Monday

We knew this was going to be a hectic day—and it was. We had some unexpected drama once we arrived at Petsmart for training. We accidentally left Toby’s harness on in his car crate. Usually we take it off first because he will chew through the strap when he’s bored. Well, that’s exactly what he did. So, there we are ten minutes early and no harness. Training is impossible without a harness. John ran in to buy a new one.

Petsmart was out of his size, as you can see in the picture above. This one is a large. John dragged him in to exchange it for a different kind. The next one was put on upside down and wouldn’t fit. I went to get a third one, scrambling at the register with the cashier trying to help make adjustments. Finally, John got it turned around, made the exchange, and we headed to class late.

We recovered quickly. Our teacher delayed the class until we arrived, which was really kind. Above, John is practicing having a conversation with a stranger while Toby sits and behaves. Look at them. I’m so proud of them both! (That’s a temporary harness he’s wearing. We returned it at the end of class and ordered one like he had from Amazon before we left the store. It should arrive tomorrow.) The hardest part of advanced class is we have to begin doing commands without using treats.

We learned which dogs are taking the class for the first time. There are only three, and Toby’s skills are about in the middle of the other two. The rest of the class, three other dogs, are taking the class over as a refresher. That information makes me feel a lot better. Those three dogs are really well trained.

Toby, John, and I got a lot of compliments today, and she doesn’t give them unless you earn them. One of the first timers (husky) got loose in the training room and went after two smaller dogs, to play, but still, they were not the same size and they were not there to play. John and I quickly shielded Toby and distracted him so that he wouldn’t react. The trainer leaped into action and came down hard on the husky. He didn’t move a muscle for the rest of the class. She said we did exactly what we should have done.

After daycare this morning and lunch, we put Toby in his crate to nap while we headed to the causeway to walk. Just as we arrived, the clouds dispersed and the sun came out. It was 53 degrees but warmed up to 63 before the clouds returned later in the afternoon. I started the walk with three shirts and ended with one.

We were so happy to see the sun. The forecast for tomorrow is for rain and a high of 53 degrees. Boo.

However, it was another cold, winter day this morning. It was overcast until just after lunch.

We bundled up and persevered.

 

Morning snuggle time 

He’s probably wishing I would quit taking pictures while he’s sleeping. The camera makes a big white flash before the shot because at 5:30 a.m., it’s dark outside and we don’t have many lights on.

We attended our first HOA meeting tonight. The guest speaker was the city manager. She addressed about 8-9 current projects. I’ll write about them tomorrow. We didn’t get home until 9:00, past our bedtime. 

Before we could call it a day, Toby and I took a shower together. He had been at daycare playing with a dozen dogs and then Petsmart on the floor. He was a mess.

He loves shower time because of the warm water. It makes his skin turn pink!

Miles walked: 8.6

Miles biked: 0