Shaman does better and better every time we go out

I have been taking Shaman out to many new places and he seems to do better each time we go out. We have been to the Pharmacy, the Leather store,the post office, and several different grocery stores, as well as the Mall and several pet stores. I think I will take him to the bank next time my check comes in. Nick and I also plan to take him to see a movie in July. I have not taken him to a restaurant yet, but I know he will do well as he does not beg food when I am eating at home. I did buy a sandwich and a soda at the grocery store deli last week and sat down to eat at the place near the deli there. He was very good and just lay down under the table,while I ate my dinner. I have also taken him to the Food Court at the mall several times. Nick and I have taken some pictures to add to this blog, but Nick forgot to bring the camera when he was here last weekend, so he could not down load them into my computer. Oh well, maybe this week end. I have ordered Shaman,s new guide dog harness and am now waiting for it to come. I got it made in burgundy leather, as I think that color will look nice against is golden coat. His coat is also getting longer now. I hope it will look as nice as it did when I first got him, before his allergies started up. Not having used a shepherd guide before, I was concerned that he might not be able to keep up with my power wheelchair as well as my previous husky guides. I do not need to worry about that. He has plenty of energy and has a good pull into the harness. I find it very easy to feel every move he makes. Shaman is finally getting more comfortable in rush hour traffic. For a while he was a bit hesitant to cross a busy intersection during rush hour. Loose dogs are still a problem. He gets distracted when they run out into the street after us. We are still working on this. My friend, Carla, who runs the Tucson Siberian Husky Rescue, came for a visit today and brought lots of treats, toys and some food for my foster dogs as well as my service dogs. I have been working with the foster rescue dogs and training them for service work. I am training Chanta as a mobility service dog. She is a husky/shepherd cross. I think Raven would be a great Psychiatric service dog. She is really a Velcro dog and wants to be with a person every minute. She frequently nudges you and keeps eye contact, just waiting for her next command. Raven is a husky/labrador cross and has a beautiful shiny black coat,with a little spot of white on her chest and on her toes. She is very friendly. Well it is dogie dinner time now so , see you next time...........................

We took Nala and Shaman to an awards ceramony today

Nick took Shaman and I took Nala to an awards ceremony today. Nick was receiving an award for his volunteer work in the community. It was not so hot today, but still hot enough for the dog boots. We had to take 3 buses to get to the Park where the ceremony was being held. There were a lot people there. Shaman was very good and both dogs stayed under the table and were so quiet that at first,no one knew they were there. Then people started coming around to talk with us and noticed the dogs. I took Shaman's harness off and we allowed him to be petted. He was having the time of his life. Nala just went to sleep. There were a lot of children their and they were running around having fun and balloons were breaking and there was a lot of joyous noise. There was also a lot food. Shaman was so good. The balloons breaking did not phase either dog. I was worried that he might be very distracted as the last time we went to the grocery store, he seemed to be getting distracted more than usual. Some times he does not get distracted at all and other days he does. I guess it is still "Puppy Brain." He is now 1 year old. I wonder how long it will be before he "mellows out " a bit? His coat is still growing back and he is starting to look like a Belgian Tervuren again, in stead of a short hair shepherd. He is such a beautiful dog and people are constantly complimenting him and Nala also. When we are out in public, he watches Nala and he is learning a lot from her. I am still working on his retrieve as I still can not get him to pick up the ball with the keys on it. May be he will surprise me one of these days and do it. I guess I just have to be patient and keep working with him. I am going to order his new harness this month. He works fine in his training harness but I think, and so does Nick, that he is ready for his new leather harness. I have 2 rescue dogs that I am working with now. I think Chanta would make a good Mobility Dog and Raven would make an excellent Therapy Dog. We shall see. To be continued.........................

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....................

Working Shaman at the Mall

Nick and I took the dogs on the bus, to the Mall today. Shaman does very well on the lift, and rides calmly. He is doing better about stopping at curb cuts and driveways. We worked him on the elevator and he did very well. It was like he had been doing it all his life.The Mall elevator is all glass and you can see out,when riding in it. The people on the outside of it can not see into it. Shaman watched the people as we went up and down. I think he likes elevators. We also stopped at the Mall Pet shop to buy some doggie treats. They had lots of puppies and Shaman did not bark at them,even though they barked at our dogs. He behave himself very well. We also worked on the escalators. Nick would approach the escalator and ask Shaman to sit. He picked up on this right away. When we worked him in front of the stairs, he would not even approach them and automatically sat down in front of them. I don't think I will have any trouble with him taking me down a flight of stairs or the escalator. I will teach him to find the elevator or a ramp instead. We stopped outside, on the way to Walmart, to let the dogs releive them selves. Nala did but Shaman did not. I was afraid that Shaman being a male, would try to hike his leg all the time, but he has not done that. I am very impressed with him. I bought a small digital camera at Walmart, so I can take pictures for this Blog. I will work on that Saturday when we work Shaman again. I am not sure where we will take him. I have been working on his retreiving a ball when I throw it.He will go after it and bring it back to me.I am going to start using a small soft nitted ball to see if he will bring that to me. It is just like the one I put on my keychain. I am hoping he will bring me the keys with the ball on them. He learns so fast. He is still on the benadryl and his scratching and chewing are somewhat better but he has not stopped altogether. It does not slow him down at all and I am finding that he is not as distracted as he used to be. Shaman's training is going quite well and I am very happy with him. Nala is also in love with him........... To be continued.....................

