mar 6 2019

"BUDDY-"- THE FIRST LADY OF SEEING EYE-  OLD OLD BOOK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING DOGS TO LEAD THE BLIND... STORY TELLS HOW IN THE P[ROCESS OF TRYING TO GET CONGRESS TO ALLOW SEEING EYE DOGS ANYWHERE -- THE OWNER "FRANK"   WENT  THERE--  THE CONGRESSMEN SET UP ALL KINDS OF ROAD BLOCKS BY PUTTING CHAIRS IN THE AISLE HE WAS TO WALK DOWN... SO WHEN FRANK SAID "BUDDY... FORWARD"  BUDDY TURNED AND WENT DOWN ANOTHER AISLE.  THAT CONCEPT IS WHAT  I WANTED TO FOLLOW WAY BACK WHEN I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL..  IT TOOK A WHILE..  LORD KNOWS-- THE "SEEING EYE"  HAS COME A LONG WAY INTHE PAST 50 YEARS... BUDDY'S TRAINER HAS TO HAVE BEEN - WHAT I LIKE TO CALL AN EDUCATOR- RATHER THAN  TRAINER..- I FIND... IN THIS DOG WORLD.... THERE Are 2 types--- (here we go again)---- people who develope a conversation  with the dog- and those where it is a dominance thing--"see--i can tell my dog to "sit" and he does"  meanwhile the dog is thinking "see----- i have taught my owner to feed me cookies"  there is a very subtle difference in  dog training here.-- i hate to see or hear someone yelll "sit" at a dog then be pleased with them selves that they have manage to dominate the beast. intelligent disobedience- is another word for what buddy did-- and a person with a well schooled seeing eye dog learns to take the dogs word for it.  "walk forward" does not mean walk under that awning-- or out into traffic...  our dogs---SDP are trained with more conversation than commands. i learned that early-  many dogs trained me-- noteably thumper--i was speaking to a 4 h group in westford mass one day-- saying how  these danes make great balance dogs- and someoone - said "but they don't retrieve"  and that is certainly not one of their natural instincts.. but i said-  " they can be taught to" -- so  i pulled out my wallet and dropped it and casually said "thumper wold you pick it up" he sauntered ovr and picked it up[" i thanked him and  he went to lie down again... somebody in the back said "i didn't see.. can you make him do it again?"   sp i dropped it and asked thumper.. he took one look at me and clearly said @#$%^&    -- i learned. i watch animals- all kinds-- which is why i ended up pulling off some pretty strange things in the movie business in boston...   i had a call for 34 dogs all alone-- no people-- no leash or collars  - hanging around and sitting  on park benches  right in downtown newburyport-  heavy traffic about  20 feet away. i thojught--- simp;e   just  call in  some obedience class-- util they said no leash or collars.- one mistep-- one loose dog--and we could have had teh worlds biggest dog fight...  then i realized-- there were horse friends of mine who wandered around the farm with small packs of dogs/ mutts- they never had leashes on tehm- they talked to them. we pulled it off with "sensable dogs" - as people hold 2 jobs and don't have time... i see dog ( and child) training sliding off a cliff- just at a time when people are just discovering dogs can spot bombs... find bodies...detect cancer.. i can spend one hour at costco  with bentley or  sizzle- and i guarentee 3 people will tell me they have  a grandson- or cousin who would love to  become a dog trianer- and just don't know where to start.  the need is huge-- but the places to start are too huge-- we have no starting steps/. PLACES WHO NEED TRAINERS SHOULD LEARN FROM MCDONALDS HAPPY MEALS-- GET 'EM YOUNG TRAIN  'EM EARLY -- GO OUT AND ENCOURAGE THE PROFESSION..  YOU FIND TRAINERS YOU DON'T MAKE THEM. even our tech schools with their "animal courses"  teach vet tech and grooming.---are missing the boat.  you can not find out how to train anything by looking up someon elses advice on a cell phone. best dog training film i know of is "miracle worker"  old film with patty duke-- story of helen keller-- born blind and deaf basically a wild animal-- until the "water moment" -- you need to  understand that before you try and train anything. some people never would  understand that concept-- they start big businesses.... or run for congress and make laws≥ OH.....  at costco? many many people offer to GIVE  me their grandchildren.  I don't take them.