Todays training involved 2 harnessed walks.  Each walk introduced a new technique to working the dog on a harness.

The first walk involved corrections while on the harness and learning to swap the lead into your opposite hand while on the move (again this is for corrections).  This went incredibly well but Ascot was being too good and I didn’t get the chance to offer an on harness correction while on the move.  It was also another great opportunity to practice our position relative to the dog while walking.  Making sure to keep tension in the handle and keeping enough space between yourself and the dog.

Lunchtime saw a quick talk from the fundraising representative of guide dogs.  She asked us to tell her about ourselves and discuss volunteering opportunities.  I offered to go into school and give talks to kids.  That just sounded like the most fun opportunity.  Then it slowly came out about the ultra running and so on, this made the fundraiser incredibly interested and I am sure we will be working on something at some point.  I will definitely get involved in raising awareness of guide dogs in the media interviews I do, simply because I will now have a dog with me!

The afternoons sessions saw an introduction of the left turn and crossing roads.  On this route a large number of corrections were needed just because of how busy the area was.  Large amounts of traffic appeared to distract Ascot.  I am also beginning to walk a little fast for a beginner to need to slow it down a tad.  I blame it on the running.

This walk really showed off the capabilities of a guide dog, as we navigated a complex maze of bins, cars and walls.  Something that would of taken me ages with a cane seemed so simple for the dog as we breezed through the section; with one little pause at a gap Ascot believed could be a little tight.

Overall today has gone really well and Ascot is now chilling out, may sneak in a little obedience training before tea.  I will see if he wakes up!

Oh! I also picked up his first “spend” today….

This morning was an incredibly early start 5:30am! This was to allow the instructor the chance to visit everyone and assist with feeding the dogs.  This went incredibly well for me and I was cleared to begin feeding Ascot on my own.

Feeding the dog like anything with a guide dog has a set process.  The majority of the process in the hotel is simply a mobility one. Positioning yourself and the dog in the right place to enable feeding. Once you have the dog in the right position you blow a whistle 3 times and the dog is allowed to eat.

After the morning feed it was time to learn about grooming.  Again this is a long process and also takes in a mini health check on the dog.  Checking all its muscles and coat to make sure its in top condition.  Initially brushing its fur in the opposite direction with your fingers then repeating with a brush.  Then using a comb brush the fur the right way, then repeat again with a brush.  Finally finish off with a shammy cloth in order to pick up and loose hair.

We then learnt the next step in our obedience training, teaching the dog to stay from a distance.  This involved getting the dog to sit and wait while you extend the lead to its maximum and attempt to keep the dog in position.  Then repeat with the dog laying down.  After this the dog is rewarded with a little play time.  This is an excuse again for Ascot to chew me to pieces.

During lunch we received a lecture on dog welfare that focused around noticing issues with the dog what to highlight and when to take to a vet.  After this talk was when we would get out first experience of our dogs on a harness.

Late in the afternoon after I had practiced my obedience dog training outside, it was such a nice day seemed a waste to do it indoors.  Me and Ascot sat on the step outside waiting for our turn to be taking out for harness training.

After a short van ride we arrived at a small street block where we would practice walking round.  Utilizing only the forward and turn right commands.  This went incredibly well and I was pleased with my progress with Ascot we are beginning to bond and he looks forward tome returning to the room when I have popped out.  He certainly likes to be around me when off the lead as he always curls up on my feet, so no need for socks to keep me warm anymore! But it feels great to begin to build a bond with a dog that will assist me in my daily life.  I can already see that he will mature into a great dog and I will master me training techniques and we will grow as a team.

Also I was so damn hungry tonight I nearly ate his food!!!

(p.s. still bloody ill this virus is kicking my ass!)

Day 2 is dog arrival day. So pretty much the day you are looking
forward to the most. The dog you had been matched with a few weeks
previous is finally handed over and the training feels like it is
underway.

Before the dog arrived we sat through a pre dog talk that consisted of
a rundown of what to do on our first interaction with the dog. No
corrections just enjoy being with the dog and play. Oh and also dog
proof your hotel room. This meant a quick run round and pick up
everything I had put on the floor. When I stay in a hotel I like to
put things on the floor as its usual a big space and it makes it easy
for me to find things. So i quickly went back to my room and picked
everything up.

I sat waiting in my room for the dog to arrive, as I heard the
unmistakable jingle jangle at the door of a dog chain I knew he was
about to come bounding through the door. As soon as he entered he
stormed around the room smelling everything, as the instructor left
the room he took this as an opportunity to take me out! he bounded on
me attempted to pin me down and chew my arm off. This continued for a
minute or so until the taste of me obviously began to be less
appealing.

He toddled off and hung around at the other end of the room. With
instructions not to chase the dog down or give commands or corrections
you have to wait for the dog to return to you. So after a while he
came back gave me a good chew and again toddled off. You quickly
wonder if the dog is going to bond and worry if you are doing things
right.

