My puppy keeps barking!

Barking is a natural behavior for dogs, and some dogs bark more than others. Some bark at certain things, some bark at everything. Sometimes it is an alert bark, sometimes a happy bark, or sometimes a protective bark. But for a service dog, barking is almost always a no-no. Nobody wants to be seated in a restaurant at a table next to a dog that barks because they heard a noise or someone that looks weird to them walks by. Or be in a hotel room next to another room that has a dog staying in it that barks at every bump or noise. One of the worst is walking with your own dog and having someone else walk by with a crazy reactive dog that goes nuts when it sees your dog. Unfortunately, I seem to be the poor person walking by with the crazy dog-reactive dog.

Patrick barking at other dogs has been an issue since we got him as a baby puppy. He is great with dogs he knows but very reactive when he sees dogs he doesn’t know. Around 14-16 weeks of age he was making pretty good progress and doing better and we were very excited by his progress. And then while on a hike (on a trail where dogs are supposed to be leashed) an off-leash Golden came running up to Patrick, Ricki, and me. It stood in front of us and stared. Well, Patrick really didn’t like that and went into a huge barking fit that went on even after the owner of the dog came and took it away from us. That one moment set Patrick’s progress back—all the hard work and training seemed to just disappear. After that day, Patrick was very reactive with almost every dog he saw on a walk or out in public. We had to start our training all over again.

How can you fix this issue? Every dog is different and will respond to training differently. This is our first time working a puppy through this specific issue. I have raised puppies in the past that were very fearful of different situations and the best thing for them was to take a break for a few weeks and not expose them to what was bothering them. Patrick, on the other hand, does better the more stimuli you give him. As an experiment I decided to take him to a pet expo a few months ago where we knew lots of dogs would be there. He barked a little bit with excitement when I got him out of the car, but then no more while we were there. Although I had a hard time keeping him from pulling at times while walking, to my surprise he was quiet despite being around over 100 strange dogs. Now this hasn’t fixed the problem but it was definitely a step in the right direction. 

Since then I have been working Patrick to walk quietly around dog parks—not in them, just around them. There are multiple dog parks close to where we live, so it is easy to work him at many different locations. My goal is to be able to walk Patrick up to the fence and have him watch the other dogs inside running and playing, all while being able to remain calm and quiet. We aren’t there yet but making baby steps. 

We are also making trips to pet store, where the goal is to be able to walk calmly and quietly through the store even if he sees another dog. Once again, he isn’t perfect at this yet, but making progress. For me, it is a lot less embarrassing to be in a store that allows dogs if Patrick lets out a bark or two, than in a store where we may run into a pet dressed as a service dog and he lets out a couple of barks (and yes, this has happened). 

Patrick can smell if there is a dog close by him and his body language does change. One time, we were shopping in Target and I noticed his body language change. Sure enough, someone was passing by with a small dog in the shopping cart. I got lucky that Patrick didn’t see it in the cart and we were able to continue without any outbursts. 

We are also now attending dog training classes to get Patrick around other dogs in a controlled setting. I purposely put him in a class called “dogs with attitudes” so that he would at times be “set up” to be around other dogs that bark at things, because he will often bark if another dog by him barks first. After attending two classes I already see some improvement. I did have to laugh a little bit when I first joined that out of the seven dogs in attendance five of them were German Shepherds.

I will admit that I do get a little anxiety when working Patrick in public. I never know when we will come across another dog. While Patrick is doing much better when multiple dogs are around him, it seems to be the surprise appearance of a single dog that sets him off the most. His barking is embarrassing at times.One time we were walking in a mall and he saw another dog across they way and barked. He completely frightened the people walking in front of us, who had no idea that Patrick was behind them. Not to mention that a 65-pound Shepherd barking can be a little scary to some people. 

Another time we were having lunch with a friend and were seated outside on the sidewalk because Ricki and Ozzy were there as well. Along came a person walking down the sidewalk with their dog. That dog barked at us and then everyone was barking. That was probably our most embarrassing moment.

