[nagdu] Class Monday and age

[Tracy Carcione]

The dogs in this class seem to be between 20-24 months old.  2 are having
their 2nd birthday today.

Today we started the Elm Street route, which is longer and busier.  We
worked past a staff member standing on the sidewalk saying "Ooo, what a
beautiful dog!"  We got a traffic check from the hybrid.  We worked
through an area with trees in the middle of the sidewalk, and past a man
working up a ladder.  He must be having a worrisome day, with several
teams of new dogs going around him.  We passed a barking dog.  Krokus did
well with all these things, only needing verbal corrections.
We start working with the clicker this morning.
Last week, Friday I think, we started something TSE does I really
like--the shuttle.  Sue tells us which shuttle we're taking; we go down
when it's our time, get driven over to the downtown lounge, do our route,
and wait a few minutes afterwards for our shuttle back.  No more endless
waiting downtown.
Tracy

> This age is interesting. I had heard a while back they had moved back the
> age of sending out dogs at TSE, but lately it seems that the dogs are
> quite young again. Krokus is 21 months. I'm glad he is doing so well. He
> sounds absolutely adorable.
>
> Cindy
>
> On Nov 2, 2014, at 8:17 PM, Tracy Carcione via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>
>> Well, this is what happens to people who try to keep a journal in class;
>> more often than not they get distracted.
>> I found out Krokus's vital statistics.  He is 22.5 inches tall, 62
>> pounds,
>> and was born on 2/14/13, my  Valentine's boy!  His mama was the golden.
>> He has gold eyes.
>> Friday, we timed our afternoon trip to coincide with the time crowds of
>> kids were trick-or-treating on the main street in our route.  Krokus did
>> great!  He wasn't at all bothered by all the strange-looking people, and
>> he worked me through the crowds very well, for a brand-new dog, only
>> bumping me into a couple, and having to dodge people leaping about while
>> he did it.  Good boy!
>> Saturday, in the rain, we did the first solo.  At TSE, solo means
>> working
>> the route without the trainer's help unless you get really stuck.
>> Actually, I had a partner on the solo.  Krokus led me around a huge,
>> ankle-deep puddle.  He took me around a fallen awning or barrier of some
>> sort by an outdoor cafe, stopping to pick a flower off a bush while he
>> did
>> it.  He was distracted by a dog tied up outside Starbucks, but one
>> correction got him back to business.  I was very pleased.  Then, near
>> the
>> end, I took a funny step on a crack and fell down.  Krokus licked my
>> face
>> while I was scrambling up.  I think soon he will realize that I'm
>> something of a klutz.
>> On a couple early routes, he has made
>> small clearance erros, brushing my arm on a pole, but fixing it on the
>> rework.  He's delightfully easy to correct.
>> Today, we walked the leisure path on the TSE grounds a couple times.
>> First time through, he ran a small step, but we reworked it, and, next
>> time out, he was very cautious.
>> Tomorrow, we start the Elm Street route, wich is longer and more complex
>> with traffic and crowds.
>> We've had a couple traffic checks, starting Thursday afternoon, and he's
>> done great.  TSE does an outstanding job with traffic training.  This
>> week, we get at least one check from the hybrid vehicle.
>> In our time off, he's really sweet and a joy
>> to know.  If I sit on the floor, he will come over, put as much of
>> himself into mylap as possible, and either roll on his back and chew his
>> bone while I hold it, or, if he's tired, laye his head in my lap and
>> take
>> a nap.
>> His favorite game is tug, and I'm teaching him "That's enough", for when
>> I've had all the tugging I can deal with for a while.  I brought a
>> couple
>> toys with me, but I should have brought something sturdier.
>> We've done obedience with an animated toy and with food.  Sue threw a
>> pretzel right at Krokus's feet, and offered him another, pretending to
>> be
>> a friendly stranger, but he wouldn't go for it.  However, at other times
>> in the dining room he has lunged for dropped food, so we'll keep working
>> on that.
>> Oh, and he doesn't mind the gentle leader one bit.
>> At first, it was hard to get him to settle, but now he will curl up on
>> my
>> feet without much prompting to lie down.
>> He is a lovely dog.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
>>
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