Thanks to your generosity at the 2019 Guide Dog Day Street Appeal, Daisy joined the Guide Dogs WA pack in May 2019. Jackson arrived May 2018, following the success of the 2018 Street Appeal. Both dogs have begun a journey towards becoming a Guide Dog or Assistance Dog for a Western Australia living with low vision or disability.
Daisy
In Daisy’s first Pupdate, her trainer says: “Daisy is a very sweet and affectionate little girl. She is a real cutie! She is eager to learn and very willing to please her handler. She tries really hard to listen and follow commands but she is still really quite young and does get a bit distracted! Keep trying Daisy, it is just a matter of time and practice!
Daisy gets very, very excited when she meets new people. She just loves to meet people and loves it when people make a fuss of her. She is barely able to contain her excitement and starts jumping around and showing them how much she wants to meet them!
As a young pup she is still learning right from wrong. She has learned a few new commands and is starting to control her excitement. She is learning “on your bed” which is the command to go to her bed and lie down quietly. Her handler gives her a nylabone to chew so she is quite happy with this arrangement.
At the moment Daisy is busy learning all about the world around her and getting exposure to many new environments and situations. She is attending group walks with some of the other pups in training and is practicing her dog distraction skills on these walks. She has tried really hard to ignore other dogs and to focus on her handler as they walk past. This is a good start Daisy – keep practicing.
Jackson
Jackson joined us in May 2018 and has progressed well. He is currently part of the Autism Assistance Dog program.
In his Pupdate, Jackson’s trainer says: “His training as an Autism Assistance Dog is continuing well and he has come a long way and really matured in the last couple of months. He is well on his way to finding his forever match.
Over the winter months Jackson has mastered the anchoring skill. This is where he learns to ‘sit’ which will stop the child who is connected to his coat from running or bolting. Jackson has also worked hard at overcoming his habit of being easily distracted by other dogs.
Jackson will continue to practice and consolidate his obedience skills. And learn all the other Autism Assistance Dogs Skills such as ‘lap’ where he lies over a child to provide deep pressure therapy and to bass the ball with his nose to the child. In the coming weeks Jackson will also learn some fun games like to play hide and seek with a child.
When school is over Jackson loves to chew on one of his chew toys and of course he is fond of a free run with the other dogs in training. His favourite game at school is tug-of-war. He is strong and nimble. Jackson likes to snuggle up with another dog in training or on the weekends he will seek out a sunny spot and enjoy a well earned nap.
Thank you for your su-PAW-t!
