Fall 2022 Pupdate

Jamie and Scout, both golden retrievers, play in the free-run area, a grassy field, at Canine Campus

Read the latest on our pups’ journeys!

Friend,

As a monthly supporter of our program, you’re receiving this inside look at the journeys of our prospective future guide dogs! Previous Pupdates can be found at this link.

It’s been a busy few months at the Canine Campus! The dogs are progressing well and preparing for the next stage of their learning with the help of their trainers. We’ve also had some new friends join us! Read on to meet some of the fresh faces around Canine Campus.

Future CNIB Guide Dog Scout, a golden retriever, deftly guides her blindfolded handler through an obstacle course.

At the Campus:

Scout and Jamie are now both around 20 months old and doing great with their training. At this advanced stage, the dogs are consolidating what they’ve learned and putting it into practice! In late October, Scout and Jamie guided their Guide Dog Mobility Instructors (GDMI) in blindfolded walks.

Future CNIB Guide Dog Jamie, a golden retriever, deftly guides his blindfolded handler through an obstacle course at CNIB Canine Campus.

What is a blindfold walk?

When blindfolded, a trainer is unable to inadvertently give subtle cues or “hints” to the dog – so they can really assess the dog’s standard of work. If a future guide dog can guide a blindfolded trainer without errors, this means they’re nearing completion of their guide work training!

Pictured above: Scout (upper left) and Jamie (lower right) proudly navigating through the course with their blindfolded trainers.

An Update on Calah:
Despite making very good progress in most aspects of her advanced training, Calah struggled to adapt to some of the challenges of guide work and social situations. The decision was made to withdraw her from guide dog training and to give her the life that would suit her the best and make her happiest.

We’re pleased to report that Calah’s new “forever home” caters perfectly to her boundlessly energetic personality – and her adopted family absolutely adores her: “She is amazing – we couldn’t be happier!” In September, Calah even competed in her first “Dock Dog contest.” While we will miss Calah, we’re so happy to see her thriving in her new life!

Calah, a black Labrador Retriever, leaps off the edge of a swimming pool, attempting to catch a toy.

Pictured above: Calah, leaping off the edge of a pool after a toy (left) and a tennis ball (right).

We know that the reality is that not every dog who enters our program will leave a guide dog. That’s why we have three career options. It’s also why your gift each month means so much – you ensure there is always a steady stream of puppies to enter our program, which is critical in helping reduce wait times for Canadians with sight loss to be matched with a guide dog.

Training Update – Familiar faces and new recruits!

Bronco, a chocolate brown Labrador Retriever, is a small puppy in a yellow CNIB vest. He has a serious expression on his face.

A slightly older Bronco, a brown Labrador Retriever, sits with a serious expression on his face. He wears a yellow CNIB vest.

Bronco, a brown Labrador Retriever, smiles widely, laying in the grass and wearing a CNIB Guide Dogs harness.

Name: Bronco
Entered program: November 2021
Sex: Male
Breed: Labrador retriever

Bronco joins us from Calgary, Alberta! He recently turned one, and to celebrate, his Puppy Raiser took him to her choir practice where everyone joined in a round of ‘Happy Birthday.’ Bronco was overjoyed to hear everyone singing his name!

He is a very playful pup with a lot of energy, but he has no trouble settling at home or in a new environment. This is one of Bronco’s best qualities: he is very adaptable to different environments and people – he is not easily fazed! His Puppy Raising Supervisor calls Bronco “bomb-proof” because if a bomb went off nearby, he’d still be smiling, happy and willing to work.

We’re excited for Bronco to bring his positive attitude to the Canine Campus for his next phase of learning.

Casey, pictured as a young puppy, is a small yellow Labrador Retriever. She sits wearing a yellow vest in front of a white background.

Casey, a yellow Lab, smiles widely wearing her yellow Future Guide Dog vest. She sits in front of a colourful display that reads 'love.'

Casey, with a serious expression on her face, looks into the distance while wearing a CNIB Guide Dogs harness.

Name: Casey
Entered program: October 2021
Sex: Female
Breed: Labrador retriever

Casey is a 13-month-old Lab joining us from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her Puppy Raiser describes her as a happy, energetic pup who is always ready to go. Of course, this has its pros and cons when it comes to her potential as a guide dog.

While being eager to guide her handler from one place to the next shows great initiative, Casey will also need to be just as willing to calmly settle at a given location, which is currently a challenge for her. Like many other dogs in this stage of their training, Casey is working hard to contain her excitement around dogs and people she knows.

