New Puppy Resolutions

It occurred to Cheryl and me the other day that we may not have been the perfect puppy raisers with Bingo... I know, he's probably one of the best dogs SEGD has ever gotten in for training, but it's possible that we could have done things a little better. Just possible.

It never hurts to have an open mind, so we made some new puppy resolutions with the prospect of doing even better with Berkeley. Here are a few:

Greetings. Berkeley will learn that she gets attention only when she is sitting and being a good girl (or when she looks at us like in the picture below).

Leash. Absolutely no hard pulling on the leash. We'll stop moving, say No, then say Good Girl when she lets up on the pressure.

Willow. Absolutely no rough-housing with Willow. They can play but will get separated if the play gets rough.

Praise. Always plenty of praise when Berkeley is doing the right thing.

Disrespectful Behavior. Absolutely no snoring, snorting, sighing, barking, farting or otherwise interrupting a social event. (That goes for all of us)

Like a Weed

By Fred,
I joked with Cheryl on Tuesday that she wouldn't recognize Berkeley when she gets back from her conference. Now I can see that it wasn't such a joke. Here is Berkeley just 2 weeks ago.

(Photo by Durga Garcia)

And here she is now...

She's growing like a weed.

One thing we've discovered is that Berkeley is a little fearful of certain noises (unlike Bingo, who just couldn't care less). She wasn't bothered at all by the thunderstorm yesterday--and it nearly shook the house--but then we've had lots of storms since she was born. However, the sounds of some dogs barking in the distance really spooked her. And she didn't care at all for the lawn mower next door yesterday.

At the meeting last week we had a good discussion about doggy fears and how we should react when a puppy seems scared--it's important to strike a middle ground (not too much consoling, not too much tough love) or the puppy may become more fearful, and sometimes this can lead to a long-term problem.

With Berkeley, when I just whistle or sing and I don't act afraid, she immediately calms down (or maybe my singing is so bad she just wants me to stop). Of course, my instinct is to pick her up and hug her, but that's my instinct most of the time.

Berkeley So Far

By Fred
Cheryl is away at a conference this week, Bingo is IFT (in for training), Willow is mostly hiding from Berkeley (our new SEGD puppy), so Berkeley and I seem to have the house to ourselves. We are working on Sit (which she seems to really enjoy) and Down (not so much). With Cheryl away, my sentences are becoming more condensed than usual (though she might disagree): Good girl. No. Good girl. Sit. Good girl.

This weekend Cheryl and I took Berkeley to her first restaurant, where she was literally worshipped and presented with a huge bowl of ice water, and like a spoiled princess she ignored her admirers and slept the whole time with her royal blue coat covering her like a blanket.

Also this weekend at the SEGD pool party Berkeley got to see Cookie and Elvis (her sister and brother). Of course they all look almost exactly alike. We learned that the three siblings also have similar behaviors--they are needy and don't like to be left alone.



Even so, with all the black Lab puppies in the world, all the familiar wagging tails and round eyes and happy natures, Cheryl and I think Berkeley is pretty special, pretty unique. And I am already thinking ahead to that day when she goes IFT. Oh, well.

We've heard that Bingo is settled in. It may be another month or so before we get any real news. Hopefully he is adjusting to the heat and is doing the right thing.

IFT: In For Training

I've been avoiding the day. I've been avoiding the forms. I've been avoiding the post, frankly. but the day came anyway.

I had it all figured out. I was so smart. I had arranged for HRH Berkeley (that's what we're calling her, her royal highness Berkeley or HRH for short or sometimes just pretty princess) to arrive a week before Bingo left to distract us all from the trauma to come. It worked. We were nuts. New puppy in the house craziness (more on that later) aside, it did serve as a welcome distraction in someways and not in others.

The day before he left, I had a meeting at work and I took Bingo with me so that he would have some me time and get away from the puppy. Afterwards we all went out for lunch. Near the end of lunch, I took him to the restaurant with me. Now, mind you that this whole week, I haven't shed one tear I have been so busy with the puppy. I have been rather pleased with myself actually thinking how I have it all in hand and have made this wonderful decision and have it all worked out, aren't I the smart one.

We walk to the restroom and open the stall door. It's one of those small stalls. Bingo isn't real thrilled with the cramped space and gives me a peeved glance. "Oh, squash it." I turn him all around until he is sitting at the front of the stall and I am sitting on the toilet staring at him. Again with his meaningful glance. I begin to think, "this is the last time I will be with Bingo in a restaurant bathroom, ever." And then to my astonishment, I begin to cry. In the bathroom of Toojays in International mall. Bingo looks at me. I throw my arms around him and hug him. Did I hear a flush? I don't care.

