Scary mascots, canoeing, and a video!

Sebastian is continuing on his awesome behavior streak. He has done so well with everything, including skateboards. I would not say the problem is solved, nor would I trust him to not pull over someone with a disability…but….we are taking steps in the right direction.

The only behavior problem we had this week was barking at Sammy the Seahawk (our school mascot). We ran into him at the Student Center and I knew Sebastian would not like him, but I did not think he would bark. He did. Loudly…made everyone stare of course. I never asked him to approach the life sized Seahawk with funny eyes, but I did make him work around him until he was exhibiting comfortable body language. I couldn’t be upset with him….you don’t see human sized birds walking around every day. Also the eyes….oh those creepy mascot eyes. Bass is very good at making polite eye contact with people. He never has a challenging stare, but he is very comfortable with eye contact. Eyes that are as big as my head are probably terrifying to look into. Hard to blame him for being spooked….but it was an excellent training experience.

Yesterday we went canoeing/fishing with Travis. I know…pretty bold of us to get in a canoe with a doodle in January…but we did not flip. Bass was actually pretty darn good. He always gets excited fishing with Travis. When Travis casts Bass gets very excited…it reminds him of the throwing the tennis ball action. By excited I mean whining and trembling all over. Also reeling in a fish is exciting too…Bass likes fish. So we were fishing, in a canoe, on a lake, in January, with Sebastian. He did great paddling around…I think he even slept a little. He really enjoyed laying in the bottom and resting his head on the side…watching the scenery. He was a little more naughty about fishing, as expected, but very manageable.

Also, don’t forget to join our team for the Walk for Those Who Can’t!!! We have had so much support from everyone….kind of blowing my mind. Mom and several friends are coming from Raleigh to be at the walk, and many who cannot have made donations. Special recognition to my friend Rachel for everything. She has put up flyers and donation buckets where she works and is even coming down for the walk. I would not describe her as a “dog person.” Of course she likes dogs (why would I be friends with someone who doesn’t?!) but she is not in the dog training community. Awesome support from awesome people for an awesome cause!

You might want to join now...the pictures are getting cuter and cuter. Soon you will just explode.

Sebastian’s Sidekicks!

I have made a team for our Walk for Those Who Can’t. We shall call it Sebastian’s Sidekicks (after much deliberation). You can join our team and walk with us, or donate to help us get to the $500 goal….more would be nice too!

To register as a team member go here, or to donate go here.

In case you weren't convinced already!

Being Proud of Doodle Face

Whoa this semester is crazy. So much homework, so much reading, and so little time for Sebastian. I am making a point to enjoy Sebastian for this final semester. I want to be sad…giving him up and all, but thinking about how sad that day will be only makes me enjoy him less now. Every time I get sad, I feel like I’m being selfish. He was never meant to be mine…he is meant to change someones life…and letting him go to do that should not be something I dread.  So, for now, I’m focusing on the happy… plus it helps that I have him for four more months!

I have been so proud of Sebastian this semester. Everytime I say that to someone they say I should be proud of myself….but no…really….I’m proud of him. He holds a down stay in yoga class for 50 minutes with me at a distance. He is doing better with skateboards. When we walk into a class room he starts to situate himself under the desk before I even get seated. He is finally starting to grow up and actually think about what I want from him.

This is a big deal because when I got Sebastian he had no idea how to learn, nor did he have any desire to simply please me. He worked for treat, ball, and the occasional face rub. As a dog trainer, I have always believed that the most important thing for a dog to know, is how to learn or think. Once this is down, you can teach them just about anything. It took forever with Sebastian, but I finally think that after nine months, I have taught Sebastian how to think/learn. Everything new thing I introduce is coming so easily, and he is just working better overall.

Last Saturday we went to a basketball game here at UNCW. I was very nervous about taking Bass, but he really surprised me. We sat in the student section (you know…with all the crazy people) and Bass just laid there with his head down through all the screaming, stomping, and goodness knows what else. People always tell me how impressed they are with his good behavior in public, but that is just what I expect. It does not impress me…it’s how a service dog should act. But his behavior at the basketball game actually impressed me. I was pretty proud of the little guy.

No new pictures…just a few of Sebastian being as cute as possible.

Oh Hi

His front feet look so regal when they point outwards

As cute as they come :)...I'm only a little biased

Back In the Groove

We are back at school and getting into the groove again. Sebastian was fantastic over Christmas. He handled the crowds like a pro and was on his best behavior every time we went out. Of course at home he was a complete goof. The only problem we had was Sebastian’s growing level of discomfort with children. I am not much of a “kid person”. Maybe he senses it from me, but he is starting to be whale eyed and ears tucked when some kids are around. Some kids he loves and some kids he wants absolutely nothing to do with. I was trying to figure out something in common (gender, age, clothing, anything) but so far have found no common link with the kids he dislikes vs. likes. My goal is to create more positive experiences with children, hoping he gets more comfortable.

We had an interesting restaurant experience over Christmas. At Pizza Hut. We were having their lunch buffet and were done eating when the manager said I was not allowed to take him up to the buffet (after we had already been up about 4 times). After some explaining all was well, but I find it so interesting that really nice restaurants never have a problem, but its the chains and not so nice restaurants that will say something about me having a dog.

Once again campus is being extremely welcoming to the fact I am training a service dog. I was a bit concerned about this semester because I have 4 classes back to back on Wednesday and Friday, one of which is PE. I thought I was going to have to leave Bass in his crate for all this time. He would only get to go to 3 classes Monday and my one Tuesday/Thursday class. My goal for the semester is to conquer skateboards, and him sitting in the crate not being out on campus is not going to help with that. Since my PE class is one day a week yoga and one day a week weight training, we worked it out with the PE Department that he can come to class on yoga days (but not weight training for his own safety). So Bass gets to be a yoga dog.  He gets to practice his downward dog in the corner of the room for the WHOLE class, but I have a feeling he will get some corpse pose in too 🙂

I was also concerned about how he would do with 4 straight hours of classes, but we did it yesterday and I think he did better than me. He never got restless or anything. He is so perfect! Today in English he was sitting under my desk and the guy who sat in front of me did not know he was there until we got up to do a group activity. When we got up the guy literally screamed “BAD WORDS Was he there the whole time?!” I love it when that happens. It means Bass is being perfect and blending in like he is supposed to.

About training-we did not do much over break. Last Monday we finally got the go ahead to teach “brace”. So that is what we are working on now. He is doing great so far.

SKATEBOARDS. Today I could have peed myself I was so proud of him. We passed several skateboards and he OFFERED to look at me for a treat. Whoa. Maybe he thought long and hard about his behavior over break. Whatever happened, I hope it sticks because that would make my like so much easier.

TONS OF PICTURES!

Bass got pretty proficient at opening gifts.

A little torture is good for him 🙂

 

Sebastian's favorite...Michele's gift to the dogs.

What Doodle did 99% of the time we were home. RUN.

 

What once was a ball.

 

Perfect shot of how Toby and Bass play

 

Bass goes straight for the throat (because he is so fierce)

 

He is starting to look like a handsome real dog and not a lanky goof.

 

CHEESE

 

Yes....he did pounce on that ball in the mud

Seabass went swimming for the first intentional time. There was a pinecone in the water that he was convinced was a ball that he HAD to have. So, in January, Bass took his first swim. After 30 minutes of wading and whining and barking at it, Bass took the plunge. Then rolled in the dirt, then played in the mud. Oh yes, and he eats mud now if you don’t watch him. Such a special dog.

Dirty Doodle