This last week for class we met at the tallest (I think) building in town. It’s a whole three stories! 😉 hehe

There is a bank located inside, plus many other businesses. The main floor was busy with activity and people coming and going. It was a great place to work the dogs (sit/stay, down/stay, wait/come) with distractions all around.

The dogs have to learn how to properly go through a door (whether it be sliding or regular). They are taught to either go ahead of us, wait and go behind us or walk beside us. It’s at the discretion of the handler (and the situation) what the dog will need to do, but we practice all three positions so the dog gets used to each one.

(Can you see Dickens in the door reflection? 🙂 )

The bank has a waiting area. So the dogs practice sitting patiently while we wait for our “turn”.

The dogs practiced waiting patiently next to us while we did our (fake) banking.

Learning to ride the elevator.

We practiced the recall in the main hallway. The other main door is behind Dickens. There were people coming and going and walking up and down the hallway as the dogs worked. They have to “wait” where we leave them. Then come when called. The instructor also put some obstacles in the way that the dogs had to ignore (one was a bowl of Liverwurst!).

Dickens is afraid to break the law of “sit/stay” in this location. 😉 hehe

We worked on all three floors of the building.

Smoke from all the fires. And this was before the recent, big one started.

Some of the nice ladies in the nearby offices came out to love on the dogs.

We practiced on several stairwells. The dogs must learn to walk beside or a little behind us. Racing ahead going up or down can cause a fall, which we don’t want.

We practiced more outside the building too, then headed down the sidewalk. These are my two favorite dogs at class by the way. 😉

Visiting the local newspaper office on our way down the sidewalk downtown.

A little distraction! Some of the dogs were very interested in the kitty in the window, but others like Dickens didn’t care.

Pretending to have a little snack (we each got a cracker) at the picnic table and learning to ignore that and the piece of liverwurst the teacher left on the bench by each dog. “Leave it” is such an important thing for dogs to know and obey.

That pretty much wrapped up class for the week. Hopefully, all these things we have been practicing will be enough to pass the CCGC next week.

I walked Dickens down to this little spot hopeful he might go potty after class, but instead, he hopped up on the rock and did some posing. <3

Dickens and I visited the local park also where the town was having it’s annual craft/music festival.

Then we headed over to the shop where I get my hair cut. A friend of mine was having a LuLaRoe pop-up party there so we went to hang out with her and look at all the nice things.

He’s such a good boy! <3

(And now for a shameless plug! If anyone is interested in LuLaRoe or you’ve never heard of it and want to find out more, please go join the Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/plumcrazylularoeboutique

Just trying to help my bestie grow her wonderful business! She’s great at putting outfits together too. )  🙂