Patrick’s barking issue isn’t going to away overnight. Issues like this take a lot of time, work, guidance, and patience to get through. Despite this issue being frustrating and embarrassing at times, I still have high hopes for Patrick. He has been making progress in the right direction and he is so solid on almost every other aspect a working service dog needs. He settles nicely, has great relieving habits, is very confident, super smart, loves to learn new things, and most of all seems to love to work. I hope that by sharing some of my struggles with Patrick’s training I can help other people who are raising not feel so alone with their struggles. Puppy raising is a journey with good days and, well, let’s just say not so good days. I have learned with past puppies not to give up when things are hard—sometimes they will really surprise you. Some puppies take a little longer to mature and learn, so give them a chance to grow and learn at their pace.

Amie

Time flies!

Where does the time go? It seems like just last month Patrick was a little puppy—now my little brother is bigger than I am! He hasn’t just grown in size but in knowledge as well. He has been a pretty good boy and I have been trying to teach him as much as I can. He knows all his basic commands pretty well now, and is getting really good at posing for photographs. I often look unhappy in my photos because doing obedience skills makes me nervous. I don’t like messing up and being wrong. Mom and Dad are really nice to me if I make a mistake, but I hate disappointing them. 

Patrick doesn’t pester me nearly as much as he used to. We can now go outside and play as a family in the yard. Mom and Dad used to have to take Patrick out by himself instead of with Ozzy and me. Patrick was really bad about chasing me and trying to herd me. I didn’t like it very much and got a little nervous about running after my ball when he was out with us. Now that he knows to play with his own toys instead of nipping at me while I run, it’s so much better. I run after my ball and he runs after his own toys. We still play tug a lot, and now that he is bigger and stronger Ozzy comes and helps me—we double team him. 

Ozzy seems to have finally accepted him as part of the family and is playing with Patrick a lot more these days. Ozzy playing with him has helped take some of the responsibility of teaching Patrick manners and have more time to myself to enjoy chewing on my bones. Mom has been trying to do special outings with me as well so I don’t feel left out. She spends a lot of time with Patrick, since he is even more needy than I am! 

But I have to say Patrick is doing pretty well. Now if I can just get through to him that we aren’t supposed to bark at other dogs, and to stop trying to pull when walking he would be pawesome. I try to show him by example, but he is having a hard time paying attention when other dogs are around or if he is really excited to be going out. Oh well, I guess I will keep trying. 

This boy has even more energy than I do! But he is also doing much better about being calm and quiet in the house. He finds toys by himself now rather than trying to steal mine. Patrick has also being going out more by himself in his blue jacket. This makes me happy that he is out working and learning about his future job, but I don’t like being left home. At least I have Ozzy with me. I’m so happy that we kept him. He is my best friend. Well, it looks like it’s about bed time here, so I better go claim my spot next to Mommy before Ozzy or one my kitty siblings takes it. She’s my mommy! Just kidding—I will share her.

Wags and kisses,

Ricki

Patrick is growing!

Hi everybody! Sorry if my last blog was a little sad, I promise this one won’t be. Patrick has been with us for two and half months now, and boy has he grown! I can’t believe it—he is as tall as I am now! None of the other puppies I have helped raise have grown this fast.

He is doing pretty well, but can still be an annoying little brother at times. He is always moving! If Patrick wore pants, I would say he acts like he has ants in his pants. I thought that I had a lot of energy, but Patrick even wears me out sometimes. When he does finally tire out he likes to lay really close to me. He’s actually pretty sweet when he is tired.

Patrick is learning a lot. He finally knows to go potty outside like me and Ozzy, which is nice. I don’t like potty inside the house—it makes Mommy upset. He also know how to walk with us much better now, but sometimes likes to hold either my leash or his own leash in his mouth as we walk.

He can still be very loud at times, especially if another dog barks or if he sees another dog, Mommy is spending a lot of time trying to help him with that.

Patrick has also earned a little more freedom in the house and he is constantly trying to get someone to play with him. He likes to take toys to Mom or Dad and drop them at their feet or in their laps and stare at them.

He will also bring toys to me and ask to play tug. I love playing tug! But don’t tell that to Patrick. I like to be cool and say, “ I guess I will play with you—if no one else will.” I don’t want him to know that I actually like playing with him, it may go to his head. Sometimes I let him win ... just to be nice. I do worry though that he is going to get so big that I won’t be able to win if I want to. Ozzy is also starting to play with him a little and Patrick likes to try to play keep away with toys with him. Patrick is pretty smart and tries to outwit Ozzy, but Ozzy is pretty smart too.

