Rise and shine, up and at ’em and off we go into breakfast and the start of the day for 9 o’clock.
Bowl of muesli, a pear and 2 cups of tea beefed up the wonkywarrior constitution and we we smiling at the trainers and doing a very good behaviour routine.
Actually Steven was talking mostly about the dog behaviour routines and what we were up to during the day. It’s changed a lot over the years and priority one is to bond with/ fall in love with your dog and for that relationship to flourish.
That way Elbie will do things for me and I will do things with him and it will all come together.
I did giggle because everyone was kept awake by the moggy brigade that train the dogs in the art of CAT IGNORING. Moggy staking turns to meeeeow loudly outside people’s doors and windows. The only one who likes cats here is me, did I hear a thing? No! The cats aren’t interested in the people who like them, they really go all out to convert the kitty phobes. (Unsuccessful mission there…!)
Ok engines ready and they’re off. Yes off we go being shown round the site. It’s big and got a lot to it. Further, you get a copy of the magazineand to look at the reception area while you are waiting about.
Then you are in and getting the fixing to your chair to have the lead.
Now, I had tried the D ring with cable ties and following an incident in the undies section of Marks and Sparks and the conga- ing attached mannequins, it came off….
So this time I’ve come for the zigzag one
Here’s Steve sorting it for me, who’d have thought a dog trainer needed to be able to handle an Allen key?
Then we did the DANCE
This dance is where you practice going in and of doors…. You might think, aged 37 I’d have a fairly secure sense of how to get through a door, even with a wheelchair.
But now I need to relearn something about doors to get me and my Waggy Pal safety through, so here’s the dance.
You get close.
Human partner to the right, Waggy to the right and Waggy has to sit. Then wait.
Human (wonky variety) then gets in a pickle un hooping the lead
And trying to go through without dragging or leaving the dog. So “waaaaaait” in a calm and chatty voice with a lot of praise and and friendly sit at the end is roughly it.
Plenty of practice. Talk over coffee about the incentives for pour dogs needing to be voice based interspersed with pleased facial expressions and toys / treats as extra lovely moments deserve lovely prizes.
Then we had our dogs, all afternoon.
We did spend time playing and settling together. I found Elbies favourite music is classical and he’s very calm and frankly the most lovely dog.
In the exercise yard he was brilliant.
But my favourite bit of the day was feeling at home and settled with him, next to me.
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