March Newsletter 2004

Puppy exposure; in the house and out

Exposing our puppies to people is good, but when you have people come over who don’t know

how to act around guide dog puppies, well it can be a mess!  When my friends come over they

know the rules, walk quietly past Joan, and then calmly say hi. But sometimes when you have

friends over that don’t know the rules, it can turn into a very big problem! It is important to tell

your friends and family what to do and what not to do when they are around your dog. My

family is very good about that, but what about people you don’t know? In stores you’ll always

run into some very interesting people! Some people will give you a bad time about your dogs.

Especially about the halti! I was in a store one day and this lady was complaining that Joan

did not look too happy being in the halti. I tried explaining to her that it’s just a training tool but

did she listen? Nope! She kept following me so I just left. When you meet people like that just

try explaining what ever they are complaining about calmly. It’s important to know this so you

don’t have the same conflict I did!

-Submitted by:  Stacy S.                                                                                                      

                                                                              SCRAPBOOK NEWS

We've been working hard on getting the club scrapbook up to date. We're almost there! We are going to wait about a month after an event to give everyone time to get photos turned in. We welcome photos of meetings, special events, puppy arrivals, graduations,

etc. We can't promise we can use every photo turned in, but if your name is on the back or if it is in a labeled envelope, we will return what we can't use.

-Submitted by:  Karen and Laura

    HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUR PUPPY

1.     Remove film from box and load camera.
2.     Remove film box from puppy’s mouth. Throw in trash.
3.     Remove puppy from trash, and brush coffee grounds from muzzle.
4.     Choose a suitable background for photo.
5.     Find puppy and take dirty sock from mouth.
6.     Place puppy in pre-focused spot.
7.     Forget about spot. Crawl after puppy on knees.
8.     Focus with one hand while fending off puppy with other hand.
9.     Get tissue and clean nose print from lens.
10.    Put cat outside and put peroxide on scratch on puppy’s nose.
11.    Try to get puppy’s attention by squeaking toy over your head.
12.    Replace your glasses and check camera for damage.
13.    Jump up in time to grab puppy by scruff of neck and say “NO! NO! OUTSIDE!!!!”
14.    Put camera away.
15.    Sit back in chair, put your feet up, and resolve to teach puppy to “sit” & “stay” the first thing in the morning!

-Submitted by:  Karen H.

Transferring your puppy

There are many tough decisions that raisers have to make; one is having to transfer your dog. I have recently experienced the difficulty of transferring my dog, Amber. Amber was harder for me to train because she was completely different from my other two dogs. What can I say, she’s a Golden! She was a high energy dog, wiggled all the time, tested a HUGE amount of my patience, she was not house broken until 10 months old, learned a little slower, and she had a major diarrhea problem. These are some of the challenges that I didn’t have with my other dogs. But, she was a beautiful dog, funny (when making noises), always wanted to please, great on outings, and I loved her like she was my own personal dog. Though I worked so hard with her and wanted her to be successful, I thought of transferring her many times. 

It was hard for me to think that someone else would be training and taking care of her.   And when and if she graduated, I wouldn’t feel like I was the only raiser raising her. Many questions crossed my mind about it. Do you see how many times I talked about myself? All I was talking about was me! What about Amber? I needed to think more about Amber and her needs, not me and my needs. That’s why puppy raising is all about the puppies!

Then I started thinking…. Amber could really do a lot better in another home and to live in a different environment; maybe she’ll start barking less, and since she has separation anxiety, maybe she will get better if she lived with another raiser.  At one time, I felt like I was a failure; that I wasn’t capable of finishing Amber on my own and it was too hard for me to deal with. But no one should feel like they’re a failure, just because your having trouble with your dog, doesn’t mean you are a failure. 

 It’s perfectly okay to transfer your dog! I am SO glad I transferred Amber, because she went to a leader in Southern California. And the leader absolutely loved Amber! Amber did great with her! And Amber didn’t do any of her barking!  So transferring your dog can be better than you think! As Mary would say, “We are trying to make a Guide Dog here.”

-Submitted by:  Mollie N.

