"Go Find Grandma!" & Einstein Escapes!

Well, since I haven't learned html like i've wanted to the past three years I suppose i'll cave in and start a simple journal. Wanting to reply to http://www.cpldogivy.blogspot.com/ was also a big incentive to join. Eventually I will post my journal entries from when Susquehanna Service Dog Winston and I were in training, but neither of us can reach them right now, so i'm just going to start with where we are at!

Winston has had trouble listening to more than "stand" and "come" when i'm in bed on bipap, but last night and this morning he did GREAT! He and I have been doing "Go find Grandma!" in which he searches for, and touches to alert my mom. Last night he woke her up twice for me, once while I was in bed. This is exciting because she is on the other side of the house, in bed, causing him to not only search but get "in her face" to wake her up. (Winston isn't much of an "in your face" dog) This morning I woke up with a sharp pain in my right shoulder and after yelling three or four times for my mom, I decided to see how Winston was responding. He came right over and touched my hand after maybe two calls and and stern "WINSTON LETS GO" I got excited and sent him off to "Go find grandma!" and off he ran. I wasn't sure if he had gotten side tracked or not and just as I called him back to me my mom opened the back door and asked if I needed her! She said he stood at the back door giving her that "look"! YES! Huge party and bonus treat for Winnie!

Winston alerts also by giving a solid "Speak" and this morning, he was really funny. I was just about ready to get out of the shower when he peaked his head in as if I had already called him. My mom swears he was annoyed because of how long I take, but I think he's got esp. ;)

Last night as Megan was leaving she found a neighbors dog. She knows the procedure because Einstein, the HUGE yellow lab that he is, escapes constantly. God bless his family, they have four kids and both parents work. They adopted him from the humane league and have been so diligent as to his training. All of the kids took the clicker training classes and are taught proper training etiquette. Anyway, it took us about five minutes to settle Einstein enough in order to read his tags for his family's phone number...that is after he stepped on her toes a few times and twisted her wrist. He is such an energetic dog. I've got to say, it's not the training, it's the dog. Winston was an ANGEL though. He merely stood around watching Einstein tear through the house searching...for what, who knows? I did have to settle Winston though as he got rather short with Einstein while I was on the phone with Dave's wife. As Dave pulled up Winston barked his usual amount but came to me when Dave opened the door.

Okay well, that's enough for today! Hope all of you partners out there are doing well today!