Rex and I are continuing to train regularly. I have been taking him to Walmart when I am up to it. Our last visit I needed to buy a couple of things which I couldn't carry in my arms, so we took a cart. This was only his second time with a cart, and I was really pleased with how nicely he walked alongside me. The first item was another freezer pack in the sporting goods sections, then we headed across the store to get a large jar of coconut oil in the grocery side of the store.
We are still working in our regular training places including the training building, hardware stores, Tractor Supply, Petsmart, local parks, etc., but we added a few new places since the last update.
Rex had his first visits to Harbor Freight Tools and Walgreens. He did a really nice job in both stores. He is walking nicely with me as we approach and enter stores. This took a good deal of work, and of course we'll continue working on it.
He has also been riding in the van in his Sleepypod Clickit Sport safety harness rather than in a crate. Depending on who is with me and what I'm carrying, he has ridden in different seats and done fine with it. He seems to be more relaxed as we arrive at whatever our destination is now that he can see the travel route and approach.
I was very happily surprised that on the occasion we needed to drive my little Honda CRX Rex needed no coaxing to hop into his seat and was very relaxed for the whole trip. The Honda is so different from the van, much smaller, very low to the ground, a manual transmission, and a somewhat loud exhaust.
We also spent some extra time at the training building this week.
On Wednesday we attended our training club's pot luck dinner and meeting. Rex got to ride in the van in his harness with Veronica and her SDiT Hestia with us. I wasn't sure if he'd settle for the trip or not, so I had his crate in the back in case, but we didn't need it. He was wonderful!
At the pot luck he layed at my feet right net to Veronica and Hestia and behaved himself even with people eating plates of food all around him and next to him. I wasn't eating, so I was able to stay focused on him. Toward the end of the meeting he started getting a little antsy, but he really did well for such a long down time.
On Thursday morning we went to help setup for our club's agilty trial. Rex hung out in his crate in the van with the tailgate up while I helped move jumps and equipment. I took him out for a break for a bit, then put him back in his crate to work a little more. When I ran out of steam I brought him out again, and we just hung out for awhile until the sun gave me a migraine, and I had to head home to medicate and rest.
On Saturday we returned to the training building to spectate and visit friends at the trial. This was terrific for the ongoing training to get him used to working with other dogs around. He also got to be petting by a couple of training savvy friends who made sure he was sitting nicely and behaving to get his pets.
Last, but not least, he had his first two visits to the public restroom at the training building where he was asked to sit and wait with me in the stall. He did a pretty good job, although he was somewhat curious. He doesn't have access to our bathrooms at home, so he was intrigued with the movement of the toilet paper on the roll. He wasn't entirely sure about the loud flush as we exited, glancing back at it as we exited, but he didn't seem overly concerned.
Until the next update...
March 14, 2016
March 5, 2016
New Places
Rex had some new experiences since my last update. We went to two different Goodwill stores. The first was very crowded, but I was able to keep him somewhat focused on me with reminders. The second store wasn't quite so busy and had a little more maneuvering room. He did quite well there.
We had another training outing with friends. Our little group is now up to four. Working alongside the other dogs and handlers is great for him. He's really interested when he sees other dogs, so walking and training with our friends is helping him learn to relax and focus around other dogs.
He also had his first trips to Walmart. The first was during the week and the store wasn't terribly busy. I was able to go in and get the hair ties I needed (Sizzle steals and eats them). They only had two checkout lanes open, so we had to wait in line for awhile, but Rex did a nice job waiting.
The second trip was on the weekend, and although the parking lot wasn't terribly full as we pulled in, it seemed half the town pulled in with us. Inside it was really busy. We encountered tons of people, carts, pallet movers and a kid bouncing a ball twice. It was a lot for Rex to handle, and in hindsight, it was too much too soon. He did okay, but he was really distracted, and it was stressful for both of us.
On another day Rex had his first introduction to walking with a shopping cart. This was at the Tractor Supply where he's very comfortable. I actually needed the cart to carry a couple of things. He did a terrific job with it!
