Training, Day 5

The bond between Evan and Mindy is really starting to show more. She often chooses to sit next to him and he likes to give her treats so it's a good deal for both of them!

 

At training today Jeremy showed us how to use a tether to attach Evan to Mindy. We will do this in crowded areas where he tends to quietly wander off. It'll be nice to know we won't loose him.

In the afternoon we talked about grooming, nail trimming, ear cleaning, flea and tick prevention, heart worm prevention and appropriate play toys and chew toys. It was a lot of information and I'm glad they gave out handouts.

Today Uncle Chuck and Aunt Debby arrived for a few days. It was a nice surprise to have the come to Ohio to offer support. So many people are responsible for us having Mindy and it's great to share the experience.

Back at the hotel Rob took the kids to the pool and Chuck, Debby and I took Mindy for a walk to pick up dinner from a Thai restaurant two blocks away. Mindy was a star! She was absolutely perfect and I was so proud! She was in a perfect heel, even walking downstairs at the hotel and maintained a "down" position while we ordered and waited for our food and then again in the dining area in the lobby of the hotel.

4 Paws for Ability trains a three unit team to work the dogs and our team is Mindy, Rob and Evan. I still have to be able to handle Mindy and she has to recognize that the rules are the same with me, but Rob has worked with her much more so she listens better to him. I work with her at the hotel and she and I are developing nicely. This is why I was so proud of how well she listened to me when we were out.

Funny story of the day: Jeremy was showing us toys to avoid like realistic looking small animals. He suggested avoiding these so the dogs aren't encouraged to chase after animals in the wild or small pets like guinea pigs. The he pulls out a fox toy as an example of what not to get and Evan doesn't miss a beat and says, "you know, we have that exact fox toy at home for Dinky and he loves it!"Where is that table to crawl under?!