Training, day 4

I can't believe it's already day four of training! It's amazing how fast time is flying here, I can't quite process the fact that we'll be home in a little over a week! Today was a good day for us! We worked indipendently on a route we'd been practicing all week from the downtown center in Portland, to a relieving area where our dogs can do their business, to a Starbucks, and back to the downtown center. We did well figuring things out as a team. I got lost in a couple of places, but was able to problem solve and figure things out. Eventually, I got back on track and got where I needed to be. My dog did great work! She cleared me around pedestrians, found every curb perfectlyand even crossed the street correctly when I wasn't lined up perfectly. She's a solid little girl on her street crossings, and I'm so happy with her work! I especially loved the fact that we were able to get lost and find ourselves again with confidence and teamwork! It was an amazing feeling! When we got back to campus, we worked on patterning Lenore to find doors, and chairs using clicker training. She nailed everything I asked her to find, I am so amazed by her patterning abilities and am looking forward to testing whem with some of you're help when I get home! After dinner, chicken and a baked potato, we cleaned our dogs ears and brushed their teeth! Lenore didn't object to either one of these things, like my previous dogs have. She sat very still when I was cleaning her ears and licked the toothpaist when I brushed her teeth. I was impressed! After that, we snuggled some more on the beanbag chair (we both love that bonding experience and it's great to see her so happy and wiggly) Tomorrow, I think we go downtown again and after that have our meetings with the instructors. My instructor asked if I could bring my iPad so that we can launch google earth and bring up the crazy crossing by my house so that we can start working on the best way to work through that. Some of you will get the pleasure of helping me pattern my dog to this crossing! I hope you're ready, because it should be fun! :) That's about all I have for tonight's instrallment! I will let you know how my route and meeting go tomorrow! Thanks for reading!