Hey all,
I thought I would give you an update on Bailey. He's loving not being a SD. He's much more relaxed and joyful. Going to the dog park is one of his favorite things ever! He loves playing with all the other dogs.
Around people he doesn't know, he's still nervous. He leaves the room when one of my aides comes. Since he's not my SD, this behavior is ok. If people leave him alone, he's ok. He now loves my dad (remember how he used to growl?) and he will stick his head on my dad's lap and look up like, "Please pet me." He's a very happy and spoiled dog.
Here's an album of pictures. Enjoy.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions
Hey All,
So I have been getting several emails asking me questions regarding Bailey and his retirement. So here’s a list of frequently asked questions that I would like to answer for all of my readers.
Why are you retiring Bailey?
I’ve decided to retire Bailey because he’s been telling me (through his body language) that he is unhappy when working in public. In addition he is uncomfortable around strangers and will sometimes growl at them in public. Also Bailey has shown me that he is generally just a shy dog. I have two aides and a physical therapist whom Bailey has seen 2-3 times a week for the past five months. He still will not go up to them and anxiously keeps a distance from them. These people are no longer strangers and he still has issues with them. At fifteen months old this is not something that Bailey will just grow out of. This is a part of his personality. Just like with humans, some dogs are just more social than others.
He seems so well behaved, why does it matter if he’s not comfortable in public?
Bailey is an incredibly smart dog and a super good boy. But lots of dogs are smart, that doesn’t make them a good candidate for service work alone. Service dogs must LOVE to work for you, not just in the home but in public where there are many strangers, distractions and surprises. If he’s not comfortable working in public it means he is stressed. Stressed out dogs, if pushed too far can be dangerous.
How can you tell that he doesn’t like working in public?
I can tell by Bailey’s body language. His eyes are constantly darting around anxiously. He never wags his tail. He never opens his mouth in the natural dog behavior of panting (aka smiling). This is especially apparent when strangers come near to him (even if they are ignoring him). He immediately pulls away in fear (and Bailey does not usually pull away from me) and basically tries to hide and kind of just “shuts down”. Another way he is telling me he is uncomfortable is he will sometimes growl at a person nearby ,but never in an aggressive way so I know it’s not a “protective” type thing.
What if Bailey stopped growling at strangers? Would you work him then?
No. Even if Bailey were to stop growling at strangers that wouldn’t mean that he was comfortable with them or happy working in public. It would simply mean he was “trained” not to growl. That would actually be dangerous because then he wouldn't be able to communicate his fear which could lead to him communicating by eventually snapping at someone.
If Bailey became more comfortable with your aides and people visiting your home, would you try to work him then?
It would be awesome if Bailey was more comfortable with the people in my home. In fact since I’ve stopped working him he has become way more relaxed with people in my home. I think this is because he is less stressed in general and now just gets be a happy pet. I know if I started working him again his stress would come back and might appear in the form of anxiety in the home or something new.
I owe it to Bailey to listen to what he’s telling me and not try to force him to do something he is just not comfortable doing.
Is Bailey unhappy now that he’s fully retired and no longer a SD?
Actually the opposite, he thinks he’s just won the lottery! He now gets to go to the dogpark and play with other dogs which is one of his favorite activities. We’ve also been mixing little treats like left over chicken into his food now that I don’t have to worry about him not paying attention to yummy smelling food at restaurants. Also he gets the same love and attention and now has a stronger bond with my parents since he is not “my” SD but the family pet.
What’s happened with bailey, is it uncommon?
Service Dogs in training are carefully screened and chosen based on their temperament, breeding and family health history. Even after this strict process the success rate for a dog to become a SD is about 40%. I knew these statistics when I began owner training so I’ve always known they’re was the possibility that Bailey wouldn’t want to work or wouldn’t turn out to be the right candidate for service work.
What does a “happy service dog” look like?
This is a happy service dog...
As you can see this SD has no problem with people and/or objects getting close to him. He looks around but it is not with anxiety more curiosity. When people approach him, he is comfortable and inviting not shy or pulling away. I know this service dog’s owner and I know for a fact that he is very happy when working.
So I have been getting several emails asking me questions regarding Bailey and his retirement. So here’s a list of frequently asked questions that I would like to answer for all of my readers.
Why are you retiring Bailey?
