In this interview, Theresa DePorter DVM MRCVS dip ECVBM-CA, a veterinarian with a practice limited to behavior shares what it is like as a co-puppy raiser for Leader Dogs For The Blind.
Dr. DePorter and I have known each other via email and phone calls for a few years, this year we will meet in person at the 136th Westminster Dog show. I will be the 'official photographer' of Ceva, future Leader Dog puppy, as she and Dr. DePorter visit New York City for the first time.
Tell us a little bit about you and your practice, and what is involved with a specialty training program in behavior?
Dr. DePorter: Basically, I see dog and cats for behavior problems: aggressive, anxious, phobic or compulsive dogs and cats. Sometimes, I see dogs and cats that are "normal" and people misunderstand their pet and expect them to behave differently than they do. But most of my patients have severe behavior problems. I admire the families that are willing to do whatever it takes to care for and help their troubled pet.
I am a member of a specialty referral hospital in the Detroit metropolitan area, Oakland Veterinary Referral Services which offers not only expert medical and surgical care, but also compassion and respect for an animal's welfare, behavior, and distress. Care at OVRS is provided in cooperation with the family's general practice veterinarian.
The American Veterinary Medical Association provides standards for board certified specialization in many specialties, including those people recognize: surgery, internal medicine, oncology or ophthalmology. There is also a specialty training program for board certification in behavior. There are currently 54 diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. I have completed my training program, mentored by ACVB diplomates Gary Landsberg and Debra Horwitz, and I will be taking my exams for board certification.
How did you become involved with Leader Dogs for the Blind?
Dr. DePorter: Leader Dogs for the Blind is located in Rochester, Michigan. I have admired their dogs, their program and the mission to help the visually impaired since I graduated from Purdue and moved to Michigan in 1992.
Leader Dogs for the Blind uses mostly Labradors but also has some Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. I have 5 Labradors of my own and I have been involved with dog sport competition as a hobby.
Leader Dogs for the Blind provides guide dogs free-of-charge to those people who need them, so sponsorship and donations are essential to support this non-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
During my journey to become board certified in behavior, I was involved in a research project which assessed the benefits of DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) compared to placebo diffusers for the newly assigned guide dog when they move into the dormitory with their new visually impaired partner for the final training program. This pairing represents the culmination of 16 months of training and preparation. It is like a stressful 'final exam' for the dogs (and a life changing month for the people!).
DAP helped the dogs do what they had been trained to do, and all of the dogs in the DAP treatment group graduated successfully.
Meeting the courageous people who receive a guide dog so they can be independent was inspiring. People shared their goals and ambitions: the dogs in my study were assigned to people who were retired, going to school, caring for a family or looking to meet new people (one young man told me he hoped his new dog would be a "chick magnet"). A guide dog enhances the lives of people who are blind and visually impaired and allows them to travel independently and safely.
The guide dog determines if it is safe to move forward and is trained to 'disobey' a command to move forward if it isn't safe. So, the dog learns to identify holes in the sidewalk, speeding cars and over head tree branches as reasons to "disobey" a command in order to keep their person safe.
A guide dog must be able to solve problems and be aware of all surroundings at all times....without being distracted or momentarily confused! Often when a guide dog takes quick action to save a life, the person who is saved may not even know what the danger was until the crisis is over.
How did you become a puppy co-raiser? How long will she be under your care?
Dr. DePorter: Training a guide dog begins at 7 weeks of age when the puppy is assigned to a volunteer puppy raiser and continues until the dog is returned to the school about a year later. I wanted to be involved, but I couldn't take a puppy to work with me every day to face my anxious and aggressive patients!
So, I am half of a puppy raiser team. My co-puppy raisers, Sandra and Brad Bowers, have raised 14 puppies for Leader Dogs for the Blind and I share the task of preparing Ceva for her career as a guide dog. I have seen the pictures of the 12 puppies the Bower's have raised that have successfully graduated as guide dogs! (The only two not to graduate had medical reasons, not deficiencies in ability!) Bowers takes Ceva to work with her at General Motors. Watch video
Ceva will hopefully be amongst those successful graduates! The job of the puppy raiser is to provide a host home and prepare the candidate by daily training and exposures. The puppies and the guide dogs do get to play and relax but when working they must be all business!
Tell us a little bit about Ceva's name, and how she was selected to be a spokespuppy of sorts.
Dr. DePorter: The puppy "Ceva" is sponsored by the veterinary health company: CEVA Animal Health.
CEVA is the ninth largest animal health group globally with a commitment not only to improving the health of animals but also people, with their mission summarized by: "Together, beyond animal health."
