PUPPY PHOTO ALBUM
6 Months
1 Year
6 Weeks
6 Months
1 Year
6 Weeks
6 Months
1 Year
6 Weeks
6 Months
1 Year
ANGUS
ELLA
AMY
MEGAN
At 6 weeks it is just at the start of Megan's
puppy training career and she is enjoying for the moment just being a
puppy!!
Megan at 6 months left the puppy centre and went to live with her puppy walker where she learnt her basic obedience such as 'sit', 'wait' and 'down'. Basic understanding is a good start for pups and is vital before the move to training school.
At about 1 year old Megan then went to her local training school, at first she found the move strange as it was a completely different environment to what she is used to but her new trainer gained her trust by spending lots of time with her and playing games, she soon became very attached to her handler. Megan made good progress and started learning new things, stopping at kerbs and straight line work, she became very competent in this initial training stage.
Megan from there then went onto her final training stage, then went into advanced training where she learn the final techniques needed to safely guide a blind or partially sighted person. At the final stages of her training, Megan's guide dog mobility instructor was able to to match her with an owner who had previously had a guide dog as Megan was prone to be distracted if she wasn't encouraged in her guiding abilities therefore her new owner would need to be firm to bring out the best of her abilities.
Megan has now finished her training and is very happy in her new role as a guide dog.
NORRIS Norris has settled
in very well with his puppy walker, he made himself right at home.
Norris is a very laid back little puppy as you can tell from his photos.
Loves being around people and he does like to play with other dogs but
is definitely a people person. Norris is enjoying his puppy class
and his obedience is great but like Megan he can get distracted but this
is being worked on.
Now 6 months old Norris is well into his training, he is very responsive to all of his basic commands although he can be very strong when he pulls on his lead so his puppy walker has been taught of ways to stop him and it is working well. Norris at this stage is now almost ready to move onto training school.
At a year old Norris is now at training school and has built up a great bond with his handler and soon settled into a new daily routine. He has been taught to approach a kerb and sit down this indicates to the owners that they have reached the end of the kerb. He has also been learning obstacle avoidance, this is done by practicing with real obstacles that dogs will encounter as a guide dog. He has been handling this very well.
Norris is now at his final stage of training and his Guide Dog Mobility instructor has been going over training that Norris learnt with his trainer. At this stage his Guide Dog Mobility instructor has started to reduce the support that he is given to encourage him to think for himself. Norris is very good at locating objects such as shop doors, lifts and crossings and will signal to his instructor by pushing his nose up against the pole. Norris is a very bright intelligent dog who will make a great companion for his new guide dog owner.
Norris has now made the grade as a guide dog and has been teamed up with his new owner. From the very start of their relationship they both bonded and gained each other's trust and quickly qualified as a working partnership. He has settled very well into the guiding lifestyle and is eager to please his new owner assisting him on his routes. We all wish them best wishes in their life together.
KASSIA Kassia is our
third sponsor puppy, she does look adorable. She has just started her
basic training with her puppy walker and has settled in really well.
Although she is learning her basics of being a guide dog, she still
loves her playtime and likes nothing more that a good pull with her
tuggy toys!!. She also loves playing in the snow although when she
first saw it, couldn't make up her mind what it was and thought it was a
bit funny under her paws but soon caught on and had great time playing
in it. At first Kassia was unsure of what was being asked of her
in the training sessions but soon began to learn especially when she
received a treat when doing something well. She does understand what is being asked of her but has a stubborn streak
and responds in her own time! She has a knack of making a
beeline for any food left within nabbing distance (a quick snack) but
she will control herself!! Kassia's puppy walking supervisor has
been visiting her and was so impressed with her progress that she is
ready to move on to the next level of training.
Kassia is now in training school and took time to get used to being in kennels and a new trainer but has now settled and dealing with the new schedules. The first thing for her to get to grips with was wearing her harness she did take to that really well and was ready to start the training walk. Kassia's training progresses at a steady rate and quickly started her traffic training. She is very good at locating shops and kerbs so her trainer gives her lots of praise to encourage her to continue to do this when giving her these commands. The next step for Kassia is advanced training which she passed with flying colours.
