H&C

“Friday was Ruby’s last day with us, and she is now acclimatising in the kennels at Dogs for the Disabled’s Training Centre. She is sharing a kennel with Usher, a Chocolate Labrador, and will be spending the first few days settling in before her training begins. Ruby is the second puppy that I have socialised for the Charity, and the last week always seems to fly by in the knowledge that the last day of the week brings to an end a twelve to fourteen month relationship. Of course, any feelings of sadness at returning Ruby to the Training Centre are easily outweighed by the happiness in knowing that she is capable of building on her basic skills and mastering all the new ones she will be taught by her primary trainer, Clare Mehmet (pictured welcoming Ruby back to the Centre), over the coming months. I have met a number of Dogs for the Disabled’s Clients, who have been helped by their trained assistance dogs to lead fuller and more independent lives, and it is incredibly rewarding to know the positive difference each puppy goes on to make. From performing practical tasks such as opening doors, helping a person undress or picking up hard to reach or dropped items such as keys, the post or a mobile phone. The dogs can even be trained to empty the washing machine. Ruby has definitely shown the aptitude to learn these tasks, and also has the character to form a strong partnership. She loves to work, loves to play, and definitely enjoys praise, cuddles and affection. I have really enjoyed socialising Ruby, and hope that you have enjoyed reading about her growth from a seven-week-old puppy to confident young dog. During that time she has taken many different experiences in her stride, and I would want to take this opportunity to thank Claire Lush, our Dogs for the Disabled Puppy Co-ordinator, for her support and advice throughout Ruby’s stay with us. Thank you for your regular kind messages sent to Ruby, including the most recent wishing her a swift recovery from her operation. Despite setting off on a couple of mad dashes through the house, Ruby’s stitches have healed well and she will be building back up to longer walks in the not too distant future. Lastly, to answer the question, “Was Friday very sad”? Of course. There were a few tears (including my husband’s), and there’s a definite Ruby-sized void in the house as I write this, but we know we will see her again at some stage and are absolutely thrilled to be able to help the Charity’s work to produce trained assistance dogs. I would recommend getting involved in any way you can. It is inspiring work and you can definitely help produce the next gem.” Editor's note: They say as one door closes another opens and we’re delighted to bring you the news that although Ruby’s socialising has come to an end, her blog hasn’t. Over the next few months we’ll continue to follow Ruby through ‘school’ as she starts her training at Dogs for the Disabled’s national training centre in Banbury.

“Ruby’s stay with us has been extended by a week, as her confirmed date to start the next stage of her training has now been moved to June 11. During the week, Ruby and I accompanied our Dogs for the Disabled puppy co-ordinator, Claire Lush, to a presentation she had been invited to give at a Careers Day at Moulton College in Northamptonshire. Claire talked to the roomful of students for around 30 minutes, about the Charity’s work and a career working with dogs. For her part, Ruby was very calm and quickly settled into her ‘down’ position, before stretching out on her side to doze, and, finally, rolling onto her back into a deep sleep with all four paws in the air! It’s fair to say that the students paid far closer attention to the presentation than Ruby did! But she did wake up for the question and answer session at the end, just as I was explaining about the rewarding role of a socialiser. I mentioned that Ruby’s intake date had changed. One of the reasons for the change was that the Charity decided to book her in to be spayed, so that she could spend a week recovering with us before being admitted to the Training Centre. So, on Friday, I took Ruby to the Charity’s vet and collected her later in the day. Of course Ruby was not allowed to eat after 6pm the night before, and, as any Labrador owner would fully understand, Ruby did not seem to appreciate missing her breakfast! However, she was fine at the vet, slept well in the evening and overnight back at home, and is gradually recovering from the effects of the operation. So, Ruby’s final week with us will be limited to time in the garden (separated from our other two dogs so they do not start a game of chase) and, if all goes well, a short walk on lead before Friday arrives.”

