Our first weekend at home

We have now been home for 4 days. We came home from training Friday morning on the Go Train & Transhelp bus. I was a little worried about how Troy would react to the train as he is sensitive to sound and it can be loud when it pulls into the station. He did so great. I gave him some treats and cuddles to distract him from the noise and he didn't get scared at all!

Once we were home he sniffed around the whole apartment and gave my mom a few kisses. After settling in he had breakfast and then I took him outside. On our way back to the apartment, he pooed in the elevator and in the hallway. I didn't get too upset with him because I knew accidents would probably happen. I just told him "No!" and cleaned it up.

Later on Friday we took a trip to the pet store to pick up some more food and toys. Once I got to the cash register I told the cashier that I was told 3 weeks ago that this store would offer a 30% discount to my service dog. He informed me that that program is no longer in place and currently there is no discount being offered but he would honour it this time since I was under the impression I was getting 30% off. I am very grateful that he honoured the discount but can't help but be disappointed that they no longer offer it. I guess I'll be shopping elsewhere from now on.

On Saturday we had some visitors come over to hang out and meet Troy. My boyfriend came by for the afternoon and we went to Square One to give Troy some exercise. He seemed to really enjoy getting out of the apartment. By the time we got home from our last minute Christmas shopping, Troy was panting and SO tired. After dinner my mom's friend came over to meet Troy. He was so tired from shopping that he just layed by my feet the whole night.

On Sunday my little cousin came over with my aunt and her boyfriend. I was really nervous that Hailey (my cousin) wouldn't understand that she can't pet Troy. She's only 3 and used to love to play with my cat before we had to put him down last year. She pet him once and then didn't really bother with him at all after that. She kept asking me: "Kelsey, why do you have a dog?". I must have answered that question 20 times on Sunday morning. Right after my family left, my mom had another friend come over to meet Troy. Like usual, Troy just took a nap by my feet the whole time they were here.

For the most part Troy had a relaxing weekend to get settled in his new home. We practiced pushing door buttons, fetching items, and nudging the cupboards closed but other than that, he had the weekend off. 

He has had two accidents in the building since we've come home. The second one happened yesterday in the lobby just after trying to get him to go outside for 20 minutes. Hopefully he will get used to going outside soon.

This weekend Troy has developed a bald spot under his chin that I think was caused by stress and scratching as well as a white spot (sort of looks like a pimple) in a different laoction on his chin. We are going to the vet (he's wonderful and offered a discount without even asking) on Saturday to create a file and check his weight so I will ask what I should do about it if it hasn't improved.

Within the next few days I'm going to post about our December Barkbox! Stay tuned to see what we got this month and for a mini-review on each of the products.

Have you liked our facebook page yet? Be sure to follow us on there for more pictures and quick updates: www.facebook.com/ssdandthecity

Here are a few pictures of Troy from this weekend:

He loves his new blanket- only $3 at Target!

Here's a sneak peek of what we got in our Bark Box. He looks so cute! I may need to invest in some more bandanas/scarves for him...

Waiting for the Train on Friday

Troy LOVES the sun. We even had to close the door to the sun room or else I'd find him tanning in there. I can't stand to be in that room for more than 30 seconds when it's sunny outside. It's WAY too hot for a dog to be in!

In the food court at Square One on Saturday. Such a good puppy.

Day 18: Graduation!

Yesterday was Troy and I's graduation. We are currently at home and doing great but that will be another post to come in the next few days.

We spent the day getting ready and relaxing before my mom came to have dinner with us. We all had a great last dinner together in the dining room. Some of the staff sat with us as well which was nice.

After dinner we had a little bit of time to relieve our dogs and take pictures with each other.

The ceremony went fairly smoothly and started on time which was great. It was a little long but that was to be expected with 4 different classes all graduating on the same night.

Unfortunately Troy's sponsors were unable to attend but his foster family came to see him! His foster mom is such a sweet lady and she even brought him a gift! I am so glad that I got to meet her. Troy didn't react the way I thought he would. He wasn't overly excited or out of control like some of the other dogs were when they saw their foster families. I am assuming he was calm because our bond has grown so much over the last few weeks. It was very bittersweet to watch him act this way.

