I can't believe that I'm basically two thirds through class. Things here went well today. We did another bus to lounge route, and Jim did a great job. He got all the crossings correct and ignored a dog distraction. I was very happy with his work.
My class supervisor decided to move him from a martingale color to a choke color to help improve his sniffing issues and the move was a success. He was much more responsive to corrections today and two instructors felt like the choke was the right color for a big, active, high energy dog like him. Apparently, the choke was the standard color here until very recently when they switched to the martingale for some dogs, largely because of public image. In case you don't know, the Martingale is a flat color with a little chain piece, I liked it, but I do feel that the choke gives me more control and quicker response when I need to correct my dog.
When I was finished with my route (I went last because I was the time keeper again) I met some classmates for coffee at the Royal Ground, we worked our dogs down there as a group and they all did great!
When we got back here, we got a tour of the kennels which was a lot of fun! It was great to see where our dogs lived, and pet a puppy! He was a black lab named Keiko, and he was socute! After that I rested, had dinner, and went for a swim. It felt great to get in the pool after the heat we've had today in the bay area!
Tomorrow's a day off, so I'm having breakfast with a friend who lives here in San Rafael, and in the afternoon, my class is taking a trip up to a winary which should be fun! I'm looking forward to the day! I'll probably end it with dinner and a swim and on Monday, I'll start my last full week of training. This time next week, we'll be getting ready to go home. How did that happen? Part of me wants to go home, while the other part will miss this place and, of course, I'll miss the Bay area a lot. There's plenty to be excited for, and I'm up for the challenge. I think Jim is, too, and I'm looking forward to transitioning into our new life together.
Well, it's bedtime here. We're both tired and looking forward to tomorrow!
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I think Railey's and my class was the last one to have a standard issue chain collar. Railey is a sniffer too.
ReplyDeleteI never got to pet a puppy in the kennels. That makes me sad. Although, at graduation, Nancy Gardener had a little baby lab/golden cross that she let us pet. It was six weeks old. Very fluffy and adorable.
Do you still have the tradition of people coming and sitting at your table with you during lunch? Like board members and stuff?