We are winding down to home-going, and Kathie is one tired little dog. She is having a rest in the room this evening while I am in the lounge with a cup of hot tea writing this post. It is hard to believe that training is almost over. I will keep blogging after our arrival home–this is only the beginning of our journey, and it is only fair to keep everyone posted on how we are doing. Of course, if you are subscribed to my general feed you will also see that Kathie begins to take her place at my side as I go about my normal routines, and my blogs will include other topics in addition to my work with her.
This morning, we walked on some roads that have no sidewalks. The dog guide user term for this is country work. Kathie is trained to walk on the left side of the road, against the flow of traffic, staying near the curb. She does this better than any of my previous dogs have done it; and I learned that it was reinforced with clicker training.
Next, we went to visit the resident kitten, Mikey. Kathie was very tolerant as he played with her tail and generally made a nuissance of himself. She was more interested in his toys and food than she was in him.
This afternoon, we went to a coffee shop. Practicing good restaurant behavior is as important as practicing walking on streets. It is a bit different doing this in public from doing it in the campus dining area. We don’t always know how people will behave toward our dogs in public, and it is good to know how the dogs will respond before getting home.
Just a quick food note. I ate something at the coffee shop called a French toast muffin. It was phenomenal! It really did taste like French toast in a muffin. I will look for the recipe.
This evening, we had a lecture about target training with Lukas Franck. Lukas was my first instructor in 1991, and I enjoyed this lecture. I learned target training in 2007 2with Loretta, but I think this must have been the early stage of introducing the program and the way it is taught is different now.
Tomorrow we have another busy day with two more trips, a lecture, and a few more meetings. I packed most of my belongings to go home already; and I think this was a smart move. Departure for the airport is at 6:15 A.M. on Thursday.
I have been asked to write about some specific topics, namely working with a dog with some remaining vision and how my other medical conditions affect my work with my dog. I am saving these topics for writing when I have extended time. THey are things that deserve my full attention.
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