To his foster mom (and everyone else too): Troy and I are doing wonderfully and he already seems to love his new home. He was amazing on the train and bus. We went to the pet store this afternoon too and now he's sleeping - like always!

Tomorrow my boyfriend is coming over and I plan on taking Troy to the mall for a short amount of time just to get out of the house and get some exercise. On Sunday my little cousin, aunt, and some other family friends are planning on coming over for a Pre-Christmas visit. I don't anticipate Troy having any problems with all of the company but hopefully they listen to the rules and don't interact with him too much! If my cousin doesn't understand, I'll have to put Troy in my room for an hour or two while she's here.

Here are some pictures from yesterday at grad:

Troy's foster mom, my mom, me, and Troy :)

Day 17: Where has the time gone?!

Wow. It's hard to believe that tomorrow Troy and I are graduating and then we leave on Friday morning!

Today we just practiced some more "fetch" and watched some educational/entertaining dog guide videos with the seizure response class.

We took a very short walk this morning but then it started to rain/snow so we headed back inside after just a few minutes. It was nice to get outside with Troy today even if it wasn't for very long.

After a few guest speakers, videos, and talking with our trainers we had individual play time before dinner.

I wish I had more to tell you about today but since it's the end of training, things have really slowed down to give us and the dogs a bit of a break before heading home.

Tonight I plan on packing up most of my stuff. My mom will be picking up my manual chair, walker, and suitcase tomorrow night so that all I have to worry about on Friday is getting my power chair and Troy home safely. We are taking the go train from Oakville to Port Credit and then transhelp home from the Go station. I don't live very far from the school so I thought that Friday would be a good opportunity to test Troy on the Go train as I take it fairly often. I want to know how he does before I plan anything with my friends downtown.

Tomorrow if the weather is nice Troy and I are going on our first walk without any trainers! I hope it doesn't rain or snow so that we can get out for a bit in the morning.

I don't have many pictures from today as most of the day was spent relaxing and talking about information but here's one of the videos we watched today of Rick Mercer visiting the Lions Foundation Dog Guides. It is really entertaining and funny but still educational and brought a lot of awareness to LFC Dog Guides:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjVbYES3ygg

I'll be sure to get some pictures at grad tomorrow to share on my blog. I'm sure I'll even see some of you there. Troy and I are both really excited to meet everyone!

P.S. Tomorrow's post may have to be posted on Friday afternoon depending on what time grad finishes and how tired we are!

Day 16: Troy's sponsor!

Today was another fairly low key day. Everyone is really tired and just ready to go home. We have learned all of the commands and skills so for the next few days we are focusing on practicing what we feel we need to work on the most and talking about caring for our service dogs, travelling, going home, etc.

Today was also very sad for our service dog class. One of our class members will not be graduating with us and is leaving tomorrow morning. His dog was not cooperating the way we had all hoped and will be going through some more training after the holidays before the school makes a decision regarding the dog's working life. The dog may be placed with a different handler in the same program, a different program, or the dog may be "disqualified" and sent to a loving family to be cared for. We all feel terrible for both out class mate and for the dog but life must go on and it's better to go home without a service dog than to go home with one that won't listen and/or could possibly put you in danger.

We had some guest speakers come in throughout the morning and afternoon to talk about travelling with a dog guide, fundraising and sponsors, and media. We also talked about laws and human rights for service dog owners.

The afternoon was exciting for Troy and I because we found out that he is sponsored and we got to find out who his sponsor was! Troy's sponsor is the Hamilton Masons. A few members will be attending the graduation this Thursday so we will get to meet them and they asked if they could take a picture of Troy and I for their website. The Hamilton Masons also sponsored a dog in the seizure response program named Winn-Dixie (Dixie for short). Each service dog costs 25 thousand dollars to train but that can be a lot of money for one person or company to raise so the lions foundation asks a sponsor for 10 thousand per service dog. This is still a very large amount of money and the amount to sponsor a dog varies depending on which program the dog is in (it ranges from 8-12 thousand dollars). I am extremely grateful for their donation/sponsorship of Troy and I am sure Winn-Dixie's handler is grateful as well.

