SMALL PAWS FOR A BIG CAUSE GUIDE DOGS IN TRAINING LEARN BASICS.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
Aside from that little accident Macy had in the canned-fruit aisle at Ralphs supermarket, she's doing just fine, Judy Reilly told me on Friday when I checked in with her to see how her 11-week-old guide dog-in-training was doing. ``I always come well prepared wherever we go, so it's no problem, but she is a little slower than my Golden was in the house-training department,'' said Reilly, of La Crescenta. ``She's socializing very well, though. We're going out to dinner tonight.'' Ah, the life of a guide dog trainer A dog trainer is a person involved in the training of dogs. Professional "dog trainers" train the dogs to understand and comply with voice commands or hand signals. But as is more often the case, they find they must train the owners in proper use and technique. . Dinner, dancing, cruises. Last month, I wrote a column about Judy and Mary Judy and Mary was a Japanese multi-genre band known for their innovative punk, rock, and pop meldings of noisy but melodic music in the 1990s. They formed in 1991 when bassist Yoshihito Onda ( Bovier of Sylmar, who are training two yellow Labrador retriever Labrador retriever, breed of large sporting dog whose origins are obscure but whose immediate ancestors were developed in Newfoundland and brought to England in the early 1800s. It stands about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs between 60 and 75 lb (27. puppies for Guide Dogs of America. It's a full-time job, preparing these dogs to be the eyes of a blind person, and I want to look in on them from time to time to see how Macy and Melody, Mary's dog, are doing. The first month is important because half these guide dogs in training wash out, and getting them off on the right paw is important. Sorry, I couldn't resist that one. The women have been on the phone talking about how they were having a little problem house training their Labs, but the dogs were coming to them when called now, and they seemed to be handling their early socialization socialization /so·cial·iza·tion/ (so?shal-i-za´shun) the process by which society integrates the individual and the individual learns to behave in socially acceptable ways. so·cial·i·za·tion n. treks out in public pretty well. ``What you have to remember is our main mission in life for 18 months is to socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. the dog, take it everywhere - on buses and trains, to concerts, movies, restaurants, shopping, everywhere they might be going with their non-sighted owner,'' Judy said. ``You have to be careful, though, because at 11 weeks Macy hasn't had all her shots yet, so there's no wandering on the street. When we go shopping I carry her in my arms before putting her down in the aisle.'' Mary's taken Melody swimming with her and to the beach for some walks along the water's edge, and they've gone out to dinner together a few times at Pastamichi's, not far from Mary's home in Sylmar. No problems so far, she says. Just a lot of fun. By law, establishments must allow a guide dog accompanying a blind person into their businesses, but there is no law that says they must allow in a training puppy with its trainer, said Louise Henderson Dame Louise Henderson, DBE was born (1902) and raised in Paris. In 1925 she emigrated to New Zealand and settled with her husband in Christchurch, New Zealand where she began studies at the Canterbury School of Art. , puppy department manager for Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar. ``Just about everyone does, though, because they know how important it is for these puppies to get used to going and being everywhere,'' she said. Judy was taking Macy to the Oceanview Bar & Grill in Montrose on Friday night for dinner, but wasn't calling ahead to warn them because she already knew the restaurant was puppy friendly, she said. Besides, Macy would be wearing her guide dog ``puppy in training'' yellow bib bib - BibTeX , just in case any of the customers complained about sitting down for dinner with a dog at the next table. They never do, though, said Judy, who's training her third guide dog. ``Sometimes I think seeing these puppies is the high point of a person's day,'' she said. ``Most people go out shopping, and never talk to other people. ``But seeing that puppy opens them up. It's like it gives them license to approach you to chat, which is wonderful because they're always very supportive. ``I've got to warn you, though, there's no such thing as a quick trip anywhere when you're with a guide dog puppy,'' she laughed. For those who think 11 weeks old may be too early to be bringing a puppy out in public without all its shots, you have to realize these trainers have an awful lot to teach these dogs, and not a lot of time - 18 months - to do it in. ``You have to get them accustomed to being in public and learning to behave,'' she said. ``They cannot be obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with anything, like playing with a ball or picking up food. ``They have to detach de·tach v. 1. To separate or unfasten; disconnect. 2. To remove from association or union with something. themselves from everything around them to work with the blind, so right now it's more fine tuning Fine Tuning is the name of XM Satellite Radio's eclectic music channel. The program director for Fine Tuning is Ben Smith. The channel is described as "A musical oasis for the sophisticated listener culled from every imaginable genre and country. and teaching these little guys the basic stuff. ``Like you don't pee in the grocery store,'' Judy said. In a couple of months, Macy and Melody will be going to special guide dog obedience classes, and I'll check back on them then. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) Judy Reilly brings Macy, a yellow Labrador retriever being trained to become a guide dog, to Ralphs grocery store to help her become more socialized so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. and a better companion. (2 -- 3) Judy Reilly, above, is training Macy, a yellow labrador retriever to be a guide dog for the blind. At left, Macy gets special attention from Ralphs employee Shirley Cuen. John McCoy/Staff Photographer |
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