We've Got Work to Do...

Overall, I'd say Tucker has had a pretty good week.  He's done well in all my classes so far, and he was very patient with me on Friday, though it was a long day.  Normally on Fridays we have class at 10 and 1, but this Friday, I was also sitting in on an 11 o'clock class and going to a prayer service at 12.  A student very near and dear to many people here at Gardner-Webb passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, and the University held a campus-wide prayer service both to pray for her friends and family and the other issues here on campus.  Tucker did well during the service though he was a little tired of sitting at that point.  He wasn't exactly sure what to make of the gospel choir at first, but he eventually settled down.  When we left, he also wasn't sure about the gym floor, but he did okay (we'll need to practice with that again).  Because he had been so good for those three hours, I let him stay in his crate for my 1 o'clock and play with his toys.  We went out to eat last night in Gaffney, and he did a great job there as well.  I absolutely love watching people's faces when they realize they've been sitting right next to a puppy and didn't even know it. :)

Today, however, was something entirely different.  I read an article in the Shelby Star last semester about a girl who was raising a puppy for Southeastern Guide Dogs and taking him to the community college here, and today we decided to meet up at the mall to let our puppies practice working together.  Her puppy, also a male yellow lab but about 4 months old, Brandon, did a good job.  Tucker, not so much.  He has NEVER behaved as poorly in public as he did at the mall today.  I mean, I feel like I need to go back and issue a public apology to anyone who happened to be in the mall at the time.  He made more noise in there today than I think he has made in his entire life.  Apparently, it was just too much for him to handle to see another puppy working across the hallway from him.  He whined, barked, moaned, and just about any other noise you can think of.  It was so embarrassing.  You'd have thought that was his first public outing ever. 

I tried everything I could think of, but the corrections and attempts at distracting him with obedience commands only seemed to make things worse.  Puppy push-ups only made the moaning get louder and leash corrections only brought on more jumping and pulling.  HE ACTED POSSESSED.  Finally, after about an hour of walking, stopping, walking, stopping, we put them about ten feet apart in down-stays so we could talk.  I was very relieved to discover that Allison had encountered similar issues with her past puppies, and thankfully she didn't seem to think I was a horrible raiser (though I certainly felt like one).  Tucker was also royally ticked because Brandon was getting attention and he wasn't.  I don't let people pet him when he isn't being obedient, so Brandon, who was nice and calm, got all the attention. 

Once they seemed to have accepted the fact that they would be working and not playing, we decided to attempt lunch at Chick-fil-a.  Much to my relief and surprise, they both did wonderfully.  They pretty much stayed in their down-stays beneath our chairs, almost nose to nose at some points.  After a nice long lunch comparing notes and sharing stories, we took them outside the mall and let them play for a few minutes on leash.  They LOVED that.  Tucker was kind enough to let Brandon win most of their wrestling matches (all on leash, of course), but that also meant he got nice and wet rolling around on the pavement.  But hey, at least it was just water and not mud.

So, the lesson learned today is that we desperately need to work around more dogs.  He had been getting better with dogs outside, but I think it totally threw him off that Brandon was inside with him.  Because I'm an independent raiser and I have a crazy schedule, it makes it difficult to find places/times to train Tucker around other dogs.  I now, more than ever, think the dog guide schools would be wise to encourage their raisers (especially independents or those far from their puppy groups) to interact with raisers from other schools, even if for no other reason than to teach their dogs how to work together in public.

Now, with Tucker sacked out at my feet, I think I'll ice my shoulder and try to get some homework done.

Here's the picture proving that Tucker did have at least a few moments of sanity at the mall earlier.

Allison Stumbo and Brandon (Southeastern Guide Dogs) with me and Tucker in Chick-fil-a.