The rest of the day was spent practicing some more fetches and down stays. We didn't get to go outside for very long today as it was raining so we had a good play time session tonight.

Here's a really cute (and slightly annoying) video of Troy playing with a squeaky toy. It looks like those are his favourite toys now. He especially likes soft and squeaky ones!

If the weather is nicer tomorrow I'm sure we will take a walk outside to work on some more distraction stuff but other than that I think it will just be another relaxing day (which is more than fine by me). Everyone is tired and since we don't have anything new to learn it's pretty much the end of training! I am excited to go home but also kind of nervous because you never know how the dog will react to the change. Hopefully his behavior doesn't decline too drastically. I'm sure we won't have a problem because he is such a gentle boy and very well behaved but I won't know what will happen until I'm home...

Day 15: Our first shopping trip together

Today was mall day! Troy and I spent the majority of the morning and afternoon walking around Oakville Place. The school paid for our lunch which was much appreciated and I had butter chicken poutine from New York Fries (it's been way too long since I've had either of those things). After we quickly ate, the class split up and was given about an hour to shop around. While we were shopping the trainers would spy on us and watch to see how we were doing.

My first stop was David's Tea but after waiting in line for over 5 minutes and still barely moving, I decided to leave. I didn't want to waste all of my time in one store. Also, that location is really small and Troy was just in the way the whole time. The David's Tea in Square One and the location at Yonge-Dundas square are much larger so when I get home, I look forward to going there with Troy instead.

We also went into H&M to just walk around and practice going through tight spaces. H&M is not a very accessible store to begin with so with a service dog it was definitely interesting. Let's just say I'm glad I don't really shop there...

The last store we went into was Bath and Body Works. I wanted to see how Troy would react to: A) a very crowded store full of women gushing over him and B) all of the different scents that sometimes overwhelm me, never mind a dog. We spent about 15 minutes in the store. He was VERY well behaved and the only thing he sniffed were the fuzzy socks with foxes on them. He probably thought they were a toy since they were right at his level and fluffy. As soon as I said "Troy, right" and moved forward a little, he completely ignored the socks and kept walking with me. I thought he would have been sniffing many more things and be slightly nervous or scared in such a crowded store but he wasn't. Bath and Body Works is another store that isn't always the most wheelchair-friendly so I was really proud of how he handled it. Whenever I'm shopping with my boyfriend and want to go in Bath and Body Works he always stays outside since two wheelchairs are nearly impossible to maneuver around the store. So, yay Troy! You did a fantastic job today buddy :)

Once we got back to the school it was around 2:30. We had an appointment for our class to buy items from the gift shop. I bought a snowflake Christmas ornament with the dog guides logo in the middle. I was going to buy a black spring jacket with the logo on it as well but the smallest size was way too big for me.

We practiced a few fetches and an alternative to fetch which used to be referred to as take it/go give but now you just have to say "okay" when you or another person is holding an item out to the dog. Troy did great with this and grabbed every item from the trainer then immediately gave it to me.

After dinner we had a 20 minutes play time. Today we got to play in pairs and he got to play with Frito (the dog who he is always cuddling with in the dining room)! It was so cute to watch them play together. Frito would always steal the toys that Troy had in his mouth and then he would try to take them back from her unsuccessfully. He didn't really care. He was just happy that he had another puppy to play with!

After play time I gave Troy a bit of peanut butter in his Kong and now he's sleeping on his bed beside me like always. I'm not too sure what the plan is for tomorrow but can you believe there are only 3 more days until graduation? Time has gone so quickly these last few weeks.

Here are a few pictures of Troy from today:

Waiting patiently for everyone at the mall and ignoring the kids trying to talk to him :)

Frito and Troy staring into each other's eyes at lunch <3

Waiting to be picked up from the mall



Troy trying to steal the Christmas toy from Frito. Looks like I may have to get him some Christmas toys. He seems to love the santa stuffy and candy cane squeaky toy more than anything else...

