In Need Of Advice Please

[aussielover]

Hi, as some might know I am puppy raising for guide dogs at the moment and my puppy is a 4.5 month old black labrador called Mindy.

I have a few questions that I though DOLers may be able to help me out with.

1) Mindy accompanies me to university at least 4 days a week

While at uni, she is expected to sit under my desk pretty much all day (9-5). I have a lovely little set up for her- a pillow, a polarfleece blanket, some chew toys, some rawhide treats and some cuddly toys. I take her out for a 10-15 mintue walk in various places around the uni every 1.5-2hrs (whenever i get sick of doing work ) and she gets 30 mins off leash play at lunch either on the lawns outside the building or on an oval. She also usually has a further 30 minutes where she is able to wander around the office I am in, get patted and doted on, and have her treat ball etc.

Before uni, she gets a 10 min walk in the morning and a further 15 mins off lead at a dog park in the mornings. After uni, she gets 20-30 minutes free running and in a dog park. We do short obedience sessions during the day as well.

Anyway, do you think this is too boring for a puppy? I know this will be what is expected of her if she becomes a guide dog, but I do want her to have happy and carefree "puppy days". She is very well behaved and doesn't seem stressed, usually she will just sleep or chew on her toys or rawhide. If I have to leave her, i tie her to the desk, but always with a friend supervising her. She has never had an accident at uni which i am very pleased about.

Someone said to me the other day it would be a very boring life for her, which i suppose is true. I also feel bad that she can't run around whenever she feels like it, like puppies would be if they were in a home or backyard. when i told guide dogs that she was at uni with me 4 days a week they seemed surprised but didn't say whether it was good or bad. Do people think I should leave her at home more often?

2) which leads me to the next question.

My mum is just not feeling the puppy love. I think she expected Mindy to be like our old dog Clover (ie perfect). while I have accepted that Mindy is a different dog entirely, with different qualities, my mum keeps on saying stuff like "Clover wouldn't do that" and doesn't seem at all keen to get involved with mindy especially with walking and socialising her etc.

she even thought Mindy did a poo in her study just to spite her

when i am not home, they don't follow my instructions such as crating Min if she can't be watched, treating her for good behaviour and treating her for toileting outside. They basically feel treating her is ridiculous and unnecessary even though i have explained why it is important numerous times.

Mindy is basically allowed to run wild if i'm not there, which is why she did a poo in the study i am sure.

I don't know how to help my mum to accept Mindy more- I am trying my best to train her so she is great to walk on the lead and isn't naughty etc. i also feel pressure to take her to uni as I know she will just be allowed to do whatever at home and not socialised at all. Thankfully, she is not destructive at all- she hasn't chewed anythign valuable up yet and generally only chews on her toys.

Mum actually said she wants her next dog to look exactly like Clover, which I think is a mistake. she also thinks she will be able to love a dog more if it looks more like clover. Obviously I have advised this is not the case and for her to consider adopting an older dog as she clearly can't cope with a young puppy.

How can i make my mum love Mindy more?

Any advice please?

Thanks

[TsarsMum]

i think you are doing a great job.

she needs to be set up to be a guide dog so i think that you are doing that. which is what you are supose to do. she get to be a pup when she is naughty

can i say that i think what you are doing is sooooo amazing and i think who ever hopefully ends up with her will get an awsome dog

with your mum well it its not there its not there. maybe she does not want to get too close because of the heart break when she goes to be a guide dog

[Puppybreath]

I think the days at Uni sounds fine. She has regular entertainment and is well looked after.

As for your parents I think it is easy to forget how naughty and how much work puppies can be. Well you have a dog for a long time you do forget the challenging parts and after they have passed a lot of people gloss over the bad bits.

[Gayle.]

Your poor mum. She must really, really be missing Clover.

[tlc]

Sounds like you are doing a great job with your pup. What you are doing sounds fine. I am not familiar with Guide Dogs but am familiar with SEDA and thier requirements may vary, they like the pups to be able to go to work with the carer and basically be with the carer where ever they go if possible.

Maybe you would benifit from asking guide dogs what they think is fair, did you get guide lines to follow to start with??

Do you get an option of keeping Mindy if she doesn't make the cut as a Guide Dog? Does she go to a training center when she is 12 months?

As for your Mum I have no advice really apart from not to put too much responsibility on her if she is not feeling the love, sorry no other adivce on that one!! Is your mum able to get herself another dog? might help her.

Edited August 23, 2010 by tlc

[iheartmorrison]

It looks like your doing a great job with Mindy, hopefully she will make a great guide dog and improve someone's life.

Do you get an option of keeping Mindy if she doesn't make the cut as a Guide Dog?

From what I remember, these dogs become a Pets as Therapy Dog; basically a pet for someone who is vision impaired.

[aussielover]

Yes, they become pets as therapy dogs- which is basically just a pet for a person with any type of disability.

They have to pass some medical tests before they go on to be either a guide or therapy dog though, so can also be failed for that.

a very small number go to the police or customs as sniffer dogs (usually very bouncy males!).

At around 12 months she will go back to guide dogs to be assessed and have all her medical tests done. If she is assessed as suitable for guide dog trianing, she will have 4 months of guide dog training after that.

[moosmum]

Hi Aussielover,

I think you are doing a great job,Mindy shouldn't be too bored as she she does sound like she gets a lt of mental stimultion.