I’ve decided to retire Bailey because he’s been telling me (through his body language) that he is unhappy when working in public. In addition he is uncomfortable around strangers and will sometimes growl at them in public. Also Bailey has shown me that he is generally just a shy dog. I have two aides and a physical therapist whom Bailey has seen 2-3 times a week for the past five months. He still will not go up to them and anxiously keeps a distance from them. These people are no longer strangers and he still has issues with them. At fifteen months old this is not something that Bailey will just grow out of. This is a part of his personality. Just like with humans, some dogs are just more social than others.
He seems so well behaved, why does it matter if he’s not comfortable in public?
Bailey is an incredibly smart dog and a super good boy. But lots of dogs are smart, that doesn’t make them a good candidate for service work alone. Service dogs must LOVE to work for you, not just in the home but in public where there are many strangers, distractions and surprises. If he’s not comfortable working in public it means he is stressed. Stressed out dogs, if pushed too far can be dangerous.
How can you tell that he doesn’t like working in public?
I can tell by Bailey’s body language. His eyes are constantly darting around anxiously. He never wags his tail. He never opens his mouth in the natural dog behavior of panting (aka smiling). This is especially apparent when strangers come near to him (even if they are ignoring him). He immediately pulls away in fear (and Bailey does not usually pull away from me) and basically tries to hide and kind of just “shuts down”. Another way he is telling me he is uncomfortable is he will sometimes growl at a person nearby ,but never in an aggressive way so I know it’s not a “protective” type thing.
What if Bailey stopped growling at strangers? Would you work him then?
No. Even if Bailey were to stop growling at strangers that wouldn’t mean that he was comfortable with them or happy working in public. It would simply mean he was “trained” not to growl. That would actually be dangerous because then he wouldn't be able to communicate his fear which could lead to him communicating by eventually snapping at someone.
If Bailey became more comfortable with your aides and people visiting your home, would you try to work him then?
It would be awesome if Bailey was more comfortable with the people in my home. In fact since I’ve stopped working him he has become way more relaxed with people in my home. I think this is because he is less stressed in general and now just gets be a happy pet. I know if I started working him again his stress would come back and might appear in the form of anxiety in the home or something new.
I owe it to Bailey to listen to what he’s telling me and not try to force him to do something he is just not comfortable doing.
Is Bailey unhappy now that he’s fully retired and no longer a SD?
Actually the opposite, he thinks he’s just won the lottery! He now gets to go to the dogpark and play with other dogs which is one of his favorite activities. We’ve also been mixing little treats like left over chicken into his food now that I don’t have to worry about him not paying attention to yummy smelling food at restaurants. Also he gets the same love and attention and now has a stronger bond with my parents since he is not “my” SD but the family pet.
What’s happened with bailey, is it uncommon?
Service Dogs in training are carefully screened and chosen based on their temperament, breeding and family health history. Even after this strict process the success rate for a dog to become a SD is about 40%. I knew these statistics when I began owner training so I’ve always known they’re was the possibility that Bailey wouldn’t want to work or wouldn’t turn out to be the right candidate for service work.
What does a “happy service dog” look like?
This is a happy service dog...
As you can see this SD has no problem with people and/or objects getting close to him. He looks around but it is not with anxiety more curiosity. When people approach him, he is comfortable and inviting not shy or pulling away. I know this service dog’s owner and I know for a fact that he is very happy when working.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Bailey Update
So I know I haven’t been blogging for a while now. And I feel it it time to tell you all why. I hate to have to write this but I have noticed Bailey is not happy when he’s working outside of the home. He seems very nervous in public, even though I stopped working Bailey for six weeks and just focused on fun socializing outings. This made a huge improvement with his growling but when in public his eyes are constantly darting around on alert and he backs away from people when they get close. Also he still growls at people randomly. Although I have consulted professionals regarding this behavior, his growling is so inconsistent that we have not been able to pinpoint it to a specific trigger other than him just being generally uncomfortable around strangers.
He is able to relax and fall asleep when he is on a "down" for a long period of time, but if a person walks near to him he pops up and is on nervous alert again. At home he is great with me but not everybody else. He's incredibly smart and loves doing tasks for me, but he is still not comfortable with my two part time aides. One of which he has seen twice a week for the past four months. I haven't even been able to take him out when those aides are working. Of course we could physically get the leash on him but because I can see he is too nervous I was not working him when accompanied by those aides.
I know this is not a fear stage because looking back at his behavior and our training I realize now that he has been randomly uncomfortable with strangers since I first started working with him (ugh! Hindsight is always 20/20). Of course all dogs have “behaviors” that can be worked on. For example Bailey sometimes gets really excited when he sees other dogs. This is a behavior that with some work he can overcome. In comparison him being nervous and shy around strangers (and even some people who aren’t strangers) and generally just unhappy while out with me in public is not a “behavior” that can be trained out of him. At this point it is a part of his personality. Just like with some people he is a shy and sensitive little guy. Training cannot change him into an outgoing, stranger loving dog.
