training day....

So, it proved to be no rest for the weary.. we got home from Williamsburg on Tuesday... Wednesday I hosted a Christmas get together with the ladies from our church.. and then Thursday, it was on the road again... taking Ginger and Leo back to NEADS for a day of evaluations and training. Ginger rides very well in the car and just laid quietly in the back seat while we cruised along.







We met up with Teena and Freedom, plus Camille was with us because I had to teach dog class in the evening, and then it was Kathleen and Leo.. so three gals and four dogs!!!









Dave went over evaluations in the training room at the campus. Noises are the big thing right now, just getting the puppies used to all sorts of loud and unexpected sounds. Ginger can be a little sound sensitive, so we're working on that at home. Then we took the puppies around some of the equipment in the training room.. things like walkers, wheel chairs, canes and the like. Neither one was too phased about any of those kinds of thing...





After that, it was playtime. One thing about puppies, their attention span is pretty short, so you have to keep the lessons short, sweet and simple. That way they want to learn, because it's fun to do so.







After that, we loaded up again and headed to the little mall where NEADS works alot of their dogs. It's fun because at this mall, no one hardly notices you because the dogs are there all the time. It's kind of nice in a way,because you can really concentrate on your puppy and not have to "bother" with the public. Both Ginger and Leo did quite well at the mall... the slippery floors, lots of people, kids ... were all taken in stride. Ginger was even brave enough to check out the metal floor just in front of the escalator. (they are not allowed to ride on them, but it's good to not be afraid to approach them)

A quick trip to the parking garage provided another experience. A place to potty, and then the noises and the cold. We didn't hang out there too long...one thing about service dogs, they need to be taught to "go" when given the command to do so.. you can't always depend on the fact that there will be that nice patch of grass to do your business on!!!

good puppies... a long and exciting day...

and then time to head north once again. We plan on going to NEADS once a month with these guys, so you will certainly be reading this kind of post in the future..