                 Dog Car Field Day

We will be participating in the Fresno County 4-H Dog Care Field Day in obedience and the written Achievement Test along with other Dog Care Projects in Fresno County.  Since this is a 4-H event all raisers 9-19 can compete.  Ribbons and a medal are offered for the top members in each class. 
Guide Dog Puppies will be wearing their jackets while in the "ring" for their obedience classes.  They will be doing all the exercises but will do them the Guide Dog Puppy way.  Our puppies won't sit when they halt instead they will stay standing.  Career changes are welcome to participate in the Filed Day, Wanda, Sharla and Trilogy made their debut last year and had a wonderful time.  Career changes will need to do the obedience exercises like all the other dogs participating, they will need to sit when they halt.
This should be a lot of fun for both the puppies and the raisers.  It's a great time to spend with your dog, and see how will they compete with the other dogs.   Don't worry if your puppy doesn't do so well out in the ring, it's just for fun.
For those of you who took the written Achievement test last year, this year you will take level two of the reading material.  During some parts of the Saturday meetings we will go over the material together so we all have an idea of what will be on the test.  If it's your first time doing the test you will take level one.
We are already teaching some of the obedience exercises during our optional weekly obedience classes.  All raisers are welcome, and encouraged to come if they are available.  During our regular meetings held on Saturdays we will be teaching the obedience exercises as much as possible to get ready for this day.

-Submitted by:  Cierra V.

           Socializing your Guide Dog Puppy in the summertime

We live in an area where the summer heat can be extreme.  We have to be very aware of our puppies and not let them get overheated.  There are several things to do to keep your puppy comfortable when you have them outside, as the weather gets hotter.

• Be very aware of how hot the asphalt (pavement) is.  If you touch the pavement with your hands, you’ll know how it feels on your pup’s feet.  Walk quickly from parking lots into the stores.  Consider dropping the puppy handler and puppy off at the store entrance and then park the car.  Don’t stop and talk with someone in the parking lot.

• Using a spray bottle to wet your puppy helps. We keep one in a cooler in the car along with bottles of water.  Getting the puppy’s jacket wet and wringing it out and putting it on will help.  Your puppy will need additional water to drink in the hot weather.

• Don’t leave your puppy in the car in the summertime.  If you can’t take them into the store, they will need to stay home.

• I relieve my pups on the pavement in the morning, but look for spots on grass or dirt in the afternoons.

• The club has disposable water bowls; they are free to Far-Sighted members.

• If you use a dog kennel for your puppy in your yard, make sure that it is shaded and that the puppy has cool water available to drink. 

• It is fine for your Guide Dog puppy to swim if you have a pool in your yard.  However, you need to decide when they get to swim instead of them jumping into the pool when they want to. As always, moderation is the key!  Teach your Guide Dog puppy where the pool steps are.

Enjoy summertime with your puppy!!

-Submitted by:  Mary H.

Birthdays!!

March                                                  April 

  Justin--------------------Mar. 18                  Kristina L.-------------April 4       

  Lenora------------------Mar. 20                  Kathy H.-----------------April 18   

Michael-----------------Mar. 23                  Ramla-------------------April 30  

             Hollie S.----------------Mar. 25                                                                                  

Phase Reports 3-11-04

Ramla-----------------7

Solo--------------------7

Fajita has been recalled early due to going into season, and will begin training at the end of March, Good luck!!!

Tentative Recalls

May recall--------------Nevada

New pups scheduled

Allison D.   Y-Lab female  “G”   arrives 3/26

Mollie N.    B-Lab female   “F”   arrives 3/26

  Hannah B.     Y-Lab Male       “Y” arrives 4/28

 Joe T.           B-Lab  Male      “N” arrives 4/28

Calendar

  March 13-Oso De Oro Potluck-9:30 a.m.

               March 20-Auberry Vet Office, 10 a.m. Tami here

           April 3-Turlock Fun Day-more details to follow

April 17-Clovis Fire Station-9:30 a.m.

                                 April 24-Manchester Mall-9:30 a.m.-Dog Care written test

 Optional Activities

April 10-Blind Babies beeper egg hunt-see Mary

                     April 23-25-Clovis Rodeo dishwashers-see Cierra VanPatten

                                                      July 24,25-Fun Day and Ferry ride.  Be sure to make your hotel reservations now. 

                        A block of rooms is available at Novato Oaks, Best Western.  (800) 625-7466-under Farsighted 4-H

Supplies that Far-Sighted provides free to puppy raisers:

Citrus II deodorizer spray

Disposable water bowls

First Aid book

A leather leash if you don’t receive one with your puppy

Supplies that Guide Dogs for the Blind provides as needed:

Toothbrush/toothpaste

Ear cleaner

Heartgard

Advantage

Supplies that Far-Sighted has on hand for puppy raisers to purchase:

Tie downs                         $4

6-ft. draglines                    $3.25

Fleecy toys for baby pups  $1

Sterilized bones                 $3.25

Leather leashes                 $15

Pro Plan coupons               $1

Nylabones, assorted          $3, $3.25

Kongs                               $5

Congratulations!!!!!

 To Karen on becoming a puppy-raising leader!!