After a few more minutes he came and sat beside me and want a stroke.
This behaviour of coming over and then hanging out at the other end of
the room continued. Until finally he settled and decided to lay down
in front of me. After a short period on our own the instructor
returned and it was time for the fist obedience training.

Lead attached it was time for our first attempt at obedience. Using
the few commands we had been given it was time to use the routes we
had learnt yesterday and run them with the dog. I took my first steps
out of the door and the dog reacted well minimal corrections needed
and we easily got there and back. We then headed to the group room
and awaited for the other guide dog trainees to enter the room.

It appears Ascot is a little excited around other dogs, he needed
numerous corrections to keep him under control. However as we
repeated these group interactions throughout the day the number of
corrections decreased. Hopefully by the end of the week there will be
no corrections.

Ascot also began to just hang around with me in the hotel room and lay
next to me, in fact as I type this he is laid next to me. So a bond
is beginning to be created.

Today is my first day of guide dog training.  Still ill from the weekend I was a little worried about how much I would have to do today.  Thankfully it was just orientation.  So what does that involve.  In a nutshell learning to move around a hotel without your cane!

That perhaps sounds a little difficult but the layout of a hotel makes it relatively simple.  With straight corridors that are lined with doors it makes it very simple to learn to navigate by touch alone.  By placing a finger on the wall you can navigate around by counting how many doors it is to each destination you need to get too.  This only takes a few minutes and before you know if you can freely move around.

Once all three members of the group had mastered this we had our first little talk and we were presented with our equipment.  All sat in a room we were handed a bag with a bunch of items in it.  We then tipped it out on the floor and the instructor would tell us which piece of equipment we had to feel for.

“find the leather harness” So you would feel around find the harness then the instructor gave instructions on how to handle the harness, put it together and attach it to our dogs.  This was repeated for all the pieces of equipments, collars, toys, whistle, safety equipment and lead.

It was a nice learning experience to find it all ourselves by touch as it can be all to easy to ask someone to pass you an item rather than feel through and identify it all by touch alone.  After playing with all the equipment we went through the guide dog agreement and chatted briefly.

Quite a relaxed first day, but not much you can really do when your dog isn’t here yet!  The dogs arrive tomorrow so that is when the real training will start.  So no doubt tomorrow I will have at least a post that mentions the fact there is a dog here, intact he will be sat next to me on his little fleece as I write tomorrows post!

As people who follow me on Twitter or Facebook will know I dropped out of the Marathon Sandwich.  In reality I should never have even began the race.

The day before I was feeling a little ill, I had muscle aches all up my legs and had a mild sore throat.  I ignored this and put it down to a poor taper and standard DOMS, with a little sore through.  So I packed up my equipment and headed to Sheffield.  Meeting up with my friend Tim I was already beginning to feel a little rough and took a little lay down on his floor.  I made a call to meet up with another friend and go out for something to eat.

On the way to the restaurant in the car I was beginning to feel a a temperature coming on, my wife said I wasn’t warm at all and to suck it up.  We arrived at the restaurant and I ordered my usual of the biggest burger on the menu.  I pretty much order this no matter where I go.  Easy to eat when you can’t see!

By the time the food had arrived I was deteriorating fast, my temperature was steadily rising and I was beginning to feel incredibly fatigued.  When I began to eat I just couldn’t stomach food at all, so I pretty much left it all.  This should definitely have been taken as a serious warning sign.  I ALWAYS finish my food, the previous week we had gone out for something to eat; not even hungry I ordered the 1lb burger and demolished it.  I just can’t leave food!

Leaving the restaurant the muscle sorriness had reached new heights and even standing had become tiring.  Arriving back at my friends I decided to go straight to bed.  This is when my temperature soared through the roof, then the shakes, then the intense muscle pain until 3am!  I got barely no sleep and thought there was no way I would even be getting out of bed in the morning.

I managed to fall asleep and awoke with 2 hours sleep and had a decision to make.  Laying in bed I told my self if I can stand up when I get out of bed I will give it a shot.  I attempted to stand up and I could.  Well now I would have to live up to what I had said, so I decided I would run.

This really wasn’t my best idea!

I headed down to the start line and began to run, pretending I was fine.  This charade didn’t last lone as after the first mile my friends were asking if I was alright.  I said I was fine and we carried on.  By mile 7 my cover had well and truly been blown as I looked awful, I had to admit to how ill I was and it probably would be a good idea to call it a day.

Now the ultra runners out there might now what happens next……… I didn’t stop I ran another 8 miles.  I say ran thats probably a mild exaggeration.  I covered another 8 miles.  By this point I really had reached my limit for the day, which after all for me is the entire point of running.  To explore those limits, so what did I learn?

If I am so ill I can barely stand, I can still run a half marathon!