Feb. 24, 2009
Just before the beginning of yoga class this morning, Kruiser took it into his mind to great each and every person in the room. We went around the circle and he had a nuzzle and a sniff for each of these folks he'd been watching from afar since last October. Very sweet. Everyone was thrilled. Did he intuit that he'll only see them a couple more times? I leaked tears during the relaxation at the end of class as I pictured future classes where he won't be lying down beside me and sending mellow vibes my way.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Happy Birthday, Kruiser
Feb. 18, 2009
Today was Kruiser's first birthday. He celebrated by going to Deborah's and meeting up with his mom, the other yellow lab in the picture named Kan Do, and three sibs--Kookie, Missie who now lives next door, and Beau who is a family pet. No party hats, but plenty of treats all round. Some good looking dogs!
Kookie was the only sib at the party who is also in training to be an assistance dog. Two of Kruiser's other sibs went to other trainers and one of them is already in service, but unfortunately neither could come.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Feb. 6, 2009
With Deborah's guidance, we've added some new commands that are specific to helping Matthew deal with his morning transitions and his meltdowns. Kruiser is learning to wake up a person on command (and with a treat strategically placed on an ear.) He jumps onto the bed and then rummages for the treat and licks the ear and face. With a "get my clothes" command, he pulls clothes over from a pile I make the night before. Up to now, I've had to toss a shirt onto the pile first to trigger his retrieval instinct, but this morning he did it on command alone. For bedmaking, I have him pull at the bedcovers, though I don't know if we'll ever get it to be more than just an initiation of the process--I really doubt a dog has a mental contruct for a "made up" bed. I have him lie next to me when I playact a mild meltdown, and after his first few very worried nuzzle responses, he now mostly stays beside me passively. He sits by the cupboard where we keep Pat's thyroid meds when I say "time for your meds, Pat," (an easy one to teach since we've usually let Kruiser lick the knife or spoon after Pat takes most of the peanut butter and pill anyway.) And finally Kruiser comes and sits by me as I wash my face and brush my teeth. This morning I was in a rush and forgot to prompt him, but he still did it. In all these new commands he's an A, number one, star pupil.
But...last weekend up in the mountains and on Monday, he bolted out of the car or pulled the leash out from under my foot or slipped out of his collar to go say hi to other dogs, and this week there have been two occasions when he really wouldn't keep a down/stay. He was good at yoga, the eye doctor's, the grocery store, a bookstore, the pet store, and a restaurant, but in my pottery class he wouldn't stay under the table in a down for more than 10 minutes. Then last night after being perfect at Tokyo Joe's and Barnes and Noble, he refused to lie down at the movie theater. When I finally got him down, he was right back up, just like in pottery class. He was so restless that I finally took him outside to be sure he didn't need to go to the bathroom. He "performed" but not with any urgency and was only marginally better when we went back inside.
So today, with trepidation, I made a prearranged visit to a third grade classroom with him. He was wonderful--responsive to the kids but not overexcited, listened to me, relaxed when he lay down to hear some of the kids read, and kept a down/stay. What a relief! A classroom setting might the most important place for him to handle well for Matthew's sake. I plan to take him back next week during science when the class is more active and maybe try a recess as well.
I wish I could get inside Kruiser's head to figure out why some places work so well and others don't. Are we taking him too many places? Does he not like the darkness of being under the table or in a movie theatre? I'll just have to keep trying different venues and different strategies. As for the bolting, I need to set up situations where I can remind him that it's not okay to lunge to say hello, but most of all I need to be more vigilant myself--remember to shut the car door, don't expect snow to prevent the leash from slipping away, don't be adjusting his collar when another dog is chasing a frisbee nearby. For that, I'm the one who has to be the better pupil.
With Deborah's guidance, we've added some new commands that are specific to helping Matthew deal with his morning transitions and his meltdowns. Kruiser is learning to wake up a person on command (and with a treat strategically placed on an ear.) He jumps onto the bed and then rummages for the treat and licks the ear and face. With a "get my clothes" command, he pulls clothes over from a pile I make the night before. Up to now, I've had to toss a shirt onto the pile first to trigger his retrieval instinct, but this morning he did it on command alone. For bedmaking, I have him pull at the bedcovers, though I don't know if we'll ever get it to be more than just an initiation of the process--I really doubt a dog has a mental contruct for a "made up" bed. I have him lie next to me when I playact a mild meltdown, and after his first few very worried nuzzle responses, he now mostly stays beside me passively. He sits by the cupboard where we keep Pat's thyroid meds when I say "time for your meds, Pat," (an easy one to teach since we've usually let Kruiser lick the knife or spoon after Pat takes most of the peanut butter and pill anyway.) And finally Kruiser comes and sits by me as I wash my face and brush my teeth. This morning I was in a rush and forgot to prompt him, but he still did it. In all these new commands he's an A, number one, star pupil.
But...last weekend up in the mountains and on Monday, he bolted out of the car or pulled the leash out from under my foot or slipped out of his collar to go say hi to other dogs, and this week there have been two occasions when he really wouldn't keep a down/stay. He was good at yoga, the eye doctor's, the grocery store, a bookstore, the pet store, and a restaurant, but in my pottery class he wouldn't stay under the table in a down for more than 10 minutes. Then last night after being perfect at Tokyo Joe's and Barnes and Noble, he refused to lie down at the movie theater. When I finally got him down, he was right back up, just like in pottery class. He was so restless that I finally took him outside to be sure he didn't need to go to the bathroom. He "performed" but not with any urgency and was only marginally better when we went back inside.
So today, with trepidation, I made a prearranged visit to a third grade classroom with him. He was wonderful--responsive to the kids but not overexcited, listened to me, relaxed when he lay down to hear some of the kids read, and kept a down/stay. What a relief! A classroom setting might the most important place for him to handle well for Matthew's sake. I plan to take him back next week during science when the class is more active and maybe try a recess as well.
I wish I could get inside Kruiser's head to figure out why some places work so well and others don't. Are we taking him too many places? Does he not like the darkness of being under the table or in a movie theatre? I'll just have to keep trying different venues and different strategies. As for the bolting, I need to set up situations where I can remind him that it's not okay to lunge to say hello, but most of all I need to be more vigilant myself--remember to shut the car door, don't expect snow to prevent the leash from slipping away, don't be adjusting his collar when another dog is chasing a frisbee nearby. For that, I'm the one who has to be the better pupil.
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