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RAISING PUPPIES FOR THE SEEING EYE |
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Since our retirement we have been volunteer puppy raisers for The Seeing
Eye, the nation's oldest and largest provider of guide dogs. This article
should not be considered an expert viewpoint, but just reflects our own
perspective after three years of experience.
Our first dog, "Venita," was a Lab/Golden mix that went to North Carolina.
"Pumpkin" was our second dog, also a mix. She has finished her four months
of training at The Seeing Eye and is presently awaiting placement. We now
have a third dog named "TR." He is a beautiful German Shepherd, but TR is
the international country code for Turkey! By inserting the German word for
"dogs" between those two letters, you would get "Thunder," which would seem
more appropriate, but raisers don't name the dogs. Johnny Cash sang about "A
Boy Named Sue" and we try to explain to people why a black dog was named
"Pumpkin" and a yellow dog "Angus."
Although people have other house pets, only one is commonly domesticated.
Some might argue that cats are in the same category, but we have had both,
and cats are never domesticated! Dogs belong to the family, but the family
and everything else belong to a cat!
FROM WOLVES TO GUIDE DOGS
Dogs descended from wolves, which do not make good pets. Wolves are
inherently pack animals. We hear the term, "lone wolf," but that is a
rarity. Even in zoos, wolves are seldom kept alone. If you separate a pack
animal from its pack, a personality change begins to take place. In extreme
cases, an isolated pack animal will refuse to eat, get sick or even die, but
dogs have adapted to humans over time. They are still pack animals by
nature, which is why a dog gets excited when it sees another dog.
Dogs are very teachable, sociable and cooperative because of their need to
belong. If dogs are neglected or mistreated, however, they can become
vicious. In cities of some third world nations, roaming packs of wild dogs
have become a serious problem.
A wolf pack is composed of an "alpha pair" and its offspring, consisting of
anywhere from 6 to 15 wolves. The alpha male is the pack leader but there
are also "beta wolves" which aid the leader in organizing and commanding the
pack. If the alpha wolf weakens, is injured or dies, a beta wolf will assume
the position of alpha wolf. A hierarchy also develops within the pack. The
struggle for superiority begins in a litter as pups contend with one another
in play. Wolves may gain superiority by means of their strength, their
capabilities or due to their age and experience. Just as the litter can have
a "runt," the pack may have an outcast. But all wolves cooperate with the
alpha pair.
Some breeds of dogs make excellent sheep dogs because their herding instinct
is strong. Herding is actually a tactic of hunting. Wolves surround their
prey before attacking.
Like most other animals, dogs are guided almost entirely by instinct, and a
dog's instinct tells it to seek its kind. If there is no other dog around,
the dog looks for the next best company. You have perhaps heard stories and
seen pictures of dogs that adopt kittens or other animals. Watch this clip
of a dog and deer friendship
http://www.dogwork.com/ddsff4/
A wolf rarely barks and it is possible that dogs bark more because they are
domesticated. They bark to get humans' attention, but growling and whining
are the preferred methods of communicating with other dogs. A dog may whine
when it wants or needs something. There are friendly growls and warning
growls, but humans have difficulty distinguishing between them. Dogs yelp
when they are hurting and puppy raisers also learn to emit a high-pitched
yelp when a puppy uses its razor-sharp teeth where it shouldn't!
PUPPY RAISERS
Persons wishing to raise a Seeing Eye puppy must attend a local club of
puppy raisers for several months before they receive a puppy. Some of the
best puppy raisers are young people. We have a teenager in our local club
who has successfully raised 11 puppies! A number of puppy raisers have
raised 25 or more puppies, and we met one lady who raised 75!
Puppy raisers for The Seeing Eye are all volunteers and receive no pay, but
The Seeing Eye pays veterinarian costs and defrays the cost of food. All
young dogs like to chew and can destroy articles of clothing, carpets and
even furniture! Such expenses come out of our own pockets, so we are
constantly watching and diverting their attention with appropriate toys. We
keep a can of "Bitter Apple" handy to spray on chair and table legs. Dogs
don't like the taste of the stuff.
Puppy raisers for The Seeing Eye get a comprehensive folder containing
information, commands, tips and guidelines along with the puppy. Some
commands are different from those used by other dog-owners. When a puppy
jumps up on people or furniture, the command is, "Off!" Instead of "Stay" we
use the command, "Rest." The command, "Stay back!" is used to tell the dog
that it can't go with us. There is good reason for every rule even when it
seems to be contrary to a dog's nature. The dog must learn "park time,"
eliminating on command when and where it is told to do so. A male dog must
learn not to raise its leg or "mark territory."
Instead of the customary "heel" command, raisers teach the dog to "forward."
The rear hips of the dog should be about even with the raiser's left side
and the dog should have a steady pull on the leash. Strangers sometimes ask
us if the dog is taking us for a walk. It actually is because that is what
guide dogs do! But even when it is guiding, the dog is following commands.
When we give a command, we always say the dog's name to get its attention.
This could also prevent a stranger from telling the dog to do something that
might cause problems for a blind person.
