THE LOVE WE SHARE 

By Lynn Veale 

The bond that humans and dogs share can be truly amazing.  Countless heartwarming stories circulate the Internet about dogs that have saved family members from disaster and dogs that have been lost while on vacation, but found their way home after many months and hundreds of miles. It is quite apparent that dogs love their humans just as much as humans love their dogs.  For working dogs, that human/animal bond of love can be even more intense than usual due to the close working relationship between the dog and its partner.  Ask any guide dog user and he or she will be happy to explain just how special that relationship really is.  The bond between a guide dog and its partner develops over time and the experiences the dog had as a puppy play an important role in allowing that bond of love to develop. 

As puppy raisers, one of our goals is to have our puppies love people more than anything else (of course, where labs are concerned, having them love us more than food is quite a challenge!)  By having people as the primary source of happiness in a puppy's life, that puppy is more willing to work for us and learn whatever we teach him.  Guide dogs work for praise and they learn early in puppyhood just how wonderful it feels to be praised for a job well done.  Keeping our puppies healthy, happy, content, and enthused about working is what we strive for daily.  To accomplish this we make sure to meet all of our puppies’ needs both physically and mentally, from full bellies to exercise to mental stimulation to relaxation.  

Puppy raisers love to speak to people about guide dog puppies and what is involved in raising them so we welcome questions and comments from the public.  Although many individuals seem to have a good grasp of what the puppy raising program is all about, many others are very misinformed. Occasionally we will hear comments like, "Oh, that poor puppy.  He has to work all the time." Or, "Look at that poor puppy.  I bet he never gets to have any fun."  Many times I've had people ask me if my puppy ever has the opportunity to “just be a dog”.  My answer to that question is always an enthusiastic, "Yes, everyday!"  I explain how my puppy is at work whenever he is wearing his green puppy jacket, but when he is at home and not wearing his jacket, he is allowed to be "just a dog,” although he must be a dog with manners.  He is allowed to run and jump and play, chase his tail, play tug-of-war, interact with the other dogs in the house, and play with his toys, but just as I expect my children to behave themselves, I also expect my puppy to behave himself.  Good house manners are a must!  

When a member of the public approaches a raiser and asks to pet his or her puppy-in-training, the raiser will sometimes say, “No, my puppy is working now.”  This answer often leads to the erroneous assumption that a puppy-in-training is never allowed to be petted or to be loved on.  If it were true that our puppies were never allowed to be petted or “just be a dog,” then we would have some very unhappy little puppies which in turn would make very unhappy, and therefore ineffective, guide dogs.  One of the essential ingredients in making a good guide dog is having a happy puppy!  Just as parents expect their children to keep focused on their school work while in the classroom and working adults have learned to ignore distractions in the workplace to maintain focus on their job, focusing on the task at hand is what a raiser is trying to teach his puppy when working in public.  If a young puppy is allowed to be petted whenever someone asks, that puppy quickly learns that he is the center of attention, becomes easily distracted, and soon begins to expect a pet from everyone he comes in contact with.  Such behavior tremendously inhibits a dog’s ability to do successful guide work.  To teach a puppy to ignore distractions and that it is not his job to be the center of attention; a raiser will frequently prevent people from petting or even approaching a puppy-in-training.  Quite often a raiser will allow a member of the public to pet his puppy, but many factors influence that decision, including the age of the puppy, the puppy’s personality, what type of training is taking place, and the overall situation of the moment.  Raisers do not mind being asked if their puppy can be petted, however it must be understood that sometimes the answer will be “no” because that is what is best for the puppy at that time.

All work and no play is not even considered in our puppies’ daily routine.  Playtime is an important part of life for puppies, but the key to raising a well adjusted dog that loves humans so much that he is willing to work only for praise involves much more than plenty of playtime.  For a puppy to know what it is to give love he must first know what it is to receive love.  And our job is to make sure they receive LOTS of it!  As everyone knows, though, giving love is more than just giving snuggles and kisses.  Giving love also means engaging a puppy in training exercises that are fun, giving lots of praise, brushing a puppy's teeth, grooming his coat, clipping his nails, not letting him get overweight, having playtime as well as naptime, giving discipline when needed, teaching him good house behaviors and good social manners, letting him know there is a time for work and a time for play, making him feel safe and secure, and giving lots of massages! 

Massages are very important in puppy raising.  Most raisers try to give their puppies a massage every night while watching TV.  Giving a massage to our puppies has many benefits.  As well as making the puppy feel bonded to his raiser, it relaxes him and allows all the tension and stress of the day to be released.  A massage will put the puppy in a very calm state allowing him to fall asleep easily for the night.  An all-over body massage teaches the puppy that having every part of his body touched is routine and nothing to get excited about.  Many pet dogs are nervous when somebody tries to feel their paws or ears or tail.  This can make it difficult for a veterinarian to give a thorough exam or for an owner to clip his dog's nails when needed.  A blind person cannot see when his guide dog is growing a cancerous lump so the massage becomes a very important way for a visually impaired person to feel for any abnormalities so he can alert a veterinarian.  We call these massages "puppy handling exercises" and they are a critical form of the love needed to turn these puppies into guide dogs that are happy and willing to work only for the praise given them.  Although it may appear to some as though a guide-dog-in-training has a dreary, unfulfilled life, I can promise you that a puppy-in-training has more fun and more love and more excitement in his life than many people do.  If I were a puppy, it is the kind of life I would be happy living!