07/22/2022
I again slept fairly well last night after going down and exploring the Library / Tech room. This morning we woke up and parked got both, then I did something interesting. I want to preface this by saying that every dog, and every handeler is different, and especially if your a new guide dog handeler unless you've handeled dogs before don't go outside the box until you are very secure in your dog handeling skills, and are prepared if something doesn't go as you plan. So with that said, I was confident and had a plan if my idea did not work. I brought Ellie back inside in harness and put her in a down stay next to the bed. At TSE we use rest instead of stay. Then I proceeded to get dressed and ready, while reminding her to rest and what a good girl she was. If she had gotten up, I'd have returned her to the spot gently, no corrections. She, however did not. When I was done I again reminded her to stay and this is the amazing part, and is something I've built with her over the last not even 48 hours. I've really been working on obedience with her because I won't have a crate at home, and don't want a dog that needs to be tied down all the time. I went into the bathroom and got her food bowl. She didn't move. I walked over to her food bucket which I am keeping on the desk. This is all the way across the room from her. I heard her pick her head up so I reminded her to rest. I began diping out her 1 and a half cups into the bowl. After the second cup, she came and sat next to me, so I left the bowl on the desk, took the leash and guided her back to the spot I had her and she laid right back down without prompting. I think she came and sat next to me because previously when preparing her food I had been using a sit and rest right next to me. I'm trying to build distance with distractions. I then returned to the bowl, reminded her to rest, and took the bowl into the bathroom where I feed her. I put the bowl in the sink, just for safety because I wasn't exactly sure what she'd do, and I said Ellie, come. She came to me, and touched my hand, then sat, because she's so smart. I told her to rest, and put the food down, then I stood up and told her to take it. So she ate and drank, and then I finished getting ready for breakfast. Last night when we went downstairs to check out the techary, new name, I was extremely impressed and pleased to see her working for me, and to see her realizing I'm actually blind, and starting to do things just, for me. For example, we did a load of laundry the day I got her, probably not ideal but you gotta have clean clothes. She showed me the laundry room door, both coming and going, but a gentle no, hup up, and we were on our way, but then even more impressive, she showed me the grooming room door which we had only been to once before this, and again a gentle hup up, and we were on our way. She shows me the elevator because when I go downstairs I typically use that or if I go up to the common lounge I use it. Its not that I can't use the stairs, its that at home, our building, we use an elevator everyday, so I want lots of practice, and we practice on the stairs every park time anyway. Breakfast for me was ham and oatmeal with coke and orange juice. Then we headed directly out to load up for the DTC. When we got to the DTC we waited for a few minutes, and then Jeff and I went out as a pair. The route went really, really well. I felt like we were meshing more, and starting to feel each other more. I'm learning more when she's distracted vs. when she's doing lateral movements. Its coming together, though. So we did the South street route again, and it went really, really well. Then we caught the shuttle back to the house. Spent some down town just researching stuff, then had water park, she peed. Then had some more down time, then got pictures of her, and her and I together, I will put them here, and then she had her heartworm test, and I had the vet look at a spot on the top of her head that's probably a bug bite but they are going to put some spray on it so it doesn't turn into a hot spot. Lunch was a grilled chicken wrap and bean soup with a browny and icecream and coke. Then we had park time, she peed, and then a lecture on dog massage. Came back to the room and she's passed out on the floor. We just did obedience, and worked on some techniques for helping her go down better, and then charged the clicker. she's super good at it, I can't talk fast enough for her brain, apparently. Then we had a lecture on dog senses. Then it was feed water park, she peed. Dinner was breaded pork chops, scalloped potatoes, and coke for me. She loves to lick my feet when I take my shoes off. Then we got our ball, its a ball made by ruffware, and we got a blue one. I tought her to play fetch in short order and hse had a great time. Now she's passed out on the floor. Then it was park time and she did both.