Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Hi All, Was wondering if someone could help me out quickly. We have a 5 year old Cocker who's going blind. He's reasonably well trained although can sometimes be a bit stubborn. He's been joining me and my new dog Sarah at obedience with my OH being the handler as I think it's important that we refine his training before he looses his sight completely. Anyway Collie gets distracted very easily and likes to spend the entire time with his nose to the ground sniffing new smells. My OH finds it very difficult to get and keep his attention after he gets bored of the treats, I even find going on walks that he has very selective hearing and is too focused on what's going on around him rather than focusing on what his handler is doing. Was wondering if a halti would be a good idea, essentially to try and lift his nose from the ground and get his attention. I know at lot of people have said they are best used for larger and stronger dogs. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 If he is going blind he is probably using his nose more to compensate. Forcing his nose up would be like taking a walking cane away from a blind person Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Stinky treats! Cheese, salami, kabana! Something really high value and stinky. Something he can smell coming and doesn't often get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 If he is going blind he is probably using his nose more to compensate. Forcing his nose up would be like taking a walking cane away from a blind person that makes sense although then how do you get his attention, because when his nose is on the ground it seems his ability to hear goes out the window as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Do you use a clicker too? Might be a handy tool to utilise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Stinky treats! Cheese, salami, kabana! Something really high value and stinky. Something he can smell coming and doesn't often get? we usually use devon, maybe not stinky enough. still we're not always going to have treats on hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 What about an attention cue he's never had before? Have you ever used a whistle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Stinky treats! Cheese, salami, kabana! Something really high value and stinky. Something he can smell coming and doesn't often get? we usually use devon, maybe not stinky enough. still we're not always going to have treats on hand Good point, I'm that crazy lady with a pocket full of chicken. I forget not everyone treats their handbags as poorly as I do. Haha. I guess starting the behaviors is good and a clicker is FAB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Do you use a clicker too? Might be a handy tool to utilise. I do have a clicker but have yet to master the ability to hold lease, treat and clicker all at once :p You wanna come round and have a try steph :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Do you use a clicker too? Might be a handy tool to utilise. I do have a clicker but have yet to master the ability to hold lease, treat and clicker all at once :p You wanna come round and have a try steph :) I'm like a chubby ninja! Clicker and leash in the same hand, treats at the ready in the other works for me. It's a fine art though. PS- I'm no master trainer, god don't make that mistake! Hahah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 What about an attention cue he's never had before? Have you ever used a whistle? Oh yeah, my OH has this special whistle he does to get his attention. Generally means he'll listen to my OH but not me coz I can't do the whistle plus he spends the whole time whistling during obedience *sigh* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Oh well, guess I won't be stopping at the pet store on the way home to pick up the one tool that will solve all our problems :-p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Lamb puffs... dried lamb lung... stinky and fairly low fat, and dry so it won't slime up your pockets... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 If he's going blind you need to let him use his other senses, that's how he will experience the world. If he can't see where he's going he will probably sniff it out - that's what my old blind girl did, once she lost her vision her head and nose was often much closer to the ground so she could figure out where she was going. I would say that a Halti is probably not really appropraite for a dog as short as a cocker anyway, when using one you really want the lead to only be around 30cm long otherwise you may end up with a dog with a really sore neck (unless you have a super tall cocker or you're both quite short!!). Personally I'd be doing a lot of training of focussing on you, and yes, as others have said - the stinky super yummy treats need to come in to play! And use commands that both you and your OH are going to be able to use, no point using whistling if you both can't whistle! I don't know if you've thought about it, but if your dog hasn't lost vision yet it is a good time to start teaching commands that are going to help when he does (such as for stepping up and down steps/curbs/etc, watch out, and things that will be useful once the vision is totally gone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 If he's going blind you need to let him use his other senses, that's how he will experience the world. If he can't see where he's going he will probably sniff it out - that's what my old blind girl did, once she lost her vision her head and nose was often much closer to the ground so she could figure out where she was going. I would say that a Halti is probably not really appropraite for a dog as short as a cocker anyway, when using one you really want the lead to only be around 30cm long otherwise you may end up with a dog with a really sore neck (unless you have a super tall cocker or you're both quite short!!). Personally I'd be doing a lot of training of focussing on you, and yes, as others have said - the stinky super yummy treats need to come in to play! And use commands that both you and your OH are going to be able to use, no point using whistling if you both can't whistle! I don't know if you've thought about it, but if your dog hasn't lost vision yet it is a good time to start teaching commands that are going to help when he does (such as for stepping up and down steps/curbs/etc, watch out, and things that will be useful once the vision is totally gone). Maybe these documents helps? I found them on the internet some time ago. All the best! Living with a Blind Dog - For Dummies.pdf Tips & suggestions to help your blind dog.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 Thanks, I've read some of those suggestions before. At some point we will be getting a bell for Sarah, poor thing :-) at the moment we're just struggling with refining his reliability with commands as he can be pretty stubborn, but I guess it just consistency with the training that's needed more than anything else. He's just such a boof head compared to Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Why don't you get him started on some basic scent detection. You channel his nose into something productive and you're still working together with a handler. Why fight something when the dog is so strongly trying to do something productive. Sometimes it's worth working with what the dog is doing in order to get better with other parts of obedience. I've found it really good with a few dogs to start them focussing on just scenting for hidden food with the owners as a team, once they learn to listen and concentrate you can easily get them to do everything else you want :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbaudry Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Nekhbet, what resources would you suggest for those who don't have a club offering that near them? Sounds like a great idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted September 29, 2013 Author Share Posted September 29, 2013 I have though about looking into noseworks, I think it'll be an excellent way to keep his brain active once his sight goes. It's a shame it's only a new discipline in Australia. On another note both dogs passed class 1 in obedience today, maybe I was a bit too concerned. Collie turned it on during the heel work although his stand for examinations still requires a bit of finessing :-D Looks like the cabana was better than anything he could sniff at on the ground Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted September 29, 2013 Share Posted September 29, 2013 I would agree with him. Mmmmm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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