Day 14: Day off + Friends came to visit!

Today was our second Sunday off. Last weekend my boyfriend had plans so he was unable to visit but this weekend he came to finally meet Troy. He also brought two of our friends with him to hang out for the day.

Troy spent a few hours alone which is good practice in case there are places I have to go without him for a short period of time. While he was in his crate for 3 hours, I went to Oakville Place to buy a new phone. We are also going to Oakville Place tomorrow as a class and Troy will be with me as part of our training.

I had a great day at the mall with my friends. Zak and I shared Thai Express, ice cream from Purdy's, and I bought a new phone to replace the one that cracked. I got the HTC One M8 and so far, I'm super happy with it. The speakers are incredible and so is the camera. I took a few pictures of Troy when I got back with my new phone so you can hopefully see what I mean about the camera. I had to switch cell phone carriers in order to get this phone but I don't mind. Over the last 7 years I've had every cell phone carrier available in Ontario so I'm used to switching! I even had Petro Canada Mobility at one point...

I got back from the mall just in time for dinner. Zak and his friends left shortly after dropping me off at the school. Troy was VERY excited to see me and my friends when we got back. He gave kisses to everyone to say goodbye which I thought was the cutest thing in the entire world.

After Troy and I both had dinner, we played for a few minutes in the classroom/play room. He is continuing to open up with his toy preferences which makes play time so much more fun. We threw a football around for a bit as well as some different styles of squeaky balls. He really liked the rubber dumbbell toy today too which was different for him.

Now Troy is fast asleep on his bed while I transfer all of my music and pictures to my HTC. I forgot how much work it is to set up a new phone!

Tomorrow should be a very interesting day for us. We are spending the morning and having lunch at the mall. Afterwards we have a gift shop appointment. I probably won't buy too much as I spent a lot of money today on my phone but we'll see!

Here are today's pictures of Troy:

He was determined to catch the pink ball!

Showing off his dinosaur qualities ;)

Decided to take a break during play time

My new favourite picture of Troy. Isn't the camera on my HTC One M8 stunning?

Day 13: I'm glad the morning wasn't an indicator of how the rest of the day would go...

Well, this morning started off pretty badly. We were practicing fetch and I accidentally dropped my phone on the tile floor. The top corner cracked a little bit but the glass was all contained under the screen protector. Troy thought that this meant he should fetch it since everything else I had dropped in the last 5 minutes, I told him to fetch. Without me telling him to, he picked it up which cracked the screen even more (if it wasn't already cracked he wouldn't have damaged it but since the screen was already broken, it was much more fragile). By the time I got it from his mouth, there were a few fairly large cracks from the top of the screen all the way to the bottom. So now on my day off tomorrow, I'll be spending the afternoon at the mall trying to figure out what to replace my phone with. I'm debating between switching carriers or just getting the same phone with the same carrier. We'll see...

Other than cracking my phone, we had an awesome day together. We practiced fetching small items such as a credit card, pill bottle, metal washer, and more. We also practiced some more "help" but this time we switched up the scenario. I was laying on my bed in my room and pretended to be in pain. Troy did much better than I anticipated. He barked for about 20 seconds straight really loudly and he started barking almost instantly after I said "help". Usually he gets a little distracted when I say "help" and it takes him a few seconds to clue in that he's supposed to bark.

After lunch we took a 2 hour walk around downtown Oakville. Troy did great and even walked across the sidewalk grates with very little hesitation. A few days ago he would completely jump out of the way and choke himself just so he didn't have to walk on the grates. I'm so proud of how far he has come!

We walked past many different dogs, kids, and people. It was fairly busy as it was nice outside today and Christmas is coming soon. All of the stores were busy so we didn't go in any. We spent most of our time focusing on distractions and getting across the sidewalk grates. At one point there were a few horses that were walking along the street and Troy hardly even noticed!

