Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 55 - Farm Animals

This week was cool because we were able to review all of Ricki's main issues. Her small animal distractions, bird distractions, ball distractions, and dog distractions. We are constantly exposing Ricki to the things that could cause her to fail puppy college. It is the only thing we can do before her formal training. Will it be enough for her to graduate? Only time will tell and everyone will have to continue to tune it and find out.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 54 - Nylabone

This week marks an important step for us. It's the first time a company has worked with us in any form. Nylabone donated toys for our puppy raising group, as well as donated a bunch of items for a youtube contest. This might not seem like that big of a deal, but for us it is. We feel like the only way we will be able to sustain what we are doing in a long term vision, is to find a way to help make a living with the series. Making a living might mean picking up a sponsor who can burden the bills of creation. We have taken on the burden so far on our own, and will continue as long as possible. But this was a really cool step in the right direction for us.

Nylabone will always rock in our book, and we have nothing but great things to say about them.

If you are interested in winning our giveaway package. Thumb up, comment, and favorite this episode on youtube. Make sure you subscribe if you have not already.

Chappy

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 51 - Rain

It rained a lot when we filmed this episode. If we can't beat em, join em was our motto. Plus, we thought it would be cool to focus on an episode where the weather was a big factor, and we could give our audience some things we have to think about during a storm. Ricki handled it all so well. She was soaking wet when we got back to the car, but looked like she could have filmed in the rain for another hour. She is really impressing me lately. Nothing seems to phase her, and she handles new things very well. Keep it up Ricki, we are rooting for ya!

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 40 - Squirrel Distractions

Amie nailed it on the head when we shot the main this week. We have 4-6 more months before Ricki will either go back to school for formal training or not. We are doing what we can to prepare her, but right now it's a guess with whether or not she will be ready. Guide Dogs For the Blind will ultimately make that determination, and also decide whether she will go back for training at all. We think she has a good chance because she has that quality inside of her that aims to please. That is something you cannot teach a dog. They either have a personality like that, or they don't. Eli doesn't have that quality. He wants to do what he wants when he wants and he doesn't care if he is pleasing us. In fact, he enjoys doing just the opposite so he can get a rise out of us.

Our new episode was shot at central park in San Mateo. It is a great place for training. We wanted to take Ricki to the Japanese
Garden over there, but they were closing the doors right when we arrived. Maybe we will show it in a future episode. Thanks to everyone for your continual support.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 32 - Duck Pond

Sometimes we need to pinch ourselves. Ricki is such a great dog. She is chilling between Amie and I right now sleeping on the floor after a long day away from home. I am still in awe of how quickly Ricki is adjusting to everything we throw at her. After her reaction to the pigeons in week 29, I was sure she was going to be losing focus and making for another entertaining episode of mistakes. She sure showed me wrong. She didn't lunge on the leash, and miraculously turned into a bird distraction pro. it was as if she had been to the Palo Alto Baylands a million times. What in the heck brought on the dramatic improvement? It really is beyond me actually. We threw the kitchen sink at her with this episode. There must of been a thousand birds around the pond. The aviary mosh pit we exposed her to was nothing more than a yawn for her. I guess we can move on cautiously and focus on other issues now? What?

Enjoy our latest episode!

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 31 - Teeth Brushing

As we continue with the show, the constant challenge is figuring out what to talk about each week. We ask ourselves all kinds of questions. Should we cover training, or an outing? Should we try to cover a outing that incorporates training at the same time? Should we answer some questions from our fans? Should we go back and review progress Ricki has made on certain aspects of her life? Should we talk about the things Ricki is not doing so well with? And of course, should we simply update everyone on what we feel was the most important event of the week. These questions are always in consideration.

I enjoy the challenge of making this series, and also the freedom I have as the sole producer, and intellectual property rights owner. It is very liberating for our creative control, and I think will be a important factor in the long term for growing our series. Amie and I now are facing the challenge of where do we take this series next. It is growing on a slow, but steady pace. We think it has something to offer not only to people who raise service dogs, but also anyone who likes watching content about dogs.