A third visit to WalMart went well. I need to grab another ice pack for keeping treats cool on the go. I kept it short and to the point. Just enough to let Rex have a calmer Walmart experience. He was somewhat distracted but still did well.
We worked heeling and manners at Lowes hardware again, and he worked very nicely for me. Many of the employees comment on how he's improving or ask how he's coming along. I love that!
We also visited Home Depot again to train. He did a super job. I even felt confident enough to purchase a houseplant. Normally I wouldn't chance a hard to carry item like a hanging plant while I'm training him.
I needed to pick up a prescription from my doctor's office on Wednesday. We got lucky and had to wait a bit. Yes! That was lucky. I was really pleased to be able to sit and just let Rex lay down and get used to the waiting room and the staff. My doctor even came out to meet him and say hello.
Afterwards we stopped at the pharmacy to fill the prescription. While there we got in some heeling work as well as distracting people work. I noticed that Rex did a great job ignoring the merchandise too.
Finally, we stopped in at WalMart again. I planned to let Rex determine what we did and how long we stayed. I upped the usual reinforcement schedule wanting to make this a fun and stress-free (as much as possible) visit. He did a great job, giving me wonderful attention and heeling. We were able to walk around a lot, just enjoying looking at the different merchandise. We even ventured into the grocery section, and he was wonderful!
We've had a couple of days off, but today we'll meet up with friends again for our training walk.
Until the next update...
We had another training outing with friends. Our little group is now up to four. Working alongside the other dogs and handlers is great for him. He's really interested when he sees other dogs, so walking and training with our friends is helping him learn to relax and focus around other dogs.
He also had his first trips to Walmart. The first was during the week and the store wasn't terribly busy. I was able to go in and get the hair ties I needed (Sizzle steals and eats them). They only had two checkout lanes open, so we had to wait in line for awhile, but Rex did a nice job waiting.
The second trip was on the weekend, and although the parking lot wasn't terribly full as we pulled in, it seemed half the town pulled in with us. Inside it was really busy. We encountered tons of people, carts, pallet movers and a kid bouncing a ball twice. It was a lot for Rex to handle, and in hindsight, it was too much too soon. He did okay, but he was really distracted, and it was stressful for both of us.
On another day Rex had his first introduction to walking with a shopping cart. This was at the Tractor Supply where he's very comfortable. I actually needed the cart to carry a couple of things. He did a terrific job with it!
A third visit to WalMart went well. I need to grab another ice pack for keeping treats cool on the go. I kept it short and to the point. Just enough to let Rex have a calmer Walmart experience. He was somewhat distracted but still did well.
We worked heeling and manners at Lowes hardware again, and he worked very nicely for me. Many of the employees comment on how he's improving or ask how he's coming along. I love that!
We also visited Home Depot again to train. He did a super job. I even felt confident enough to purchase a houseplant. Normally I wouldn't chance a hard to carry item like a hanging plant while I'm training him.
I needed to pick up a prescription from my doctor's office on Wednesday. We got lucky and had to wait a bit. Yes! That was lucky. I was really pleased to be able to sit and just let Rex lay down and get used to the waiting room and the staff. My doctor even came out to meet him and say hello.
Afterwards we stopped at the pharmacy to fill the prescription. While there we got in some heeling work as well as distracting people work. I noticed that Rex did a great job ignoring the merchandise too.
Finally, we stopped in at WalMart again. I planned to let Rex determine what we did and how long we stayed. I upped the usual reinforcement schedule wanting to make this a fun and stress-free (as much as possible) visit. He did a great job, giving me wonderful attention and heeling. We were able to walk around a lot, just enjoying looking at the different merchandise. We even ventured into the grocery section, and he was wonderful!
We've had a couple of days off, but today we'll meet up with friends again for our training walk.
Until the next update...
February 21, 2016
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
Rex had some new training experiences the past week or so along with some familiar ones. I'm very pleased with the progress he's making at just over 9 months old.
We met up with friends to train at Home Depot on a Saturday. It was mobbed! As we were standing in front of the store someone walked by with their barking dachshunds. Rex worked hard and held his sit-stay at first, but eventually the ruckus was too much for him to ignore. He stood up wanting to go check the other dogs out. I turned him away from them and had him sit and refocus on me.