The only difficulty we had on our walk today was the snow. He was so excited to walk through the snow but after a minute or two he realized that it wasn't play time and stopped pulling as hard on the leash.

After our walk it was time for dinner and then at 6:30 we had a short playtime by ourselves. He is much more interested in playing with toys now than he was for the first few days which is great to see. He played with a squeaky ball for about 10 minutes and then he was tired so we went back to the room. When we got back I gave him a chewy to entertain himself with for a couple of minutes and ever since then he's just been fast asleep while I watched a few TV shows and researched what phone I want to buy tomorrow.

Hopefully Troy does well tomorrow while I'm gone for a few hours. My boyfriend, his sister, and his friend are all coming to visit and meet Troy so tomorrow will be an exciting day for us. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend.

P.S. It's hard to believe that at this time next week, Troy and I will have already been at home for over 24 hours!

Troy has some of the funniest sleeping positions. Not sure how his paw can be comfortable like that (it looks like his arm is broken; I assure you that it's not) but he stayed in this position for a really long time so I guess he didn't mind :)

Day 12: Morning off & more play time!

Today was another very laid back day for Troy. In the morning, the other half of our class went to the pet store. Since we already went yesterday, Troy and I got to hang out in the room all morning and shop for a new collar! I decided on this one from "Collars by Design" on Etsy. When it arrives I'll do a separate post/review about the collar. Here's a picture of the fabric. The only difference is that I got Troy's made into a chain martingale so that he can wear it 24/7.

After lunch we worked on some more fetching skills. He was able to pick up a metal washer, my cell phone, and a full water bottle off of the floor! We also practiced fetching a water bottle from the fridge but he had a little bit of trouble with that. He was distracted by the smells of the food and took a while to get the water bottle in his mouth. He did successfully complete the task but we will have to work on getting it done faster without sniffing everything else first!

We also learned a new skill today called "go get". This is where you tell the dog to go get someone and they will find the person you're looking for, or a person if you don't specify, and lead them back to you. Troy did a great job at this. We made it fairly easy to begin with today but he was able to walk over to the trainer, touch her hand, and lead her back to me. I'm excited to practice this skill more tomorrow and in the coming days.

That is the majority of the skill and command work that we did today. To end our afternoon, Troy got to play in the courtyard for 15 minutes with his brother Taboo. He seemed to realy enjoy this and he even played with a couple of different toys on his own which was shocking. I'm glad he's beginning to like toys a little bit more each day.

Tomorrow we plan on taking a walk to downtown Oakville if the weather isn't too bad. Hopefully we can make it there and back without getting stuck in any snow!

I'm sorry this blog post is fairly short but we just honestly didn't do a lot today. It was only a half-day of training and the other half was spent shopping online/cuddling :)

Day 11: Pet Store Haul!

Today was a very snowy but still exciting day for Troy and I. We had a bit of a late start due to traffic and it took over 30 minutes to get to the pet store (which should have only taken half as long) but we made it and bought lots of goodies!

I bought 2 stainless steel bowls with rubber on the bottom, a collapsible food or water bowl/pouch, 4 tennis balls, a squeaky hedgehog plush toy, 3 bags of Merrick treats, a bag of fruitables treats, invisible boot paw protector, and poop bags. With the dog guides discount, all of this only cost $50 with tax! I wish I had gotten more treats and toys but for now, this is a good start. We already have a few toys and food at home waiting for us.

Here's a picture of everything we bought at Ren's:

After we got back from the pet store we practiced a new skill - steady. This is where you can place two hands on the dog's shoulders and hips to help you balance or stand up from a seated position. Troy did well with this and we practiced "steady" a bit more tonight too. I don't think I will use this often but there are times where this skill will help me a lot.

We also got to play outside in the snow today with all of the other dogs in our class! Troy had a blast and definitely loves the snow. When we were getting in and out of the van on our trip to the pet store all he wanted to do was run around in the snow.

