Training, day 8

Today marked day 8 of training, and our final full day in Portland! Tomorrow we spend the morning in downtown Portland and go to the airport to practic going through seccurity in the afternoon. I'm not at all worried about this, I'm kind of an old hand at it now, though it's a good thing to work through with a new dog just to see how they do. Friday, we hang out and pack, as well as take a quick trip to a park and another mall. Lenore is completely recovered from her alergic reaction, and she did great work for me today! This morning, we went on the lightrail system and a city buss. She handled both of these situations beautifully, and was good at getting herself out of the way when I needed her to. After lunch, we went back to the mall, did more escalator work, and went into the Apple store. Lenore was completely unphaised by the crazy Apple store environment and heeled and worked well in the crowds. She also did great escalator work once again, I know taht she'll be ready for the DC metro when we get home on Sunday! On our way home, we stopped at a large off set crossing, very similar to the one by my house. We were able to pattern Lenore well using food, and show her exactly where to stop at the down curb, island, and up curb. We showed her each individual portion, worked her through that particular poartion, and went onto the next sighted guide. We repeated the process a few times and eventually worked her through the whole intersection. She is such a smart girl! She got the instersection correct onthe very first try. The key to success when I get home will be to have someone work with us a few times, take me across the street, show her what's expected,and then work her through. I'll probably do it in a couple of sessions, I'm thinking one before lunch, have lunch, and work her through it again. My instructor said she should get it after only a few times, but the trick will be getting her patterned the first time, to avoid any errors on either of our parts. I feel good about htis plan of action, and will look forward to working this through! The highlight of my evening came about an hour ago when her puppy raisers from Colorado called! She was primarily raised by a high school student, now in college, and her mother, both of whom can't wait to come this weekend and see her graduate! I am so honored that they're coming all the way from Denver and glad they're so excited to see her. I'm also really looking forward to spending time with them! They seem like really wonderful people, and I can't wait to meet them and learn more about them this weekend! That's about all I've got. I'm very tired, but ready for tomorrow! Goodnight from Portland! Thanks for reading!