Wednesday

We had a few rain showers during the day, but they didn't last long or keep us inside. Our lilies in the front bed are blooming.

Our first bird of paradise for the season is blooming.

I rode my bike to the Weaver Park outdoor gym. I'm making steady progress with my rehabilitation. I'm taking it slow and emphasizing good form over number of repetitions. I also us a velcro arm brace that is made for tennis elbow to support my forearm. So far, so good.

After lunch, we headed to Petsmart to practice with Toby. We did all the things he couldn't do on Monday. I had to use treats, but John got him to do most of the things without. I've got to continue to work on that because he has to do 15 commands in a row without treats in order to pass the course. In the picture above, a store employee came up to pet Toby. He did great. Sometimes he gets skittish with a stranger. In order to pass the course, he has to let a stranger pet him without moving or being frightened.

John and I fed Toby his dinner by hand, practicing the "come" command. We call it a "progressive dinner."

This morning's walk was lovely. It was a little cool in the beginning (upper 60s), but just right at the end. 

The high temperature today was 75 degrees. The clouds have been spectacular all day: varied in type, size, and color, with blue skies peeking through.

We made it through our causeway walk without getting rained on.

On our last walk of the day, we decided to do it without treats. Our trainer said we are too nice and reward him too much. That makes him ignore us when we give a command without treats. Now, we’re trying to use our voice and petting as rewards.

It worked. We met a couple and chatted briefly. They petted Toby, and then I motioned for him to sit. He did and maintained eye contact. The couple were complimentary. We laughed and told them we were working hard.

John got this shot of a leprechaun 🍀.

Miles walked: 13.6

Miles biked: 5.57