My First Christmas!

I hope you guys are having a furry good Christmas, spending the time with your loved ones and eating lots of sweets (or yummy dog treats)!My raiser gave me LOTS of furry cool goodies, but I will share about them in a later post (complete with lots of pictures...)Fur now I just want to wish all my blogging friends a MERRY CHRISTMAS!- BrandonPicture of Brandon with some of his Christmas goodies (Brandon also has his tongue sticking ou...

Read More

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY TOBY!

*(written by Rudys Raiser)* Ive been so busy taking care of all my new baby goats... that I almost forgot to do a HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY post for TOBY. (My last guide dog puppy). Toby turned TWO years old today (March 27th) - gosh, I remember when he was such a cute little puppy... And now, hes not only a nice handsome dog - hes also serving as a Search & Rescue dog! Im so proud of my boy :) A (very) quick recap with the dates/months of when Toby...

Read More

New Puppy Update Please Read

Many of you guys have asked me recently if Ill be getting a new puppy - and if not, why. Well, if you remember back when Rudy headed IFT (May 2011), I noted that I would LOVE to raise another puppy, but Im unable to do so, unless I can find a sponsor that can cover the basic expenses for me (dog food, gas to/from puppy meetings, flea/tick, etc), as Im unable to afford them. (I did have a sponsor for my last 4 guide dog puppies - but they are unable...

Read More

Addressing Demanding Behaviors

Meet Simon! This a tall and hansome young shepherd mix was in several different homes before we had the pleasure of meeting him. Needless to say Simon didnt really know whether he was coming or going. Once we entered the courtyard at his home, we were greeted by loud and macho barks. Once inside it was abundantly clear that Simon was mainly interested in being the center of attention. His persistence almost always surpassed that of his new owners....

Read More

Puppys Name Is a Guessing Game Contest

The cute little bundle of joy Ill be getting THIS Sunday, finally has a name... A name that I wont be telling you guys until AFTER I receive the puppy.But it leaves you with lots of time to guess his name.This guessing game is a contest... and the winner (IF there is one) will receive a small prize.**Leave comments on THIS post**Hints:* More than FIVE letters long* Persons Name* The first letter of my FIRST guide dog puppys name is the first letter of THIS puppys nameRules:* No more than TWO comments per person* No more than FIVE names per comment...

Read More

Slight Rudy Update

*(Written by Brandons raiser)*It seems as though Ive been so overwhelmed with other things, that I keep forgetting to post updates about Rudy... (my previous guide dog puppy).Last week I asked if one of the employees at Southeastern Guide Dogs could possible take a picture of Rudy for me; and within just a few days, this wonderful picture was posted on Southeasterns Facebook wall, of my handsome boy!Picture of Rudy in a sit-stay, he looks...

Read More

One of the Many Uses of The Name Game

Meet Karma! Karma is a fluffy doe-eyed Havanese. He is absolutely adorable and as you can imagine a magnet for attention. Karma shares a home with five humans in a large high-rise. Theres never a shortage of willing participants to lavish attention on him. At times there can be a lot of unpredictable activity in the home which can be very overwhelming for a dog like this. In the last month hes resorted to barking at even the slightest stirring, and...

Read More

Wordless Wednesday Brandon at College

As you can tell, Brandon truly enjoys my college classes...Brandons Rai...

Read More

Exciting Brandon Update!

*(Written by Brandons raiser)*I apologize for the lack of blog posts, but I do have a long overdue and very exciting update for everyone...We were notified that Brandon was sadly career changed from becoming a working guide dog due to major medical issues.  We were quite sadden by this news, but we were anxious to hear what his new career choice might be... Not many days passed and we were told that Brandon was chosen to become a bomb and arson...

Read More

My Walk featuring Sully

Meet Sully!Hes a puppy Labradoodle who is growing fast and pulls hard on walks. If walking on a leash is a challenge now, it will be much harder when hes a full grown dog! Sullys owners often take him on walks with the baby in a stroller so if Sully thinks he controls the walk, it might be dangerous for the baby!A game we call My Walk can mean the difference between a frustrating experience and a care free outing....

