Friday, such fun!

Right wonky followers before Miranda comes on the beeb, let’s share our day of naughty moments.

Wonkywarrior can be rather erm, mischievous at times and I’m going to level the first ‘boob’ at Elbie as he nudged to the door button in the breakfast room.

SIN number 1- the rules are not to do switches until shown officially.
Naughty and bad wonkywarrior followed Elbies clever nose and did an Up Switch. Naughty badness….

Forgiven, for now, we all went to the retail park and did some toy shopping for Elbie. The most challenging part was visiting the lift in one of the shops.
We queued up and took our turn at the lift.

Waiting patiently we didn’t spot her… The fast groper.
She dashed round the aisle and without a word while the guy in front was doing the most complex bit of ‘lift routine’ she ruffled the dog and the poor dog didn’t know what was going on. The guy in front didn’t know what had hit him, and even the trainer was caught by surprise. With a dog in livery in mid training, that’s totally unacceptable so the trainer said ‘we are training so please don’t touch the dogs!’

Soon enough it was our turn and following the same routine we did yesterday in the canine partners lift, we did the whole routine, first on the one floor and the we travelled in the lift to the first floor.
Elbie was a complete star.

Smartly he came and sat in my car and he’s getting used to jumping in and checking out the doors and ramps and harness to keep him safe.

After lunch we had a rest and I played with Elbie and his new toys- I was late to the session and that’s SIN 2.
We tried hard with getting the approaching public scenarios right. All of us wanted to get it right but a keen public person who wants to grope your dog and the nice one who says ‘hello, please can I say hello to your dog’ are poles apart. The key is whatever happens we Sit the dog and keep him safe.

All of us were feeling a bit ‘oh this is HARD’ and so wonkywarrior, being of quirky mind went for the unusual answer… ‘Ooh can I pat your dog? What does he do for you?!

WW- ‘he flys planes, drives cars and picks up his own sh..’

Heheheheh

Well! That lightened the mood.
We did Up Switch routine outside the drippy door.

After, I was on my way back to the chalet with my waggy fella and the lass next door asked for a bit of company while we waited for the trainers to work with us later.

So, Elbie and me Lass and her dog were all in my chalet and we had a chat and a drink. Elbie and her dog are best friends from puppy classes and enjoyed a lick and wag. I tethered Elbie safely and Lasses dog went to sleep on the counterpane from the bed I put on the floor for some comfort. In a few minutes both dogs dozing, we were having a good giggle.
Then the knock came.
Yes!
It was the trainers and their faces were a picture when I opened the door and they saw 2 wonkywarriors and 2 dogs!

Oh dear! Sin binned for not having both Waggy friends tethered at all times, but actually think they were pleased we’ve got a chummy group.

Bit of background stress today with troubling messages about our middle daughter bubble and also that young miss Boo is not keen at all on sleeping without mum.
It’s really hard not being able to change where we all are.
I’ve sent off an email and ring a few people re Bubble and encouraged Mr as much as I can with Boo. Also spoken on skype. But the not being at home is a difficult thing.

All set for going into the weekend,
We know what’s what. Plan set for coping with visitors and making it a happy time.
Got two sessions, sat and sun mornings.

Elbie simply adores his new squeaky snake and tugging toy. It’s lovely to see him play.

Canines, here are your humans.

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.