Chapter 5: Dog Day
Handling Social Media during the first week of class
We ask you, your family and friends to wait until Friday to make any mass public announcements, post on blogs, graduate lists, and social media regarding the dog you’ve been paired with. This will give time for Guiding Eyes to communicate with all departments including those who handle puppy raisers, special name patrons and the rest of the training staff.
On Dog Day morning before breakfast we will practice more Juno obedience and heeling.
9:15 AM: We will meet in Alumni Hall. Tom Panek, president of Guiding Eyes, will join us for a meet and greet. We will review how to respond when you get your dogs, what to expect for the first several hours & taking a leadership role. The class supervisor will then tell you your dog’s name, breed, color and sex. Everyone will then adjourn back to their rooms. If you need to have a smoke or get a soda, this will be the time to do it. We will bring your dog to your room. We will allow the dog to greet you, & you will give the dog 5 high value treats, 1 right after the other. We will give you your treats prior to your returning to your room. You may then clip your leash to the dog’s collar. You can pet your dog and get to know it. You should keep it on leash next to you at all times. Do not try to get it to play or allow it to jump on the bed - we want the dogs to remain quiet and calm. If your dog does try to jump on the bed, tell it "Off” firmly and give it a leash cue towards the floor.
11:40: We will come & escort you up to the dining room, practicing heeling exercises along the way.
1:00pm: We will begin close contact recalls exercises. This will likely take place in the Grooming Room. If needed, we may have you park your dog. You will then go out to the lobby where we will fit your dog’s harness & then you & your dog will do your first walk out on Colonial Street, a quiet country road next to the school grounds.
3:45: The instructors will come to your rooms & go over the instructions for Feed-Water-Park. You will feed and water the dog and then take it outside to park. On the first few days, park times will be long because we are trying to get the dogs on a schedule, and we want them to have a long time to be able to relieve themselves. Initially you will not say anything to the dogs in the park area, because they may not go the first couple times, and they will quickly learn to tune you out if you say "Get Busy Get Busy Get Busy" over and over again. If your dog starts to relieve itself, we will let you know, and you can then say "Good Dog, Get Busy" a few times so the dog can begin to associate those words with its actions. For the first week, instructors will be picking up after your dog; after that you will be taught how to pick up.
After Feed-Water-Park, we will escort you up to dinner & practice some heeling exercises along the way. After dinner, lecture will be at 6 as usual. At 7:30, there is another water & park time, which will be announced over the intercom. The final park time is at 9:30, and it will be announced Tuesday and Wednesday nights. After that, there will be no announced final park time, and you will be responsible for parking the dog yourself before you go to bed.
The instructors will be staying in their rooms for most of Dog Day evening so that the dogs are able to relax with you rather than being constantly distracted by their instructors. We ask that you leave at least one room light on during the evening, even if you do not need it, because the dogs are used to a sighted world in which lights are on except for when everyone is sleeping. You can turn the lights off when you go to bed.