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'Emmit' takes a road trip
‘Emmit’ is 4 months old and the Golden ‘glam’ factor is beginning to emerge. Waves, flips and feathers are erupting all over puppy’s body. The once rat-like tail is showing the first swirling signs of becoming a banner of feathery plumage. The fur down his back is no longer fine puppy fuzz but now forms undulating, wispy waves. The backs of his front legs sport signs of future flowing feathers. His muzzle has become longer, and with little tufts of hair sprouting at the tops of his ears, ‘Emmit’ rather resembles a whimsical version of Albert Einstein. ‘Emmit’ weighs 15 kilos. The ‘little sausage furball’ we pulled out of the crate at the airport nine weeks ago was one-third the weight he is now. Almost before our eyes ‘Emmit’ is becoming a lanky, lean adolescent. Progress on Commands and Behaviour ‘Emmit’ now understands and responds reliably to the following 20 commands, associations and praise words: his name, bizzy-bizzy, sit, wait, come, stay, down, shake, drop it, leave it, let’s go, go to crate, go to bed, out, quiet, no, yes, good boy, that’s it, okay. To qualify this a bit, he is not very reliable with come, wait and stay when there are distractions. Calling him away from playing with another dog, for example, is not yet working so each week we will increase the degree of difficulty with the three ‘Ds’: distraction, distance and duration. New, in-progress commands are: car, tug, dress, stand, lap, kiss, off, heel and the fetch string of commands: look, get it, bring it here, give. Some of these are difficult for ‘Emmit’ and others are rather easy. Case in point: he learned to ‘kiss’ the peanut butter off a cheek in 5 seconds! Incidents of picking up illegal items (socks, shoes, slippers, tissue, sticks) are becoming less frequent. A major relieving break-through occurred about a week ago when ‘Emmit’ let us know that he needed to go out by standing in front of the door and letting out one sharp bark. We quickly met his request and praised him excessively. Occasionally, the behaviour is rewarded with a treat. He is communicating with us and telling us what he needs more and more frequently now. Sleeping quietly through the night in his crate from 10 p.m. to 7-7:30 a.m. is routine now, but we are having a problem with him barking and whining when he is left alone in his crate for short periods during the day. We have started dealing with this by putting a long lead through the wires and collar correcting from a distance when he barks. Whether we are in the room or not, generally, just the fact that the long lead is attached seems to be in itself sufficient warning. Socialisations
‘Emmit’ now goes to restaurants with us and either sleeps quietly tucked underneath the table or chews contentedly on his toys. Actually, the customers sitting around us are quite surprised when one little, well-behaved puppy gets up with us to leave and wends his way through the tables to the door. Our first cinema experience several weeks ago was a bit unsettled as the movie turned out to be exceptionally long, and puppy was, we admit, too young to be still for that long. Though there was an intermission (thank goodness), the last twenty minutes were still a ‘fidget fest’ as we sat on the edge of our seats, waiting with bated breath for puppy to yelp out at any moment - oh please, not during a quiet love scene. Fortunately, he did not. Needless to say, when the movie finally concluded, we shot out of the theatre. Our second cinema experience, not long ago, was much more successful: older puppy, stronger bladder, shorter movie. Supermarket visits began with a short (3 minutes) walk down two aisles without a trolley. ‘Emmit’ was quite agitated at first with all the new sights, smells, and sounds. We gradually extended the visit time to 10 minutes, and on the fourth visit to the supermarket, we upped the ante and added a trolley to the equation. ‘Emmit’s’ confidence has gradually improved, and now he accompanies us on short grocery shops. An appearance at the Travels with ‘Emmit’ Last week we took a road trip with ‘Emmit’ and our 14-year-old Lab, Hannah. We planned a loose itinerary and researched pet-friendly accommodations. Since we like to stay in bed and breakfasts and farmstays, the challenge of finding accommodation was a bit greater; however, with a little tweaking of our route, we were able to find places that were receptive to our puppy in training and our family pet. The highlight of our trip was a lunch date in
More Travels with ‘Emmit’ With overseas guests arriving soon, we have been making plans for various excursions with them. We have always felt that a real plus in raising a service dog puppy is that he can go everywhere with his raisers…well, almost everywhere. One particular excursion we’ve planned involves a lodge accommodation. When we called and explained that we have a service dog in training and a pet dog, no problem. However, access became an issue when we started looking at the numerous incredible walks and excursions into the nearby National Parks. Wanting to comply with regulations, we visited the Department of Conservation to ask about access for ‘Emmit’. The answer was a clear ‘no’. While puppy is in training, entry is not allowed; however, fully-trained service dogs working with their human partner may enter most areas of the National Parks. We were hoping to find an exception somewhere down here on the
Calming Puppy Touch and Grooming Calming puppy touch is getting easier, but we have discovered the key to semi-success is a tired puppy. So, in the evening when ‘Emmit’ is snoozing before his normal bedtime, we gently move him over to a lap and quietly begin the procedure. In addition to regular brushing and ear cleaning, we brush ‘Emmit’s’ teeth twice a week and cut his toenails about one a month. Poultry-flavored canine toothpaste and a small treat after toenail cutting make both experiences pleasant for everyone. First Aid Kit Though we hope we never have to use it, we have decided that it would be wise to have on hand a canine first aid kit. Drawing on past experience and doing some research online, we put together the following list of items to include:
These items will be placed in a plastic tub with tight-fitting lid and put in an easy to find location. We have on hand old blankets to keep puppy warm and to use as a stretcher during transport and several clean towels and rags. Time to bring “Emmit’s’ Journal to a close. We’ll return in May with the next installment of ‘Emmit’s’ achievements and adventures. Judy and Grant
Posted: Sun 20 Apr 2008 |
© Copyright 2008 | Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust | Registered Charitable Trust CC24410 | New Zealand
Waves, Flips and Feathers
Since ‘Emmit’s’ toileting is now very reliable, socialisations are longer and more relaxed.
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