Real World

As obedience takes a backseat, social experiences are our focus. Moving Day on Saturday offered another opportunity to practice STAY with a group of people milling about and moving boxes in/out. After the heavy lifting was over, Monte was tempted by food and toys, left on the floor, usually by the younger humans.

Monte's STAYs were generally good, until he sensed the slightest indication that a human needed him to say "Hello", keep their feet warm, or lick their face. It was a difficult situation to handle because I had placed him in a DOWN STAY, but other people were encouraging his disobedience. Who should I correct?

This may be my greatest weakness as a puppy raiser. Based on feedback, others in OccuPaws may point out that it is one of many weaknesses. I am always torn when encountering "difficult" people that test our trainees because our guide dogs need to be able to handle the general populace. A sterile well-behaved public will not prepare him for the real world. For this reason, my focus is generally on Monte, unless a human correction is truly warranted.

One of our takeaways from the final moving day was a walker. The plan was to store it until needed either by Lisa's mother in the near future or ourselves in the hopefully distant future. However, it turned out that we could use it now. Monte showed an unnatural curiosity for the walker while in use, so I have begun using it around the house to create familiarity and desensitize him.