0:11

Welcome to the Singh Auto Show on

0:13

Virgin Australia Radio. I'm

0:15

your host, Harriet Moffat, and I'm wishing

0:17

you all a very happy holiday season.

0:20

To kick off this episode, we will

0:22

have some festive season tips with Puppy

0:24

development trainer Abby Howes.

0:26

We're going to be talking about some of the temptations

0:29

and interesting distractions that will come

0:31

up, and how to help you and your

0:33

dog have a fun and safe holiday season

0:36

with whatever social gatherings you may

0:38

be attending. Then,

0:40

as a bit of a good news piece to start

0:42

wrapping up the year, I'm joined by

0:44

senior Instructor Brooke Anderson

0:46

talking about the Senior Dogs Youth Program

0:48

for 2023. This

0:50

is the second year of this program, so we're

0:52

going to be talking about how this year's program

0:54

went and the future of the program.

0:57

Now, to start off, here's

0:59

my first interview for this show with

1:01

Abby. Talking holiday season tips for

1:03

your dog. Hi,

1:11

Abby, thank you for joining me on the show today.

1:13

Thanks for having me back.

1:14

So we're going to be talking a little bit

1:16

about some of the, I guess, kind of troubleshooting

1:18

and more, I guess, her home behavior around

1:21

the holiday season. So there's lots of

1:23

parties and events coming up.

1:25

What are the types of things that

1:27

that you should keep in mind if you've got a dog in

1:29

the home?

1:30

So it is definitely one of the busier times

1:32

of year. Um, no matter what you're celebrating

1:34

this time of year, there's usually a lot going on for

1:36

everybody. Um, so there's a lot of

1:38

novel objects that can be quite interesting

1:41

for our puppies. There's a lot of new

1:43

faces that they might meet that can be quite exciting,

1:45

um, as well as lots of temptations that they need to

1:47

ignore. So, um, a great place

1:50

to start with. That could be. What temptations

1:52

have you got floating around your house this time of year?

1:55

Um, I know for me, we have a big family

1:57

dinner, and all of those lovely little snacks can

1:59

be quite tempting. I'm sure it's the same

2:01

for you. We've had a few puppies together now.

2:04

Yes, and? And I'm thinking about this, too.

2:06

It's almost like you have to re puppy proof.

2:08

It's like your puppy proof when you've got a puppy coming

2:10

home. Even if you've got an older puppy,

2:13

a lot of new things pop up in

2:15

ways that. And when you're distracted, I guess that

2:17

you wouldn't even think about, right?

2:19

Absolutely. So you're preparing a beautiful

2:21

meal for the family. That's a lot of

2:23

temptations and distractions because you're distracted

2:25

by cooking times and prepping and,

2:28

um, all that fun stuff. And your puppy is distracted

2:30

by that beautiful platter of fresh

2:32

seafood and that you have

2:34

lovingly prepared and left on the

2:36

table. Um, so

2:38

making sure that we are

2:40

tethering, creating, or just supporting

2:42

our dogs when we are in a heavy

2:44

food space, we are using,

2:47

you know, Labradors and golden retrievers for a lot of our

2:49

work here at Seeing our Dogs. And they are very

2:51

food driven dogs. So they

2:53

will be sitting there adoring

2:56

all the smells coming out of your kitchen and off your

2:58

barbecue. Um, so it's in

3:00

our best interest to support them into

3:02

avoiding the temptation of grabbing those off

3:05

coffee tables and trestle

3:08

tables and out of children's hand.

3:10

If they're running around eating snacks and

3:12

sandwiches.

3:13

Or even, I guess sometimes

3:15

you're slightly less disciplined adult

3:17

family members who might think that

3:19

it could be a fun idea to feed the

3:21

dog. I guess that's another thing to manage to.

3:24

Absolutely. There is always somebody in

3:26

the family who likes to, uh, slip

3:28

a few little scraps by the side

3:30

of their, their chair. Um, and so

3:33

supporting them and puppy to

3:35

not do so. Um, it's

3:37

in puppy's best interest. You never know.

