As I write this post, thunder is rolling overhead with enough resonance to shake the house. As I write this post, a Doberman is curled up at the foot of my bed. That’s our only storm coping tactic at the moment. How does this work?
Part 1 covered Inky’s uncertain backstory and roller coaster of health issues. Today, we’ll talk about how we’ve trained through blindness, and what we’ve learned about obedience, perception, trust, and control.
Inky, my husband’s dog, is blind. She wasn’t born this way; in fact, this is a fairly recent development for her, thanks to a very rare and unusual autoimmune disorder. We noticed her holding her head oddly one night, but thought it was just the light. By the time we realized she was having trouble seeing, it was progressing very fast. We estimate she lost most of her vision within two weeks.
Have you ever tried to train against a taboo?
There are some who oppose all forms of trained protection sport and protection work, citing variously that the training is inherently abusive (it’s not), or that the dogs dislike it (obviously untrue!). Occasionally a protester will suggest that biting a person in a sleeve or suit must of course reduce a dog’s bite inhibition, making it more likely that the dog will mouth or bite a person not in protective gear.
I’ve argued logically against this before, but now I have empirical proof — I can’t even pay my dogs to bite!
This is so important, it needs its own post. http://btoellner.typepad.com/kcdogblog/2010/01/2009-dog-bite-fatalities-final-report.html This is a review of the fatal dog attacks of 2009 and their data — the breeds involved (16 breeds in 32 incidents), the common…