CEVA is a visible supporter of and contributor to various welfare and social programmes all over the world, so their support for Leader Dogs for the Blind was a logical extension of that mission. CEVA's outreach to support the essential link between humans and animals ranges from researching, developing, producing and supplying animal health products to the poorest livestock owners in the world. The SOS (Stamp Out Sleeping sickness) program in Uganda is a good example, as is supplying the UK's largest dog welfare charity with Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) collars, to help make the lives of dogs in shelter less stressful.
CEVA promotes and enhances the benefits of the essential link between humans and animals. "Ceva" the future guide dog, celebrates the unique bond people have with animals. "Ceva" the puppy, will be benefiting from the synthetic analog of Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP) too, which is the Adaptil collar she wears.
Nursing mother dogs naturally produce an appeasing pheromone. DAP has been shown to help provide reassurance and comfort to dogs. Use of the Adaptil collar facilitates optimal learning and adaptation in every situation she encounters. I hope people will consider joining CEVA Animal Health in their generous support of Leader Dogs for the Blind by making a donation, purchasing items from the online gift store or raising a puppy!
What are you teaching Ceva, and how will that prepare her for later training and ultimately her duties as a Leader Dog?
Dr. DePorter: A guide dog must be comfortable in a variety of situations ranging from city life to a suburban lifestyle. Ceva may be ultimately assigned to a young college student in New York City or an elderly woman from Iowa. During the next year she will go on trains, planes and taxis. We will go to veterinary meetings, restaurants and hotels. She is in-training and part of her training is to attend real life activities as she will with her future visually impaired person in the future.
An essential and critical part of her training is to learn to continue working despite the activities of people around her. While it is important for Ceva to meet a lot of people, it is also important for her to understand she is not the center of attention. Some dogs just don't make it.... that is they are "career changed" which is a nice way of saying the dog failed to make it as a guide dog. Some dogs fail because they are too interested in people or other dogs. Labradors just love people so the challenge is to teach Ceva how to be in a place where there are a lot of people but she still has to keep working even if there are people trying to pet her or get her attention.
For now, her work is heeling, walking on a loose leash and looking to me for cues about where we are going next. Anytime she is wearing her bandana or vest she is working - just like someday as a grown up guide dog she will know when she is wearing her harness she is working. Later she will walk with steady pressure on her harness so the visually impaired person knows where to walk. By holding the handle on the harness, a person can feel subtle or dramatic movements by the dog to indicate which way they should walk. The person still has to know where to go. The dog is checking for safety concerns and moving forward around obstacles or dangers.
Has Ceva been on an airplane before, and what are your expectations or plans for Ceva at Westminster and NYC?
Dr. DePorter: Ceva has flown on an airplane three times. She flew from Detroit to Orlando for the North American Veterinary Conference last month. We had a connecting flight through Atlanta on the way back. She was great on the plane: she settled right into her allotted space on the floor and slept. Even during take-off and landings she was not even concerned. There was a baby crying on the plane and a mother making lots of noises to console the baby who caused her to wonder what was going on but the flight was easy.
In Orlando, this was a good opportunity for her to experience different types of grass, scents and weather. Ceva attended continuing education meetings with me so we would stay in a lecture room for 1 to 3 hours. I am studying for boards. She settled and often slept upside down. She learned when everyone clapped it was time to wake up and make a mad dash for grass outside. Ceva is a cute puppy and it is really hard for people to resist touching her even though she is in-training.
Ceva worked well even if there were a lot of people but she was distracted by the few dogs at the meeting. Together we attended over 30 hours of continuing education at NAVC . Ceva practiced walking in a crowd and staying focused. I practiced carrying coffee and walking with a lab puppy.
NYC will be a different experience for her since the sights and sounds of the city will be all new for her. She will miss grass but she will learn how to be a city dog. We will visit New York sights, including busy Times Square and Central Park, with lots of photographs for her Facebook page where I am writing about her journey from puppy to guide dog.
I picked the Westminster Kennel Club show as training opportunity since the dogs will be serious professionals and she will be exposed to so many dogs and these dogs will continue about their business without regard for a Labrador puppy. We will be ringside for the Sporting Group cheering on the Labrador retriever since the Labrador has never won Best in Show in Westminster's 135 years. I hope we see history made and a Labrador with a silver trophy and BIS legacy on Tuesday night.
Thank you, Dr. DePorter, for sharing this veterinary behavior information and Ceva's training journey with us. Best wishes for her continued training and eventual graduation as a Leader Dog.
Related: Ceva Visits New York City