Once inside the weekend crowd was a bit much for him. After going back outside to focus we went in again and worked on heeling, sits, stays and downs (and of course attention) through the aisles.
Home Depot is one of our regular training places, but the huge Saturday crowd made this visit more challenging than usual.
I picked a quiet day this past week to visit the Museum of York County so I could introduce Rex to the taxidermy there. Often we don't consider how a dog might react to things like that. For a future service dog it's important to make sure your dog is comfortable with all sorts of things. Rex was a little concerned when we passed the first big cat at the museum, but with encouragement and treats he gradually became more and more comfortable with the different displays. We also listened to some owl calls at the owl display. Since we were alone and I was focused on Rex we didn't get any photos. Maybe next time.
Another new experience this week was popping into Office Max after doing some training at Petsmart. I wanted to just walk Rex past some stores there in the shopping center with the traffic and people going by, and he was doing great heeling along with me on the sidewalk. I was super thirsty. Since he was doing so well I decided we'd go into the Office Max so I could grab a bottle of water. Rex did a nice job heeling with me and sitting/downing when asked.
The other new thing we did this week was voting in the presidential primary. Our polling place wasn't too crowded, and we were able to move through without any waiting. This was not only a new place, but different in setup and different from what we usually do. Rex needed a few reminders to focus on me and heel, but he behaved nicely.
Other places we visited and trained were Lowes hardware, Tractor Supply, Riverwalk and we met up with Veronica and Hestia again to train at Cherry Park.
Aside from the people and other dogs to work around both, Riverwalk and Cherry Park have grates to train on. The first time Rex encountered a grate he did not want to set foot on it, but now he's happy to step on one when I ask.
Also at Cherry Park we encountered another small dogs barking challenge. This time Rex held his sit-stay with no problem!
We met up with friends to train at Home Depot on a Saturday. It was mobbed! As we were standing in front of the store someone walked by with their barking dachshunds. Rex worked hard and held his sit-stay at first, but eventually the ruckus was too much for him to ignore. He stood up wanting to go check the other dogs out. I turned him away from them and had him sit and refocus on me.
 |
| Training at Home Depot with Michelle & Beep and Veronica & Hestia |
Once inside the weekend crowd was a bit much for him. After going back outside to focus we went in again and worked on heeling, sits, stays and downs (and of course attention) through the aisles.
 | ||||
| Working on staying nicely. Rex really wanted to go see Hestia! |
Home Depot is one of our regular training places, but the huge Saturday crowd made this visit more challenging than usual.
I picked a quiet day this past week to visit the Museum of York County so I could introduce Rex to the taxidermy there. Often we don't consider how a dog might react to things like that. For a future service dog it's important to make sure your dog is comfortable with all sorts of things. Rex was a little concerned when we passed the first big cat at the museum, but with encouragement and treats he gradually became more and more comfortable with the different displays. We also listened to some owl calls at the owl display. Since we were alone and I was focused on Rex we didn't get any photos. Maybe next time.
Another new experience this week was popping into Office Max after doing some training at Petsmart. I wanted to just walk Rex past some stores there in the shopping center with the traffic and people going by, and he was doing great heeling along with me on the sidewalk. I was super thirsty. Since he was doing so well I decided we'd go into the Office Max so I could grab a bottle of water. Rex did a nice job heeling with me and sitting/downing when asked.
The other new thing we did this week was voting in the presidential primary. Our polling place wasn't too crowded, and we were able to move through without any waiting. This was not only a new place, but different in setup and different from what we usually do. Rex needed a few reminders to focus on me and heel, but he behaved nicely.
Other places we visited and trained were Lowes hardware, Tractor Supply, Riverwalk and we met up with Veronica and Hestia again to train at Cherry Park.
Aside from the people and other dogs to work around both, Riverwalk and Cherry Park have grates to train on. The first time Rex encountered a grate he did not want to set foot on it, but now he's happy to step on one when I ask.
Also at Cherry Park we encountered another small dogs barking challenge. This time Rex held his sit-stay with no problem!
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