AboutAnne Springer, BSc.,CPCT, IPDTA, APDT Expertise I'm happy to answer questions on behavior and training. I prefer a training philosophy much like your physician might adopt when treating patients - first, do no harm. Dogs are generally best trained using humane methods that make sense to them and put you in control, not necessarily by physical means, but by controlling the dog's access to resources, such as food, toys, access to the outdoors, etc. I want your dog to behave, but also to trust you and rely on you for guidance.
Experience Professional trainer, owner of Paws for Praise, LLC in Danvers, MA. Educated, bonded and insured, all breed experience. We use positive training and behavior modification techniques, and are committed to having the dogs that come through our center be both as well trained and behaviorally healthy as we can help their humans make them.
Organizations International Positive Dog Training Association (Regional Director for Massachusetts)
APDT
Therapy Dogs, Inc.
Truly Dog Friendly
Publications Gloucester Times, Ipswich Chronicle, and more
Education/Credentials B.S., Cum Laude, Salem State College
Diploma, Dog Obedience Training/Instruction (Apprenticed also)
Graduate, New York School of Dog Grooming
Pet CPR/First Aid Certified
Certified Pet Care Technician
AKC CGC Evaluator
Therapy Dogs Inc. Tester/Observer
Question About six years ago I rescued my dog from a highway in Louisiana. I am interested in training him to reliably come and heel when he is called. I have read a lot and watched several shows, but the problem with all the solutions is that they rely on sight to some degree and my dog is blind. He was blind when I found him, so he's never seen me or where we live. On streets he is always leashed, but in the yard and on the beach in the winter there seems little reason to leash him other than that he does not reliably come when called. I have corrected with leash and used positive reinforcement, but when he is intent on something he is VERY STUBBORN (and seems to become deaf as well). Any ideas you have would be appreciated.
Answer The good news is that a dog's primary sense is NOT sight, it's scent. So, the only issue here is that you want him to come when called. In my opinion, he should always be leashed, but that's no reason not to teach the recall. One thing I have found that works well is to teach an emergency recall. For that, all you need is a whistle and a bunch of roast beef bits, or other special food that he LOVES, but never gets otherwise. To train this, simply blow the whistle (if it bugs you, there are silent dog whistles that you can get) and feed him a treat. Don't use the whistle to call him for at least a month. Just blow/treat, blow/treat. It's simple Pavlov. The whistle predicts really good stuff, so he comes to you to get it.
The method I would use with a blind dog is the same as with a sighted dog. Grab Leslie Nelson's DVD "Really Reliable Recall" (You can get it at www.cleanrun.com) During those moments when you see people "cheerlead" their dogs, you do it with sound wherever they do it with motion. And, you keep the sound interesting, high pitched, and upbeat.
Never correct with a leash or punish a dog for not coming, except by withholding his reward. If you do, he may not want to arrive at your feet no matter what goodies you have.
Having trained many deaf dogs, and a few blind ones, I can tell you that most methods are easily adapted to the disabled dogs, but safety for them is paramount, and I still don't let them off lead in case of some accident, or in case something frightens them and they get disoriented. But, you can buy 3 or 4 of the cotton training leads that we use, and just tie them together so that your dog can romp on the beach, or in a field 90 feet from you, and you can still step on the lead to retrieve him if necessary (I put knots in the leads, so that they don't fly through when I step on them).
You may want to grab this book: http://www.petcarebooks.com/books/living_blind.htm