Read More

I LOVE The Mail Truck

OMD, Im IN LOVE with the mail truck. Over the past week, its brought ME some cool goodies!Da first package was fur me... but my raiser is keeping it hidden, she keeps saying "its your birthday pressie", and she wont let me see it... until my birthday; but I know its something furry cool!Da second package was from Addie, Lucy and Hailey (I won some prizes from them!), and the package was filled with LOTS and LOTS of goodies :) Many cool toys, some...

Read More

Training Using the Pinch Collar

...

Read More

Nora the Pit Mix

Meet Nora!Nora is a sweet, playful girl...with her family. Once she is outside, everyone she sees is greeted with snarls and barking, outside she became a ferocious ball of teeth and noise! This didnt just happen overnight — Nora was a skittish and shy puppy, but she grew older and bolder. Over time, instead of hiding and tucking her tail, she began to bark, growl and lunge! Many people would write Nora off as aggressive, dangerous, protective, or...

Read More

Outsmarting Your Dog

Meet Roux! This sixteen-week-old newly-adopted hound mix has a real lust for life! Bouncing, jumping, scratching and mouthing, anything to get your attention, and any attention will do. Rouxs owner wanted help get control of these problematic behaviors before things got out of hand. Its easy to forget that even negative attention serves as a reward to a dog looking for consideration, especially when they are barking up a storm or chewing on your...

Read More

Happy New Year

Ive been away a bit, we have had a great fall for hunting, grouse population seems to be on the upswing, made more friends through hunting and training dogs. I am hoping to provide insight to my readers to help them train their dogs, although every dog is different, they are very much the same. Many people feel that each breed needs to have "breed specific" training. While many breeds have breed specific traits, they are all very similar across all breeds. With winter months here, we will be training some pups, working indoors with our training,...

Read More

Growing Up

*Wriiten by Pal*It seems as though Ive never done a thing with this blog... my raiser didnt bother to give me a "blogging 101" class, so this is totally new to me.I hate that neither of us have updated recently, so Ive decided to dive right in and take over.For all who dont know, Im Pal... my raisers newest guide dog in training. I was born in March last year and met my sweet raiser in June. Im currently 10 months old, and growing up quickly! Im...

Read More

Blog Review and HAPPY 500th POST!

Rudy has given me the permission to write this review... as Im his brother, he thinks I should be able to rate things just as well as he can, um... well see!!Either way, Im new at the blogging thing - but I hope to give Rudys Raiser a fair review :)BTW - THIS IS OUR 500th POST!!Quantity of Output: I give her 3 paws up for this one - though she doesnt always let us do a daily post, we do post quite regularly! But once her life gets busy again... I...

Read More

Jolly Talk

Meet Bella! Bella is a two-year-old Yorkie/Jack Russell cross who had lived with two other families before moving in with her current owners. In her newest home she was so fearful of strangers and loud noises that it had resulted in her owners completely abstaining from actual walks. Bella would panic and pull violently towards the house on a regular walk. She even began barking at the construction going on at the neighbors. She was simply terrified...

Read More

How to Hold the Leash During Walks featuring Penny

Meet Penny!Penny is as sweet as they come. She is a gentle, lovable, cuddly 8 year old chocolate lab with owners who give her all that love right back. It wasn’t until they moved to the city, that they realized Penny had a problem. She pulled hard on walks. In fact, she pulled so hard, she even knocked her owner to the ground! In a case like this, we teach a solution called My Walk; a game designed to show...

Read More

Work Time!

Hey guys, Im finally back to blogging! (fur now anyways...)My raiser just wanted to make sure I was feeling my best, before I got back into the "blogging world" and she has finally given me the go ahead! A quick update on my medical situation:Most of my readers have seen the previous posts, keeping you updated on whats been going on with me (I spent 9 days at at Specialist - due to urinary issues Ive been having - and all the tests/etc they...

