How to recognize when your dog guide



Chapter 28: How to Recognize When Your Dog Guide

Is Relieving (Parking)

There are several reason why it is important for you to know when your dog is relieving, to pick up after them, and to have them relieving on leash. Picking up after your dog is necessary because it shows the public that you are a good responsible guide dog user and that will not let your dog relieve wherever and whenever. Remember you represent the guide dog movement so having good public perception is important. This is what helps you to have and maintain the rights and access that you do. Lets face it everyone does #2. There may be times when you are not near your usual park area and your dog needs to relieve or its just time to do the deed. If you are seen picking up after your dog the general public or property owner may be less likely to hassle you. In those regards we do encourage you to relieve your dog in an area that is convenient for you but respectful of others. For example don’t put your dog off the curb right in front of the valet at a restaurant or business establishment. It can be done several yards down the black or maybe even around the corner. Same thing at your place of employment or other areas you frequent often. You will probably select an area that is out of the way were you are physically safe from cars and such but also not in anyone’s way. Maybe out a side or rear door that places you close to a trash can or dumpster but not in front of the main entrance were people, patrons, or customers are constantly walking by.

Dogs can not tell us when they are sick. They also do not tend to display symptoms the same way as people do. When dogs have dietary indiscretion (big words for diarrhea) they sometimes don’t have any other symptoms. Being visually impaired it is important that we pick up as this is a way to assist us in monitoring our dogs health. If they have loose, watery, or excessive diarrhea we can fast them, change to a bland diet, or if need be make a vet appointment. Another reason to relieve on leash is that your dogs have been conditioned to relieve on leash since they were puppies. If it is allowed to always relieve OFF leash you will condition the dog away from leash relieving which may be problematic when needing to park your dog somewhere besides your home. This could pose a significant issue for when you travel and are needing to leash park; possibly even leading to accidents. If the handler has a fenced in back yard they should continue to leash relieve their dog. Once the dog has parked then they can let the dog off leash. If the dog is allowed to relieve off leash the handler will have a difficult time knowing if and when the dog has eliminated. Also your dog and you may be playing in an area that is now littered with #2’s. It’s unsanitary for the dog and it never fails that either you or the dog will step in it and track it inside. Nobody wants this kind of surprise after a fun play session.

After picking up after your dog you should be sure to dispose of the plastic bag properly. Do not leave the bag on the side of the street or yard. Locate the nearest garbage can or dumpster. In the home area the handler can use a small plastic or metal garbage can to dispose of the bags until they can dump all the contents on garbage day. However it is best that the can be outdoors, on a back porch, in a garage or the driveway. If the handler lives in an apt. then they will have to dispose of the bag each time they take the dog out. Most urban environments have garbage cans placed sporadically along the sidewalk. The handler should learn where the closest available can is. This is also a great target to teach your dog as the bins are sometimes far away. The dog may need to work you over to the receptacle or can. Making it a good opportunity for some clicker and targeting work.

Substrates for parking or in laymen’s terms; pavement, grass, gravel, mulchy areas. Etc, etc.

If a handler will utilize grass for parking once home they can begin to condition their dog to parking on grass only. Most dogs would prefer to relieve on grass so it is generally not a problem switching from pavement to grass. However if the handler needs to use cement or pavement full time they should continue to use it. It can be very difficult to switch back to pavement or cement once the dog has been allowed to relieve on grass. Sometimes a gravel or sandy area can be used as a transitional park area for the dog.

Most often relieving issues are not hard to prevent but once they are established they can be difficult to rectify. It is the handler’s responsibility to make sure that their dog is on a relief schedule and is ACTUALLY relieving on that schedule in an established park area. Having a schedule and relieving on that schedule are two very different things.

Some common reason for elimination issues are:

*not giving the dog enough opportunities through out the day to relieve

* rushing and not giving the dog enough time during relief time to actually relieve

*constantly changing the dogs relief area so that there is no consistency

*moving or returning home from class and not establishing a new area. Just assuming that the dog will go because they were on a schedule previously.

If your dog is having significant defecating issues on route you should evaluate your part and see if you may be contributing to the problem in any way and then if necessary call the instructors line for further assistance. If your dog is urinating on route again evaluate your role in the situation as well as their water schedule, any possibilities for free water in the home or at work. Toilets are always the first question an instructor will ask you about. Sometimes guest baths are left open or are forgotten about when your dog earns freedom in the house. If this does not solve the problem then a trip to the vet to run a urine sample to rule out any medical issues is the next step before contacting an instructor.

OK now on to the business of picking up the business!!!

As the handler and dog become more comfortable with each other the handler will begin to be able to recognize when their dog is relieving. There are several ways in which this can occur.

• Listening to the dog

• Recognizing body language

• Touching the dog’s back

You will begin to observe that your dog behaves in a specific way or have a special “dance” just before or during relieving. Most importantly everyone’s dance is different. No matter what their dance is like let’s all be happy that how ever minor or exuberant the dance is your dog is doing something to indicate that they are relieving. There are a variety of ways that the handler will become aware of relieving. For urination or what is commonly referred to as #1 the male dogs tend to urinate standing more erect or by lifting a leg so it is possible that the handler may be able to hear the urine hitting the ground. In female dogs this is not usually possible and the handler will need to use touch to determine what their dog is doing. Not to worry we will describe this in much more fun detail later on in the lecture.

