Some Firsts

Sometimes getting a guide dog can be very similar to having a baby. In the first 2 weeks, Shasta kept me up most of the night, whining and wanting up on the bed. The first week we learn how to manage and maintain a good consistent feeding/relief schedule and grooming schedule.

After getting Shasta, all the firsts began. We were guided on how to feed our dogs for the first time and relieve them. Feeding was no big deal, but relieving was. We had to wait in line at the relief area and wait our turn. I watched as each dog went before us and noticed some of them were having a hard time. Their being so nervous was starting to show. So this was just as hard on them as it was for us. The trainers were prompting the dogs to encourage them, but they still were not so sure.

The first night, I thought Shasta would just go to sleep being it was such a big, busy day. I was so very wrong, lol. I was having no trouble settling down for the night, but Shasta wanted to be up on the bed. This was a no-no. Not allowed for the first 6 months, at least. This turned into a battle of wills that would last 3 weeks. One thing I learned about Shasta the first night was that when she gets something in her head, she wasn’t gonna let it go.

When it came time to put the harness on for the first time, I was terrified that I was going to hit her on the head with it. I was a little sheepish handling it and bringing it near her face. Thing is once she could get her nose through it, she would use her muzzle to flip it behind her so I could do the belly strap up. I realized that all I had to do was just get it near her face and she would walk into it and flip it on her back.

The first walk with the harness was much more challenging for me. The trainer used a “buddy leash” on Shasta to help with control and to give Shasta confidence with a new handler at the helm. I was really leery about trusting a dog, so I didn’t take to the first walk very well. I was hesitant and shaky. I had no idea what this dog was going to do. Was she just going to dart off and chase a rabbit or was she going to walk beside me in a heel position. I was expecting the heel position so that was awkward when she would walk ahead of me.

The idea was to have the dog walk ahead of me with some tension in the harness, so I would feel a little bit of pull. Through this pull I would be able to tell if she was turning slightly to the left or right, or a lot. It was a coordination thing. I didn’t need to worry about curbs or anything like that this first time. The goal was just to walk with the dog. It was a coordination thing. Shasta was having a little trouble, too. She was used to a handler just following her while she did the leading. I wasn’t as consistent as a trainer might have been, so it took some practice before we got in a short walk. It wasn’t a very good first walk. I was quite a distance from her when in fact I should have been just beside her.