Dogventures Day 9: Appreciating the Steady

Today turned out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect for outdoor work.

 

?After the usual routine, we went to obedience. The instructors are backing off now and allowing us to go through the obedience routine which typically consists of two sits, two downs, two stays while the dog is sitting and I go to the end of the leash, two downs while having them stay as I go to the end of the leash and return, and finally two sits and downs where they stay and then we heel them to us. The distraction of the morning was that adorable German Shepherd who was off leash and wanting to play with the other dogs. While Treble can be quite dog distracted, she did a great job this morning.

 

after breakfast, we went to the Lounge in White plains. I was interviewed by the social media coordinator at Guiding Eyes for bios that will go up on the website. I’ll be sure to post a link when that happens.

 

The first route that we walked went very well. Treble approaches down curbs very well and her street crossings are excellent. We went to Macy’s and did more indoor work with the specific focus of going up and down escalators. We both did a great job and I was happy to know that I didn’t forget anything concerning previous escalator work.

 

I showed my instructor some pictures and an article about the Ride share bicycles that are parked haphazardly all over the Seattle area and pose a risk for pedestrians and it sounds like we will simulate the issues that Treble and I may come across during our daily commute.

 

After lunch, we did the second route. This one was filled with distractions, which made me very happy. Treble has really been testing the boundaries with me, which I was expecting and frankly am happy that she’s doing so. This gives me the opportunity to enforce consistent boundaries and rules with her. She is very stubborn, but so am I. It’s going along nicely.

 

We walked down narrow sidewalks, going around tables and lots of pedestrians. There was very loud construction that did not phase Treble at all. She simply walked past all of it. We did some reworking of errors, but all in all, it was a wonderful day.

 

On the way back, we had a lot of fun with van pool karaoke singing songs like ‘Party in the USA’, ‘Wrecking Ball’, ‘This Love’, ‘Say My Name’, and a lot of others.

 

Tonight, I’m just taking some time to regroup. I’ve been playing a game on my iPhone called Seed Ship which is a replayable game involving a ship with sleeping colonists and you must choose to colonize a planet or keep going at risk of damaging vital systems of the ship. It offers great replay value and the class teased me about making some pretty heartless decisions.

 

I’m looking forward to seeing what Treble and I accomplish tomorrow!

 

Food Report

Breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, slivered almonds, and brown sugar and a side of sausage

Lunch: Greek salad with chicken, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, and a yogurt dressing

Dinner: Pepper steak, brown rice, green beans, and a Gluten-free chocolate chip muffin