Recently, Casey’s Puppy Raiser injured their foot and had to walk at a much slower pace. Casey quickly picked up on this and slowed her pace to match. Before heading off to the Canine Campus in late October, she was getting lots of exposure to various environments including the airport, hospitals, dental office, shopping malls, buses, taxi cabs, and coffee shops. Her Puppy Raiser is eager to see how she handles the transition to the Canine Campus and the next phase of the program, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.

Amigo, a black Labrador Retriever and golden retriever cross, smiles, lying down in his yellow vest in front of a bright blue lake and beautiful mountains in Alberta.

Name: Amigo
Entered program: May 2022
Sex: Male
Breed: Golden retriever and Labrador retriever cross

Amigo is now six months old and progressing well in the puppy program. He is a playful pup, who responds well to his training cues and is doing great getting socialized in different environments. Amigo’s Puppy Raiser is very active and lives in a busy area of Calgary, Alberta, so Amigo has had plenty of opportunity from a young age to learn about the world we live in.

His Puppy Raiser also works as a teacher and recently returned to classes after summer break, so Amigo has been going along with her. He’s learning to settle nicely while she works with her students.

Amigo also did his first LRT ride recently and he handled that very well for a pup his age. He did his best to stay quiet and stay out of the way of people moving about the carriages. The train was full of people – and there was even a pet dog who was barking at him – but impressively, Amigo stayed calm amidst all the distraction!

Scout, a fluffy golden retriever, smiles with her tongue out, and is posing with her Guide Dog Instructor, who is also smiling widely.

Name: Scout
Entered program: March 2021
Sex: Female
Breed: Golden retriever

As always, Scout is a fun loving and affectionate dog. Her training over the past few months has gone well. She’s regularly showing initiative and locating places and objects along her routes. Scout enjoys working very much, however, she can tire quickly.

Through the month of August, Scout was affected with some allergies. During this time, she needed to take some time off from formal training while treatment was administered. We are monitoring her condition, as allergy management may be an additional concern to a person who is blind or partially sighted.

Scout has also exhibited some of her prey drive resurfacing in the past few weeks. We are currently working on curtailing this behaviour to strengthen her chances. Her distraction level improves with an individual trainer that she trusts and knows, but Scout has difficulty with distractions in unfamiliar hands. Nevertheless, Scout continues to have potential as a working dog.

What is prey drive?

Prey drive is a dog’s natural instinct to chase and catch prey. Dogs with high prey drive tend to fixate on other animals – like squirrels – or objects, like moving vehicles, rolling balls, or people on skateboards. In guide dog training, it leads to problems because the guide dog loses concentration when these animals or objects are nearby. This can be controlled and reduced to a manageable level if the prey drive is low, but in some dogs, the instinct is too strong to reduce it significantly enough for the dog to guide their handler safely.

Jamie, a fluffy golden retriever, sits in the park wearing his CNIB Guide Dogs vest. He smiles.

Name: Jamie
Entered program: March 2021
Sex: Male
Breed: Golden retriever

Jamie is now 20 months old and is progressing well in his advanced training to become a guide dog. He travels well in the training van, personal vehicles, and on the bus. He is always ready for a new adventure! Being a golden retriever, Jamie still has moments where he loses focus and drifts off into the clouds. However, those moments are becoming fewer and farther between!

For the past few weeks, Jamie has been consolidating his learning. At this stage, part of his trainer’s role is to give him progressively less support in order to prepare him for the next stage of training.

Jamie does exhibit some prey drive and some dog distraction, but it can be managed. Although Jamie is not food motivated, he is willing and tries his best to make the right decisions. He is happy with a pat or scratch on the back when he completes a task successfully.

Jamie and his trainer have completed eight blindfold walks together. He tends to walk in a position that will put his handler too close to obstacles on their right side, so with positive reinforcement and further guided learning from his trainer, Jamie is learning to remember to add some extra clearance on the right side. Jamie has also been working hard on his settling and he has improved greatly. At the end of a long day, Jamie loves to spend time in the Canine Campus free-run field with his friends and roll around in the grass.

Jamie is showing great progress. If the consolidation of his skills continues, Jamie has the potential to become a working dog.

Your monthly gift is making all of these incredible things possible. And that’s not all! You’re also supporting vital programs and powerful advocacy that empower Canadians with sight loss to live more active, independent lives. Thank you!

Warmly,

Andrea Critch
Program Lead, Puppy Raising Supervisor

P.S. Looking for previous Pupdates? You can read them at this link !

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