Snow was very calm last night. I took her out and her digestive tract is back to normal. I stuck with regular dog food for training treats yesterday and today. Pupperoni and Bacon Strips are high in fat and can upset a dog's stomach. Jeremy said hot dogs are easy on a dog's tract and are great to use for training. We use hot dogs with Leo for his "come" work. We call hot dogs Leo's "doggy crack" because he'll do about anything for them. :)
We have a great training class and all the kids have unique needs. It's so wonderful the way Jeremy can match the perfect dog with a child. There is so much thought and time that goes into making the right match. An autistic girl has a rough and tough Labradoodle who doesn't flinch at a thing. The hearing dog is sensitive and timid but loves to do her job. The Goldens are great sniffers, workers, and want to please. All have a special personality that has been matched to "their" boy or girl.
4 Paws is using 5 colleges now for their foster program. The dogs go for a semester and live with a student. The dog goes to class with them and the student socializes the dog. Many agencies don't agree with placing a service dog with a person until the dog is a number of years old. Jeremy said that 4 Paws places dogs young because young dogs are more accepting of the behaviors special needs children exhibit (IE. hitting, pulling ears and hair, crying, screaming, etc.). They are more like litter mates and are much more forgiving. As handlers of these dogs, we must be aware of this and accept the puppy behaviors. It's nice to see the dog mature and watch the bond form between the dog and child.
Sno!
Cloud "lapping" her boy.
ipad time!
At the mall...
Pearl, the Papillon, at the mall.
Did you know that Papillons, which used to only have large, drooping ears, were known in the 16th and 17th centuries as Dwarf Spaniels and were often depicted on the laps of French and Spanish noblewomen? Over time, an erect-eared type, fringed as to resemble the wings of a butterfly, developed (Papillon means "butterfly" in French). In the United States, Papillons (erect-eared) and Phalenes (drop-eared) can be born in the same litter and are shown together as one breed. The Papillon is the breed that is being used in our class for hearing work and there is a Phalenes being used for a boy in a wheel chair. I'm intrigued with these dogs but in our household they wouldn't last long. We are too rough in all ways for this small pooch!
We ended the day at the mall heeling and socializing. Sno was only worried about one thing...food! Sno was interested in any child who had food, smelled like food, and maybe even looked like food. She heeled well but didn't stay in a sit or down without multiple corrections. Henna was tired and had a melt down when we got back to the hotel and told her she couldn't watch Iron Giant for the 90th time. Rest time...
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