I am now 5 months old and growing very quickly; Lise had to order me a larger cape as I have outgrown my first one. Our routine is pretty regular with the gym and our daily walks. We also have our constant trips to the grocery store. This month was full of activities and lots of learning. Lise changes the direction of our walks, and we see so many new things in our neighbourhood. When we come upon other people and dogs, Lise does her best to keep me focused on her and not get distracted by these things. With practise, we will get much better. Lise says how fearless I am when we are out walking, nothing startles me, and I walk over all surfaces without even a flinch.
We learned the difference between being in my kennel with the door open and the door closed in our weekly classes. With the door closed, the treats come from the sky, and with it open, there is nothing. I need to practise spending time during the day in my kennel. We learned leash pressure down to keep me in check and get my attention. Lise takes notes during our classes so that we can review and practise our skills regularly. The most important thing I need to learn is how to empty my stress/arousal bucket.
We had our eyes examinations at the PADS Campus, Lise had appointments that day, and sitter Bahar took me out and told Lise that I was a champ. Bahar had also noticed how much better I was at settling and being calmer. This made Lise very happy.
We also had our walk-and-talk review with our Trainers, which was followed by a revision to my training plan. There is always learning in a puppy’s life in training to be a service dog. I also had a couple of visits to our coach Leanne’s studio. This gives me a different learning environment and gives Lise some time to do things on her own. We also had another bus ride; this is still a bit scary, with so many different people getting on and off. It will take more practise to get used to this.
Stay tuned for more of my adventures in April.
Submitted by: Lise Fillion
