Shaman is bursting with excess energy

We have not done much work in the last week as I just did not feel safe in that loner wheelchair. Now I have my chair back. I hope it does not break down again! As a result of not being worked, Shaman has so much excess energy! We went to the grocery store and he really wanted to run all the way there. He did get distracted a few times with the dogs that barked from their yards, but for the most part, he did good. I stopped along the way to attach my cane to the side of my wheelchair with several bungee cords, allowing it to stick out about 7 inches in front of me. I did this as I was working Shaman in harness and there were a few times he did not stop as soon as he should have because he got distracted. I can't hold the cane and the harness handle in the same hand and I need the other hand on the controls for the chair. If I had a sighted person with me, I would not have needed to do this. I find that this works out well when I am alone as the cane will let me know if I am too close to something. This is familiar territory for us and I had no problems. Shaman was very good in the store and several of the store workers asked where was Nala? I explained that Nala will be retiring soon and Shaman is in training to take over for her. The trip home was good. He had started to settle down now. We did work on obedience last week and also worked on the retrieve. He now picks up the soft knitted ball and hands it to me every time. I am going to start using a similar ball that is on my key chain. I am hoping that he will pick it up with the keys on it. Nick and I discussed Shaman's progress on the phone and it was decided that next month, we will take him to the Movies! This will be a first for Shaman. Nala has been to the movies many times. Shaman's coat is beginning to grow back now. It feels soft again and not like the harsh straw that it was for a while. He still looks like a short hair shepherd rather than the long hair dog that he really is. I am hoping that his full coat will grow back. He is still on the Benadryl and the supplement to stop the shedding. He does not scratch and chew himself as much. The Benadryl does not slow him down "At All"! He is such a good dog and I love him. I hate to see him so uncomfortable with this allergy. If it truley is just a seasonal alleryg, it should go away when winter comes again. Unfortunally, living in Arizona, It is summer most of the time. To be continued..........................

More work needed

I decided to work Shaman in harness yesterday. It was familiar territory as we went to the grocery store. We have been to this store and worked this route many times now, although this was the first time in harness. I had my cane with me in case I needed it. The trip going was pretty good, as he only got distracted once at a loose dog. He did not bark at any of the dogs that were barking at him from their yards. I was thinking, this as really good. He stopped at all of the right places, and took me around several parked cars. He was good in the store. On the way home was where we had trouble. Every thing was going fine, until a young boy threw a foot ball to another boy in the street and the ball hit Shaman. He balked and ran me into the curb with my wheelchair. I got him calmed down and the boy said he was sorry. We continued on but Shaman seemed a little distracted, as if he expected it to happen again. He started to whine at the barking dogs and he barked and lunged at a loose dog that came out of it's yard after us. The owner of the loose dog called it back into the yard, but I had a hard time getting Shaman calmed down. I had to use my cane to get the rest of the way home. We need more work with loose dogs and other barking dogs. It has been hard for me as I have had to do most of the training on this dog. Nick has gone back to collage and he has not been able to work with Shaman as much as I would like. I will continue to work him in harness, in familiar areas and keep my cane handy. I am going to take him to the local dog park to see if that helps with his dog distractions. I must remember that he is still a young dog and be more prepared for these distractions. Some times I forget that he is still so young (11 months) because he is so good most of the time. This is teaching me patience also. To be continued................

I introduced Shaman to his new boots

Today, I had to take Nala in for her yearly check up with the vet. I wanted to take Shaman also , but I can't handle both dogs on the bus by my self. Nala checked out fine and got her Rabies shot, and I also got her asthma medicine. This loner wheelchair is the "PITS"! It almost dumped me as we had to detour for some road construction and the place where I had to go was on a severe incline.As the chair tipped,I grabed the joystick hard and the chair spun around fast, almost dumping me. This chair might be ok for some one who can see what is going on but not for a blind person. My chair is far more stable as it has a standard frame and larger wheels. This thing is top heavy as the seat sits on a pole in the middle of it. I wish they would hury up and fix mine, before I get killed in this one! Any how, I managed to get home in one piece. I wanted to work Shaman, but decided to just work him on familiar turf, considering this morning's adventure. It is now very hot in Arizona, so I have been using boots on Nala. I introduced Shaman to his new boots, LOL!!!!! He did not want me to put them on and after strugleing for a while, I finally got them on him. sigh..... He tried walking and lifted each paw up high and shook them. We went down the street with him "prancing" like a show horse. I just had to laugh. He pranced all the way around the block. On the way around the second time, he was walking a little more normal. Shaman stopped at all the right places and did very well. We did not meet any loose dogs, and he did not bark at any of the dogs that barked at him from their yards. I think he is ready to start working in harness. Which means , It is time to buy one. I am going to purchase an inexpensive one for training purposes. I know he is going to fill out a bit more and I am hoping his beautiful long coat will grow back. This will make a difference in the size of the final harness, so I will wait to purchace the more expensive LDS guide dog harness, like the one Nala has. I am still giggeling over the prancing, booted dog. lol. to be continued..............................

Took Shaman to the post office

I decided to take Shaman with me to the post office. As we were going down the side walk, a skateboarder almost ran into us. Shaman stopped and tried to move to the right to avoid this idiot, but the side walk was narrow so he could not move over too far as I would have gone off the side walk with my chair.He stepped in front of me,as we stopped.The skateboarder fell right in front of us and ended up bending my cane. He got up and said some not very nice things and continued on his way. I tried to bend the cane back, but it is still not straight. This means I now must buy a new cane. I continued on my way to the post office. I got the stamps that I needed and started for home. Shaman is getting better at stopping at the curb cuts and driveways. When we started to cross the Grant and Oracle intersection, which is very busy,we got about half way across and this car cut right in front of us. Shaman stopped and backed up so I reversed my chair also.I was so proud of him, and praised him for stopping when he did. I think he gets the fact that he is doing a very important job, and he seems to do better each time we go out.I think he is going to be a very good guide dog. He is very bonded with me and we work well together as a team. He really wants to please me. We have been working on retrieving the small, soft knitted ball like the one on my key chain. I am still using the clicker to train him to retrieve. I don't need the clicker any more for the obedience as he does very well with out using it now. To be continued....................