The most important task I want my SD to do is be a social facilitator by performing trained interactions with people (like taking stuff out of there hands when someone tries to give me something that I can't grab). And to just be friendly which encourages strangers to talk to me (everyone loves a friendly dog). I talked some more with my current trainer and the trainer Bailey lived with for 5 months. Both of them support my decision to retire Bailey as a Service Dog and are encouraging me to pursue a program dog.
One consistent thing that everybody notices about Bailey is that when he is around other dogs his confidence sky rockets. Obviously I can’t have a Service Dog that needs an additional emotional support animal (haha). But this is really comforting because I know if I get another dog in the future Bailey will be ecstatic about having a friend in the house with him.
So you might be wondering what this means for Bailey now. Well for one thing he’s getting to do more fun activities and can now go to the dog park and just be a playful pet. He is absolutely no longer going to be my Service Dog so my family and I have been transitioning him into getting used to be a family pet and not going everywhere with me. So far he is really enjoying his new status. Of course this doesn’t mean that he will no longer be receiving any training. All dogs regardless of working status should be stimulated with basic behavior and play training. Bailey loves his speak command and gets so excited to show off. And I will continue to work on his “dog distraction” because even as a pet he still needs to be well behaved when we’re out on walks. Once I get a program dog I will still do ”Bailey and Me” time, such as dog parks and walks just the two of us and Bailey will continue to get tons of love and attention.
Of course I really wanted Bailey to work out as my SD so this really sucks but I have always said if Bailey's not happy working then I won't make him work. He’s telling me he doesn’t want to work and I am listening. Thanks for reading.
He is able to relax and fall asleep when he is on a "down" for a long period of time, but if a person walks near to him he pops up and is on nervous alert again. At home he is great with me but not everybody else. He's incredibly smart and loves doing tasks for me, but he is still not comfortable with my two part time aides. One of which he has seen twice a week for the past four months. I haven't even been able to take him out when those aides are working. Of course we could physically get the leash on him but because I can see he is too nervous I was not working him when accompanied by those aides.
I know this is not a fear stage because looking back at his behavior and our training I realize now that he has been randomly uncomfortable with strangers since I first started working with him (ugh! Hindsight is always 20/20). Of course all dogs have “behaviors” that can be worked on. For example Bailey sometimes gets really excited when he sees other dogs. This is a behavior that with some work he can overcome. In comparison him being nervous and shy around strangers (and even some people who aren’t strangers) and generally just unhappy while out with me in public is not a “behavior” that can be trained out of him. At this point it is a part of his personality. Just like with some people he is a shy and sensitive little guy. Training cannot change him into an outgoing, stranger loving dog.
The most important task I want my SD to do is be a social facilitator by performing trained interactions with people (like taking stuff out of there hands when someone tries to give me something that I can't grab). And to just be friendly which encourages strangers to talk to me (everyone loves a friendly dog). I talked some more with my current trainer and the trainer Bailey lived with for 5 months. Both of them support my decision to retire Bailey as a Service Dog and are encouraging me to pursue a program dog.
One consistent thing that everybody notices about Bailey is that when he is around other dogs his confidence sky rockets. Obviously I can’t have a Service Dog that needs an additional emotional support animal (haha). But this is really comforting because I know if I get another dog in the future Bailey will be ecstatic about having a friend in the house with him.
So you might be wondering what this means for Bailey now. Well for one thing he’s getting to do more fun activities and can now go to the dog park and just be a playful pet. He is absolutely no longer going to be my Service Dog so my family and I have been transitioning him into getting used to be a family pet and not going everywhere with me. So far he is really enjoying his new status. Of course this doesn’t mean that he will no longer be receiving any training. All dogs regardless of working status should be stimulated with basic behavior and play training. Bailey loves his speak command and gets so excited to show off. And I will continue to work on his “dog distraction” because even as a pet he still needs to be well behaved when we’re out on walks. Once I get a program dog I will still do ”Bailey and Me” time, such as dog parks and walks just the two of us and Bailey will continue to get tons of love and attention.
Of course I really wanted Bailey to work out as my SD so this really sucks but I have always said if Bailey's not happy working then I won't make him work. He’s telling me he doesn’t want to work and I am listening. Thanks for reading.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Bailey Update
So I know I haven't blogged in a while but I've been having some health issues (nothing serious just annoying and tiring). I've decided to give you a more general update rather detail everything that's been going on in the past few weeks.
