Yes, you read it right. The newest addition to the Royer family - Eve. She's a lovely cross golden/lab born 10/20/08 (Annemarie's birthday is 10/20/04). I am beyond excited to have her by my side - she is truly the perfect companion.
So what exactly are we doing? I'm at a loss for words. Teaching a dog to respond to my commands is harder than teaching a child how to ride a bike. When it comes to training Eve to my leadership, it involves a multitude of steps and each one must be carefully though out or else she will get confused and give up. Today I placed a audible timer in the kitchen. When the timer activated, I commanded eve to "alert" and we did this several times until I was satisfied with the strength of the alert as well as the location in which she guided me to. Then, I moved to various locations around the kitchen or dining room, keeping my expectations minimal - I only wanted a nudge and proper guidance to the sound. Each success came with a treat and the more successes she accomplished she knew the rewards would satisfy her appetite. Finally, I added another element to the training - I asked the instructor to pretend as if she were one of my children - distracting Eve with their voice and gentle petting. Initially Eve fell for the children and ignored alerting me to the timer, but after careful patience (and more patience), Eve gradually learned to ignore the children, alert me to the sound and guide me to it. There are several components to the lesson I just shared with you - all of which take time, patience and a lot of emotion because I wanted this to work! When I get home the real deal begins, but learning the basic "structure" of teaching her to alert doesn't register in my mind (or hers, since she is slowly getting to know me). At the end of the day, it all comes back to knowing that dogs have a very different way of learning than humans and in order to achieve successful training, I must learn to think like a dog, but act as the confident leader. Woof!
I've been on a whirlwind the last few days. In between letting others use my laptop, checking work email (it never ends), studying coursework and doing exams, I have very little room to breath. Also, eating fast food for dinner every night doesn't exactly make a joyful stomach in the morning!
It was a lonely Father's day for me! I miss my family tremendously and hearing their voice over the phone just makes it all more sentimental. I can't wait to get home.
I managed to escape the furry of campus activity for a few hours on Sunday. I drove through miles of vineyards. California, oh California, such an incredible state. You, my faithful two readers in Virginia, have no idea! My goal was to find a Redwood forest. I have always dreamed of walking through one and I did just that. Pictures from my little point-and-shoot camera do not do justice to the majestic beauty a redwood tree captivates.
Last week we visited our first public establishment. We went to lunch at a local pizza joint. By the way, California stinks when it comes to Pizza. Come for In-n-Out burgers instead. You won't be disappointed. Anyway, shortly before we entered the restaurant Eve went #2. So, I had to pull out my handy poo bag and scoop it up. It wasn't the most pleasing experience, especially right before lunch, but I'm glad she went in the grass in a subtle area of the parking lot and not inside the restaurant!
Today we did a video shoot - sometimes I wish my day job was sitting in front of a camera promoting dogs and/or cochlear implants. I have been blessed with the ability to communicate and the more I am exposed to deaf and hard of hearing people throughout the United States, the more I realize there is much work to do towards reaching and educating these individuals about the many different choices available to improve their quality of life.
Later this week we are visiting the mall. We will test several areas - Eve cannot sniff the floor, she cannot sniff tables or other people and she cannot "yank" away from me if/when she hears a toy. I must keep her under control at all times in public and this will be a great opportunity to test my leadership. I'm confident Eve and I will do well!
Love to all,
Mike
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