Training Report #2

So I'm a little late in posting this for Fay-Fay, but I'm sure she would forgive me!

This report has a lot more detail in it, and I can tell that Fay is really starting to bond with her trainer. Woody reports that Fay is a little naughty when in community run, but plays nice when there are toys out there. She has good body handling and is excitable in her kennel. She is currently living with Vargo and they love to snuggle up on their bed at night :)

Now, onto her working life...She has good obedience and targeting the target stick when it is on the ground. She has very good "harness up" command and targeting the stick when it is in hand. For targeting up curbs she got a "very nice" and "nice drive" :)

Here are the comments:

Overall Fay is a sweet girl who at times can be quite bubbly and effervescent. She lacks a little confidence but shows good initiative and drive when she is tuned into her handler. She is food motivated but has a hard mouth we have worked on her treat taking. Fay tested off of grounds today and will be heading into town to learn the basics of guide work. This is what was said about her “sweet and bright…smart with energy.” Fay should transition well into this next phase of training I look forward to watching her learn and grow.

Go Fay-Fay! And since this report came on St. Patty's Day-

Training Report #1

Fay has been in training for about a month now, so I just received her first training report. She has been spayed and is enjoying playtime with all her new friends. She is learning to target with a targeting stick, but has not been introduced to her harness yet. She received a "good" for body handling and kennel behavior. Her trainer, Woody, says Fay, "is incredibly sweet and willing but also can be a bit reserved at times. As the days and our sessions progress Fay is coming more and more out of her shell."

"Sweet" and "reserved" ?!?! That is not my Beast girl! I guess she is putting her best foot forward for her new mom...

Postcard Home

I wrote home to let Mom know how I was doing:

Hi-
I'm having a lot of fun here at GEB! They give us great toys...Kongs and Nylabones...and the beds are so comfy.
I've made friends-both dogs and humans-so I am really happy learning new things.
Licks,
Fay

IFT Update

This post is coming to you from the GEB Training School's kennels. It's been a busy few days, so I was just able to sneak some computer time in. I spent my last weekend at home just relaxing. I attempted to teach Irie how to sleep next to the heater, but it was just so cozy that I fell asleep on the job! I also spent some quality time nursing on my favorite toy. Mom warned me there wouldn't be any soft toys here in the kennels and she was right! Apparently some pups aren't as gentle as me when it comes to soft toys so no one gets them. Leave it to a few bad apples to spoil it for the rest of us...


Mom and Roomie dropped me off here on Sunday. When we first arrived we took Roomie around for a walk. She's never seen the place before, so Mom and I gave her the grand tour and took a few photos:


Then Mom took me to my kennel run. I was not at all impressed by the accomodations! It was loud, the floor was hard, and have I mentioned there are no soft toys here?!?! Mom assured me that I would get a bed at night, my roomies would show up soon to play, and everyone would take extra good care of me, but I was not having it. I conned Mom into leaning down and then attempted to make a break for it by using her as a ladder. It didn't work :( They took another few pictures and then left me! Luckily my cool roomie showed up and we got to know each other, but I did miss my Mom. She promised me she would come see me on Tuesday.


Tuesday came and I could not wait! Mom said she was coming today and I just knew she would bust me out of here. After breakfast one of my kennel worker pals came and leashed me up. They let me go potty outside (can you believe we go inside here? Who do they think we are, animals?!?!) and then we went into this room with all kinds of fun things in it. I have to admit, when they first let me off leash I was a little scared. I saw some lady sitting in the corner and I asked her to help me find my Mom, but she was no help. After about a minute another lady came in and started talking to me. She seemed really nice so I stuck with her. She made me do all the things Mom and I did in puppy class-obedience, different underfootings, people greetings, etc. This wasn't so bad afterall! Before I knew it my kennel pal came back to get me. She took me around outside and guess who was there-MOM!!! AND Roomie!!! AND Grandma!!! AND my mom, Pandora's, mom!!! I was so excited I started whining and jumping all over them. They said they were so proud of me for passing this IFT. Apparently that was a test I just took. Who knew?


After our little reunion Mom told me that I had to go back into the kennels because I had to start my guide dog training. She said she would miss me and think about me all the time, but I had to learn a lot more tricks before I could leave the kennels. I gave her a kiss and promised I would try to be on my best behavior. She stopped by one last time on the kennel tour and I introduced her to all of my roomies. She said my big brother Frank was rooming a couple doors down and that he would keep me company while I trained. It's nice to know I have some family there!


I will do my best to sneak on to the computer as much as possible, but I may be just too busy for regular updates! I have all this work to do AND they have lots of parties here all the time. You know I am such a social butterfly, so I will have to attend them all. Wish me luck!

Last Puppy Class

Last week was my last puppy class. I am officially a big dog now (only in my mind, I'm still a little thing!). My roomie came along for the ride and we stopped for lunch first. Mom asked me to lay down on the cold pavement outside and I not-so-quietly reminded her that this day was all about me and I required a comfy place for sleeping. All she could come up with was a towel, but at least she tried.

When we got to class I had one last playtime with all my friends. I am still so much faster than all those big boys-they never can catch me when I play keep-away! Then it was in the crate for the next few classes. I tried to be quiet, but Mom did not bring nearly enough stuffed Kongs to keep me busy. Oh well, Roomie and Mom did their best to keep me quiet. During my class, we did some of the usual-obedience, recalls, etc etc. I was amazing, as usual.


After everyone else left, the dogs belonging to the class helpers got to play while the helpers ate the dinner Mom brought for them. I'm really going to miss all of the people up there. B. gives the best pets, K. always has the yummiest treats, Magnum's mom brings my friend Magnum to play with me, and J. always laughs at my jokes. They are the BEST!

When we left for home, Mom sat me in the front seat with Roomie. I thought she was just being nice and putting me next to the heater instead of my crate in the back. When we got home, I saw that someone else was in my crate! I thought Mom had brought me a friend for my last week, but he just stayed the night before we dropped him off at his new house. He was a pretty cool dude, maybe I'll see him in training one day...

Photo Update for the Big 100!

This marks my 100th post on my blog! I've been very busy these past few weeks, so I'll get you up to speed in photos!

Right before Thanksgiving, Yara and I toured the Capitol building. Mom and I have lived here almost two years so it was about time that we looked around ;)


Mom and I visited Eleanor Roosevelt's place, Val-Kill.


We graduated from college!


We moved home just in time for Christmas decorating. I even helped!


Mom and I have a little over a month left together. We have been taking it easy with lots of playdates and fun outings. Maybe after the holidays we will step it up a bit, but Mom says I am perfect just the way I am so we will just stick to the fun stuff!