On February 24th Bailey turned one year old! We celebrated with a hamburger birthday cake with Kong stuffing frosting. Mmmmmm! We made the burger cake a bit big and when Bailey got it he didn't know how he should eat it. He basically ran around the yard with a big chunk of burger in his mouth. It was too big to eat but he refused to drop it because he was afraid we would take his prize away. Eventually my Mom got it away from him and cut it into smaller pieces for him to enjoy.
The week after that we visited my trainer and Bailey's brother Liam so that they could also have a birthday celebration together. My trainer invited some of their other poodle pals. They had a great time running around the tennis courts together and then all eight dogs enjoyed a frozen yogurt banana birthday cake. Here's a video from the celebration.
Bailey is back to work. He's doing so much better with his growling at people. Now when he's working he almost never growls. I'm so happy that I could start working him again. He's also doing way better with my various aides and even solicits attention from them. In hindsight I should have given him a break from working right when he came to live with me. I know now how stressful it was for him to make that transition. But now it's clear how much he loves it here and whenever I visit my trainer he tells me it's time to go back home after just a couple hours.
In other big news Bailey has a couple new tricks up his sleeve. He now "speaks" on command and just a couple days ago learned how to "shake hands" with people. It's so cute and he picked it up in about 10 minutes.I think from now on with my blog I'm going to just give updates to my readers as bigger events and successes take place.
On February 24th Bailey turned one year old! We celebrated with a hamburger birthday cake with Kong stuffing frosting. Mmmmmm! We made the burger cake a bit big and when Bailey got it he didn't know how he should eat it. He basically ran around the yard with a big chunk of burger in his mouth. It was too big to eat but he refused to drop it because he was afraid we would take his prize away. Eventually my Mom got it away from him and cut it into smaller pieces for him to enjoy.
The week after that we visited my trainer and Bailey's brother Liam so that they could also have a birthday celebration together. My trainer invited some of their other poodle pals. They had a great time running around the tennis courts together and then all eight dogs enjoyed a frozen yogurt banana birthday cake. Here's a video from the celebration.
Bailey is back to work. He's doing so much better with his growling at people. Now when he's working he almost never growls. I'm so happy that I could start working him again. He's also doing way better with my various aides and even solicits attention from them. In hindsight I should have given him a break from working right when he came to live with me. I know now how stressful it was for him to make that transition. But now it's clear how much he loves it here and whenever I visit my trainer he tells me it's time to go back home after just a couple hours.
In other big news Bailey has a couple new tricks up his sleeve. He now "speaks" on command and just a couple days ago learned how to "shake hands" with people. It's so cute and he picked it up in about 10 minutes.I think from now on with my blog I'm going to just give updates to my readers as bigger events and successes take place.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Week Seven
On Saturday I discovered Bailey has an ear infection again. So I made an appointment to have it checked out. When my Saturday aide came over Bailey was still very shy and wouldn't even walk past her. Because I am still not working Bailey and I had errands to run I left Bailey home alone for twenty minutes and he did great.
So I planned to sit outside with him on Sunday at Starbucks but then I woke up that morning with a bad migraine. So that kind of ruined my plans. Bailey was really worried about me and even brought me over his favorite toy (the tick) to make me feel better. Awwwwww!
On Monday I was feeling back to normal so we played fetch with the ball and Bailey was amazing. Later that day I took Bailey to a park near my house. The park is completely fenced except for one opening. We played fetch while Bailey was on the long leash. He wasn't bringing it back perfectly because I just wanted him to have fun and play whichever way he preferred. There were two little boys at the park following him at times and running around near to him at other times. Bailey was great and never barked or growled once at the noisy kids.
Tuesday was Bailey's vet appointment. We had to wait in the lobby for quite a while until the vet could see us. Every one loved Bailey and was standing around him asking me questions and talking to him. He did great even with all of the attention. He does have an ear infection and their doing a culture to find out what kind since he JUST got over the last one. He also did great with all of the dogs in the waiting room, two Akita's, a golden and a Border Collie. When Bailey got home from the vet he surrounded himself with all of his favorite toys to comfort himself after his traumatic morning. Later that day I took Bailey for a walk and a man using a walker went passed us. I thought Bailey might be confused/scared of the walker but he paid the man no attention at all. Bailey hasn't been growling at my Dad so I was a bit surprised that he growled today when my Dad came home. I have no clue why.
