Every dog has his day. . .or not

Hello all,

I had hoped to be posting today that we passed our evaluation with flying colors, but alas, I cannot.

Mom and I worked very hard this week, the conference was a great experience (more on that in another post). We went through our grooming regimen yesterday and practiced some this morning on the things that could cause us trouble. That went smoothly.

When I walked in the rehab center I was raring to go. The ladies that were there to check our paperwork and show us to the waiting room were so nice. Mom was in good spirits and I was relaxed and ready to get this done.

We came into the evaluation room and started to walk around the room so we could get familiar with the space and so I could sniff around.

And then we turned a corner and I slipped. And when my feet slipped so did my confidence. I felt like I couldn't trust the floor. Mom took me outside and walked me around to see if I could shake it off. And the ladies that were helping with the evaluation petted me and gave me treats to see if I could overcome my feeling that the floor was going to make me slip again.

Mom, after given some wise advice from several people, decided that it would do more damage to me and all the work and training we have done to proceed with the evaluation.

Sure we were disappointed - everything really seemed to be going in our favor and we had good momentum. No one would have ever guessed that a slip on a floor would be so derailing.

So we now have our homework. More work with slippery floors between now and December!

Mom and I want to thank you all for all the support and encouragement you have given us and know that we have not given up! We just need to work on floors. :)

Take care ya'll - paws out!

Sammy

Another coaching/practice session = light bulb moment

Hello there - happy Monday!

Mom installed the 'bark to text' program on her laptop so I can post while she's at work. Clever human, my mom. At times.

Yesterday we had a chance to take another run at the requirements for the therapy team evaluation, which is 6 days away now.

Mom and I worked with Debb and Mary, who are fabulous by the way (such great treats and hugs and pets!) on what we will be required to do next Sunday during our evaluation.

So, Mom and I are working on "out for a walk"  and "neutral dog" when Mary points out to Mom that when she talks to me while we are walking, I pay close attention and don't wander off or get ahead of her. That I pay very close attention to her and I key off her voice/verbal commands.

I could see the light bulb turn on for Mom. And if you think about it, it makes complete sense. I am mostly Border Collie and herding dogs are experts in working off verbal cues as we may not be able to see the person giving us the command. When Mom speaks, I listen. It's instinct for me. I am so glad that Mary was able to tell this to her as it helped to make a few troublesome exercises much easier.

Debb gave us some good pointers too. That rubbing my chest really calms me down, not to tug on the leash, and to be sure my tail is up when I am standing up for inspection. And Debb gives the best restraining hugs too!

So now, we just have to practice, practice, practice. We are cautiously optimistic about our evaluation on the 23rd. Keep your paws crossed for us!

That's all for now folks - sniff ya later!

Paws out,

Sammy

The Canine Good Citizenship test - how we did

Today Mom and I had our, well I guess my, Canine Good Citizenship test. There were 10 elements and we had to pass all ten. Now granted they are a bit more lenient on this test than the therapy team evaluation, but it s still a major step along the path to becoming a therapy team.

We had a few minor wobbles but apparently not enough to prevent us from passing. Which we did thank you very much!!!

Now passing the CGC does not in any way guarantee that we will pass or therapy team evaluation, but we are cautiously optimistic!

So onward and upwards!

Paws out home dawgs!

Samarilla

Graduation day!!

Greetings all!

Mom and I had our graduation from the beginner obedience class tonight. We had to do some of the skills by ourselves in front of the whole class, like "out for a walk" (I have to heel and not try to herd Mom), "sit for exam" (I sit and stay, Mom walks away and then Miss Donna walks over and pets me) and "come when called" (don't think I have to explain that one and if I do, well then  . . .). We did those really well!

Then as a class we had to do a one-minute sit-stay and a three minute down-stay. I got bored during the sit-stay and laid down. We lost points for that, but I aced the down stay. Actually it came at a good time because I was tired, so getting to lay down for 3 minutes was very nice.

Mom was calm, I was calm, and that was a very good thing. 

We spent Saturday and Sunday down in Oxford with the Coyote, and that was good too. Callie, Sophie and I got to run around in his back yard, go to Lamar Park for a good long walk and a swim in the massive pond at the park. After that it was time for a bath for all three of us, then we got our ears cleaned and our nails ground down. Callie and I got the fur that grows between the pads of our feet trimmed too. It was exhausting! But we all look and smell great!

With the beginner obedience behind us, we start advanced obedience on Thursday night. Any additional training we can do will only help us get better and more prepared for our therapy team work. And our evaluation on the 23rd.

So as we continue down the therapy team training path, one paw at a time. 

Sniff ya later  - paws out!

The Samster