New Puppy Flora
Posted by Elizabeth Lamb on Thursday, January 17, 2013 Under: Guide dog, puppy walking
Flora our new guide dog pup is a Golden Retriever, and a most beautiful shade of blondie red. We knew we had her the moment she was left by our PWS (puppr walking supervisor).
Zola took the brunt of her playfullness during the day, but at night she was a little monkey, we understood that she had left her litter and things were all different, but my word, I have never heard such noise coming from such a little thing. Even though Zola and Rosie (cocker spaniel) were in the kitchen alongside her cage, she wasn't at all impressed at being made to be somewhere that she didn't want to be.
I apologised profusely to the neighbours, luckily we have very understanding ones. She now goes through the night, from 11pm until 6 am, which is much better. You can cope with stroppy youngsters if you have had a few hours sleep.
She is growing so quickly, and learns so fast. A guide dog has to sit and wait at feeding time until their food has been put on the ground and then the handler blows a whistle. That is to give a blind person time to get out of the way without it going all over the floor. She picked this up so quickly, even though she did sit behind me, and barked, as I obviously wasn't doing it fast enough for her. She sits beautifully and will not take her eyes off me, until I blow the whistle and she dives into her bowl.
It takes us forever to get round a shop, as everybody asks if they can stroke her, it is okay as she is still in our arms, but once she is on the floor, it will have to stop, as she will have to ignore people when she is guiding. I am looking forward to start walking her out, that will be a fortnight after she has her jabs. and as she is getting so very heavy to carry around it cannot come fast enough, .
Zola took the brunt of her playfullness during the day, but at night she was a little monkey, we understood that she had left her litter and things were all different, but my word, I have never heard such noise coming from such a little thing. Even though Zola and Rosie (cocker spaniel) were in the kitchen alongside her cage, she wasn't at all impressed at being made to be somewhere that she didn't want to be.
I apologised profusely to the neighbours, luckily we have very understanding ones. She now goes through the night, from 11pm until 6 am, which is much better. You can cope with stroppy youngsters if you have had a few hours sleep.
She is growing so quickly, and learns so fast. A guide dog has to sit and wait at feeding time until their food has been put on the ground and then the handler blows a whistle. That is to give a blind person time to get out of the way without it going all over the floor. She picked this up so quickly, even though she did sit behind me, and barked, as I obviously wasn't doing it fast enough for her. She sits beautifully and will not take her eyes off me, until I blow the whistle and she dives into her bowl.
It takes us forever to get round a shop, as everybody asks if they can stroke her, it is okay as she is still in our arms, but once she is on the floor, it will have to stop, as she will have to ignore people when she is guiding. I am looking forward to start walking her out, that will be a fortnight after she has her jabs. and as she is getting so very heavy to carry around it cannot come fast enough, .