Congratulations to Kassia she is now a fully qualified guide dog and has been matched with her new owner. Kassias new owner has never had a guide dog before only using a cane. It took some patience from both dog and man when first partnered but with hard work from the two both of them settled to their daily routines. We wish Kassia and her owner all the best for their future together.
PATSY This is Patsy she is so gorgeous. Patsy is a
very bright and inquisitive puppy, always looking for things to do.
Patsy will listen and work on her commands but is very driven by food,
she knows there will be a treat at the end of every session. The
treats also help keep her concentration as she loves to go off and play
with other dogs. Training is a major part of Patsy's progression
to becoming a guide dog and she is coming on in leaps and bounds.
Patsy is busy learning lots of new things, she is being taught to walk
properly on her lead and learning basic commands. She is also
visiting different environments with her puppy walker so that she feels
confident in all situations. At puppy classes she has been learning
basic skills such as 'sit', 'wait' and 'sit down' Patsy is really very
good at this although her 'stay' command still needs a bit of work.
Patsy was invited to Crufts this year and took part in the Guide Dog
demonstrations showing off her skills, she was brilliant and showed how
much she had learnt. She wasn't fazed at all by the amount of
noise around her and really kept her mind on the task in hand.
Patsy is now at training school and ready to start the next stage on her journey to becoming a guide dog. Shortly after arriving at the school she had to have a small operation as the eyelashes on one of her eyes were facing inwards. This meant she had to take some time off and put her a bit behind in her training but she soon caught up. Patsy isn't quite at the stage where she is introduced to the training harness but it should only be a few more weeks. Patsy has now come on leaps and bounds and is ready for the next step of advanced training and will then be matched with a guide dog owner. An experienced owner will probably suit Patsy best as she is so intelligent and enthusiastic she needs firm instruction to not let her get away with being naughty!!
Now in her final stage of guide dog training she is now working with her Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. Patsy has a cheeky side which I am sure can be seen in her photos, so her instructor had to show her firm but fair boundaries early on. She did respond to this really well and is a delight while out on training walks and in her harness. At this stage of her training she is given more responsibility to increase her confidence in what she knows and has responded really well. Patsy will make a lovely guide dog for someone.
Patsy is now a fully qualified guide dog and is creating a strong bond with her new owner. Patsy has settled into her new routine extremely well and her bubbly and enthusiastic personality always shines through. Good Luck for the future.
ANGUS
& ELLA Are our two newest additions to our puppy family, just
look at them aren't they just the cutest? You can see the mischief in
them at this stage. Both Angus and Ella have settled in really
well with their puppy walkers. Angus has made himself right at
home and is developing into quite a little character, he loves people
and would rather play with his human friends than with his toys.
He has been kept busy though and his puppy walker makes sure that he
explores lots of different sights and smells on a daily basis. He
also walks past local school so he gets used to different sounds.
At such an early stage he is already showing that he is a fast learner
especially with his basic commands 'sit' and 'stay'. Angus will
soon be ready for training school.
Ella is quite a mischievous little puppy. Since arriving at her new home she has experienced lots of new environments which are vital at this early stage of her guide dog training. Ella makes regular trips to the local supermarket, she just loves shopping. She has also been to a country park for a walk around the gardens then went to the cafe. Ella really is so full of life and such an affectionate pup, we shall be hearing about her new adventures soon.
October 2011 - ELLA
We are really sorry to have to tell everyone that our adorable little Ella has passed away. A few weeks ago she became unwell and on investigation and several tests, it was found that she had a malignant tumour in her bladder. Unfortunately, due to the size, location and nature of the tumour the vet advised that the kindest option was to put her to sleep.
AMY
is our new sponsor puppy, she has taken the place of Ella and is at the
same stage of her training as Ella was. Amy has settled in very
well with her puppy walker. She loves nothing more than to curl up
and fall asleep in front of the AGA in the kitchen. Amy is a
lively and adventurous pup but is very easy to teach, she just wants to
please all the time. Amy has been attending puppy classes learning
the basic commands 'sit' and 'wait' she is doing very well. Amy's
puppy walker has had her on various days out to get her used to the
everyday experiences she'll encounter as a guide dog. She has been
into town and in lots of shops, handled this very well. We shall
see in our next puppy update how Amy is progressing.
