[nagdu] Working Dog Weekend

[Lori Dent]

Hi all,
 
On Sunday June 14, 2015, Rick Gipp and I along with The DeCarlo's and their  puppy FLD Clancy  attended Working Dog Weekend again this year.
 
Working Dog Weekend is held every year in June at the Lake Farm Park in Kirtland, Ohio. Working Dog Weekend is a 2 day event which features all breeds of
dogs that  have a certain     job or task to do. For example, we have search and rescue dogs, police dogs,  service dogs, therapy dogs,dogs that heard
sheep and so many  more dogs of all sizes that have some type of job or work that they perform  or do. Also, their were a lot of rescue groups out hear
and all kinds of different organisations  or businesses  out hear promoting their products  for dogs.
 
Working Dog Weekend   usually has hundreds  of dogs that attend this 2 day event. I'm not sure how many dogs  that were 
 there on Sunday when we were there but there were quite a few dogs there.
 
Rick and Gipp and I arrived at Working Dog Weekend at Lake Farm Park a little before noon. The DeCarlo's and FLD Clancy were already there. Linda and I
had a Leader Dog presentation  and demonstration  to do at 1:30 PM in the arena.
 
We got to meet FLD Clancy for the first time and let me just say he's one adorable  little guy and so sweet. Gipp didn't seen to mind the little guy
 
Gipp was a little excited when we  got to the farm park and started walking from the van to the arena where  a lot of stuff was taking place. Gipp is a
whiner  and he was whining a lot when we got there and I had to quiet him down  and he even barked at the dogs he saw  at least once or twice. But once
we got into the arena and made are way around to where Linda and Ron DeCarlo was  and  we said are hellos and got to see little FLD Clancy  for the first
time.
 
I decided to take my clicker and some of Gipp's food with me so that I could do some obedience  with Gipp with all the  other dogs around  so that I could
get Gipp to calm down and focus on me and after doing some obedience with Gipp  and using the clicker and the touch  technique  he calmed down and was
fine.
 
At 1:30 PM this afternoon Linda  Gipp and I went in the middle of the
arena to talk about Leader Dogs, puppy  raising  and   what  my Leader Dog Gipp does  for me. Rick my fiancee  also helped with the Leader Dog demonstration.
Rick ended up setting up a little obstacle course  with chairs and some other things  so  that Gipp and I could demonstrate how my Leader Dog Gipp takes
me around obstacles in my path. Also, we have a pretend  curb and door we use to demonstrate  how Gipp stops for curbs and how Gipp takes me through doors
depending on which way they open. But the big demonstration that Gipp and I do is the traffic check with the car. Ron DeCarlo will take their car into
the arena to the other side  of  the arena and wait. I will stand on the other end of the arena  with Gipp. Linda will explain  to the audience  about
how Gipp will stop and clock me from a moving car that is coming in front of us and how he will ignore my command to go forward if it's not safe  and how
the intelligent  disobedience works.
 
I started started driving from the other end of t walking in the arena  going forward  and Ron  started  driving the car from the other end of the arena
and as the car got closer to Gipp and I  going to cross in front of us Gipp stopped and  put his body in front  of me blocking me from proceeding forward.
Gipp did a perfect traffic check  like I knew he would. I was so proud of him and the audience was very impressed with the demonstration. This demonstration
just shows the audience  a little bit what my Leader Dog  does for me to keep us  safe. 
 
I had people coming up to me asking questions  afterwards about my dog. I had one lady ask me why  the dog couldn't be petted and I explained the reason
why.
 
We  all rode on a  trolley like thing that had benches  for people to sit on that was pulled by a tractor and little FLD Clancy did a fantastic job just
laying there  while  the driver of the tractor pulled the trolley with all of us on it  and took us up to the other building we wanted to go in that had
more organizations  with their  dog products to cell. Plus we ate in the cafeteria /restaurant they had there. Everyone  who saw little Clancy just thought
he was so cute and adorable . 
 
We all had a good time and both Gipp and little FLD Clancy did great. I was so proud of my boy. On the way home Gipp slept the entire trip back home. Take
care.
 
Lori and the Gipper