3:39

You know what seasonings and things might be on that,

3:41

that those foods that could upset puppy's tummy.

3:44

Um, and that's a whole other stress that we don't,

3:46

we don't need this time of year. Um,

3:48

but also it is just supporting

3:50

them to make the right decisions when they're out working

3:52

with their, with their handlers. So making

3:54

sure we support our families to help puppies

3:57

get it right is really important. Um, I

3:59

always like to say have five

4:01

ten minutes of puppy time

4:04

at the end of the day, middle of the day.

4:06

Um, and once puppy settled, when people

4:08

arrive, let people have a cuddle, let them enjoy

4:10

puppy so they can get all of that out of the system

4:13

before the temptation of food

4:15

is added. For human and canine.

4:17

I guess part of the kind of thing in

4:19

this one would be almost kind of bringing back that

4:22

less trust element to some degree,

4:24

like if you think that the puppy's kind of

4:26

vaguely trustworthy, but then you're

4:28

upping the stakes with like more people, more

4:30

distractions, way more food,

4:32

that I guess playing it on the safer

4:34

side is probably what you'd be wanting to do

4:36

and really just really back to basics.

4:39

Absolutely. So if you know you're having

4:41

a big family dinner and you potentially

4:43

are going to be distracted with Christmas

4:45

bonbons and conversation,

4:47

that's a great time to put puppy in a space far

4:50

away in their crate. Let them have some downtime

4:52

while you're having a good old chat with everybody. Those

4:54

bonbons. We might not think about it, but those little

4:56

little bags at the table, they can be quite scary for

4:58

a pop. And if you're not in a position to support them

5:01

through that noise, put them somewhere where they're

5:03

not going to hear it. Um, or if you're

5:05

not in position to monitor what they're

5:07

getting up to and scavenging under the table, pop

5:09

them away, let them have a nap. It is an exhausting

5:11

time of time for them having all these

5:13

people adore them. Um, so give

5:16

them a break. Let them have a nap. There is absolutely nothing

5:18

wrong with putting puppy down for a nap during those busy

5:20

elements. Um, another busy time

5:22

that you really want to make sure you have puppy under

5:24

control is present time. All

5:27

of those presents under the tree. Um,

5:29

basically treat your puppy like a small child

5:31

who's just arrived. Just realized Santa has arrived.

5:34

Um, those puppies are not for the family they

5:36

offer puppy. Um, and if you don't

5:38

keep puppy away from the tree,

5:40

we can lose presents

5:42

that people might be very excited about. Um, but

5:44

we can also have injuries with Christmas decorations,

5:47

knocking over trees, all of that kind of stuff. So

5:49

best to say puppy is only around that tree

5:51

supervised. And if you're doing gift giving

5:53

and exchanging, puppy is on a leash next

5:56

to you, or at least getting lots of heavy

5:58

rewards for staying with you. And when you're

6:00

opening your presence, puppy is

6:02

under the care of a Coke area or in a crate

6:04

or tethered.

6:05

I guess even like the wrapping paper in itself

6:07

is like a distraction or. Something

6:09

that is interesting and potentially even ingestible.

6:12

It's definitely ingestible, and we want to avoid

6:14

any of those obstructions and

6:17

quite stressful holiday vet trips. Um,

6:19

so things like

6:21

wrapping paper that they can ingest, Christmas

6:23

baubles, tinsel, um,

6:25

even some of our very favorite Christmas

6:27

plants can be toxic, so just avoiding

6:30

those is best. Um,

6:33

and just not letting puppy get access.

6:35

But also the temptation of just playing

6:37

with scrunched up wrapping paper

6:40

is really, really fun. Um, you

6:42

know, we always joke about how the kids are more

6:44

excited by the cardboard boxes and they are the presents

6:46

inside them. Puppy is going to be

6:48

just as excited by the wrapping paper as the presents,

6:50

so make sure you're stacking it up or keeping

6:52

it out of reach. A puppy while present giving is happening.