Now that Patrick is getting a little bigger, Mom and Dad have been taking him out on his own more often. I don't like this as much. I don’t like being left out. But Mom has made a little special time for me too. We recently went to the pet store, just the two of us. She let me see all the little animals there, which was fun. I tried to convince her to let me get a pet rat because they were so cool to watch, but no luck.

I did guilt her into buying me a new toy and a special treat, hehehe. I have great sad puppy eyes. I learned this trick from Eli—he was the master of the sad puppy dog eyes. When we would go to the store when he was still with us, the people at the checkout would just keep giving him treats! His eyes had special powers on people, I’m good, but not Eli good.

Ricki attempts to channel Eli in order to get a bite of that yummy sandwich.

Oh my Dawg! I almost forgot to tell you about Sebastian! Mommy brought home a super tiny kitty last week. We had a naming contest and Sebastian was the winning name. l really wanted his name to be Koda, just like the bear I met at Disneyland.

I was a little frightened of him at first, but he was calm and nice. Anyway, I love kittens! They are really fun to lick and clean. Ozzy really likes him a lot too, I think he misses his kitty, Fidget.

I’m trying to be as helpful as possible with Sebastian because Mom’s pretty busy with so many other things. The first week we had him Mom had to get up in the middle of the night to feed him and I would always get up with her to see if she needed any help. Ozzy just kept sleeping and wasn’t very helpful. He prefers to just play with him rather than help with the hard stuff.

Patrick is very interested in our older kitties and wasn’t sure what to make of Sebastian when he first arrived. I think Patrick thought Sebastian was a toy at first and tried to grab him from Mommy’s hand. Mom and I have taken some time to show Patrick how to be calm around a baby kitten.

I have to say I’m really proud of Patrick. He actually took the time to slow down and listen to what we were trying to teach him. He can now sit quietly next to Mommy and me while Sebastian gets fed. Anyway that’s all the update that I have for now. I think I hear Sebastian crying so I better go help Mommy get him fed and clean.

Wags and kisses,
Ricki

Saying Goodbye

Many people think that dogs don’t have feelings, but we are actually very sensitive creatures. We feel emotions just like people. I get really excited every time I see a tennis ball. Happy when my mom and dad get home from being gone or when I see my friends. Upset if I make a mistake and displease my family. Annoyed when my new little brother, Patrick, tries to take my toys or pesters me to play when I’m tired or not in the mood. Worried and anxious when I’m left alone somewhere I don't know well. Sad when someone close to me leaves.

I have gotten used to new friends and foster siblings coming into our lives and leaving, I never know what or when my mom will bring home. In my five years on this earth, we have had a few foster kittens and puppies stay with us, and I've helped raise four other guide dog puppies in training.

In fact, just before Patrick came we had a two foster chihuahua puppies that stayed with us for a couple of weeks.

I know that these fosters are usually temporary, but some stay longer than others. The guide dog puppies usually stay the longest. Every once in awhile a foster will stay with us permanently like my little brother Ozzy—and me, I guess. But often we say goodbye and these friends go off to live with others. These goodbyes aren’t too difficult because we know that they are happy, loved and well taken care of. We even get visits sometimes like from my previous little sister, Pilaf, who didn’t make it as a guide dog. She is over for a visit right now and is keeping me company as I write this. Sometimes our goodbyes are not happy ones, and I get very sad.

I have had to say goodbye to three family members over the years. The first was my kitty sister, Faith.

She got sick one day and went to the vet and never came back. I was confused at first but Mom explained that she went to heaven and I felt a little better. I still miss her—she was always so nice to me ... but she did like to hog Mom’s lap.

The second family member was my big brother Eli, my best friend. We did almost everything together. We went for walks, played tug, got yummy treats and snuggled. He was sick for awhile but was really brave for all his doctor appointments and medicine. I did my very best to help take care of him.

When he went to heaven, Ozzy and I got to say a final goodbye. We both miss him so much. Our house isn’t the same without him.

The third was our little special kitten, Fidget.