Read More

My Christmas Goodies

I’m finally taking the time to tell you guys all about my furry cool Christmas goodies! It won’t take to long, since my raiser didn’t go “all out” on me (oh well…) but she still did get me some furry cool things!Here’s a picture of my wonderful goodies...Picture of Brandons Christmas goodies, including dog treats, his full stocking and some stuffies beside the stockingMy stocking was full of lots of fun stuffies, all for MYSELF! And then I also got...

Read More

Christmas Pictures

Wait, Christmas pictures??Oh yeah - my furry forgetful raiser FORGOT to take pictures of me in front of the Christmas Tree until NEW YEARS EVE.I dont get why she takes pictures with a Christmas tree... a WEEK after Christmas!?Oh well, at least I look furry cute :)Hope all of you have a great weekend - my raiser is off to some 4-H thing this afternoon, but due to the fact that shes never been to this certain event - I have to stay home (for certain...

Read More

Training Tips for Traveling with your Dog

Planning a trip with your dog?Traveling can be an exciting adventure for you and your dog, but a long car ride with little to no activity can also be stressful for your canine companion! Increasing your dogs activity before a long trip is a great way to make your trip a bit easier!Tiredness can really take away from some of the worry your dog may experience during a long car ride.  Remember: A tired dog is a happy dog! Play and physical...

Read More

The Importance of Dog Training

Dog training is an important aspect of owning and raising a dog. However many people do not fully understand the importance of dog training. It is not meant to turn your dog into some kind of robot who follows commands accurately and mindlessly. It is also not aimed to make your puppy into a show dog that can do tricks to amuse your friends. Dog training is all about making the bond between you and your dog stronger. It is about teaching your dog...

Read More

Career Changed

*(Written by Brandons raiser)*I received the devastating news Wednesday morning, that Rudy was career changed. I know I kept reminding you guys, that no matter how far any dog gets in their training phase (even once theyre placed with a blind person) there is always a chance the dog could be career changed. (Some dogs just "develop" something out of the blue - which I assume, is what Rudy did), but it still came as a sudden shock to me.Below...

Read More

Wheres Rudy

Rudy has made a brief appearance on SEGDIS Blog this week!I was quite excited when viewing their latest post, as they had many pictures of recent IFT dogs... and luckily Rudy was in the group!Thankfully Rudy has his "brindle markings" which allows me to "somewhat" tell him apart - but when the picture is slightly blurry, the markings arent visible.As you can tell in the pictures below... Rudy is having a blast, and happens to be the only dog jumping!...

Read More

Shopping Day

FINALLY the post with pictures of my shopping day :)Rudys Raiser didnt "have time" yesterday, to let me do the post - but shes finally letting me today.I had a whole lot of fun shopping last week, since Rudys Raiser was finally feeling better (she was sick ALL WEEK) she decided it was time to get me out and work me some. Which I was quite glad about.She worked me in many different stores - but only took pictures in the first one (so she could then...

Read More

Indy the Jack Russell Terrier

Meet Indy!This little terrier looks innocent and shy, but hes really a dog-shaped bundle of unrestrained and excited energy. Indys mom gave us a call because she knew that having a brand-new puppy in the apartment was going to be a lot of work.Its never too early to start training a puppy, and eleven-week-old Indy was no exception. Gordon and I arrived in the North End armed with pages of Zen Dog notes and puppy-specific guides to help this young...

Read More

Harness Every Moment

Time sure is flying by quickly... I head back IFT (In For Training) in 2 weeks! My raiser introduced me to the guide dog harness a few weeks ago, and I feel like such a grown up while wearing it :)  I cant believe that Ill be leaving soon, Im really going to miss you guys! My raisers Fall classes started in mid-August, and boy have I been enjoying attending those with her.She has quite a busy class schedule, and it helps to keep my life...

Read More