On Wednesday it was raining. Bailey loooooves the rain and had to be dried off a million times that day. Since we couldn't go outside we worked on the light switch. He followed me from room to room and when I stopped at a light switch Bailey would turn it on. What a good boy!
Yesterday I had another trainer come and evaluate Bailey's shyness and growling. He growled at her when she came over(which I was hoping she would see him growling so that she could better evaluate the problem, so this was actually beneficial). She said he definitely has a lot of fear and it is something that needs to be addressed immediately. Luckily since he is so young she feels that he can probably overcome it with the proper training. Her evaluation was encouraging and I'm going to be working with her some more in the near future. Bailey was a lot better with my Thursday aide last night. He asked her for attention(which he never does normally) and hung out with her most of the night.
Today I kind of had a "me day". I had a doctors appointment and afterwards went out to lunch. I left Bailey home with my Mom and she said he hung out with her the entire time.
So I planned to sit outside with him on Sunday at Starbucks but then I woke up that morning with a bad migraine. So that kind of ruined my plans. Bailey was really worried about me and even brought me over his favorite toy (the tick) to make me feel better. Awwwwww!
On Monday I was feeling back to normal so we played fetch with the ball and Bailey was amazing. Later that day I took Bailey to a park near my house. The park is completely fenced except for one opening. We played fetch while Bailey was on the long leash. He wasn't bringing it back perfectly because I just wanted him to have fun and play whichever way he preferred. There were two little boys at the park following him at times and running around near to him at other times. Bailey was great and never barked or growled once at the noisy kids.
Tuesday was Bailey's vet appointment. We had to wait in the lobby for quite a while until the vet could see us. Every one loved Bailey and was standing around him asking me questions and talking to him. He did great even with all of the attention. He does have an ear infection and their doing a culture to find out what kind since he JUST got over the last one. He also did great with all of the dogs in the waiting room, two Akita's, a golden and a Border Collie. When Bailey got home from the vet he surrounded himself with all of his favorite toys to comfort himself after his traumatic morning. Later that day I took Bailey for a walk and a man using a walker went passed us. I thought Bailey might be confused/scared of the walker but he paid the man no attention at all. Bailey hasn't been growling at my Dad so I was a bit surprised that he growled today when my Dad came home. I have no clue why.
On Wednesday it was raining. Bailey loooooves the rain and had to be dried off a million times that day. Since we couldn't go outside we worked on the light switch. He followed me from room to room and when I stopped at a light switch Bailey would turn it on. What a good boy!
Yesterday I had another trainer come and evaluate Bailey's shyness and growling. He growled at her when she came over(which I was hoping she would see him growling so that she could better evaluate the problem, so this was actually beneficial). She said he definitely has a lot of fear and it is something that needs to be addressed immediately. Luckily since he is so young she feels that he can probably overcome it with the proper training. Her evaluation was encouraging and I'm going to be working with her some more in the near future. Bailey was a lot better with my Thursday aide last night. He asked her for attention(which he never does normally) and hung out with her most of the night.
Today I kind of had a "me day". I had a doctors appointment and afterwards went out to lunch. I left Bailey home with my Mom and she said he hung out with her the entire time.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Week Six
Saturday morning Bailey played fetch with my Mom. He's a pro now- gets the ball and brings it back. My new aide came over on Saturday and Bailey was slightly better. When he was lying down in his bed he let her pet him. That evening I was watching animal planet and discovered Bailey was reacting to the dogs on the television program. He would start barking and then run from inside to outside the house looking for the other dog that he heard. This is definitely something we need to work on.
On Sunday my Mom and I took Bailey to the park. It was full of people and dogs. We sat on a bench and let Bailey watch everything around him. He did well. He talked to some of the other dogs but was quickly redirected. He did growl at one man who had the hood on his sweatshirt over his head. But he let another man pet him.
On Monday my Physical Therapist came over and Bailey did really well with her. He said Hi and even licked her hand. Later that day we played go get help. Then I wanted to do an experiment. Because my aide is always the one who says "go get help" I was afraid Bailey would always associate the word 'help" with only her. So I asked my Mom to go hide outside and say "go get help". As soon as he heard those words Bailey dashed out of the house into the backyard to find her. What a good boy! I had a haircut appointment that day and decided to go in my manual chair instead of my electric one. I always take Bailey for a walk in my manual chair. So when I left he was a bit confused but did very well while I was gone. After I came back I did take him for a walk. On our walk we encountered four different dogs and Bailey did great. The first three dogs were always on the other side of the street when Bailey saw them. But the fourth dog walked past Bailey just a few feet away. Bailey did his bark/growl noise but was quickly redirected.
