Fantastic public access training and teaching the family to walk Knightley!

10 months 1 week 6 days old

Today I needed some prescriptions filled, and the shops are not at all far away and Knightley needed some public access work so off we went together. He behaved like a dream!! I can't actually believe what a good boy he was. First I went to drop my scripts off (I had like 7 to get filled, yes I take a *lot* of medication), then I had about 15 minutes to use up while we were waiting. So we went into the supermarket to do some training. He was such a good boy. I had his halter on really loosely (the Infin8 is very different to other halters, it acts more like a mix of a collar and halter and as you slowly loosen it, it becomes even more like a collar), but he didn't try to pull at all and heeled very nicely. There was a bunch of onion peel on the floor in one place and I saw him eyeing it but told him to 'leave it' and he instantly ignored it. What a good puppy! There was very little sniffing, and he ignored the people completely! Wowsers. Despite the fact I am doing very little public access work (I decided that once a week is enough until he reaches a year of age when I will start taking it more seriously) he is still learning from each trip we do together.

Looking a bit lonely in a stay, doing some training
in the supermarket. Maybe he's worried I'm about
to leave him?? I don't know. Each time I put him in
a stay he seemed to get a little mournful. Maybe I
need to work on me leaving him as a wonderful
 thing - rather than me coming back to him.

I did some basic obedience practice inside the supermarket. We were there at a time that wasn't too busy, so the aisles were relatively empty. We did basic sits, wait then recall from the end of the leash, stay with me walking around him in a circle, and then stay with me dropping the leash and walking a few metres away. All perfect. Then I went out of the supermarket and into what is still an inside area but was not very populated, and we worked on down stays where I stepped over him, and worked on stepping near his head and tail without him shifting. All once again perfect! GOOD BOY! I was so happy with him. We left it there and went into the chemist to wait for my prescriptions, where I let him 'visit' with one of the assistants there. He was very grave and gentle and stayed sitting - yay! One of the problems I have is with him flopping down on his back for a tummy rub from a sit or down when I allow visits. He got lots of praise and a treat for staying in a sit. Then into a down stay under my feet while I sat and waited for my meds.

After everything was done I took the handle of his vest, and he walked nice and slow and loose home. I am training him that only if I put pressure on the handle is he to lean into the vest. Otherwise he isn't to pull. Even without him pulling it still helps with my balance overall.... it just makes me feel safer. I am just so much more confident with Knightley - and he is only beginning to work for his living!

Anyway, soon after we got home Knightley and I were off to my parents place for an afternoon with my parents and brother. Knightley had a great time exploring their big backyard, getting into all sorts of trouble. He decided that tearing up weed mat is a LOT of fun and kept on returning to do it again and again throughout the evening whenever he went outside. I think we encouraged him a bit because the first time he did it was so funny - I think in his doggy mind he was trying to help as my mum was trying to pick up bits of weed mat. My parents will be looking after Knightley for one night in July and two in August as we have a wedding to go to in Sydney in July, then we are going to a company weekend for my hubby's work in August up at the snow. We went last year just before we brought Knightley home (have a look at this old post from last year if you are interested in seeing snow in Australia! Yes, it does exist!) and it was a good weekend. Maybe next year we'll take Knightley when he has his permit. It is becoming more and more likely in my eyes that Knightley will indeed become a fully functioning assistance dog. Unless there is a big personality change we are on track.

Anyway.... back to what I was talking about.....! So, as my parents will be looking after Knightley, today we all took him for a short walk, and I had his Easy Walk harness on him to make it relatively easy for them. They all had a go, including my brother, and it went pretty well really. I showed them how to walk backwards if Knightley pulled to get him back into a rough heel position so that he will learn he can't get away with pulling with them. It helped that Knightley was pretty tired already from our trip to the shops and doing training there, and then romping around their garden. They may not find it quite so easy first thing on a morning! I also went through quite a few of Knightley's basic cues with them, although I think providing them with a 'cheat sheet' is a good idea. When we got back Knightley eventually flopped down and slept. I am pretty sure that he will have a good time with my parents and will get quite spoilt. They are quite fond of him, and as long as they keep up the exercise I am sure he won't cause too much bother. A tired dog is a good dog! My mum is also keen to do all the raw feeding stuff while she has him under her roof, so that's good. I believe she is also quite keen to get the food too, although I did offer to bring over weighed, bagged food to make it easier. We shall have to go on a shopping trip and get enough for the three nights he will end up spending under their roof.