In class training the instructors know your dog’s habits very well and will help you learn them as well. Every dog is different and some tolerate being touched earlier then others.

In cases where the dog is still establishing a consistent park schedule the handler will wait to begin touching. NO ONE likes being rushed in the bathroom not you nor I; dogs can be the same way. Retrains it is important to remember that even though you are expert poop picker uppers this is a new relationship and the intimate act of stepping onto your dog’s relief space takes trust. SO be mindful to give your dog adequate time to be comfortable getting all up in their business while they do their business. Students will begin to touch their dogs while parking during the second week of training. The instructors will alert each student as to when it is the best time to start this. The first and foremost issue is that the dog is consistently leash relieving for the student first and has been doing so for a full week.

Many dogs will exhibit very specific behaviors prior to relieving since they have come accustomed to relieving on leash since puppy program. The most common ones are sniffing, turning about in a circle at the end of the leash, gently pacing back and forth, or making large circles around. Some dogs may even strain at the end of the leash in order to locate what they perceive is the best location to relieve themselves. You should try to remain in one area. With the long leash the dogs have plenty of room to roam a bit and find the best area. If you allow them to walk around too much out side of that leashed area it can actually be counter productive as the dog can often get distracted by sights and smells. But they also tend to want to just keep moving in search of the perfect spot. This can create a finicky parker.

Dogs will have a tendency to check out items on the ground as they are preparing to relieve themselves. It can be difficult to determine if the dog is naturally sniffing or attempting to pick items up. Handlers will begin to recognize the difference. If you notice the dog crunching on an item then command leave it and give a light leash cue to redirect the dog. Administering harsh corrections in the park area can be counter productive. If you cam into my bathroom and yelled at me it is almost a certain guarantee that I will not be able to go any time soon or at all. The park area is a place were they truly get to be a dog. They are permitted to sniff freely and do their business. If your dog is distracted or picking things up a leash cue is usually more then sufficient to get them back on the task at hand.

When urinating or eliminating (#1) male dogs will extend their bodies and stand very stiff with a straight back. Female dogs will drop down and their backs will feel like a slide or a ski slop, higher at the top and lower towards the hind quarters or tail.

When defecating or eliminating (#2) both male and female dogs tend to do their specific dance. When the dance has ended and you think your dog may be defecating. You can approach. You can feel the dogs back by gradually following or trailing the leash back towards the dog. BE very mindful that most dogs like to defecate facing away from the handler leaning into the leash so the first end that you come into contact with is usually the end providing the long awaited present. It may be wise to trail your leash but side step slightly so as not to step into your dog or more importantly get a squishy surprise underfoot. Upon locating your dog their back will be arched and feel like a hump when the dog is defecating. It will be important that you not be abrupt with the touching or the dog may stop relieving. Once you feel the hump or arch of the back you want to trail your hand down the dogs back just to above the base of the tail. From there you want to move your foot to just under your elbow of the hand you are using. If your hand is above the base of the tail and under the tail is your dogs bum and your foot is under your elbow. Then in theory you can point a foot in the direction of the dog’s hind quarters and your #2 will be about a foot in front of your foot. Once you have located the dog and you know that it is defecating you can stand up and stop touching your dog but remember to not move your pointed foot or you may be searching for your #2 for a very long time. When a dog is finished relieving it will move away from the location. Some dogs rush away quickly so it is important that you have steady footing and a good hold on the leash. The handler will then need to search and locate the #2. Some find it easier to call their dog to a heel and place them in a sit so that they have control as they bend over and search for the #2. Noting like having your dog pull you on leash while you’re bent over and inadvertently kneeling or falling in the dreaded #2.

OK now on to the search and retrieve part of picking up. A plastic pick up bag will be placed over you hand like a mitten. The handler will do a side to side motion to locate the stool. It is important to always start from your foot and search out ward in a back and forth or arc like motion. If you can not locate the #2 then come back and start again making your search a bit wider. Always search out and not in when you search in you can tend to pull the back off of your hand and it never fails that when the bag finally comes off you then find the poop with your bare hand. If you are positive that the #2 may be farther away and you have cleared the area with some initial searches then you may take a small half step forward. This is very much like traversing a mine field make sure you have cleared the area before moving. Most dogs will defecate in one pile however there may be dogs that will do more then one pile or occasionally you have the rogue nugget that rolls slightly away from the main pile. This is why it is important for the handler to use a sweeping motion. Or once the main pile has been located do a circular motion around the main area to search for any that may have gotten away. Once the stool is located the handler will pick up the #2 with the bagged hand. Let me say it one more time you are to pick up the #2 with the bagged hand. Some people scoop others locate nuggets and smoosh them together into one pile in their hand. It is important that once you have all the pieces that you turn your hand over so it is facing the sky before you stand up. If you stand up and the #2 is in your hand but still facing the ground you run the possibility of it falling out and then you may not find it again or it lands on your shoe. One you are standing you are going to invert the back. Essentially turning the bag inside out trapping the #2 inside to be thrown away. I recommend that when doing this you pull the bag inside out from the top of the wrist or for arm as the palm side of the bag was closest to the ground while searching and may have fecal matter on it and no one wants to have the dreaded #2 hand. You can then knot the bag and dispose bag and dispose of it.

Now you are all experts in #1 & #2 good luck and remember; never leave home without your pick up bags!

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