So enough already with my ranting. This week was a review of progress, and we addressed a question about teeth brushing. Enjoy!

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 30 - Ball Distractions

This episode was completely spontaneous. We went in with no plan. It was a fun challenge to figure out creative ways to distract Ricki and work her through her ball issues. At times, she was a star and did great. Other times, she just couldn't help herself and went after the golf ball. I think we will give her every opportunity to work past this issue. That is if she want's to please us. Her personality seems to be of that nature, so I have my hopes up. We have seen the difference between dogs who strive to learn and please, and dogs who do not. Aaa..humm..cough, cough.... Eli.

Here is our latest episode. Week 30.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 29 - Pier 39

This week was awesome. We met up with working team Seth, and Bamboo. We met them at fun day this year when we were shooting week 25. Bamboo is a four year old black lab female, and has been teamed up with Seth for a couple of years. The first thing I noticed when we first met is she is a little dog, but has big time working ability. I filmed them working the crowd at Pier 39 this week, and couldn't believe how fast, and efficient they were. In fact, they walked so fast that I couldn't even keep up. I swear a jog was the only way I could keep pace. They both have a very, very fast gate which blows me away when you see how little Bamboo is. She was not much bigger than Ricki who is still growing and will probably be bigger.

Ricki continues to have bird distractions, and we showed how much it is affecting her. It will be really interesting to see if we can work her through these issues as they will most certainly be a deal breaker if she can't adjust. Please enjoy our latest episode, and feel free to follow us on Facebook. Our fan page is Growing Up Guide Pup.

Matt

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 28 - Fire Station

This week is my favorite episode thus far. We combined two important elements this week at the Mountain View Fire Station. We made available some training for Ricki, and the exposure of a cool location. Whenever a day can hit two birds with one stone, it is cause for celebration because they always make for an interesting watch. The results of this weeks shoot seemed to work better than I thought possible.

We got to show a cast of different dogs all amongst a setting of different distractions. My favorite had to be guide pup Cash and his hilarious reaction to the fireman when it tried to get close to him. Check out our web series if you are a fan of service dogs or dogs in general.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 27 - Rickey's Restaurant

This week has to be one of my favorites. I feel like it has everything. It covers an outing, some training, and even has a taste of humor with me dropping a piece of steak by Ricki's nose at the restaurant. As the show continues to evolve, we continue to improve our approach of video blogging with a twist.

I think it's funny how the episodes continue to get longer, and longer each month. The first couple months we had videos under 3 minutes. Then I felt lucky to get them under five minutes. This episode almost cracks the six minute mark. Ok, ok....enough is enough, they won't be any longer than that. Uhhh, actually I have no idea where things will go. I just keep going with my gut. As long as the video constantly moves forward I am happy. It seems we have more information every week resulting in longer episodes just by natural progression.

Anyways, here is our latest episode shot at Rickey's restaurant.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 26 - Obedience Course

The 20 year anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act was a few weeks ago. We managed to film it, but had not managed to squeeze it into an episode until today. Redwood City put on the event, and we went representing Guide Dogs For the Blind to help raise awareness.

Amie is doing a great job speaking as an ambassador for the guide dog puppy raiser, and I'm really proud of her. Not only is she doing what she has always done, but now she has the duty of hosting the web series and helping me come up with content each week. It was only a few years back when she would refuse to even let me film her in our home movies, but over time she has let her guard down and slowly come around to a point i didn't even see coming. I guess that is pretty much a given, if you are in my life, there is a chance you will end up in front of the camera in some way or another. Week 26 and our second episode with the new format below.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 25 - Guide Dog Fun Day

This week represents the premiere of several important steps in the evolution of our series. Number 1, it is the first time we filmed at the campus for Guide Dogs for the Blind. And two, we revealed the upgraded format of our show. I am really excited to see where this Ricki journey will take us, and don't see us slowing down.