“Ruby has a confirmed date to start the next stage of her training – all being well, she will return to the Charity’s Training Centre on 4 June. Intake days are usually Fridays, so that each dog can meet their Dogs for the Disabled Trainer, have an initial physical check, and then settle into their new surroundings over the weekend. The phased training programme will then start on the following Monday. So, for Ruby, her last few weeks with us are very much the end of the beginning of her life as an assistance dog, where basic training techniques have been combined with socialising and exposure to as many experiences as possible. This week, I visited the town centre with Ruby. It was quieter than usual, so I took the chance to walk slowly around one of the department stores, frequently stopping to look at different racks of clothes. The stop-start nature of shopping means that a dog in training needs to be very patient and calm, and Ruby performed this task admirably. I also took her into a changing room with me to see how she would react while I tried a few clothes on. I was delighted that she quickly settled, sitting down by the mirror and acting as if this was part of her everyday routine! As well as a few social visits and one trip to Tesco, Ruby also had the chance to be in the garden with my husband, Tim, while he was cutting the grass. It was only after a few minutes that I realised Ruby had invented a new game featuring her favourite blue rubber chew. Each time Tim stopped to empty the cut grass from the mower, Ruby waited by him, holding the ring in her mouth. Tim would take it from her, roll it across the lawn, and she would head off to retrieve it. Then, when he’d started mowing again, she would walk a pace or two behind him with the ring, patiently waiting for the next cut grass stop! Fifteen minutes later, the lawn was cut and Ruby was ready for a drink and a lie-down in the shade – closely followed by my husband (though he was not carrying the rubber chew)!” Editor's note: Do you have training questions? Hop on to our Forum and ask other H&C users.

“Ruby is now back at home with us after her successful acclimatisation week in the Dogs for the Disabled’s kennels. She quickly settled in at the Charity’s Training Centre, sharing a kennel with Veto, a Cocker Spaniel of similar age. Each day Ruby was either taken for a visit to town or the out-of-town supermarket. I was also pleased to hear that she was taken on a visit to a potential new socialiser’s home, and remained calm throughout. The team of kennels staff reported that Ruby appeared to enjoy the experience, and reacted positively to the new surroundings, particularly the busy nature of the kennels with clients, dogs and staff coming and going all day. Having said that, Ruby certainly looked pleased to see me when I picked her up – although, on arriving home, that greeting was nothing compared to the one she gave my two dogs. The three of them ran round and round the garden together for ten minutes, only stopping so they could sniff her from nose to tail, before setting off on another circuit or two! In the last couple of days I have been to town with Ruby, where she calmly walked past a huge, noisy tarmac-laying machine and was only momentarily unsettled by the sight of a mannequin in one of the department stores we walked through. I’m not sure if it was the model’s position or choice of clothes, but Ruby gave a most unexpected bark, sniffed its shoes, then decided all was well after all and settled back by my side. Just to ensure there was no recurring problem, I walked around the store for a few extra minutes, but Ruby ignored all the mannequins we passed and showed no signs of adverse reaction. Last night I took Ruby to a service in our village Church, where she settled down alongside the pew and barely moved through the 30 minutes of hymns and a short sermon. As always, she was more than happy to pose for a photograph at the end!”

“Ruby’s busy week began on a train and finished in the Charity’s kennels – here is a brief summary of these events and the bits in-between. At the start of the week, Ruby and I accompanied my husband to the train station, including a walk down onto the platform to wait for the train to arrive. Ruby was completely at ease amongst all the commuters, and remained calm when the train arrived. Her ears pricked up at the sound of the shrill whistle as the doors closed shut, but she it did not unsettle her at all, which was excellent. The next day, I took Ruby to town for a walk through the shopping centre, into a few shops and to the bank. I was really delighted with how well Ruby responded to me as we walked around. She ignored all distractions and did not try to scavenge when she passed food items from the market stalls that were discarded on the pavements. A couple of days later, we all went to watch a rugby 7’s competition at a nearby club. Having walked around the outside of the pitch from a distance to enable Ruby to experience the levels of activity and noise, we then settled down on a picnic rug in the shade and watched a couple of matches. At first, Ruby was definitely interested in the hustle and bustle of the games and was keen to get closer when the oval ball came bouncing by. But, within ten minutes or so, she was content to stretch out and fall asleep – a case of the experience being more important than the result! And yesterday, at the end of a busy week which also included plenty of walks and play, Ruby went to stay at the Dogs for the Disabled’s kennels. She will be there for a week, to familiarise her with the environment, and to enable the training and kennels teams to ensure that she will settle in these new surroundings. She is accompanied by Veto, a Cocker Spaniel of similar age, and my next blog will give you an insight into the activities that take place through this week of familiarisation and ensure she is right on track. To finish, I wanted to thank you for all the comments from Ruby’s last blog entry. Now that Ruby has celebrated her first birthday, some of you were asking if this means that Ruby would soon be commencing her training. Sadly for us, Ruby’s start date is not far off, but we do have her for a few more weeks yet. Dogs for the Disabled aim to take each of their pups in for training at around 14 months old. Experience has shown the Charity that these extra couple of months give their dogs a little extra time to mature which ultimately means that they find learning their role as an assistance dog easier to adapt to from puppy socialisation.”