Caspian had a restful day on Tuesday, starting off with his daycare buddies, and showing off for Laure, Christine and me by doing his "down", which he learned and retained in his first week of Basic Obedience Class Monday night accompanied by Samantha. Today I requested a "down" while out on his walk and he plopped down on the sidewalk without hesitation! Good dog, Caspian! He continues to walk like a dream on the leash without any pulling. He spent a few hours lounging with the staff on a big bed in the concierge lounge-he was snuggled under a fleece blanket and had his head on a stuffed toy. Yes, he is a bit indulged BUT when we ask him to work on his training, display good play habits in the daycare and interact effectively with people and dogs in the facility he is focused and responsive to his human partner.
At 4:45pm we joined Julie and Carolin for the ride to the Seattle Animal Shelter for our weekly class with the dog walking volunteers and the current resident dogs at the shelter. (I must add that he was a perfect gentleman for the entire car ride.) We were all curious if he would be worried upon arrival back at the shelter. He knew where he was when we turned into the parking lot, and he showed a few signs of stress when we entered the lobby. (He became very alert and licked his lips several times.) However once he saw his human friends he got very eager to great them and catch up.
Caspian served as the role model dog for our class to teach the shelter dogs how to be more relaxed when they are near other dogs. He was brilliant, calm and confident as he worked with Carolin. I think that all of the Shelter staff and volunteers were delighted to observe Caspian doing so well and being so happy. It was sure fun for the Great Dog team to let everyone see the program he has made in such a short time. BTW we all agree it is so much more about the fabulous attributes of Caspian than the work we are doing with him!
He quickly relaxed and settled in to the classroom. We had a young puppy with us in the classroom to offer it some good socialization and time out of the kennel. Caspian was very excited to see the puppy and he was initiallyoverly eager to get close and met her. We were careful to introduce them appropriately so as not to frighten the puppy. Caspian paid attention to our requests to be calm and gentle and settled down to the point that when we was given access to her he was enthusiastic but kind and gentle. He eventually settled down and ignored her for most our the time in the classroom.
Today, Wednesday, found Caspian in training session with Carolin to work on his manners while walking in the neighborhood. He is learning how to be polite when he sees other dogs and people he would like to meet. He also worked to reinforce his new "down" skill and performed like a pro for that part of his training. He spent time with Christine and Laure providing "guest service support". Caspian thinks that he must offer a wag, a wiggle and a grin to everyone who enters the concierge lounge. He does make people happy and he is beginning to serve as an ambassador for his breed on a consistent basis.
I am observing that he is really beginning to feel like he is part of the Great Dog environment. He knows his way around, is able to recognize favorite staff, clients and dogs and he is able to control himself around the shop cats. (Another plus for anyone with a cat who is interested in Caspian!) He showing that he can be trusted around cats, although we are supervising him when he is with the cats for now. I think that he may have potential to be trained to live successfully with a cat. Stay tuned for more on that as time goes on...
Tomorrow we will begin working on the concepts of "wait" and "stay" and introduce him to the concept of "leave it". I am confident that he will pick up on all of those skills fast.
For those of you who don't know me, I am very active in the many aspects of therapy dog training and work. I am seeing traits in Caspian that make me think that he could do the training and earn his therapy dog certification. If you are thinking about becoming his forever home person and you are interested in sharing in the joy of helping others by partnering with their dog to visit at hospitals, nursing homes, schools, etc. Caspian is the dog for you!
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