Chapter 6: Receiving your assigned dog

From this point on your will have to accommodate for both the dog and yourself as you negotiate doorways, stairs, chairs and elevation changes. It is important for you to think of how to protect the dog as you go through these normal daily routines.

For those of you that have worked with dogs in the past, remember that this is a new young dog who has not fully adapted to you yet. All students will get an understanding of how to communicate with a dog in order to achieve positive results.

Your journey as a new handler has begun. In order to be an effective dog handler you must first become a good leader. There are several elements that help to make a person a good leader.

As a handler you must be Fair, Clear and Responsible. Being fair means you behave the same way all the time in the presence of the dog. If you behave inconsistently the dog may respond inconsistently as well.

The handler must be clear and use the language that the dog understands. Instructors will work closely with you explaining how to speak calmly and remain emotionally neutral in the presence of the dog. We will review the specific commands that the dog knows and will teach you how to introduce a new command. Remember while it is possible to teach a new command, introducing too many new words or body language may in fact confuse the dog and cause a poor response.

It is extremely important that the new handler be responsible. Having a dog is a lot like having a small child in your home. The dog will be providing mobility and companionship for you but it will also need constant care. Your dog will need to be fed and allowed to relieve itself on a regular basis. Your dog will thrive on having a routine. The dog will need daily exercise through working and playing. Your dog will need to visit a veterinarian at least once a year.

It will take a few hours before your new dog will settle into its surroundings and feel totally at home. This will be the initial adjustment period and your instructors will work closely with you to have the transition go as smoothly as possible. Your new dog has spent several months working closely with its instructor. During this process your dog has formed a very strong relationship with the instructor. This is a natural and important part of the process of guide dog training.

One of the reasons dogs have the ability to work for us is that they have a strong desire to be with humans. We can go back very far in time and see how dogs and humans have made a connection together. There is the theory that dogs and men hunted together and the dogs associated a positive experience of receiving food through their masters.

The dog’s general nature to please and be part of a pack is very crucial to how it perceives training. Dogs need to have a leader and cannot function without one. In wolf packs there is a scale of dominant to submissive wolves. There is alwaysone very strong dominantwolf known as the Alpha.

It will be very important as we mentioned before that you take a strong leadership role. As humans we do not have to be as strict as Alpha perhaps but we do need to set clear limits with our dogs and communicate fairly. With guide dogs it is important that they receive that structure from you so that they can respond consistently in your presence.

You will observe that your new dog is still very interested in its instructor. As we mentioned above this is very natural. The dog has that strong connection with its instructor and will need time to transfer over to its new leader. Be patient and understand that over time your dog will develop that same rapport with you. Once that is established the relationship between handler and dog can be very strong. There is no specific time limit on when this may take place. For most teams this turning over is a gradual experience and becomes stronger once you and your dog have returned home.

You will observe your dog wanting to go over to the instructors, whining or wagging their tail when the instructors approach. Again this is very natural and expected during the training process. This behavior does not mean that the dog does not want to be with you. At this point the dog does not understand that a new connection will be built with its new handler, so they will gravitate to what they know.

Your instructor will work closely with you to help you communicate effectively and build a relationship with your new dog while working, playing and during down time.

10/3/2018

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