School Dayz - Week 5
Once again we get a "half" week of school in due to the "snow" we supposedly got. So we only have a Wednesday class this week.
One of the big "things" in dog training is, recognizing your mistakes and looking for steps to correct them. Last week I realized there were multiple things I could have done to prevent last weeks escapade; so this week we are going to make sure:
We arrived early, and I forced myself to get out of the car immediately upon parking. (hey its cold out!) First change instead of getting all my stuff out and then going to potty him; We busied first and then explored the outer rim of the parking lot; a steep hill with lots of tempting smells. For Pompei. Not me. :) After about a 5 minutes of that, I was freezing, and we headed back to my car, and got my stuff, and put on his coat.
Our next goal was to get some exercise in before our first class of the day. So we walked to the furthest building on campus, so I could get some caffeine. As we were walking, we encountered a lady and her husband who was blind. We spent a long time chatting with them, and as it turns out not only did he once have a guide from Leader Dogs, but there is a couple of other guides on campus! Way cool! IMO!
Pompei did very well during this time, alternating between lying quietly at my feet, and soaking up the attention of passers by.
After that we had about 10 minutes to get to class, so we hurried toward our building. He's gotten a lot of stair practice in at home, so we confidently took to the first flight of steps. He sped up all three flights as if he'd been doing it all of his life. I was so proud of him.
Class time. The moment of truth. He came in, went under the desk and laid down. (ON HIS OWN) He Slept through the whole class, walked to our next class, and did the same. Yesss!
I left him with my sister playing with a toy, while I headed on to work.
I knew all he needed was to get some energy out, but it doesn't make it any less hard knowing what you need to do, and not being able to accomplish that. Eventually I want him to be able to be calm and quiet regardless of his energy level, but for now I've got to be the one to set him up for success.
And this defiantly counts as a success!
One of the big "things" in dog training is, recognizing your mistakes and looking for steps to correct them. Last week I realized there were multiple things I could have done to prevent last weeks escapade; so this week we are going to make sure:
1. Pompei has enough exercise
2. I am clearly letting him know what I want him to do
3. I am obviously rewarding him for compliance
Our next goal was to get some exercise in before our first class of the day. So we walked to the furthest building on campus, so I could get some caffeine. As we were walking, we encountered a lady and her husband who was blind. We spent a long time chatting with them, and as it turns out not only did he once have a guide from Leader Dogs, but there is a couple of other guides on campus! Way cool! IMO!
Pompei did very well during this time, alternating between lying quietly at my feet, and soaking up the attention of passers by.
Class time. The moment of truth. He came in, went under the desk and laid down. (ON HIS OWN) He Slept through the whole class, walked to our next class, and did the same. Yesss!
I left him with my sister playing with a toy, while I headed on to work.
I knew all he needed was to get some energy out, but it doesn't make it any less hard knowing what you need to do, and not being able to accomplish that. Eventually I want him to be able to be calm and quiet regardless of his energy level, but for now I've got to be the one to set him up for success.
And this defiantly counts as a success!
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