a few outspoken individuals

One of the most important backgrounds for a leader puppy to have is a history of going to various public places. Generally, when I take Mango anywhere I get the usual questions, such as "How old is he?", "What is his name?", "What kind of dog is he?", or something to that effect.

However, sometimes a passerby reprimands my training methods. For example, just a few minutes ago I was walking through the store and a man approached Mango and I, making noises to try and catch the dog's attention. As he started to talk he asked questions, not unlike someone interested in him to do. I answered that he is almost six months old, and that he is a yellow lab being trained for Leader Dogs For The Blind. I was making leash corrections as I was walking, exactly how Leader Dogs instructed. It was then that the man started to express his disapproval for the way I was correcting him. He was making remarks like, "He's just an animal....He's practically an infant....Smelling stuff is part of his instincts", and telling us that what we were doing was wrong and "closer to animal cruelty than training a dog." Although my boyfriend who was with me at the time explained repetedly that it is part of his training, that he needs to pay attention to where he is walking because he is going to be leading a blind person one day, the man did not understand. He followed us to where we were going and even asked for "the number where you work". As much as we explained that he is a teenager in dog years, that he has been trained like this since he was two months old, and that he needs to be trained against his instincts with things such as sniffing the ground and jumping on people, he would not listen.

There was also another woman -- an actual employee at the same exact establishment -- just a week or two before that actually lectured me on how he was being raised. I had never before had a problem with entering this business, but the minute we walked in the woman asked to see my ID card and his tag to make sure that he is actually a leader dog. This in and of itself is expected, seeing as that is what I have the ID for, but she went so far as to tell me that they don't let dogs in until they are "at least six or seven months old." I have been bringing Mango into this store since he was just two months old, right after I first got him. But none of this is rude; as a matter of fact, it is their right. However, this isn't all.

The woman decided to tell me that he was a "horribly trained dog," and that he would surely not make it. She criticized the way that he was acting, the puppy having the same kind of behavior that the man today said should be fine. As I was going to leave the store, she stopped me again to further lecture me on what I was doing wrong. She stated that "he needs to be wearing a harness, not a collar" and "you need all of his paperwork with you." She explained that simply a bandanna is not enough, and expected him to have his actual harness. Firstly, these dogs do not receive these harnesses until they enter the second phase of training, when they are returned back to Leader Dogs. Secondly, they gave me the collar that he was wearing when I initially picked him up. When I tried to explain these things to her, she rolled her eyes at me and acted very impatient, and did not ever let me explain myself.

Whenever I tried to state my factual information, she would not let me speak. The man today had the same mindset. They both felt differently about how I was raising the dog, however they both had a "I am holier than thou" attitude.

These people are the reason that I created this blog. I want to inform the public about the things that a puppy raiser does and knows -- the Leader Dog way of raising a puppy for the blind.

Loose-leash walking problems

So last week I went to puppy class. When raising a leader puppy, you have to go to at least one social gathering as hosted by Leader Dogs themselves; a lot of people choose to go to the outings hosted by their assigned trainer, which is what I have been doing. She holds basic obedience classes, and this past class' focus was basically loose-leash walking, a fairly self-explanatory subject. Mango is the most headstrong dog that I have ever seen, therefore he has an extremely hard time with loose-leash walking. A little five lb puppy isn't that difficult to walk with even if they pull, but try imagining a 100lb dog pulling you whatever way he wants. In sum, it's pertinent to his career for him to be able to have this basic skill, and because of his hardheadedness, this has always been a problem for him, and I was reprimanded for his inability to be able to walk on a loose leash.

For the past week or so, I have been using Leader Dog's method for training loose-leash walking; every time the dog pulls, even if it is the slightest bit, you have to walk backwards until he starts to walk towards you. Now if your dog doesn't even have the slightest clue of what you're trying to do, like Mango, it takes roughly fifteen minutes to walk outside for him to be able to park (go to the bathroom). I have been struggling with this forever, and now it's even worse because he's older and set in his ways -- train your dog, whatever s/he is, when they are young, because it really is harder to teach an older dog new tricks! Regardless, although their method is working, progress is extremely slow, even though Mango is a very fast learner. In an entire week of being as consistent as possible, he is just now starting to get the idea. He definitely pulls less often, and when he does pull it takes a lot less time for him to correct himself.

But it's not just a learning process for him; it is for me as well. It takes a lot to train yourself to correct the dog the right way, as well as not to say "No" when he pulls. It is definitely takes a lot of patience as well to not completely lose it when he just isn't getting it in a particular day, which happens all the time.

This is definitely one of the things I never expected to have problems with when raising a leader dog, but it certainly is important. With this, the biting problems, as well as his barking issue, he's a handful. Plus, these are all issues that will fail him out of becoming a Leader Dog, which is the very last thing I want for him.

But he's getting better. Whether it's because he's maturing or I am as a raiser is questionable. He's learning very fast, but me, not so fast. It's funny how that works.

first post

I've had my puppy, Mango, for roughly three months to date. My time with him has been rewarding, but challenging to say the least. Raising a Leader Dog puppy has definitely been a very different experience than I had initially expected, however this is not to say that it has been something I have regretted doing. This program is so wonderful for those who need dogs like these, and I am so very happy I can help.

I realized somewhere along the line that I should share these experiences. As I said before, raising Mango has been a trip; I've hit obstacles while raising him that I would have never expected. Things such as simply the way that he's supposed to be trained, like the behaviors that are and are not acceptable, are completely different than I had imagined. His behavior at different points in his life has changed so much; right now he's a "teenager", and it's impossible to get him to do anything I want unless it involves food, in comparison to when he was just two months old when he would do anything without a problem.

Nevertheless, he's an amazing dog and an unforgettable friend. I hope that sharing this information will benefit someone somewhere, whether you're simply interested in the program, looking for a puppy yourself or looking into being a foster home for a Leader puppy.

Because this is my first post, I have some catching up to do. I'm going to alternate between the present and the past, documenting and reflecting on the developmental stages he and I have gone through together.

I love this dog so much.