When we first started this series, we were not sure if anyone would even be interested in watching. It was our way of keeping a video diary of the weeks events more than anything. I can't believe we now are into our sixth month with this thing and it is only getting better.

Special thanks to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Rendezvous, and Template Digital with their generous collaboration in helping make the series the best it can be.

Our latest episode is below.
Matt

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 24 - Jelly Belly

This week I had the opportunity to take Ricki and Amie to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Ca. We have always known about the Jelly Belly Factory, but have never had the chance to visit. It is a really cool place. They were totally guide dog friendly, and even had a designated area for the dogs to go to the bathroom. How many places have a designated fire hydrant for the dogs? Special thanks to Jelly Belly and the Solano County Puppy Raising Group for setting up a great event. if you enjoy our webisodes, please don't forget to help support us by subscribing on youtube and telling your friends and family about us.

Cheers,
Matt

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 23 - SF Giants

We went to a Giants game this week and I filmed the entire episode with our phone. I would prefer to shoot with something better, but push come to shove I love the fact that i never run into any red tape. It's pretty cool. If I had brought my DVX to the game, they would have never let me through without a press pass.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 22 - Camping

This week we went camping. It was a lot of fun to shoot. I kept filming with the hope some crazy critter would show up in front of the lens. A few hours after we arrived was all it took. I shot a centipede for the first time which was pretty cool, but kinda a stretch for putting into the episode. But we put it in there anyway. LOL

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 21 - Guide Dog Joanie

This week was really fun cause i tried something different. I interviewed George while i was filming. This was different cause Amie is usually the only voice of the show, but we are talking about adding this twist to the format. I do the interviews if and when needed and she does the vlog hosting motif as always.

Please participate on our show by subscribing on youtube. Also try commenting under the video each week and leave us questions if you want to know anything. Amie does a good job of responding to most peoples comments and questions if needed.

Feline Feeding Frenzy

My wife Amie works at an ER Clinic for animals. They are heroes on a regular basis and the other day was no exception. Someone found these kittens abandoned in front of their house in a cardboard box. They brought the kittens to Amie's work. The video below is them eating for the first time in who knows how long. I had some fun by adding the sound of feasting lions.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 19 - County Fair

Amie and I have been taking the dogs to the county fair ever since we first started raising guide dogs. It is a great place to get out and take the animals. Their are a million different things for a dog to experience, and we never see the same thing twice. This year was no exception and Ricki performed like a champ. She has still yet to have an accident on a outing. Fingers crossed on that one. Hit that subscribe button on youtube and participate in our comments section. Here is our latest installment.

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 18 - Ricki's Mom

We have been raising guide dogs for the blind for a long time. In fact, we will be hitting 10 years in not too long. In all that time, we have never had the privilege of reuniting our pups with their mothers. This week was our first. The popularity of our web show is starting to grow and Ricki's owners heard about what we were doing through word of mouth. They contacted us and wanted to know if we would like to meet. Well of course we said yes!

Check out our new episode. Please subscribe to guidedogmaniac on youtube. Leave comments on the videos and get involved with our online discussions.

Matt (Chappy)

Growing Up Guide Pup - Week 17 - Swimming Pool

This week was bittersweet. My parents are selling their house in Foster City. The harsh economy and overwhelming bills have become too much for my parents and they had to make this unfortunate move. It's the house i spent most of my childhood in. We bought the house when i was nine years old and I am 34 years old now. Needless to say, this has been the rooted homestead of my family for most of my life. They got an offer a week ago and decided to accept it.

So Amie and I decided what better way to say goodbye to the house than to give Ricki her first swimming experience there. She continues to amaze with her ability to adapt to new situations and excel. She fell in the pool three times on accident and didn't let that get in her way. She possesses a steadfast determination to learn to swim this week and it shows in the video.

Goodbye to my childhood home and hello to a new world of water for Ricki.