What Do Guide Dog Puppies Need To Learn?

Sha Newman is in the pink with her dogs Mason and Garmond, Dean Gilford and Poppy following

I don't know what we would do without Poppy's puppy class generously given by Sha Newman. 

Dean teaches poppy to stop at a curb

While other people are sleeping in on the weekends Sha Newman and her class of Guide Dog Puppy Raisers are up early and meeting with their dogs. This morning Sha called us together to meet on Sepulveda to practice stopping at curbs.

We crossed to Target to practice riding in the elevator.

Dean teaches Poppy to stay tight on the stairs

Going down stairs without pulling is an important skill. Poppy is great at this. We have stairs in our house so she knows to stay right by my side going down.

Dean Gilford  <3 and Poppy the adorable <3

"Stay." We put the dogs in a big circle and tell them to stay. Then walk all the way around the circle. If one dog breaks the stay it instantly becomes a wild romp for all the dogs.

Shopping carts can be intimidating to a puppy

Once afraid of the shopping cart, Poppy has no problem walking calmly beside it now. Sha makes sure to introduce puppies to anything that might freak them out so by the time they go in for their real Guide Dog training they are unflappable.

Dean and Poppy

Poppy loves her puppy class. 

Buddy and Poppy, so much love

Buddy has hugs waiting for Poppy when she gets home.

Counter Surfing, What Finally Worked?

No more bacon and eggs for me.

Dean's breakfast is safe once again.

After the rattling can failed, Sha, the dog trainer made a crazy suggestion that I yell at the counter.

"Bad counter! Bad!" I whipped that granite with a dishtowel and chastised it soundly for giving up Dean's breakfast. I yelled at the dishwasher too because those dirty spoons were "Not for sharing!"

Poppy was shocked! She wanted no part of all that hostility. Her little tail went down and she slunk away to the living room to hide behind Sally.

Now when I cook she stays out of the kitchen. Her pilfering days behind her. I hope. ;)

Poppy's Counter Surfing

Who's down with OPB? (Other People's Breakfast)

Poppy has become a fiendish counter surfer. Haley's crepes. Dean's bacon and eggs. I turn my back for a second and they are GONE.

The solution? 8 pennies in a thoroughly dry soda can. Tape up the top and tie a kite string to the tab. Set a trap with a delicious piece of string cheese as bait and when she grabs the cheese the can comes tumbling down, making a terrible loud noise which frightens her and puts a stop to all this nonsense.

 

I thought we would get a good laugh, watching Poppy get her well deserved comeuppance. But the laughs were on us. The can met it's match. It fell off the counter and made a huge rattly sound just like we wanted it to.

Poppy couldn't have cared less. She didn't even startle. Just wolfed that string cheese down like a hungry Miami street dog. (shout out to Sam)

Sigh.

What now?