I need to have a raw food shopping trip myself actually. I've nearly emptied our freezer of food for Knightley except for a few bags of bits of turkey. I have no red meat left and no organs. So it's definitely time to do some shopping! Maybe a bunch of beef heart, and some ox tongues would be great. Lamb necks are really cheap too, give him great healthy red meat and take him ages to eat so they tire him out! This is an vital consideration because Knightley has sooo much more energy than he used to! I used to wonder if Knightley would ever actually have the stamina to be an assistance dog, but I guess it was just puppy energy.... puppies are always going 100% to 0%. Speaking of not being a puppy anymore, the leg continues to raise, but only very occasionally and only against trees!

My final bit of news is I've set up my new sewing machine and have started playing with it. I have also ordered my fabric to make my prototypes, and bought a few more bits and pieces at a sewing store last week. Once the fabric, webbing and clips/D rings/O rings/etc arrive I'll be good to start on my first vest. It will be a mobility harness/vest, as Knightley needs a new one, so that will be my first priority. The sewing machine is extremely easy to use and I'm very happy with my purchase.

So today was a really good day. Knightley is coming along so well and I am bursting with pride!

New purchases, and Knightley the professional???

10 months 2 days old

So in the last couple of days we've been buying things left right and centre! Firstly, we bought the car, which we pick up tomorrow....! (Read the last two entries to find out about our new [used] car). I'm getting over my hip injections much quicker than I expected... certainly last time I had them done it caused much more tissue trauma. I have high hopes the nerve block the doctor did will be very helpful, as it already seems to be helping. However, the question is how long is it going to last?

I've had a couple of doggy things arrive, including a 'eco' Easy Walk harness for Knightley. My mum has offered to take Knightley walking with her, but without some sort of no pull gear it takes some know-how to get him walking nicely. The Easy Walk harness should make it quite easy for her, and she shouldn't have a 32kg (70.4lbs) puppy dragging her around with Knightley wearing it. I tell you what, the eco version feels very soft, although it took me a little while to get it fitting Knightley properly. He grew out of his Freedom Harness some time ago, so it was time to get something new for relaxed walking. I also had some synthetic fleece arrive to pad out the straps on his assistance dog vest a bit, as he has become a bit harness shy of late. I am assuming it is because he is uncomfortable in it, poor pup.

Speaking of harnesses and gear, today I bought a heavy duty sewing machine, capable of sewing collars, leashes and harnesses/vests of any kind. I have been thinking about this for a while now as a possible way of generating extra income and have decided experiment. There is literally no place online in Australia where you can buy assistance dog equipment - I have always had to import everything from overseas, so there is a niche to fill. I have been playing around with a few different designs, a couple of basic capes, vests and a simple harness... as well as normal collars and leashes that I could make and sell. We shall see how it goes. I am going to start small and just learn to use the sewing machine well and get used to sewing nylon a LOT! One of my first major projects will be to sew a new harness/vest for Knightley, but to make it with a Y shape chest, not parallel to the ground.

This weekend my work/volunteer place has a big Kite Festival on, and I am thinking of taking Knightley and doing a couple hours volunteer work outside. The main problem is it's being held on very uneven grassy ground, which is partly why I want Knightley with me.... but also partly not, because grass distracts him a lot! If I put him in a down stay on grass I can see him want to start digging out of boredom eventually. I guess I need to take a mat and practice a bunch with mat behaviours outside with the mat on grass, because we have never actually done that. I know the place I volunteer (and do contracts) is unsure about Knightley and of course I want to get them on side, so if I can get his mat behaviour good before then, this could be the perfect opportunity to show them how well behaved he can be. I think I'll try to tire him out before the festival too, as kids and kite flying is likely to excite him just a bit!! He definitely needs the practice outside though, I found that out last weekend when he started losing focus when I was unable to focus.

Awwww, he just climbed onto my lap on the couch...... or at least, he's trying to fit. Only about a quarter of him fits these days, or maybe only a fifth, but he still tries. His fur is so silky from the raw feeding, especially his ears. I know the Golden Retriever breed standard says the fur isn't allowed to be silky.... but I can't help how lovely his food makes his fur! Today I found a butcher who stocks beef heart all week round, so that was a great find. It's definitely his favourite, and makes a great teeth cleaner! If you have a dog with bad teeth, consider feeding an ox tongue and some beef heart every week and see those teeth whiten magically. It isn't the bone that does the cleaning, although it helps, it's the tougher flesh that works like a rough toothbrush and floss to clean the teeth. Awwwwww, he just sighed and put his chin down on my knee. Don't we all love that in our dogs. I am so lucky to have Knightley. 

Anyway, time to put him to bed and myself too. We have to pick up the new car tomorrow and I'm volunteering too. It has been an incredibly busy week and I need to stay as healthy as I can, so sleep is in order.