Monday, June 2, 2008

Phew! We did it!!!

Woohoo! We passed the intermediate test!!! It was a drizzling day and we were the earliest to arrive in class yesterday. There were six of us taking the test and three of us made it through. I am a little disappointed that I will not be able to see some of my classmates in the next advanced class, but we will still be meeting up for practice sessions and who knows, we may even take the Dr. Dog test together as it is only held twice a year, so don't give up guys! Let's all work together to reach our ultimate goal!


See the two treat pouches on Dad's waist? The orange one contained the Butch dog food which was sliced into cubes and the red one contained boiled mutton. Dad used the Butch dog food to guide me through the test, so we have to give special thanks to Kiki the golden retriever from another class who passed her test with flying colors and blogged about using the yummy Butch roll as a treat on her test day.



Here's me before the test, all attention on Dad....errr...or rather his treat pouch.




Here's Bibi the West Highland Terrier, just look at those cute marble eyes!


This is the red poodle who is also named Bibi.


And here is another red poodle named Babu.


These are our instructor's two very smart dogs, Dr. Apollo the Shetland Sheepdog and Dr. Luca the Miniature Schnauzer. Their job of the day was to distract us and they of course did it wonderfully.

The instructor warned that the distractions and disturbances for larger dogs are bigger and the smaller dogs are likely to be affected by it, so they had their go first. We were the forth to take our test. It was really nerve wrecking to see how the instructor try to distract my friends before me.

When my turn came, Mom sat there holding her breath the whole time and Dad guided me through the routine. It was amazing that I ignored the treats and toys on the floor while we heeled around them, but there were a few instances where I broke my stay when the instructor took my leash and pulled me with her, but Dad quickly brought me back into position. She also placed two biscuits on my paws and I had to obey Dad's "Off" command, she even threw a chair and brought her two dogs near me. The highlight of my routine must be when I did a perfect "Spit Out" 3 times in a roll! It seemed like an impossible feat just one week ago where I recounted the numerous pig ears that I had stolen.

Our instructor said I have improved this week and I appeared happier and had more confidence. She also noticed that I don't get frantic anymore when Mom is not by my side. Dad and Mom were just thrilled! We will be starting advanced class next week and there will be more hard work ahead, no excuse for slacking, but Dad and Mom promised me that it is all going to be good fun!



Before we leave the class, we of course had to have a group photo with our classmates and Dr. Apollo and Dr. Luca.

It was indeed a tough test and we were sure glad we made it. Thanks to everyone for your support, prayers and best wishes and also a big thank you for all of you who practiced with me.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Dino!

Wannie (from Texas)

Anonymous said...

Hey! It's you, Dino!
I didn't expect to meet u there.
What a surprise.
You and ur dad really did a good job.
I'm also happy for you! :)

Amber-Mae said...

Oh Dino, congratulations! It sounded like you & your friends did very well.

Butt shakes,
Solid Gold Dancer

Anonymous said...

Hey,this is Buggy's mom. Butch roll is also used as a treat for our daily training. However, I am wondering how the roll can be kept fresh for a couple of hours in the classroom. Wouldn't the roll be sticky in hands?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Dino and Family said...

Hi Buggy's Mom,
we separated them into little bags to avoid getting them mashed up, then we leave it in the fridge until we are about to leave for class. School is just half an hour away and the lesson lasts for about an hour, so I guess it is still fresh. You are right, it does get a little sticky. I think you can put the little bags into an ice bag if you want to preserve the freshness.

Love, Dino