I wait a while. Then I let him go and finish. Back out to wash my hands and pretend I am under control. Only now, I know that it is a facade.



What you see above is a photo taken by Mary Lou Garcia (Durga Garcia Photography), who also happens to be a puppy raiser and the owner of Rob the lab on the far left. Bingo is in the middle and Jim is on the right. I love this shot because it shows the boys getting back to knowing each other as littermates again. We didn't turn our boys in alone.



We met as a group, took some photos (the best of which came from Mary Lou!) and then we turned the boys into SEGD. Then we had lunch and went back home. What was good about this plan was that since we were in a big group, I was forced into maintaining some semblance of calm and composure. So I was able to get through the passing them off to the trainer ok.



Plus, SEGD believes in the ripping the bandaid off quickly approach to turning your puppy IFT. So once you say you are ready to turn your puppy in, make sure you've said your goodbyes and have taken all your photos.



The only photos left are the ones with their new trainers. Bingo had Kayla.



We all lunch after that and talked about different things. Then we headed home. I was congratulating myself for getting through the day with a minimum of tears. Having the comfort of friends was a great idea and really helped. Having the process be quick was excellent as well.

So that night when I turned out all the lights and was walking up the stairs to bed and saw Bingo's crate broken down in pieces because we only need one crate now, you all know I didn't cry don't you?

Big Brother

By Fred
Our chocolate lab, Willow, is 10 years old and a little cranky, and she won't stay in the same room with Berkeley, our new SEGD puppy. Willow has zero interest in puppies but we know that she'll come around. She shunned Bingo for quite a while--now they're best friends.

Bingo, on the other hand, immediately accepted the new puppy. I wasn't sure what to expect (you just never know with Bingo), but he has been a very patient and gentle big brother to Berkeley this week, playing with her in a protective way and forgiving her puppy craziness, like when Berkeley gave his nose a good bite today. He is such a good boy (sometimes).

On Thursday Bingo will be back at SEGD, learning to be a real guide dog, making new friends, thinking in new ways. We'll miss him very much.

Getting Wet

By Fred
Our friend Gisah is visiting this weekend, and we're having fun relaxing and eating and hanging out. This morning we all sat outside on the porch to drink our coffee. Being a theatrical creature, Bingo decided to show off for our entertainment, pacing back and forth on the ledge of the fish pond.

"Aren't you afraid he'll fall in?" Gisah asked. No, we said, he's being doing this for months, stalking the fish and tempting gravity by leaning way over the water. Anyway, he's so stubborn that we just let him do until he gets bored, which is usually in about 10 seconds. He's been doing this at least once or twice a day for months. Never a problem.

There's even a tall cactus plant nearby, and he has to squeeze between it and the water, and then there's no room to turn around so he has to carefully walk backwards past the sharp spines. And he doesn't just walk down the center of the ledge. No, he gets as close to the edge as possible just to show off.


Then, just as Cheryl was bragging--how Bingo is so smart and so talented and so coordinated that he never falls in--and just as she was taking pictures, he slipped right into the water and then he scrambled out with the most puzzled look on his face, completely surprised and with his rear end soaking wet.

Of course, we had our new puppy, Berkeley, on the porch with us. She is a complete angel.

Bingo Cam

By Fred
Last night Cheryl and I thought it would be great fun to tape a video camera onto Bingo's collar and get a look at life through his eyes. Actually it was just a small Olympus camera, feather-light, and I don't think he even noticed it.



Video Narration:
I've just pushed the button and we see the world from the top of Bingo's head. He's looking around at first, but when I say Sit and then say Good Boy, he sits very still. We see into the TV room, and Cheryl is the shot, getting another camera ready to take Bingo's picture.

I say Forward and we see the room ahead (with some very steady camera work), but then the Bingo collar/cam slips around his neck and everything is upside down now, or at least the camera is upside down, looking ahead from just under his right ear. We Sit again and Cheryl's face zooms into the frame (very proud of Bingo, as usual), taking his picture with her camera. She says his name, encourages him to smile for the picture, but we are working now and we don't have time to take pictures. When Bingo is working, it's pretty hard to distract him. (We discover later that he is yawning at this point.)

We do another Forward and then we can see Willow (our Chocolate Lab) waiting and wondering why we continue to fuss about Bingo instead of playing with her. Well, really we can only see her legs but we know what she is thinking.

I say Right, Right and he turns into the kitchen. Then we Sit. Perfect. Another Good Boy. Cut.