The first half of May was pretty normal for little Shadow (and I do mean little! She is a sleek 47 lbs! We fondly call these petite gals our ‘pocket labs’). Shadow spent more time working on her settling in public as this is something she can be a bit restless and impatient with. So heading to the office, coffee shops, LifeLabs, the mall, etc., were all on our priority list.
She also had her GDBart assessment this month. It’s a standard test that has the dog go through almost a simple obstacle course. They work with a person they have never met and do a few skills, a little bit of body handling, and other things. This can help the PADS staff know how the dog is maturing, how they feel about working, and how they respond to a different (and possibly stressful) situation. Shadow, true to form, was a willing and engaged pupil.
The big thing this month was that we did a two-week puppy swap with another raiser in our class. Shadow was paired with a fabulous lady who lives in a busy area of Vancouver. Learning a new neighbourhood and routine and that the same rules apply no matter who you are with is a valuable lesson for our dogs. Shadow’s biggest struggle was having to toilet on busier roads, where her privacy couldn’t always be ensured! Such a little princess…
Submitted by: Kailea and Suzanne
