Last night was my first with Joel and he did very well. The fan did not seem to bother him he just slept on his fleece rug. He woke up a couple of times though but he went back to sleep so this was not an issue. This morning I fed, watered and relieved him after getting ready. We went to breakfast and he laid quietly by my chair the entire time. After breakfast we went over a couple of lectures about street crossings and guidework. Afterward, We relieved again and loaded up to head to Portland. Getting Joel into a car will take some getting used to. I should make him wait while I enter the vehicle and then call him up to sit at my feet. I have to be sure to tuck his tail in so it will not get closed in the door. Joel wanted to get into the van first but after a slight correction and a "Sit" and a "Wait" he stayed outside until I was situated in the van. When I called him into the van I did not give him enough room in front of my feet so he leapt into my lap. I have to say he is pretty heavy. I got him into the floor where he stretched out, taking up most of the back seat floor. After we arrived in Portland we went to the GDB lounge that they keep as the center of operations there. It is a large suite in an office building with two floors and several rooms. This is where we start our routes and rest between routes.
Joel stands perfectly still and calm while I slide his harness over his head. I was afraid that he might shy away but he did not. We walked about the downtown area crossing several streets and encountering various obstacles like fountains, planters, and people. Joel guides me around smaller obstacles such as poles and people very smoothly and it is barely noticeable that we have moved over to go around something. Joel will push me over to go around something but because he does not know me well he is hesitant to use very much pressure. The instructor said that he will become more familiar with me and be more adamant in his pushes. At the moment I am having some trouble recognizing when he wants me to move over. I took some time to loosen up and get into a comfortable stride but eventually we both found a good smooth pace for traveling. Portland has many flower boxes and fountains as well as light poles and bike racks. The streets are similar to Huntington but the streets are all one way (Think all like fifth AVE. and Third AVE.) and some lights are triggered by a pressure plate so they are only active when needed.
Joel also handled distractions very well. Several times we would pass dogs who were barking madly at Joel but he ignored them and kept on his path. A little kid asked to pet Joel but luckily he didn't run up to him while doing so. Joel ignored him as well. I would give Joel food rewards when he would find a down curb before a street crossing and again when he found the up curb on the other side. This makes him want to find curbs which will be very important when traveling through Huntington and the reward on the up curb conditions him to quickly cross the street in anticipation for a treat.
We did an interesting exercise that will help Joel remember places that I wish to visit. We find a door to a building that I will want to visit and when there I will find the handle of the door, praise Joel and give him a treat. Next I will take a couple of steps back from the door and return to it and again find the door handle, praise Joel and give him a treat. We repeated this process several times eventually backing further away and allowing Joel to move to the door on his own. Since Joel knows that he will be given a treat for finding the door hopefully the next time we pass that door on the sidewalk he will go over to it on his own initiative.
We went on two routes today and we had lunch in the downtown lounge. After we finished in Portland we returned to Campus and learned about grooming our dogs. We have a regular brush but we also have a special brush called a Zoomgroom. This is a rubber brush looking tool with what look like cones sticking out of one side. As it is used to groom the dog it causes static which picks up dead hair out of their coat. Joel is very clean looking and I went over him with both a Zoomgroom and a regular brush today. I just hope that regular grooming will keep the signature Lab oiliness from his coat.
This evening I attended a optional lecture where I learned more about the area of downtown Portland and I was able to look over a raised map so I could better understand how the streets are laid out. The streets are numbered and they are one way. The even numbers go north and the odd numbers go south. What in Huntington are numbered Avenues Portland has named streets that serve the same function. The city also has a aboveground light rail train that serves as easy transport throughout the city from What I can tell. With the lecture finished I went back down to the music room and played the guitar for a while. Joel sleeps straight through it which is good since he likes to sleep and I was afraid that my plunking would keep him awake. We are back in the room now and I need to go finish the other lectures that I need to read for tomorrow. Joel is lying quietly on his rug on Tiedown and we both are going to bed soon. I get toys tomorrow so I will be able to play with Joel like a regular dog. He has tried to platy play fight with me like Maggie does but They advise against it so he won't try to fight other people. He needs to be well behaved so he will not cause problems in public places but I am so used to rough housing with Maggie it has taken some restraint to keep from fighting with him.
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