Day 4: We're Starting To Click

Nicole and I went for a walk today.  In fact, we went for two walks.  What we discovered on the first walk was that when I didn’t have a blindfold on, she didn’t walk fast enough for me.

I wanted to stride.  She wanted to stroll.

So on the second walk, Angie – the trailing trainer – tried a little technique called clicker training.  Nicole knows that when the trainer sounds a clicker, she gets a treat.  Angie replaced the kibble in my waistband treat bag with little cubes of meaty treats.  Those are called “high value treats”. 

I then gave Nicole the forward command.  Once she got into her stroll, I gave her the command “hop up” and tugged upward on her leash while holding the harness.  She knew that meant walk faster.  I repeated it until she was at a trot.  After Nicole took a few steps at a trot, Angie hit the clicker.  Nicole stopped immediately and looked up at me, waiting for her treat. 

For most of a mile, we kept Nicole at a trot.  With temperatures around 90 degrees, it was a workout.  Nicole went faster.  I went faster.  Angie went faster.  By the end of the walk, Nicole was panting.  I was panting.  Angie was panting. 

We’ll continue working on it Thursday. 

That’s right.  I’ll be here for Independence Day.  In some ways, that seems poetic and appropriate – to train with a guide dog on Independence Day.  I anticipate that having a guide dog will help perpetuate and enhance the independence I’ve worked hard to exercise for years.

My friend, Hutch Gott, asked me a couple of questions via Facebook: “Would be interested to know about your interaction w/Nicole and what it taught you. And how you will be grooming her daily.”

I’m not sure I’ve been doing this long enough to know what it will teach me.  I expect it will teach me dependence and trust.  I will come progressively to trust the dog’s training and to depend on her for safety. 

 

The grooming is simple.  I brush her against the grain of her fur with one kind of brush and brush with the grain with another kind of brush. I brush her top and bottom.  She loves it. I think tomorrow I learn how to brush her teeth.