Dewey Report Card

Good News on Dewey!

Dewey in the gym at school.

He is in Phase 3: Blindfold Walks. Woot!

We are so proud of Dewey.  He is a calm and very sweet boy and we are so proud of him.  Here are the comments from the trainer:

COMMENTS: Dewey continues to do well in training! We are going to lots of different venues and he is generally a very mature and well behaved gentleman. He still needs some additional support from his handler, especially in more challenging work environments. He has a great settle and it's clear that you put a lot of time and love into teaching him to be such a nice boy. 

Now, you might wonder what a nice settle is.  We are pretty sure that is Dewey being lazy and plopping into a down stay after about 30 seconds of standing up.  So, yes, we will take credit for that.  Dewey was a lot like Bob, another puppy we puppy sat years ago.  When I tried to introduce Bob to people, if I talked for more than 15 seconds, Bob would fall into a deep trance and lay on the floor.  We called Bob: surfer dude.  Nothing bothered him.  

Now, Dewey is super chill as well.  He also likes to lay down and nap.  We always said he is the perfect dog for someone with an office job because all he wants to do is lay under the desk and sleep.  In meetings he just curls up by your feet and sleeps.   

We love you Dewey.  Stay strong.  Work on those challenging work environments.  You can do it.  You were a champ at school.  You've got this!  Go Dewey!

Dewey by the French doors.

Coach's Latest Report Card: November News

We were hoping for completely positive news, but Coach is still dealing with some issues. Our boy is still in the program, though and he is fighting the good fight.

Coach smiling next to some red flowers.

COMMENTS: Coach is still a very loveable boy.  He has started to show  signs of kennel stress again and because of that has been going to a volunteer home periodically to help with the anxiety.  He has mild separation anxiety when in the crate but otherwise has had impeccable manners.  His harness work is going very well at this point.  He really thinks ahead and is good at problem solving when working through a difficult situation. I really hope that we can get his anxiety under control because he is a very nice working dog.  I have really enjoyed getting to know him and training with him.  He also loves his puzzle time during kennel enrichment. :)   

If you have a moment, think of Coach and send out some calm, positive energy his way.

Coach's First Report Card

Fred with Coach in front of Coach's sign at IFT.

Coach's first report card came back yesterday.  While Coach has been a good boy at his commands, his behavior in the kennel needs some work.  It seems that there is a roommate problem.  We are not sure, but there seems to be some problem with food.  Perhaps the roommate is throwing food around and Coach is getting a little irritated and making his irritation known?

"Hey, dude, this is my side of the kennel.  Keep your dang treats over there.  Just for that, I'm going to eat this treat!"

Or maybe it went like this

"Dude," (I don't know why Coach calls all his roommates Dude, but he does) "Look, if you aren't going to eat fast enough, then I'm going to help you out and finish your bowl.  Shove over slow poke."

Now, admittedly, in the first scenario, Coach is a bit of a neatnik, obnoxious type and I would be mad at him too.  And he doesn't really come off better in the second scenario either.  Kind of a bully at worst and a little piggy at best.  But they said they have a new roommate that he seems to like.  And frankly,  who hasn't gone through college and had a bad spell with roommates?

Sometimes, you just get a bad roommate.  Sometimes, you just need to change to a new roommate.  Someone who can be your friend.

They also said that Coach is "very sweet" and "loves to work".  We hope that means that once his roommate situation calms down, he can settle in and really wow them with his command knowledge.  

Exuberant Jam's November Report Card and a Photo of Sunny

We just received Jam's November report card and he is in Phase 3!  OMG!  We have never had a puppy go to Phase 3 before.  What is Phase 3 you ask? Well, Phase 3 is Polishing and blindfold walks!

That's right.  Our Jam is actually guiding people on blindfold walks.  Woot!!  Of course, there is a trainer there as well as you can see in the photo below: The person with the blindfold on has the dog at their left.  The trainer is holding the dog's leash in case something goes wrong.  But for the most part, the dog is doing some guiding here.  

Our North Pinellas puppy Sunny is the guide dog in this photo leading the blindfolded person.
You can tell by her dimples on her forehead. Photo by Kathy Hysmith.

What is cool about the above photo, while not of Jam, is that it is of one of our North Pinellas pups and one of Jam's fellow IFT kennel mates Sunny.  Sunny was raised by our AC Carolyn.

Below is a copy of Jam's November report card.  He is doing great.

His trainer had these comments about him:

"COMMENTS:  This dog always puts a smile on my face in the morning! J  Jam is still coming along in training.  He loves to work and needs a job to do.  He is still very exuberant but is maturing.  On days that he stays back from training, Jam enjoys spending his time playing in the field and participating with kennel enrichment. "

That's our boy: exuberant, happy and willing to work.  Go, Jam! Go! 

Jam's Report Card!!!

We just got a new report on Jam.  Seems like he is continuing to do really well, so everyone should keep crossing their fingers and saying their prayers!!  Don't slack off now.  He's working really hard and loving his training as his trainer's comments below show he is a happy worker, but we knew that!

Jam at the Bradenton Mall sitting in harness by a giant sandal.  He is inside a shoe store! Photo by Kathy Hysmith. 

COMMENTS:  Jam is always in a good mood and loving life.  I don’t think this dog ever has bad day in his head. J  He loves everyone and has a blast running around with his roommate.  His harness work is still improving and he absolutely loves it.  We are still working on his obedience including his jumping and sit/stay.  He is a very smart dog and just needs to keep busy.  Sometimes I think that I could do a 10 mile route and that would only be his warm up!

 Go Jam go!!!

Jam's Report Card

Here is Jam's report card.  I think it is a pretty good report card.  Here is the meat of the report:

"Oh Jam.  There is never a dull moment with this happy and silly boy. 8-) He has adjusted to the kennel and always looks like he has something he wants to smile or say something.  He is still very immature and young but is a smart boy.  I am really looking forward to working with him more and seeing his full potential."

Woot! Smart.  Potential.

We'll take that.

Our Bingo: Sweet Boy or Slacker?

I just received another report card for Bingo. I wish I had received this one first, followed by the first one second. We could have said he went uphill. Now. Well, the direction is not up. Only two ++'s. One of his ++'s (Clearances) turned into a W! AND!!! he went from 5 Ws to 8 Ws.

Oh Bingo! What happened? Did you not pay attention in class? Did you not get enough sleep? Are you and Jim staying up late and partying? You obviously haven't been listening.

Bingo!

Are you listening to me?

You aren't listening are you? Sigh.

Here are the comments from the trainers:

COMMENTS: Bingo is a sweet dog. He is a bit immature still and we are currently working on his distractions and manners.

Reading between the lines:
Bingo is sweet, but nuts! (Did you read the blog? We could have told you that! 8-)

To be honest, we were so surprised by the first report card and frankly, so filled with unexpected pride that we have been brought down low by Bingo's normal, goofy hijinks. I swear that when I got that first report card I thought it would be all Ws. He is Bingo.

So, WAKE UP Bingo. And listen to your teachers. And I expect to see 5 Ws and 3 ++'s back on your 3rd report card.