I'm sorry to hear about Paris' challenges, but try to remember that dogs don't use their sight like humans do. We depend a great deal on sight, while dogs use sense of smell first and then hearing. I think the bells are a great idea...and I have seen shows where you can train your dog to find his way around by scent. So for example you might pick one or two scents that you will use on a regular basis, one for "safe" and one for "unsafe". For example a little lemon oil mixed with water and sprayed along the path from outside to inside (by the door) can be used to help him find his way. You won't need a lot, but it will have to be reapplied on a regular basis. Then another scent can be used to mark "unsafe/dangerous" areas such as the top of the stairs...you have to then train him that that specific scent means be careful...spray it on a piece of rug and then as he walks over to it, pull him back with the leash saying "No or Stop"...eventually he'll learn that that specific scent means don't go there...Well you get the idea...there are lots of creative ways to change the way you live and he lives to help you both adapt to the changing circumstances, and interact in a new way with the world. We can learn so much from our dogs about adapting to new ways of doing things...dogs never just lay in bed and give up...they get up and get going....So although I'm sorry he is facing this challenge, enjoy the journey that he'll take you on as he re-learns the way the world works and you'll see the world in shades of "smell" instead of colour
Marg |