Giving the Raspberries

I was reading the Blue coat Journal And found a picture of Shirley's dad GUNNER and he's giving the raspberry (Bronx Cheer ,to the photographer and in the picture of the day of Shirley, look what she's doing .Now I'll have to search for a picture of Griffin.

More Please

Shirley went from three meals a day to two. And she is not happy with the new plan!   Normally we do not let her carry her bowl around, but this was really funny that she thought she needed to remind us it was lunch time .

OB 1 Class

Shirley                       Patriot                       Clem
Puppy Class

            Today Shirley, my mom, and I went to our first obedience class. The location was Spring Valley HOA  Altamonte Springs Great park Ms.Peggy, and lets just say what a beautiful location. We got there pretty early, so we explored the area. She got to experience different sites and sounds and a lot of dogs!    Then, we made  our way back to the meeting and listened for a half-hour to all the important information our area coordinator had to share. After that, she told the handlers to line up on the gravel road and make the dogs sit. I thought "That's pretty easy." But then we had to do this sort of weaving in and out between each dog and handler. I didn't know what to do at first, but the trainers showed us  newbies and made us comfortable so we could relax ,  and help us make corrections we needed to be successful . After the first time, I had to take full control of Shirley and I did pretty good for our first time. When every dog and handler finished the process, we broke up into three small groups ranging in age, and we worked with Ms.Betty and Ms.Peggy  . Shirley, Patriot, and Clem were put into the first group pups under 4 months old , which is the youngest group. We practiced some basic obedience skills. Every dog did very well when not distracted. I mean, there were a lot of distractions ranging from acorns, leaves, sticks, other dogs, trainers, etc. Shirley's main distraction from what I noticed was other dogs. My parents and I will have to work on dog socialization, and Shirley will practice that with our other dog Roxy.   I think all three dogs did fine considering all of the distractions that were present during the obedience training. Shirley and I are continuing to work on her commands and socialization. It will take time, but I know Shirley can do it.I am looking forward to the next class.

let sleeping dogs lie :)

Shirley goes shopping

        

           After school today we went to Publix and Shirley was the best puppy ever. We walked across the parking lot past moving cars, shopping carts, and not even a flinch. We get to the door and it slides open. Shirley is sitting proud by my side, and we enter. Besides this being her first trip to a large busy store, she totally  enjoyed all the attention she received. Up until now everywhere we have taken her, she has received tons of verbally comments and oohs and awes- how cute. But now one stopped or attempted to physically interact with her. Today that all changed and she handled it well, she sat there and let people pet her and waited patiently while we talked. This was a very positive outing.

Hey, what's up there ?

Shirley has discovered that we have stairs, and her new favorite thing is to go up and down .

Quick Update

I can't write too much due to the thunderstorms and the tornado warnings . Just so you know, Shirley is not afraid of this horrible weather, the flashing of the lightning, and claps of thunder just made her curl up and go to sleep .

Toys

   Shirley  can destroyed a toy marked indestructible in less than  15 minutes :( So back to the store tonight for a refund and to search for another chew toy :).

Grooming

                            Shirley loves a bath ,she is a true water dog at heart. You can give her a bath, take her in the rain, or spray her down in the shower. She is fine with it. She tolerates being brushed out everyday, you can rub her down and play with her paws. You can clip her nails if you're quick about it .Look in her mouth and brush her teeth with a finger brush.  But ear cleaning she draws the line of cooperation . She wants no part of this, and this is not our first dog that has needed special ear care. She has made it a challenge, but we will work on it. We have found if we run the liquid over a cottonball and not directly into her ear she will put up a little less fight .

Puppy in the Park!

Look at the bird less than 3ft away , it flew in she looked over at it and  then looked away!

It's Saturday Shirley is 12 weeks old . This was really the first free day we have had , everyone is off ,no work, no classes , no vet ,no tests , No Rain! So we are off for a day at the park!

The scenery was perfect for a pup in training ,so many new things her curiosity was on high alert with all these great new things. Some of the most notable were people zipping by on segways, mini bikes, baby strollers, and a person in a wheelchair, Rollerblades, and groups of people walking dogs.

     We turned off the trail and she walked on pine needles, acorns, gravel, and wooden bridges. On the path there were birds, squirrels, and even an alligator and turtle sunning  themselves. No, Shirley wasn’t allowed to explore them.