I helped Mom raise him. He was an orphan when he was just a tiny newborn. He was more bonded to Ozzy than me, but I still miss him snuggling up against me for comfort.

The other day my mom came home from work and sat me down and gave me the news that my oldest and best friend, Lucy, joined Faith, Eli, and Fidget in heaven. This made me very sad. But my mom was there to comfort me and we spent a lot of time talking about the fun times we had together.

Lucy lived with one of the veterinarians my mom works with. When I went to work with my mom, I often saw Lucy there. We sometimes would hang out in the same kennel together, and if our parents weren’t too busy, we would have play time.

Lucy also came for sleepovers when her dad went out of town and couldn’t take her with him. It was always so much fun when she came to stay. Eli, Lucy, and I were the three amigos, the best of friends. We would have fetch contests to see who could get to the ball first. She was amazing at fetch and my best competitor.

We often went for walks and off leash adventures together and had fun tearing up toys together.

We even took trips to the snow with Lucy and her dad—those were awesome trips!

Lucy was also always a great help with raising me and all the other guide dog puppies. She was very patient with puppies but also firm with them if they got too pushy. I was really looking forward to her helping me out with Patrick—he can be really pushy sometimes and I think he thinks it is fun to annoy me. Puppies always listened to her, and Patrick laughs at me and doesn’t take me seriously when I try to tell him to knock it off. I could have used her advice.

Lucy with guide dog puppy Chanel.

Having to say goodbye to one of my best friends this week is what inspired me to write about this topic instead of giving an update on how things are going with Patrick. I just wanted humans to know that we dogs do mourn and need time to get over the loss of our friends and family members. Thanks for listening to me talk about my feelings. It has made me feel better sharing some of my favorite memories.

Wags and kisses,
Ricki

Ricki's Welcome

I’m so excited—this is my first official blog! Let me introduce myself. My name is Ricki and I was the very first star of Growing Up Guide Pup. But I have had a new job since I decided that I would rather chase squirrels than be a guide dog. I am a mentor dog to all the new puppies that come into our house, no matter how annoying those puppies can sometimes be.

We just brought home a new puppy last week and he is going to be the next co-star of Growing Up Guide Pup, after me of course. We took a very long drive to get him because he came from a different Guide Dog school than I did. We turned the trip into a little vacation and it was so much fun.

After many long hours of driving, we arrived at this amazing house that had a fenced-in backyard and a pool! I love to swim, especially jumping in the water after tennis balls. My little brother Ozzy doesn’t like it as much as I do, but he did give it a try. It was really hot where we were, so swimming every day was a great way to stay cool.

On the third day of our trip, my parents arrived back at the house after being away for a little bit with our new temporary little brother. His name is Patrick and he is a little German Shepherd. He hopes to be a guide dog one day. Back when I was a puppy I thought I wanted to be a guide dog too, but I also like to chase squirrels and I was told that I could not do both. Be a guide dog and chase squirrels, that is. So I chose to chase squirrels—best decision ever!

Anyway, back to Patrick (sorry, dog brains get distracted easily sometimes). So far, he’s a good puppy, but boy, can he be loud sometimes. He doesn’t like his crate too much. He told me it’s because he has a hard time seeing us in it and that he doesn’t like to be alone. I’m not much for the crate either and my mom and dad say that I used to cry a lot in the crate too when I was a puppy. I would try to deny it, but there is video evidence to back it up.

Patrick likes to think that he is older than he is and tries to be in charge with some of our dog friends, but so far he seems to understand that Ozzy and I are the big brother and sister and he listens well to us. He has been really good at not pulling on my ears or tail like previous puppies I have helped raise, so I like that about him. He is a very slow eater and that makes Ozzy and me a little annoyed. Seriously, if you don’t want your food we are happy to help you finish it. Patrick is also really good about not stealing our toys. A puppy that comes up to you when you are enjoying a really good chew and tries to take your toy from you is not my favorite thing.

So far, Patrick is doing well with us. Ozzy may think a little differently than me though—he makes the puppies wait awhile before he will start playing with them. But as for me, I don’t mind him too much. That’s about it for now as I just heard the letters F-E-T-C-H come out of Daddy’s mouth and I don’t want to miss out on that! I will keep you posted on how my new little brother is doing soon.

Wags and kisses,
Ricki