6:56

So this is potentially kind of before

6:58

beforehand, um, exercise

7:00

or something that I'm thinking that I was thinking about rather than,

7:03

I guess, for their particular time. But would you

7:05

do something like say, you know,

7:07

a fixed tether or a general impulse control

7:09

kind of regime to make

7:11

to kind of help them work out that the presents are

7:13

not for them?

7:14

Absolutely. So a lot of

7:16

support and training. So our leave

7:18

it our fixed tether games, our distraction games,

7:20

they're all really, really useful for us to do ahead of time

7:23

with people coming to the door, making sure

7:25

your puppy has a really nice stay on their bed when people

7:27

come to the door is a really handy one. Um,

7:29

doing some fixed tether passes,

7:32

um, with presents and baubles

7:34

and tinsel and all that stuff that's really fun

7:36

to grab is really useful as well.

7:39

Um, getting some really solid vehicles that if

7:41

you're in the living room and you see

7:43

a puppy, make a beeline for that tree. If they've got really

7:45

solid recall, it's much easier to get them away

7:47

and you've got something to reward them for. And

7:49

also just making sure that you have

7:51

plenty of appropriate

7:54

things for them to access around at the same time.

7:56

So have their toys available to them, so

7:58

that the only option is not the one

8:00

thing that you don't want them getting towards.

8:02

And if you do have any concerns about

8:04

supporting your puppy through that time, you still have

8:06

a few days, um, to contact

8:09

your trainer and just have a chat through

8:11

some particular training sheets that might be relevant,

8:13

uh, training games that might be relevant for your puppy.

8:15

For instance, if you have family members

8:17

that might be bringing other dogs around and what supports

8:20

you may need to put in place there.

8:22

I've actually done it. Even if I've gone away

8:24

for Christmas, I've actually brought a crate with

8:26

me the last, I think 2 or 3 years. I think

8:28

I had one time I had a

8:30

pup in a cone. Maybe she'd just

8:32

been to text, but it was, you know, kind of

8:35

it's a bit long of a period sometimes for our pups.

8:37

Absolutely left at home.

8:39

It is. Absolutely. And also it's

8:41

so outside of their normal routine,

8:44

um, and we tend to either be

8:46

incredibly excited about the whole thing or incredibly

8:48

stressed, depending on your approach

8:51

to the holiday family. Um, so

8:54

absolutely, making sure that you have something

8:56

in place to support your puppy and help them mellow

8:58

out and have some downtime, and just recognizing

9:00

that, hey, they actually may not be able to

9:02

do as much as they usually do or may not be as competent,

9:05

because we're asking a whole lot of them. Their brain

9:07

is working in overdrive.

9:09

Depending on, I guess, the level

9:11

of prep that you have to do that

9:13

that morning or even the the night before.

9:16

Are there things that you could be doing to help

9:18

set up the puppy? I guess kind of either getting

9:20

energy out or kind of preparing

9:22

things to, I guess, set

9:24

yourselves up so that you are ready for,

9:27

you know, the the whole thing.

9:28

Absolutely. So if you are going

9:30

to visit family, um, make sure puppy

9:33

gets a really good walk in beforehand

9:35

before you do that travel time. Keeping in mind that

9:37

most of our puppies are going to be sleeping that whole journey.

9:39

So if you can allow yourself a little

9:41

bit of extra time just to go for a walk around that

9:43

new area, do maybe just do a block walk,

9:45

get them back into training mode from

9:47

having a nice long car nap. Before you head inside,

9:50

have a chat with whoever's hosting and set

9:52

up a little space for puppy. That can be just their downtime

9:55

space. If you've brought their crate, find

9:57

out where you can set that crate up. Um,

9:59

and have a chat with any kids that might be around

10:01

and say, you know, when puppies in their crate, they're

10:03

having a nap. It's their bedroom. Please leave them alone,

10:06

because that can be quite hard for the puppies as well, if

10:08

they're constantly the center of attention.

10:10

As much as they love it, they don't get to switch off.

