Assessment

Tuesday and Wednesday were Rorys 2nd assessment days.

Alex from Hearing Dogs was here bright and early on Tuesday morning. After a cuppa to wake us both up we started with some soundwork for Rory. I have still been using quite a lot of treats to encourage Rory to work and to praise him when he does. We don't want him to expect to get a treat though, so we are making it so that sometimes he will have one and sometimes not. He seems to be fine with this.

My mum came to visit in the morning so we were able to do a "live" doorbell sound and Rory responded well by coming and touching me and leading me to the door - I then tell him to wait in his bed (small rug in the living room), while I answer the door. In this case my mum came in and after she is seated I tell Rory "off you go" when he is free to greet my visitor. He knows mum how so it's always a happy waggy tail :)

After lunch we took a trip to Tesco. It was quite crowded and with it being the school holidays there were a lot of children around. Rory walked very calmly close to the trolley and when I stopped to look at something he sits without being asked. I think the fairly strict training that he had with Guide Dogs for the Blind is responsible for his excellent skills while out and about.

For those who don't know Rory was bred as a Guide Dog for the Blind, however he failed their criteria as he wasn't very happy wearing the harness which all the dogs must wear. He had already completed a lot of their training however. He was offered to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf who considered him a very good candidate for their needs. I think the combination of the training has resulted in a fantastic dog ( I could be prejudiced .... ? *smile* )

Wednesday was taken up with some more practice with sounds and a quick visit to the vet just to be weighed. His weight has dropped very slightly since 2 weeks ago, so we will keep his food amounts the same and check his weight again in a month. It's very important that the dog is not overweight, as it can make them become lazy and lethargic and less willing to work.

With all the exercise Rory is getting I don't think we will be having that problem !

For the soundwork - for instance the telephone - we practice this from several different situations. For example, when the phone rings Rory and I may not be in the same room, and I could be sitting or standing or even lying down so he needs to feel confident to come and touch me and lead me to whichever sound it is. We also practiced the doorbell while I was in the garden.

Rory is always very keen and interested when we start doing this, and after we have completed something he stands and waits as if to say "OK mum, so what's next?" lol He really does enjoy the work.

Alex was very pleased with everything that we did. Normally he would pay another visit for one day in a months time, however he said that if everything continues as it is then he will visit again in 2 months time. Of course I know that if I have any concerns he is only a text or email away and that I can request a visit at any time.

It was quite a tiring couple of days for both of us. After Alex left yesterday afternoon Rory and I went down to the park with his frisbee and just had some fun time together. It is a ritual now that if we take the frisbee out with us then Rory has to carry it there and back lol

The house is still full of helium balloons and 50th birthday cards for Gordon. I gave him a Flip pocket camcorder. Can you guess the subject of his first video ? lol - yes we now have Rory on video

Once I get a good video of Rory I will try to post it here in his blog. :)