As for your Mum,I had a similar attitude for years after my 1st dog died...no other dog could fill his place.It was very unfair on the dogs and I recognised that but couldn't change it.

Once I finaly got over that years later,I made sure it would never happen again by keeping more than 1 dog at a time so none ever have to live up to another.They are loved for themselves and not expected to fill a hole.

I think your Mum is just not ready for a dog again yet.

[Genabee]

Yes, they become pets as therapy dogs- which is basically just a pet for a person with any type of disability.

They have to pass some medical tests before they go on to be either a guide or therapy dog though, so can also be failed for that.

a very small number go to the police or customs as sniffer dogs (usually very bouncy males!).

At around 12 months she will go back to guide dogs to be assessed and have all her medical tests done. If she is assessed as suitable for guide dog trianing, she will have 4 months of guide dog training after that.

You must be one special person! It would be heart breaking to have to hand her back, after all your hard work! Even when there are moments that you do want to send them back!

Mindy sounds as though she would be benefiting more from her days at uni, than at home! She sounds relaxed when she is there, which is a good sign. If your Mum isn't feeling the doggy love, I would be less inclined to want to leave her there.

When you first decided to take Mindy on, what was your Mum's reaction? Was she happy to have the dog in her home?

[aussielover]

She was the one who was keen to have Mindy in the first place! I think she had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy. And labs are fairly full on puppies compared with our aussie puppy who was older (5/6 months) when we got her.

I thought I would only be taking her to uni one or maybe 2 days a week, but its been more like 4/5 days a week. Not that I mind, I just want what is best for her, which at the moment is not being left at home I think.

I am hoping that as Mindy gets older and easier to walk and can walk for longer, mum will want to walk her more.

Its kinf of funny because my dad who doesn't really like animals is quite taken with mindy and lets her sleep in his study under his desk! He also gives her pieces of toast in the mornings and buys extra meats for her!

[Esky the husky]

I don't have any advice to give, but I have to comment and say that I think you're doing a FANTASTIC thing!

[wuffles]

She was the one who was keen to have Mindy in the first place! I think she had forgotten what it was like to have a puppy. And labs are fairly full on puppies compared with our aussie puppy who was older (5/6 months) when we got her.

She can borrow Ava for a few days to see what some Aussie pups are like Even if they have sweet mismarked faces ;)

I think taking Mindy to uni with you is setting her up nicely for her possible next life I think that most dogs are happiest when they are with you, even if it's doing something boring.

Edited to add: Does Mindy know many tricks? Not sure if you're allowed to teach them, but I find that my OH, although he loves Ava, gets annoyed with her puppiness often. I encourage him to run through her tricks and he has fun doing that and gives her cuddles afterwards because it's so cute. Play dead, roll over, etc. are ones that seem to impress people.

Edited August 24, 2010 by wuffles

[aussielover]

I'D LOVE to borrow Ava ;) Not sure my mum would handle it though- she sounds pretty full on. I reckon her and Mindy would destroy the place in about 10 seconds and my mum would have a heart attack!

Mindy knows a lot of tricks

take a bow, hi 5, hi 10, turn around, roll over, speak (mum doesn't like that one), weave, bring the newspaper in, crawl, hmmm thats about it. Am tyring to teach her to put her paw over her face but my timing is just lousy. also she seems not to notice when she has things dangling over her face.

Mum thinks the tricks are silly (well, they are...) but everyone else thinks they are cute and they are impressed!

[Niques]

I think her day sounds excellent. It sounds like she's getting lots of good exposure to situations and experiences that would keep her entertained and exercised, I'm sure!

As for your Mum, I would be pushing the fact that Mindy needs that sort of training and reinforcement as a Guide Dog.

[aussielover]

just an update: we had a home visit from guide dogs today. They are pleased with her and think she is doing well. she walked very well today and they were impressed she walked well on just a collar and lead. They also said that her coming to uni is absolutely fine, in fact, they thought it was good because she gets a lot of practice sitting in an office.

Yay Mindy!

[Guest]

aussielover it sounds like you are doing a great job with Mndy and good on you for taking on the resposability of training a guide dog.

I havent any suggestions regarding your mum, hopefully she will one day come to love Mindy.

lablove

[Guest]

aussielover it sounds like you are doing a great job with Mndy and good on you for taking on the resposability of training a guide dog.

I havent any suggestions regarding your mum, hopefully she will one day come to love Mindy.

lablove

[lilli_star]

Aussie I don't have any advice, sorry. Your mum obviously really misses Clover, and I'm sorry for that. Clover was a member of your family, and just like losing a (human) loved one, it takes time.

You know I am already jealous of how good your Mindy is She really just sits under your chair on a blanket- and stays there?! Now I'm even more jealous!

I (along with everyone else) think what you are doing is fantastic.

[Genabee]

Its kinf of funny because my dad who doesn't really like animals is quite taken with mindy and lets her sleep in his study under his desk! He also gives her pieces of toast in the mornings and buys extra meats for her!

Reminds me of two people: My Father and my Husband

Neither of them wanted a dog, but after years of constant nagging they both gave in. And of course, it is 'their' dog and 'their' idea... Men! In fact, when Hubby and I picked out Genevieve, my parents came with us and I half expected my Dad to take one of the other puppies home with him!!!!! Pathetic!