10:13

Um, if, on the other hand, you're hosting and

10:15

you're having people come to you again, get some

10:17

of that energy out, do some training games, um,

10:19

practice that leaving of presents and

10:21

baubles and all that kind of stuff. Um,

10:24

doing some fixed tether, go out

10:26

for a nice walk, and then I would probably

10:28

recommend having pup in their crate as

10:30

everybody's arriving, just so

10:32

that it's not that excitement's not

10:34

spreading across. Um, you're excited

10:36

to see everybody puppy will be too, so just

10:38

set them up to do well and not

10:41

jump on everybody as they walk in the door, because not

10:43

everybody appreciates that. Um,

10:45

once puppy has settled and everyone

10:47

else has settled and all of that festive

10:50

chaos has subdued a little

10:52

puppy, you can come out and you can have

10:54

that greeting in that nice five, ten minutes of

10:56

just have some cuddle time, try

10:58

to keep it as calm as you can. If you've got family

11:01

that want to engage with puppy, maybe get them

11:03

to do some of those training games that you practice before

11:05

they arrived. Um, and then just

11:07

settle into the day and just remember it. Is

11:09

a really busy day. It is unlikely

11:12

that your puppy is going to be the best version

11:14

of themselves. So just give

11:16

yourself and give puppy a break. Take a deep

11:18

breath and anything that goes wrong

11:20

we can fix tomorrow.

11:21

And I guess even even when we're talking about puppy,

11:23

we're not just talking about kind of young babies

11:25

as well. It's hard even for a 12 month old

11:28

type.

11:28

Oh, absolutely. I would basically say

11:30

this holiday season, any dog that

11:33

is under ten is going

11:35

to struggle because there's under ten years.

11:37

Ten years. Yes. Yeah. Good, good. Um,

11:40

because all of the people that they love

11:42

as much as you are showing up. So there's that level

11:44

of excitement. Um, and it doesn't matter

11:46

how old your dog is, they love everybody

11:48

and they want to see everybody, and they want to celebrate

11:50

with you, too. Um, but also

11:53

for our older puppies, our, like, ten

11:55

month old puppies, there's challenges that they may not have

11:57

faced before because it's their first Christmas. So

11:59

they've not had a lovely

12:01

roast or a lovely seafood dish

12:03

platter out. Um, so there's a lot of

12:05

new challenges that they may not have faced.

12:07

Um, for some of our puppies, Santa is a challenge.

12:10

Um, he's a very exciting, jolly man. And

12:12

they go and doing their shopping walks, and

12:15

they see this jolly man that is getting very

12:17

excited. They pick up on that excitement and they get

12:19

very excited. So he's novel.

12:21

It's not something they've seen before. Um,

12:23

so just take a deep breath and work through them with

12:25

it. Create distance. Um, and

12:27

just remember, it's just

12:29

one day. Just do exactly what

12:32

you can manage to do to support

12:34

puppy and work

12:36

through any behavioral challenges that you

12:38

may have faced in the following

12:40

days, just to help build that

12:43

impulse control.

12:44

I feel like, if nothing else, just

12:46

prepare yourself a few frozen kongs

12:48

and you can just cycle through some kongs.

12:50

Frozen kongs, have some nice carrots

12:53

ready to go drip feed. Exactly.

12:56

Um, I would definitely recommend

12:58

doing a half breakfast and taking advantage

13:00

of that other half throughout the day. Um,

13:02

but also just keep in mind of how much you are drip feeding,

13:05

and there may not be much dinner left at the end of the day.

13:08

Yeah, but, you know, if you are going to blow

13:10

the puppy's diet, you know, if it's a few

13:12

pieces of kibble as drip feeding,

13:14

then you know that that really is the good one, because

13:17

you have to keep in mind that, um, you know, if

13:19

if you have someone who says, I'm really

13:21

desperate to feed the dog or treat, um,

13:23

if you can give them, you know, a piece of their kibble

13:25

or something, that is going to be much better than them saying,

13:27

oh, come on, just a little bit of ham, you know, which

13:30

is even a little bit not so great.

13:32

Yeah, absolutely. And you

13:34

know what? It's all about balance. So

13:36

we'll just go out for an extra walk at the end of the day

13:39

to burn off some of those, those extra kibbles.

