Hi everyone. What a change I’ve had for this month. I am now with a new Raiser, and we’re spending a lot of time getting to know each other. It’s called Developing Relationship, and my raiser said it’s really important for both of us. I’ve had to learn the small differences in how my new raiser asks me to do something, and she has to learn how I respond to things.
You’d think that with all PADS dogs and hoomans following the same training, we’d all be interchangeable. (Whew, a big word for me). But my new raiser has a different voice that I need to understand, and there are different beds, kennels, mats and toys in my new home. So if my new raiser asks me to go to one of these, I need to recognize what my new bed, mat, or kennel looks like. My new kennel is pretty easy to remember because it’s very cushy. I love it!
We’ve been playing getting-to-know-you games. Like, Look so we will look at each other directly in the eyes. Dogs find it very important to have eye contact. We also play a lot of Touch with my new raiser’s hand. This allows me to smell her hand, and I love smelling things.
You may want to ask me if I miss my other raiser. When I first moved, I did miss her and my old home, but I was brought up to be adaptable (another big word for me). Ever since I was a tiny Pupper, I went to different Sitters when my raiser needed to go somewhere I couldn’t, even though I do get to go almost everywhere when I wear my super dog yellow in-training vest. So I did get used to being away from home.
I also attended my first in-person classes with my new raiser. I found it difficult to tell you the exact truth, and I think my raiser did too. Because of Covid, I didn’t get to go to classes that had a lot of other PADS dogs there. So it was very exciting for me. My new raiser said I Filled my Bucket a lot, and I have a hard time containing my Impulse Control…whatever those words mean. I just know that I sometimes found it hard to pay attention, so I would try to get the other dogs to play. And guess what! My old raiser is in the same class with her new little puppy. It was fun to see her.
My raiser said that next month would be a lot better for both of us. And we’ll practice really hard so we’re ready for our next in-person class.
Submitted by: Lurline Langbell
