November is the first full month that I have been with my New Raiser, so I had a lot of things to adjust to. Do you know that different Raisers may say a cue slightly differently, hold their body differently, or might even feed me in different ways? So my first couple of weeks with my New Raiser meant I needed to review a lot of things. But it was really fun because I got pieces of my kibble every time we were in Training Mode. I know we’re going into Training Mode whenever I dress in my PADS yellow vest. My New Raiser says I’m really good at getting dressed in all sorts of things like my PADS Yellow Vest, my beautiful pink Rain Coat, and some silly clothes (my New Raiser calls them costumes).
I’m making friends in my new neighbourhood. There are especially lots of small people and dogs that live near me, so it’s always interesting to go out for walks. My New Raiser says I am very good at greeting small and big people, but sometimes I need help with the ‘Nice’ word when I’m excited about seeing another dog. I love the Nice word because I get a piece of kibble whenever my New Raiser says it.
Another thing I love about my New Home is all of the toys there are. Some are like the ones I had before I moved, and some are very different. I really like the puzzles I need to solve to get the kibble inside. I also have fun playing tug with my New People. I usually win. I must be really strong because they are bigger than me. I also get to go to new parks with my friend Edith. This month we went to Redwood Park – but none of the trees were red?? We went into a Dog House and did a double Jump On while we were there. It wasn’t all games, though. We had to be good when we were just walking with each other.
I had an assignment I needed to do with my Raiser where she would just look at me, and I had to guess what she wanted. She said she was Shaping me. Whenever I moved at all in the right direction, she would use the Clicker – which meant I was going to get a treat. Then she would make it a bit harder. I had to get closer and closer to what she wanted each time. I really had to use my doggy brain on this assignment. Eventually, I discovered exactly what she wanted. It was to lay my head flat down in front of me. I got a lot of treats together for that one.
I also got a super Kennel in my new place with a fluffy bed. Just look at me in it! Sometimes I don’t like getting out.
Submitted by: Lurline Langbell