13:41

And you know what? Your dog is probably going to enjoy that break

13:43

from festivities and help win them down

13:45

for a full night's sleep that everybody

13:48

is going to need after all of that,

13:50

um, holiday chaos.

13:52

Well, thank you so much for joining me on the show,

13:54

talking a little bit kind of holiday season.

13:56

Um, event planning.

13:58

No, thanks for having me.

14:04

Hi, Brooke, thanks for joining me on the show today.

14:07

No, thank you for having me.

14:09

So just to start off, what is your

14:11

role at seeing eye Dogs and could you please introduce

14:13

yourself?

14:14

Um, yes, I'm Brooke

14:17

and I am an instructor at Seeing Eye Dog. So

14:19

my role is around working

14:22

with clients to pair them

14:24

up with, um, their future seeing

14:26

eye dog, um, conduct, seeing eye dog

14:28

assessments, and then support clients

14:30

that already have sort of their, um,

14:32

dog guides on any sort of issues

14:35

that they're having.

14:37

So one of the things that you've been working on,

14:39

I guess, over the last few years

14:41

has been the youth program. So

14:43

we're going to talk a little bit about that.

14:46

Has the youth program for 2023

14:48

now wrapped up for the year, and was this

14:50

the second year of the program?

14:52

It was the second year of the program. So

14:54

2022 was

14:56

the pilot program, which we

14:58

then went on to offer a second round, which was

15:01

this year. Um, and we're also then

15:03

going to be running the program again next

15:05

year as well.

15:06

How many participants were in

15:08

the this year's program and what was the age

15:10

range?

15:12

This year we had five participants.

15:15

Um, and they ranged between sort

15:17

of 16 to 18.

15:19

So what are the skills that you worked on

15:21

throughout this? Um, I think I

15:23

wrote in my questions camp, but I really it's the whole year,

15:25

isn't it? It is this program,

15:28

I suppose.

15:29

Yeah. So the skills that we work on, um,

15:32

for the program. So it's a

15:34

12 month program. Um, and we're

15:36

really looking to increase the

15:38

participants orientation and mobility

15:40

skills. Um, and they range

15:43

from things such as, um,

15:45

the differences when traveling

15:47

in different environments. So they can range

15:49

from suburban areas to rural.

15:51

Um, and we discuss around how

15:54

they differ between, uh, mobilizing

15:56

with a cane and a dog. Uh, we work

15:59

on skills such as road crossings,

16:01

uh, and different road crossings. And what, you know,

16:03

we need to look out for. We

16:05

also work on, um,

16:08

it's sort of what the

16:11

pros and cons are of the dog.

16:13

Um, and sort of that awareness

16:15

of the differences between the cane and dog

16:17

and then give them that experience

16:20

on the camps as well. So there's

16:22

each month focuses on a topic.

16:24

Um, so in total we have um,

16:27

ten topics that we cover, um,

16:29

and work on throughout the program.

16:32

And is there kind of, I guess, individual

16:34

goals or goal setting that the participants do?

16:37

Yeah. So, um, before

16:40

the clients start on the program,

16:42

um, we sit down with them and discuss sort of what their

16:44

mobility goals are for the 12 months,

16:47

um, in terms of

16:50

their individual goals, they work with their

16:52

own, um, of choice, um, alongside

16:55

the program, and we recommend they see them,

16:58

um, every month, um,

17:00

to then personalize the program for themselves.

17:03

So if the topic of the month is

17:05

road crossing, uh, we discussed

17:07

that as a group. But then to

17:09

ensure that we're working towards the client's

17:11

individual goals, they'll work with their

17:13

ONM and tailor road crossings

17:15

for them. So some people might be working on

17:17

quiet suburban road crossings

17:20

and starting out on, you know, the basics

17:22

of how to assess traffic. And some people

17:24

might be up to sort of, um, heading into

17:26

busier road, um, crossing assessments

17:28

and things like that. And so the ONM

17:31

can personalize that for them.

17:33

Did the participants reach their goals, um, for

17:35

this kind of year, this program?