     She walked very well on leash and was even a step ahead. She did not lunge at anything or anyone. She would sit when a group of people walked by in hopes of being petted. You could tell she was enjoying this, even when a gust of wind would take her off    guard.                                                                           

               I noticed something today that sighted people do naturally, They walk to the right of the sidewalk, but when walking guide dogs you stay to the left, dog to the grass line. You see people coming toward you, they get closer and closer to the grass hoping you will correct and go to the right , like the game of chicken, until they are standing right in front of you. Both are at a standstill, and then you say “I’m training a guide dog and this is how we need to walk.” People seem to be educated that they shouldn’t pet a dog in the blue coat, but they have no clue why we walk on the wrong side of the side walk.

     After her walk, we got something to eat, and then Shirley slept the whole way home.

The Fountain

We were able to spend a little time at the fountain between the down pours. Shirley was just a little leary at first ,because when we got there the water was off. Then it makes loud rumble and the water shoots out of the ground.After one cycle of this, she walked right up to it, took a front row seat, and was just fascinated. We will take her back tomorrow if the rain lets up.

A Busy Day for Shirley and I

     Yes!!! My midterms are finally over! No more dreadful hours of studying. Now I can finally devote my time for SHIRLEY.
     Today Shirley had a busy day starting with her daily drive to the high school to drop me off, and my dad took her to the post office. The post office is a great place for her to begin her socialization with the public. My dad said that she had no problems at the post office, which is great news. After I got out of school, my family and I took Shirley to the vet where she got two shots today. She seems to like going to the vet, because the staff there is very friendly at Celebration Veterinary Hospital. She now weighs 24.2 LB . She will not have to go to the vet for another three weeks. We plan to take her to a park tommorrow. It will be a blast!

    
   

Mid-Terms exams

            I have midterms so shirley spent some extra time this morning with my dad ,and the evening with my mom .I took a few study breaks to sneak in some play time .Can't wait for the long weekend .

The Good and the Bad

we are working on this

Busy Busy in the Rain



day off for Football !

Today Shirley watched the Jets vs. Patriots with us. She is now an official  fan."J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!" She can't wait for the next game!

First day of school

It was a very interesting day for Shirley and myself. We attended our first puppy class, and it was great to meet everyone.Shirley even got to see her brother Patriot; it will be nice to see them grow together. Next time we start obedience classes.

To the right is Shirley's brother Patriot.

Puppy's First Bath

Hey guys, today Shirley had her first bath today. I am not sure how a puppy who hasn't been more then four feet away from human contact since she has arrived could get so dirty. She seemed to enjoy taking a bath. She needed to get spruced  up for tomorrow; she will be going to her first puppy guide dog class where she will meet her fellow students. 

New friends

Shirley and her self appointed Nanny watching TV

Table Manners

Today Shirley and I practiced the command down under stay while I was eating my dinner. At first she had some trouble staying put, but after a while she stayed put; this exercise will make it possible for her to go to restaurants. She needs to be able to settle quickly in order not to disturb anyone and use the commands down, under, and stay so she is not stepped on, and she should not scavenge for dropped pieces of food.   We are making humongous strides with her every day! Please tune in later on to read our next post. :)

Brave Puppy

                      First off, campus vet visit today and Shirley was on her best behavior. The vet complemented on her calm demeanor and eagerness to please.She now weighs 21.8 LBs.

Rainy days

I'm Ready

after my nap

Guess who's here? A pup with a cape the adventures begin here.

SHIRLEY!!!

    My parents and I are so happy to have this playful puppy enter our home. We have talked about doing this for a long time and the day is finally here. I can already tell that she will be a magnificent guide dog.

This is all about firsts and we have to record and expose her to new things constantly.

But let me start from the beginning. It's very early Saturday moring and we head out to the SEGD campus in order to pick up Shirley before 9 am . When we arrived at the campus we went to the puppy building and the volunteers took us to where Shirley was. We could not believe how big she had got but she was still very cute; she grew a lot in the past two weeks. Everyone at the campus said that Shirley is a great dog and they will really miss her.

On our way home Shirley acted pretty well for her first time in the car and the ride was very long. I am proud to say NO surpises. At first she protested (we called it the homesick howl), but she soon became more relaxed, laid down, and went to sleep.

A little after we got home, we let Shirley and Roxy(our family pet Boxer dog) get acquainted with each other. From the start they seemed to get along pretty well. Shirley did have her first accident today, but we were calm  as we rushed her outside to finish and did a fast clean up.

After Shirley did her business, she took a very long nap. Zzzzzzzzzzz...

Shirley has no problem so far practicing the command sit, forward, out,   in,  kennel in, and kennel out. Based on all of her accomplishments today, she deserved her long snooze.

All in all, Shirley is wonderful and we will continue to do our best to help her on her way.