LOTS OF NEW THINGS

There were lots of new things to do today. Our morning trip involved a new route that was about 1.3 miles. There were more difficult crossings and more traffic. There were stores and more pedestrians out. It also includes sidewalk cafes and lots of driveways where traffic can cut us off. There is the ever-present supervisor who does his best to run us over with the Prius, or so it seems. Then there are the unplanned traffic checks from drivers at large to contend with.
It was to hot this afternoon to go out, but we will eventually do our next solo on this route.

This afternoon, each group went to a different store. Our trainer took the four of us to a department store to work on going up and down an escalator with our dogs. They are trained to walk onto the platform. We take the railing in our right hand and reach far in front of us so that we can tell when the stairs are beginning to flatten out. We hold the dog’s harness to keep it from going ahead of us. At the end, we let the harness go and heel the dog off. If the dog is not moving at the end of the ride, their toes can more easily get caught on the lip where the stairs end. I try to avoid escalators, but this is not always possible. This lab will not have the issues of long hair on the toes to get caught that Sydney had. It is important to keep the hair of a golden foot short for escalator work.

Following this, we went to a coffee shop for a drink and to visit.

Lectures today included one on how our dogs are trained to work in traffic and one on feeding, treats, and appropriate toys. We heard all the terrible things that can happen if the guidelines are not followed.

Over the weekend, we moved from the outer dining room to the one in the back. This means that we now have to work our dogs past other diners during the noon meal. Here, we can work on manners for the dogs in restaurants. No fraternizing with the customers. In this case, it is the kennel staff.

In and among everything else, I did my laundry today. It was time.

I woke very tired this morning and did not seem to have the emotional reserves for no good reason. Trinity is working well and there are no issues, still… I feel better this evening, but I do hope to get to bed earlier tonight.