17:37

Yeah. So all participants sort of have the goal

17:40

of exploring dog guide mobility,

17:42

um, and, and working

17:44

to increase their mobility skills.

17:47

Um, all participants did increase their mobility

17:49

skills and had sort of a great, um, exploration

17:51

of dog guide mobility throughout

17:54

the two camps that we had.

17:56

And did you get much feedback from the participants

17:59

during the year and on the completion of the program?

18:02

Yeah, we often try to

18:04

seek their feedback throughout the program,

18:06

because we're always trying to ensure that we're,

18:09

um, putting things in place that can improve

18:11

the program each year. Um, and

18:14

so this year, uh,

18:16

the feedback or sorry,

18:18

based on last year's feedback, um, one of the things

18:20

they really wanted to know about was the early

18:22

stages of, um, the dogs development.

18:25

Um, and so we had our puppy development

18:28

team come in and talk around what the first 12 months

18:30

sort of look like and sort of gave

18:32

them that, um, whole journey

18:35

approach.

18:37

Was that kind of the main difference

18:39

between the pilot program year and

18:41

this year in activities, as was, or was there

18:43

anything else that was kind of new or changed?

18:46

That was the main one. So the feedback has

18:48

generally been that the program

18:51

is pretty well structured for

18:53

them to explore dog mobility. Um,

18:55

but yeah, that was one of the things that they had wished,

18:58

um, they wanted to do a little bit

19:00

more off. So we've incorporated that into this

19:02

year and for future years as well.

19:04

Are you going to run the program again in

19:07

2024, and how can

19:09

people find out more information if they

19:11

are interested or sign up?

19:13

Yes, we're going to run the program again for

19:15

2024. Um, we're looking

19:17

for anywhere between 3 to 6 participants.

19:20

Um, and so if people are

19:23

interested, then they

19:25

can head to the Seeing Eye Dog website

19:27

where we have a dedicated page for

19:29

the Seeing Eye Dog Youth program. Um,

19:32

that will give us sort of a comprehensive idea

19:34

around what program is and

19:36

a little bit more information there. They

19:39

can also, um, fill out the form at the bottom

19:41

for us to get in contact with them. The

19:43

other option is people are more than welcome as

19:45

well to call Vision Australia um, and

19:47

express their interest. Um, and

19:50

they'll be put on uh, put through

19:52

to myself. Um, and

19:54

the other one as well, if people

19:56

are interested, is to talk to their orientation mobility

19:59

specialist, if you have one, um, to,

20:01

you know, disclose that you might be interested in this

20:03

program. And often they can also

20:05

reach out if you'd prefer that as a method

20:07

as well.

20:09

Are there any kind of particular criteria

20:11

for eligibility? Um, for someone who is interested

20:13

in taking part of the program in 2024?

20:16

Yeah. So in terms of eligibility, what

20:18

we're looking for is that the person, um,

20:20

has the, um, ability

20:23

to get around their school environment, um,

20:25

independently or is working towards that.

20:28

Um, we're also looking for clients,

20:30

um, to be able to administer their own

20:32

medical needs on the campus that are held in April

20:34

and September and have the,

20:37

um, knowledge that they're those

20:39

during those camps. Um, that they will

20:41

be sort of staying away from home for the three days.

20:44

Um, each participant will get their own room,

20:46

which has their own ensuite. Um,

20:49

and then we all share the communal

20:51

areas to, you know, um, do group

20:53

sessions. The other things

20:55

that we're looking for is that they are currently,

20:58

um, have a need for a mobility aid. So

21:01

they're using their long cane

21:03

or want to explore or need

21:05

along cane. Um, if they're currently

21:07

not using it for various reasons.

21:09

Um, we can explore that as well. Um,

21:12

but yeah, they're sort of the main ones

21:14

that we're sort of looking for.

21:16

Do. So you said that the camps are

21:18

twice a year. Are they located in Victoria,

21:21

and do the clients have to be Victoria

21:23

based?