I took Shaman to the grocery store for the first time today

I decided that it was time to take Shaman to the grocery store to see how he did. He was very good. I used my cane with him as he still does not always stop at the right places all the time. He is improving on this. He was much better about the dogs he saw along the way and did not bark at any of them.He did whine at some,but calmed down when I told him to "leave it."It is hard for me to use the cane and the leash in the same hand at the same time as my wrist begins to hurt after a while. The loner wheelchair that I am using is not very comfortable and tips forward very easily if I shift my position. I will be glad when I get my own chair back. Shaman was very good inside the store and turned left and right when asked and even backed up in the pay isle, with no problems. I was very proud of him and gave him lots of praise. He sniffed at a few things, but did not touch anything. He was very responsive to my commands. We stopped to talk with Tess, a friend who loves Nala and has never seen Shaman before. She liked him and he seemed to like her also. Shaman seems to enjoy going out with me and enjoys meeting people. He is still on Benadryl and the vet does not think it is a food allergy. He thinks it is a seasonal allergy. I'm hoping that is all it is. I was afraid that the medicine would dull his senses but he seems to be just as alert as always. On the way home from the store, an ambulance with siren blaring, passed us and Shaman howled as he trotted next to my chair. I just had to laugh. We will be going to the Mall tomorrow to work on the elevator and sitting when coming to stairs. Nick will be working Shaman and I will have Nala. He really does watch her and I think he will learn a lot faster from watching Nala work. To be continued.............

Shaman's Training begins

Shaman is learning manners. He has learned the commands, sit, down and left and right. We are working on down stay, which he will do for a short time. We need to work on this as he will need to be at a down stay very often and he must stay for as long as I need him to. I had some trouble at the left turn. He would turn right ok, but did not want to turn left. This has improved. He is very responsive to the clicker training. I was taking laundry off the cloths line the other night and dropped a cloths pin. Shaman picked it up. I told him, "what a good boy you are," and I got him to give it to me. He is a natural retriever! We will work on this to expand on other items such as keys, pens, ect. Nick, my trainer has been working Shaman on the bus and at the Mall. He goes up on the lift with no trouble and rides the bus calmly. He behaves well. I have been taking him for walks around the neighborhood. Loose dogs are a problem. Shaman is still very young at 11 months. A lot of puppy still there.He gets distracted easily at loose dogs. I took Nala, and Nick took Shaman to the street fair. Over all, he did very well, but he did bark at some of the other dogs there. We will have to work on this. He is shedding out now and his beautiful fluffy long coat has thined out considerably. I am concerned as he is scratching and chewing him self. We have checked for fleas, but found none. Consulted with the vet. He was put on Benadryl to see if that helps. I changed his food to Lamb and Rice. He does not scratch as much, but has not stopped completely. I am hoping this is just a seasonal alergy. We will have to go back to the vet for some tests. He is also on a supplament to help with the shedding. To be continued.....................

Long search, not finding a suitable dog.

I have been searching for a suitable guide dog candidate for a while now. I am finding dogs that are too old or too young and dogs that are afraid of my wheelchair. Some dogs that just don't want to work. It is imperative that I find a dog that wants to work and enjoys doing the job. I have tried to retire Nala but she does not want to retire. When she sees me getting ready to go out, she get all excited and brings me her harness. When I put the harness away where she can not get it, she gets upset. She has been picking fights with the other dogs as she is bored and not getting the excesize that she needs. I have decided to work her on her good days. She seems so much happier now. I had been offered a beautiful black and white husky male and was excited to get him here from Phoenix. I guess the owner changed her mind as she has not answered any of my emails or phone messages. I am very disappointed. Several people have done this to me now. Why offer me a dog and then not follow through?..................I am beginning to think that I will have to expand my search to other dog breeds. I really like the husky as a guide dog as they have a great work ethic and can keep up with my wheelchair all day. They also have a great sense of self preservation which makes them excellent at keeping you safe. I have finally found a dog on craigs list that is a Belgium Shepherd. The woman is going to bring him to me this week.... This dog is very beautiful and works well with the wheelchair. He had never even seen a wheelchair before. I am very impressed as he walks in the right position needed for guiding. I did not really want a shepherd, but this is the first dog to meet the requirements of being trainable as a guide dog that I have found in a long while. I have decided to take him. He was rescued from a Phoenix animal shelter, by this woman who just wanted to save him. His adoption fee of $65.oo was very reasonable and I have decided to name him Shaman. He is a beautiful golden color, with a dark nose and ears and some dark hairs on his tail. He has had almost no training, so I am working on his house manners and obediance first.