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Have you ever scent trained a dog? Do you have experience with a blind pet? (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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My 10 year old pup is going blind. We've been in the same house for most of her life and she's doing ok, but I'm worried it's going to get more difficult for her. She's not the smartest, but she can sit, lie down, and shake on command. I've read several articles about scent training but would like to get tips from someone who has done it. I'm thinking of using 4 different scents for bed, toys, stairs, and food/water - i know she can smell the food, but i want to make sure she can find the water bowl when she's outside. Is that too many?

One article recommended marking a path on the floor/ground so she knows where there's a clear route. Another suggested marking furniture/obstacles so she knows where to avoid.

If you have any experience with this and can offer tips, i would appreciate it. Also, if you want to share any happy stories about your VI pets, i would love to hear them. It's heartbreaking to see her misjudge the doorway or bonk into things.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Thank you so much for the tips and encouragement. We adopted her 9 years ago so she seems to be doing pretty well with the house layout. I've noticed her following the edge of the rug as a guide to her bed. She's coming upstairs more recently which scares me but she's very cautious. She can still see light and i think she's coming up to let us know the sun is up. I will put a rug at the top, bottom, and landing to help alert her that she's approaching them.

I put air tags on her little brother and sister because they're escape artists. She doesn't normally leave the yard, but she's begun following the little ones around the house/yard (maybe because of the collar jingle?) so it would probably be a good idea to tag her. I'm going to start working with them on coming to me for a treat when the collar beeps.

We don't take her out a lot as she's always been anxious in public, with a tendency to growl and even nip. We suspect her vision has always been poor as she always seemed startled by quick-moving kids or dogs. We probably need to start doing more regular walks to keep her entertained/simulated.

I'll try some new commands with her and see how she does. She did well clicker training with a few basic things so i hope she can pick up some new ones. We've been working on not leaving our shoes out and keeping kitchen chairs pushed in. She's doing ok in her normal areas, but sometimes misses the door if it's dark out or if we don't hold the door all the way open.

Than you again for the tips and encouragement.