Most animal trainers use treats or food, but The Seeing Eye puppy raiser
uses only patience and praise. When the puppy has difficulty understanding
what it is to do, we allow it time to process what we want. When it obeys,
even if not perfectly or by chance, we still give it praise. The puppies
catch on quickly and become eager learners. Commands are seldom repeated
once they are learned. If the dog doesn't respond immediately, the raiser
waits patiently until it does. If a dog does something we don't like or
picks up an item it shouldn't have, we utter a sharp, "aah aah!" If it is on
a leash, we may also give it a quick tug. We may have to remove an object
from the puppy's mouth, but physical punishment is not an option, nor is it
necessary. Simply turning our back on the dog is sometimes sufficient
correction.
A guide dog is not allowed to eat any "people food." The dog lies quietly
under the table when it's master eats. We can eat hamburgers in our car and
the dog doesn't beg. This may seem cruel to many dog owners, but the guide
dog will be permitted in restaurants and grocery stores, so this is an
important rule. Dogs must learn to abide by rules even when no one is
watching. No blind person would want a "counter surfer" or a dog that steals
and hides shoes.
Our dogs are always on a leash when away from home. In public places they
usually wear a scarf or, if over six months old, a vest. They must pass a
test in order to get "vested." When we put The Seeing Eye scarf or vest on
our dogs, they know that they are expected to be on their best behavior.
They learn quickly to distinguish between work and play times.
We try to expose the dogs to as many situations as possible,
taking the dogs almost everywhere we go. The dogs become familiar with
shops, malls, parades, traffic and even meetings. Some of us take our dogs
to church. The dog learns to lie quietly at the feet of its master in meetings, cars, trains and even on airplanes. Some airports sponsor practice boarding
for puppy raiser clubs, including a body check of the dogs. Raisers give
dogs
experience on stairs and in elevators, but use of an escalator is reserved
for professional trainers of The Seeing Eye. Most businesses and authorities are aware of the guide dog
program and cooperate readily. We attempt to use common sense in all
situations, requesting permission when in doubt. Because our puppies are not
yet fully trained, restaurants, grocery stores and swimming beaches are off
limits unless we receive special permission. There are also insurance and
legal restrictions that we must abide by. Once the dogs are fully trained by
The Seeing Eye and matched with a blind person, there are very few places
where a guide dog may not go.
Puppy raisers get together monthly in local clubs to learn, to share experiences and to
practice obedience. When one raiser goes on vacation, another will "puppy
sit." The dogs soon realize that we all belong to the "pack." We can trade
off puppies and go through the commands with no problem because all abide by
the same rules.
Clubs organize outings to ball games and other events where there are crowds
and unusual noises. We have taken dogs on ferry and train rides, to a live
Christmas nativity, Longwood Gardens and a Civil War Reenactment.
The Seeing Eye has its own breeding station, selecting breeders according to
learning capability as much as their physical condition. By the time a puppy
raiser gets the dog at 7 weeks, it can sit on command and is eager to learn.
If the total cost of The Seeing Eye operations is divided by the number of
successful matches, a Seeing Eye dog costs about $65,000! The blind person,
however, pays only a symbolical fee of $150 for the first dog. That includes
travel to TSE, room, board, and equipment.
About 70% of the dogs make it through the entire guide dog program. A few
are released from the program for physical reasons, others for showing fear
in certain situations or because they get too easily distracted. An OPD or
"Out-of-Program Dog" often gets a "career change." We recently watched a
demonstration of police dogs by the County Sheriff's Department. After
showing what one of the dogs could do in sniffing out drugs or bombs, the
K-9 officer proudly said, "This is our best dog, but he was a drop-out from The
Seeing Eye." Other dogs may become therapy dogs or search and rescue dogs.
Because guide dogs are shown much kindness and gentleness, they don't get
aggressive. They are often together with other dogs in the club and interact
well. This creates a problem, however, in that service dogs can be
vulnerable to attacks of aggressive dogs. Some States have passed laws to
protect working dogs. Owners of dogs that injure or kill a working dog may
be fined.
Unfortunately, there are States that still have no such law on their books.
It is important to note that puppy raisers are not trainers. Professional
training takes place at The Seeing Eye headquarters in Morristown, New
Jersey after the dog is approximately 14-15 months old. Training generally
lasts four months, after which the raiser is invited to go to Morristown and
watch the "Town Walk." This is a sort of "graduation exercise" in which we
can watch the dog do all that it was trained to do. You can watch our first
dog,
"Venita's Town Walk" on YouTube.
Many people ask us how we can raise a puppy to adulthood only to part with
the dog we have grown to love. There are usually a few tears when that day
arrives, but not on the part of the dog. It has become so eager to learn,
that it actually anticipates the next adventure. Whoever provides care, food
and direction will be the next "pack leader."
We didn't raise our children to keep, so why should we be selfish with dogs?
We are both over seventy and a dog could easily outlive us. We won't have to
watch our dog get old and make "end-of-life" decisions. Raising puppies
keeps us fit, so if we feel up to it, we can always raise another.
Ralph V. Harvey, February, 2012
For more information check these websites:
The Seeing Eye: http://www.seeingeye.org/
Cumberland County Seeing Eye Puppy Raisers: http:www.cc4hpuppypower.org
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