Dexter, the trainee Guide Dog for the Blind that we are sponsoring is growing fast now! Here's his latest Pupdate from his trainer, Sam:
"Dexter is progressing well at training school. We have a great relationship, and our bond has really developed. He’s a very sweet dog and is always up for a cuddle. Usually, I train up to four dogs at once, but at the moment Dexter is the only one, so we spend a lot of time together. He loves to bond with the people around him as he’s such an affectionate dog.
"Since your last Pupdate, I’ve introduced Dexter to his training harness. I started off by asking Dexter to put his head through something circular, like a hula hoop, using his favourite treats to create a positive association. This progressed to asking him to place his head through the brown training harness and eventually to put it on completely. I’m happy to tell you that Dexter has done really well with this. The next stage was to encourage him to pull gently whilst wearing the harness to create guiding tension, which can be unusual for dogs to get used to. Dexter soon picked this up and he now walks in his harness completely unfazed. It’s important for dogs to guide with the correct tension as it means that they can navigate their owner confidently around obstacles without pulling too strongly. It can take Dexter a while to pick up new skills but once he gets it, he’s great! Repetition, patience and lots of fuss and rewards are the best ways to build his confidence.
"Recently Dexter’s been learning guiding routes in quiet locations so he can focus and become familiar with local areas. Distractions are something that I’m working on with Dexter and he’s steadily improving. The routes I’m teaching him always end in a free run to give Dexter something to work towards. He loves a free run, and his recall is fantastic. I’ve been encouraging Dexter to ignore distractions by practising walking past food and toys in the training centre. He can now walk past food without losing focus. Dexter still needs to improve on toys; he loves them so it’s a little more challenging for him, but I’m feeling positive with what he’s achieved so far. Dexter’s also been working on kerbs and he is now guiding me to them and stopping whilst out on training walks: it’s a work in progress but it’s going well. This is an important skill as it indicates to a person with a visual impairment that there is a step coming up."
"Looking ahead, I will be focusing on building Dexter’s confidence with the skills he’s developing. I’ll also be working on his distractions and overcoming these in real-life situations. I’ll be doing more training in busier places to help him to build his skill set."
"Dexter is a great dog! He’ll suit someone who will give him lots of affection, as he loves people and builds a great bond with those around him. I believe he would do well in a home either with a single person or with a family, he’s quite versatile."
We hope you enjoyed hearing how Dexter is doing. Look out for his next Pupdate in October!
