Day 3

Today we worked more on "down", "sit", "place" and walking away from our service dogs with them being under an "implied" stay. The dogs did really well with this. We also worked more on distractions and a tennis ball is definitely Panga's weakness. She struggled with leaving the tennis ball alone while in a "heel". She eventually got it though. We also worked on having them bark on command. The intent is for her to bark when the boys leave an area or to alert to seizures. She struggled with this because Kasen keeps barking at her and she sees it as a game. I'll be asking about this in class.

This evening we got to bring them all back to our hotels with us. Panga definitely knows that 4 Paws is "school" and what is expected there. At the hotel, though, she struggled. Part of the training is teaching her that her manners are to be in place no matter where she is and that she has to listen and pay attention. Her and I will definitely be working on this as she is easily distracted in new surroundings. She will get it, I have no doubt. Her and I are still learning to work together.

She was really interested in the boys this evening. Levi would stim and she would immediately turn her attention to him and want to see what he was doing. During any of the behaviors that we want her to help with, we give her lots of praise and treats when the boys have a behavior. Desensitizing her to these new experiences. The trainers worked with her on them, but it is different seeing a child doing it. Kasen broke out the tennis ball and it definitely did not help her stay focused. It will be a great motivator though when needed.