebrity Vinson

Vinson and I ended up on an unplanned video interview this afternoon. Stay tuned... details to follow.

Puppies with Pull

Vinson in walking stride on my left

Vinson in relation to me

If you've watched any of the popular dog training television shows, one of the topics you are familiar with is leash training. Dog owners strive to get to a point where their canine will not pull ahead of them on the leash, will enter doors only after the person, etc.

Interestingly, this is quite the opposite of how we are to train Seeing Eye® puppies. Because success as a guide dog ultimately requires pulling in the harness, and entering doors and areas slightly ahead of the human partner, puppy raisers work on specific techniques:

1. The puppy always walks on our left, the side they will eventually walk on in harness.
2. The ideal position for the puppy is slightly ahead of the person, as you would envision the distance if they were in a harness.
3. We do not want to teach the dog to stop pulling completely. Training a dog to re-learn to pull after they've learned not to can be a very difficult challenge.
4. We do not teach the dogs to enter doorways behind us.

Here are a couple of photos of Vinson taken on the training path at The Seeing Eye this morning. My intent was to show the proper puppy position in relation to the human, but since I was both the human and the cameraman, it may not come across perfectly.

Happy 14 Weeks, Vinson!

Vinson is officially 14 weeks old today. I don't have an official weight right now, but will post one soon.

Vinson & Zane: Still Both a Little Unsure

Vinson and Zane are still not sure about each other, but they have been getting closer and closer.

Sunset

Vinson enjoying the sunset

Vinson loves to be outside and watch the sunset. Here he is a few minutes ago. Notice how much bigger Vinson is! He's now slightly over 20 pounds and will be 14 weeks old on Sunday.

Sleeping with the Fishes

Vinson napping with his fish toy

One of Vinson's favorite chew toys is a red plastic fish. This afternoon he decided to take a nap with his fish buddy. Note that the crate door is open, showing how comfortable Vinson is with his crate (actually, one of three crates - office, car and home). I have a gate on my door at work (there are lots of them around The Seeing Eye campus!) so Vinson can move about the office when supervised, but he still prefers the crate when it's time for a nap.

Vinson and Garcia - Colleagues and Pals

"Before & After" - Garcia & Vinson in the grass

Garcia is a four-year-old Seeing Eye^® dog who belongs to my coworker, Pat, one of our Outreach Specialists. Pat's desk is right outside my office door, so Vinson and Garcia see each other all the time; and it just so happens that Garcia is also a Lab/golden cross like Vinson, so this photo gives you a bit of a before-and-after view - from puppy to working dog!

This morning we took Vinson and Garcia outside to pose for some photos on the pastoral property of The Seeing Eye campus. They both had a wonderful time playing, and Garcia is a great mentor (let's just say that Vinson isn't quite as good at staying-put as Garcia is).

First Walk on The Seeing Eye® Training Path

With this morning's beautiful weather, Vinson went for his first walk on The Seeing Eye^® training path. After yesterday's "challenges", I thought a bit of extra exercise in the morning might settle him down a bit more for proper office behavior.

It seems to have worked for now. That's not to say there hasn't been any barking or nipping this morning, but he is more settled.

He'll have to rest up. A little later this morning, Vinson is having his photo taken alongside his big buddy, a four-year-old Seeing Eye^® dog that happens to also be a Lab/golden cross!

Hot

Aspen, an orange tabby, and Zane, a white & orange mix

"Zane" and "Aspen" are not typically friends that will lounge together, but even they needed a break from the heat tonight. Through it all, Vinson is more intrigued with his new big-boy crate!

Barking for Attention

Barking is very normal for a puppy and is often used to let you know they need something - some exercise and play, a trip outside to eliminate, some water or a meal; but barking can also become an overly insistent demand for attention. This has to be corrected.

As difficult as it is (and it is very difficult and unnerving), one of the best ways to eliminate the attention-getting barks is to ignore them. With Vinson, he typically gives up after a couple of minutes. Some puppies will even see the corrections "no" and "quiet" as getting the attention reward they were looking for, which will only perpetuate the problem.'

Now you might be thinking, "Only a couple of minutes of barking? That's not too bad." Trust me when I say when you're in the room with your puppy barking at full screech and directing the barks at you, a couple of minutes will put most people's patience to a supreme test!

The best part is when the ignoring obviously works and the puppy moves off with a toy and quiets down.

Just another day in the life of a puppy!

Crocodile Phase Version 2.0

While it seemed that Vinson had entered the "crocodile phase" (a loose term for the time period when puppies chew and snap at an elevated level) a few weeks ago, its apparent that he is only now really getting deeply into this challenging period.

This morning he barked incessantly in my office (which is a definite no-no at The Seeing Eye), refusing to settle down even with repeated corrections and a trip to "park". He chewed my shoe and pants when I tried to correct him, and nipped my hand! This is crocodile phase!

We are correcting these unwanted behaviors every time they occur, but it is a real commitment, as the little man can be very persistent.

He's finally (temporarily) worn out and sleeping (snoring as I write this) in my office after nearly an hour of high-level excitement.