Day 5 of GDT

I can't quite believe it's Friday already, the week is going so fast! I've been so lucky with the weather with all the walks only needing me to wear short sleeve tops. Might all change next week and I do have some waterproof trousers and jacket with me just in case. The only downside with all this sun is the glare of it. RP causes you to go blind with glare just as badly as being in the dark does, can't win can I really?! But it has meant that I've been experiencing the harness walks with very low vision which means I've been able to concentrate more on how Odene moves which is what I should be learning for the times I do actually need her to guide me in the dark/dim and glare'y times.

Kelly's trick with the use of some of Odene's feed worked like a treat (pun intended) when putting the harness on this morning. I allowed a bit more time just in case but then was early meeting Kelly for our morning walk. It went brilliantly today, I'm getting firmer when I need to be and apparently now becoming more balanced with my praise and commands. Kelly has changed the metal harness for a slightly longer one which has made a really nice difference. I'm not feeling like I need to catch up with Odene and I can just walk comfortably next to her side.

I was told ahead of time that tomorrow we get to do our first 'free run', this is where we can let the dog off lead in an enclosed area and let them release all their steam. There are lot's of recalls to be done throughout but I think we'll be given a talk about the do's and don't of that particular exercise. We are also being visited by a lady called Jean who is a very experienced Guide Dog owner so I'm trying to think of some questions to ask ready for it... any ideas?

Feeling more awake today, Odene woke me up early with lots of licking but I actually feel nice and refreshed so it must have been a better night's sleep, although seeing Mike last night might have helped too of course :-)

A 'right shoulder work' talk was given after our harness walk ready for the afternoon's one. We were taken to a busier place than where we've been previously to experience the right shoulder work in action. This translates to Odene's outer perimetre of what she will avoid hitting when out walking. Ideally as a Guide Dog she is meant to not only leave enough room just for herself to fit through a gap but a big enough room for me on the right of her to fit through too. As you can imagine, this is skilled work and the dogs are trained to scan the area ahead for things to avoid that are on the right shoulder of the person. This could be bollards, lamp posts, bins (imagine how hard this is on bin day) and of course moving objects like people who are incredibly unpredictable. Some people will jump out of the way as soon as they see a Guide Dog, others who are looking down texting on their phone might just keep on walking straight towards you. Guide Dogs are so very clever to have to avoid and deal with all this! Of course they won't get it right all the time and we may get the occasional brush on the shoulder.

So this afternoon's walk was another great walk, I think and Kelly agrees, that it's been a very long week and the dogs are a bit tired. She did however do very well, I didn't need to once correct her for not doing right shoulder work. She reacted well to posts, bins and even a young child running past. Even though she is a bit body sensitive, she isn't afraid to pull me to one side to avoid something that could hit either one of us which is something that couldn't be improved on no matter how experienced she gets. Towards the end of the walk she never stopped working but just slowed down a little and started to not follow the 'straight line principal' at curbs. Instead she would be a bit cheeky and just try to take me straight round the corner. I just give a short firm 'No' followed by a 'Straight to the curb' to which she then quickly takes me to the curb looking a bit sheepish.

For now I look forward to tomorrow where there will be no actual harness work for Odene and instead will get to enjoy a free run. It will still be work for me as it will be my first, I'm not altogether too sure on how confident I am at how much she'll want to come back when recalled after being let loose in a park!