Day Six

Happy Saturday! Although most of you were enjoying the weekend, we had class today at CCI. We started the day with a lecture on learning theory. This is an important lecture because much of the information can be used later to problem solve or teach or unteach the dog different behaviors. Along with the lecture, we watched a video made by the trainers that demonstrated how physical cues can become distracting to the dogs. The video also demonstrated the effects of bad dog handling and how quickly dogs pick up on patterns. The video was very educational, but also entertaining due to the acting skills of the trainers. It was amusing. Following our lecture we had our first outting as a group. We went out to eat at a restaurant called the Cracker Barrel. My dog was a star. He did a down and stayed there through the entire meal. As we went to leave the people as the next table were surprised to see a dog! They hadn't noticed he was even there!! CCI considers this the highest form of a compliment you can recieve as a service dog team. YEAH US!!

After lunch we went back to CCI and had cake and ice cream to celebrate the graduation of the facilities teams that graduate today. I don't know how they fit it all into one week.

Following the "party" we had a lecture on public access and the laws regarding service dogs. This was a nice lecture because we were given lots of hand outs that will be helpful when issues come up. We even got a small book that states the laws for each state in the United
States. This lecture was followed up with another video showing how graduate teams should handle being denied access to public areas. It was a good lecture with lots of helpful information. I know it will be useful in the future.

Finally, we were "released" from class for the weekend and get to have our dogs with us! Tomorrow morning I am going to meet with Beth Schroeder (Ezra's puppyraiser) for brunch. She is here because the last dog that she turned in is graduating today as a facility dog!!

After class Darin and I were brave and visited a park with Kim (a classmate) and David (her husband). We visited a Dam and took our dogs for a walk on a walking path. It was nice to get outside and enjoy the weather.

It was fun having my dog home last night. I am happy to announce that he is already going to the bathroom on a somewhat regular schedule!! This is a key concern for next week when we will be having lots of field trips and accidents are a common occurence. I am hoping I can make it through this second week without any accidents in public places. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

I was a little surprised last night to learn how playful my new dog is. He has a lot of energy and seems to really enjoying playing retrieve. His favorite toy so far seems to be tennis balls. I am feeling really good about the placement. Things seem to be working out really well. My biggest concern is introducing my new dog to Ezra. I am hoping that Ezra will adjust to his life of retirement with ease and will be able to accept a new dog into our "pack".

I hope that everyone has received the letter I sent out!! Enjoy your weekend and look forward to more updates and pictures next week.