On Tuesday we had a big day! For Christmas I asked my parents to schedule a photo shoot for me and Bailey. Today was the day. Bailey got a bath in the morning so he would be handsome for his close up. After lunch we headed to Hollywood to an area that was full of people, smells and the city hustle. Bailey did amazing! We were there for over two hours and Bailey had to sit, lay, look at the camera and pose over and over. I can't tell you how impressed I was with his performance. After our shoot we both were exhausted and Bailey crashed out.
So on Wednesday we both needed a chill day. We worked on go get help. Here is a video from the session.
After lunch we went on a walk at the Rose Bowl. Bailey did great. At one point three little dogs on a walk with their owner came up behind him. He looked back a couple times but that was all. Because I discovered that Bailey reacts to dogs on the TV, I wanted to play clips of dogs and work on quiet. Needless to say this is going to be a sloooow process.
On Thursday we went to the college campus again. It was lunchtime so the campus was full of lots of noisy people. Bailey did great and even said Hi to a young man reading a book. He also did great when the gardeners were working in our yard later that day. He barked once to let us know they were here and then quickly settled back down.
Today we played fetch with a tennis ball and boy did Bailey do great! He fetched and returned the ball about ten times in a row each time dropping it near to me. When the pool guy came over he let out one bark of acknowledgement and then totally ignored him. After lunch I wanted to take Bailey to the park This was his first time there and he loved it. It's a pretty big park and we played "go find Eva". It was so cute watching him run full speed across the park to find me.
This is two weeks of "operation no growl" and I know I said I planned to give Bailey two weeks off. However he is still growling so I know he needs more time. We'll do more socializing next week.
On Sunday my Mom and I took Bailey to the park. It was full of people and dogs. We sat on a bench and let Bailey watch everything around him. He did well. He talked to some of the other dogs but was quickly redirected. He did growl at one man who had the hood on his sweatshirt over his head. But he let another man pet him.
On Monday my Physical Therapist came over and Bailey did really well with her. He said Hi and even licked her hand. Later that day we played go get help. Then I wanted to do an experiment. Because my aide is always the one who says "go get help" I was afraid Bailey would always associate the word 'help" with only her. So I asked my Mom to go hide outside and say "go get help". As soon as he heard those words Bailey dashed out of the house into the backyard to find her. What a good boy! I had a haircut appointment that day and decided to go in my manual chair instead of my electric one. I always take Bailey for a walk in my manual chair. So when I left he was a bit confused but did very well while I was gone. After I came back I did take him for a walk. On our walk we encountered four different dogs and Bailey did great. The first three dogs were always on the other side of the street when Bailey saw them. But the fourth dog walked past Bailey just a few feet away. Bailey did his bark/growl noise but was quickly redirected.
On Tuesday we had a big day! For Christmas I asked my parents to schedule a photo shoot for me and Bailey. Today was the day. Bailey got a bath in the morning so he would be handsome for his close up. After lunch we headed to Hollywood to an area that was full of people, smells and the city hustle. Bailey did amazing! We were there for over two hours and Bailey had to sit, lay, look at the camera and pose over and over. I can't tell you how impressed I was with his performance. After our shoot we both were exhausted and Bailey crashed out.
So on Wednesday we both needed a chill day. We worked on go get help. Here is a video from the session.
After lunch we went on a walk at the Rose Bowl. Bailey did great. At one point three little dogs on a walk with their owner came up behind him. He looked back a couple times but that was all. Because I discovered that Bailey reacts to dogs on the TV, I wanted to play clips of dogs and work on quiet. Needless to say this is going to be a sloooow process.
On Thursday we went to the college campus again. It was lunchtime so the campus was full of lots of noisy people. Bailey did great and even said Hi to a young man reading a book. He also did great when the gardeners were working in our yard later that day. He barked once to let us know they were here and then quickly settled back down.
Today we played fetch with a tennis ball and boy did Bailey do great! He fetched and returned the ball about ten times in a row each time dropping it near to me. When the pool guy came over he let out one bark of acknowledgement and then totally ignored him. After lunch I wanted to take Bailey to the park This was his first time there and he loved it. It's a pretty big park and we played "go find Eva". It was so cute watching him run full speed across the park to find me.
This is two weeks of "operation no growl" and I know I said I planned to give Bailey two weeks off. However he is still growling so I know he needs more time. We'll do more socializing next week.
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