21:24

Yeah. Great question. So in terms of the

21:26

camps, um, they are held in school holidays,

21:29

um, April and September for three days and

21:31

two nights. Um, we are

21:33

a national programme. So in terms of,

21:35

um, clients, they can

21:38

be, uh, based anywhere.

21:40

If you, if clients aren't

21:42

in Victoria because the camps are held in our

21:44

Kensington, um, at our

21:46

Kensington location,

21:49

um, where we have two houses here, then

21:51

we support that client in being able to attend

21:54

through, um, the purchasing of

21:56

their flights and the meeting of them

21:58

at the airport. So as long as

22:00

the parents are happy to get them to the

22:02

airport and see them onto the plane, we

22:04

will be there at the other end where,

22:06

um, they exit the plane, uh, will

22:08

support them in getting their bags and then getting back

22:10

to seeing idle residents. Um,

22:13

and then obviously communicating with the parents

22:15

at all stages that they know where their, where their children

22:18

are.

22:19

What is the structure of the programme for 2024?

22:23

Contents of the structure. Um, it's

22:26

what we do is we have a monthly zoom meeting.

22:28

Um, and that's to discuss the topic of

22:30

the month. So whether that be road crossings or

22:33

travelling in different areas. Um,

22:35

and that's to do it as a whole group.

22:37

Um, so that we can sort of

22:40

support each other. We discuss what

22:42

our how our own sessions are

22:44

gone and any questions people might have.

22:47

Then we also once a month

22:49

after they catch up with the their

22:51

own Em of choice to work on their

22:53

individual own goals. Um

22:56

and topic of the month. So,

22:58

um, we support the Rams in giving

23:00

them, um, some of the lesson plans

23:03

if they'd like. Um, but as long as

23:05

they're happy to sort of give us the feedback

23:07

on how they're road crossings and various

23:10

orientation mobility sessions are going,

23:13

then um, on top of that,

23:15

we do two camps through the year. So

23:17

that's the April and September 1st.

23:19

Um, the first one is centred around

23:22

sort of the foundations of guide

23:24

mobility. So how to feed a dog

23:26

toilet or dog grooming? Um,

23:28

the basic, um, skills

23:31

required for taking care of

23:33

a dog. And then we also do. Quite.

23:36

And residential streets in

23:38

terms of their mobility. So they'll do the route

23:40

with their cane first, and then

23:42

we'll put the dog on the same route. So

23:44

they get that exposure of what the differences are,

23:47

um, between their cane and dog,

23:49

um, as well.

23:51

And they do actually get to do kind of hands on,

23:53

you know, literally working with the

23:55

dog, don't they?

23:57

Correct. So once the dog is issued

23:59

to them on the first day, um, it's

24:01

the clients with support around

24:03

it that's the client's responsibility to, um,

24:06

care for that dog until the

24:08

third day. And that includes the dog

24:10

sleeping with them, um, and at all points,

24:12

taking them wherever it is that they go.

24:15

So what they such as what they

24:17

do with their dog during breakfast time and

24:19

lunch, and how six clients can sit

24:21

around a table and put their dogs under their seats.

24:24

We also on the both camps,

24:26

head to, um, local cafes

24:28

so that they can experience the social

24:30

element, um, of how to,

24:32

you know, order something at a cafe and

24:34

manage your dog at the same time.

24:38

Um, the second camp builds on, um,

24:40

the foundation, so it's a little bit more advanced.

24:43

By that stage, they would have worked with

24:45

their own, um, for, you know, a few months,

24:47

um, before getting to it. So we

24:49

build up the skills, um, required

24:52

for the second camp, which is more busier

24:54

area. So shopping centre environments,

24:57

um, we as a group do a night

24:59

walk as well as an exposure

25:01

there. Um, and

25:03

then just generally sort of working in busier areas

25:05

to sort of feel the differences, um, between

25:08

dog and cane there as well.

25:10

So now that we've kind of had the

25:12

program, I suppose almost for two years,

25:15

you've probably had a little bit more of a kind of almost life

25:17

cycle of, of this. And

25:20

I think you said even maybe we did a follow up

25:22

or I did a follow up with someone about the youth program

25:24

from last year where you said that someone

25:26

some of the clients had actually, or some of the participants

25:29

had actually applied for seeing Eye Dog.

