Training, Day 3

Last night Mindy slept with Evan and she seemed to do very well relaxing on the bed. It was great to see Evan and Mindy forming their bond.

In class today we got to hear about each family's experience at the hotel. We practiced obedience and they gave us each a Mutt Mat and Evan picked a bright green one. Mindy seemed quite comfortable in her place on it!

Aria volunteered again today and spent a lot of time with a puppy named Rainbow. She had trouble getting her back in the cage so she climbed in to demonstrate -- what a funny sight to find them both in the cage!

We also worked on getting Mindy to lay down under a table. This will be especially good at restaurants but we'll use this at home too. We also learned the command, "lap" for Mindy to lay her head on Evan's lap for soothing and behavior disruption. Evan liked petting her and giving her treats. He told Jeremy, the trainer, how helpful this will be when he has to get shots.

During class we also watched a Golden Retriever who is trained to pick up dropped items for a boy in a wheelchair and a Papillion who is trained as a hearing dog for a college student. It was amazing to watch these dogs do their jobs!

When we left 4 Paws for Ability today we were all tired. Back at the hotel we had dinner and practiced our homework so we are ready for tomorrow. We will have our first public access (except for the hotel) tomorrow at the Mall! Nine families with nine service dogs in training at a mall -- what a sight we will be!