Training a Blind Dog

On the move! Playing fetch in the driveway 2007

Spazz Out Puppy!

So far I'd been training Louie just like any other dog I'd known, except with more maturity and patients on my part than ever before. Just wait there one second while I pat myself on the back. Okay.
By six months, Louie already knew the basics and would listen well. Sit, stay, shake, lay down, out of the kitchen, and go lay down on your bed. I was careful never to raise my voice. This came in handy when he was barreling toward a tree at 50 mph with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. You could almost hear the "Whooo hooo!" as he ran.

STOP!

This became a command so naturally. He was literally about to run smack into a tree and I just blurted out STOP! as sharp and loud as I could and he screeched to a halt and just bumped the tree. My heart was in my throat like a mother watching her toddler run into traffic after a ball. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. Softly saying "Good boy, good boy Louie. Good job, stop. Good stop." I pet him and he wagged his tail. I realized by stopping him with such a sharp tone it just shocked him out of the mission he was on and redirected his attention to me. I followed that with a gentle and playful 'good boy' to move him from the moment of being scared into feeling proud that he'd found me. Remember, Louie is a dog. If I forgot something in the car and had to go back out he would be insanely happy to see me again
                                                                                                    when I came back inside.

The next time I had to say STOP! was because he was excitedly heading for a friend that had just arrived who was still standing in my driveway. The fact seemed to go unnoticed by Louie that this person was standing on the other side of a parked car! He was just a few steps away from putting a good dent in a door and having a pretty bad headache:
"STOP!". He stops instantly and turns around heading toward me instead. He got HUGE praise this time. What a good boy! That is perfect. STOP! Means freeze and turn all attention to my voice. STOP! is the emergency break. Then I give praise and we go together to see my friend and I lead Louie around the car. I tap on the side of the car as I walk around it. As I tap I say Careful, careful Louie.

Slowly and Carefully

Careful was another term that just came about unforced. When I wanted him to know there was something around him that he may bump into I said careful in a way that was almost soothing. I said it in a low voice. Gently, slowly Careful.  

'Don't run into that stuff dummy' didn't seem to work as well. Careful now meant to watch out for an object close by, Stop made him stop. So now how do I get him to just slow his roll? He's a frickin' puppy! He's spazzing out and running around all crazy. Constantly on the move, that's what puppies do. They run away from you, hide under stuff, chew things up, get into the garbage, climb things, chew on your shoes, chase cats, try and eat your plants, dig holes and much, much more. Louie was NOT an exception to this stereotype.  Louie was a puppy! The only difference is he couldn't see jack squat.

2007 Rustling leaves help him keep track of me on the trails.

Slowly became a long, drawn out word. Slowly is said, well slowly, go figure. I noticed that by slowing down the way I said the word it slowed down Louie. If I said it out of frustration it wouldn't work. Realizing this made me understand the underlying rule in teaching a blind dog. Calm. If we are calm and think it's no big deal, we leave room for our dog to be calm. They may not be right away, but if you're not calm you're guaranteed he won't be either.

Wait

"Wait" or "wait up" means just that. "Hey dude you're going too fast, wait up for me!"  Louie loves walking in the woods on a trail. He knows when he steps off of a path by the feeling of the ground under his paws. He lifts his front feet kind of high so he doesn't trip over anything. As long as he stays close enough to me that I can stop him if he's about to stumble upon something dangerous. "Wait" allows me to ask Louie to pause for a few seconds so he's never out of earshot from my voice. Usually he will turn back and face me for a minute before turning around a going on his way.

Chill Out (Yeah you, human.)

The most important thing I've learned is to focus on myself and how I'm feeling and Louie will follow. He could sense if I was angry even if I was silent and he can't even see me! A blind dog is more in tune to 'vibes' or 'sensing' something. Smell, feel, hear, taste.  Really, he hears the way you breathe, hears the way you step or stomp, the way you move. Louie knows if I'm upset or happy or tired or hurt or whatever! I'll take a clue from Louie and focus on my chi, man. If I felt Louie wasn't listening to me when I was trying to call him, I would take a deep breath, relax my shoulders, relax my forehead and take another deep breath before instructing him again.

One thing I know for sure is trying to rush a blind dog just doesn't work and getting frustrated doesn't help either.

Next Installment: Expanding Our Vocabulary