Monday, two outings

Life got busy and the obedience training fell right off. I need to get back on it. We're still out and doing service dog things, so I don't feel too guilty.

Keeper got to work her first city street yesterday. Admittedly, only a block, and the cold had the sidewalks clear, but she lead out in good form.

She is starting to reach the point where I can throw things at her and she holds up her end. Yesterday was a 35 minute drive, her first parking garage, foot bridge, a block on a city street, and 6 floor elevator (she's been in the 1 story one at my shrink's office repeatedly). From there I took her into a conference room for an hour and a half where she lay down and did not react when someone forgot, stretched out his feet, and bumped her butt. Then we get on the elevator again (it's one of the bumpy ones that screws with my brain. So glad for Keeper), and then Mom comments again that with a dog, I move too fast for them to get ahead of me and get doors and things. Back over the footbridge, now in the dark and with the ankle level lights throwing strange shadows, and back into the car for another 45 minute drive (yay traffic). She did all of it like a rockstar.

We had about 25-30 minutes at home while I ate a taco salad, then we were off to writers' group. Keeper went under the table there as she always does. But she was either so tired from the prior outing and/or so relaxed she snored with her head on my foot loud enough other people heard, and since the group was in a chatty lull there, I just let myself laugh about it.

I'm getting things done I couldn't do without Keeper. I'm getting to where I trust her more, though I'm still back at the "oh, god, what if someone says we can't go in?" stage of the relationship. I know what my rights are, I just don't have the mental history of "this is my service dog, we go places together." Instead, I have the mental history of "this is my dog in training, she makes mistakes and I need to be ready to leave at any time." The more she goes out and rocks it, the fewer puppy brain moments she has (and the more humor I can find in the puppy brain moments because they're becoming more rare), the more I feel like I'm getting that part of my life back.