25:31

So have any of those past participants

25:33

now actually gone on to be partnered

25:35

with and graduated with a single dog?

25:38

Yeah. So we have had a few people go through

25:40

the program now. Um, and

25:42

at the end of the program feel that they're ready for

25:44

dog guide mobility. Um,

25:47

I think it's important to sort of note that this,

25:49

uh, program is very much, um,

25:51

designed to give them that exploration.

25:54

Um, and the outcomes at the end

25:56

can be varied. So we have

25:58

had amazing results, um, in

26:01

terms of people having their goal of

26:03

their wanting to, um, get

26:05

a dog. And so they've gone through the program.

26:07

They know the skills required. They've worked really

26:09

hard in their own, um, sessions.

26:12

And at the end of the program, um, being

26:14

able to sort of demonstrate that they're eligible

26:17

for a seeing eye dog, um, gone onto

26:19

the waitlist and, and our successfully working

26:21

with their dog guide. Um,

26:23

we've also had the other situation where

26:25

people have gone through the program really

26:27

wanted a dog guide. And then at the end, um,

26:29

realized that dog mobility is

26:31

a bit more involved in it. And so

26:34

the caring for a dog during their

26:36

school year is something because they're not interested in at

26:38

this point. Um, and they

26:40

will perhaps in the future, which is still

26:42

a really big success. Um, and

26:45

then we've had clients that at the end of the program,

26:47

we've identified a couple of orientation and

26:49

mobility, um, uh,

26:52

topics that they need to work on before

26:55

sort of a dog would be suitable for them.

26:57

And so we've been able to sort of tailor a plan

26:59

so that they can work on those things post program,

27:02

um, to, to achieve their goal of

27:04

dog mobility in the future.

27:06

So I guess when it comes down to it, it's

27:08

kind of a bit of a personal thing of whether,

27:10

you know, they've they've realized that actually having

27:12

that taste has made them think, you know, now

27:15

is the right time or not. And then also

27:17

making sure that when they do apply, it is

27:19

actually the right time.

27:21

Yeah, the program is definitely

27:23

designed around that is to really ensure that

27:25

people have all the information at hand,

27:28

um, to make an informed choice around when

27:30

it is the right time for them to get a seeing

27:33

eye dog. Um, or not get a

27:35

seeing eye dog. And so I

27:37

think that's been definitely a highlight of the

27:39

program, and one that the participants have highlighted

27:41

is, um, being able to have that,

27:44

um, knowledge has really

27:46

helped give them the power of knowing when it's the

27:48

right time for them.

27:49

Well, thank you for coming on the show talking

27:51

about the youth program.

27:52

No problem. Thank you for having me.

28:00

You've been listening to the singer talk show on Fusion

28:02

Australia Radio.

28:03

I hope you enjoyed my interviews with Abby and Brooke.

28:06

If you'd like to find out more about seeing dogs, the work

28:08

we do, how you can help, or taking part in

28:10

the youth program, head to our website at

28:12

Sydney, Australia Morgue.

28:15

Don't forget that we're looking for volunteers in

28:17

parts of Victoria, south east Queensland

28:19

and the Central Coast and northern Sydney regions

28:21

of New South Wales to raise puppies for 6

28:23

to 12 months to become senior dogs.

28:25

Food, medical costs, equipment

28:27

and training are provided or covered by seeing adults.

28:30

All we need is your dedication and commitment to

28:32

raising a puppy. If you or

28:34

a young person in your care age 12

28:36

to 18, is blind or has low

28:38

vision and is interested in taking

28:40

part in the youth program, head to the

28:42

website at Sydney, australia.org/youth

28:47

Hyphen Camp to find out more about the youth

28:49

program or get in touch. Thank

28:51

you for listening. I hope you enjoyed those

28:53

interviews and don't forget to tune in. Same

28:55

time next week for another episode of

28:57

the Single Dog Show and have a happy and

29:00

safe holiday season.