Today was a fun and somewhat relaxing day for us. Troy got to play outside, we went shopping, and practiced a couple of skills but not too many. All in all I think we had a great day and the sound of Troy snoring beside me makes me fairly certain that he also enjoyed himself today ;)

He seems to enjoy the hedgehog toy. Yay!

Not sure if Troy's even in this picture. It's so hard to tell 5 black labs that are all relatively the same size apart from each other! I think he's the one sniffing Willow (Willow is the yellow lab). He likes to hump other dogs so that would be my best guess ;)

Cuddling with his brother (Taboo) in the van. Troy's the one with the harness on.

Showing off his Halti. I tried to make it manly...

Day 10: Troy's birthday is revealed!

Today marks one week since I met Troy. Last Wednesday seems like it was so long ago. I can't believe how far we've come in such a short amount of time. Also, who knew you could love a dog so much, so quickly?
One week ago I struggled getting him to cuddle with me and struggled with getting him to sit. Don't get me wrong, we still have times where he doesn't want to listen to me but the difference between this time last Wednesday and today is incredible.

This morning we found out when our dogs were born. Troy and his brother Taboo are the oldest dogs in our class. They were both born on May 27th, 2013. This makes him almost 19 months old! I can't wait to do something special for his second birthday in May. It will be even more special since I have to make up for missing his first birthday ;)

We continued to practice all of the skills we've learned so far (tugs, push, nudge, help, etc.) as well as practicing fetch a little more. He picked up the slipper today with much less difficulty than before. He also picked up a fairly large pen which was great and I'm looking forward to having him be able to do this for me at school in January!

The morning was fairly low key for us but the afternoon was full of excitement!

We went on our second outing together as a group to the grocery store! Troy did amazing as I knew he would. I even took him down the aisle with dog food and toys. He was more interested in sniffing the floor and looking at me which is exactly what I was hoping he'd do. There were no accidents in the store and multiple people commented on how beautiful and well behaved he is. Overall I'd say that the grocery store was a very successful outing!

After we got back from the grocery store it was time to play. Today the dogs got to play with each other which was a lot more exciting for Troy. He played with his brother, Taboo, and a girl named Ryden.
Troy isn't really into toys very much so he spent most of his time following Ryden and trying to hump her. It's funny because he's such a relaxed and well behaved dog but for some reason when he's playing with other dogs he has a tendency to want to hump them. When I call his name he looks at me and stops right away which is great. As long as he responds to me when I deter him from the behavior then I'm not worried.
I threw a tennis ball a couple of times and he played with that for a few seconds. Then he picked up a stuffed santa toy on his own. I was shocked because I've never seen him take the initiative to play by himself. He played with Santa for a minute or two before following Ryden around again. 1-2 minutes doesn't seem like very long, but for Troy this is great progress (don't forget - the first time we played he just layed on the floor for the entire play time). I hope I can find a few toys he likes to play with quietly because it's a great way for him to destress in the apartment when we get home. I can't throw tennis balls in our bedroom!

I also want to say quickly that I am overwhelmed by the support of the Lions Foundation with my blog. LFC Dog Guides shared a link to my blog on their facebook page today and I have already had over 700 views today from their post! I can't thank them enough for giving me Troy and changing my life in so many ways, but also for helping me share my experience with others. So to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, thank you. I really appreciate everything you've done and are doing for Troy and I. I don't know what I'd be doing if it weren't for you and everyone involved (foster families, sponsors, etc.)

I hope you all have a great night and as always, here are a few pictures from today:

He was a tired boy this morning!

Troy did great on our walk to the grocery store!

Playing with Ryden. Troy is the one without the toy (on the left)

Day 9: Tim Horton's = Success!

Update from last night: Troy was uncrated and slept on his bed from 6:00PM-7:30AM! He may have woken up in the night but he definitely didn't get off of his bed because I would've heard him. I took him out for a pee at 10:00 but other than that 10 minutes of being awake, he slept on his bed for about 13 hours... I really mean it when I say that all he does is sleep!

Today was a very exciting day for Troy, and the rest of us but I'll get to that in a minute...

The morning was fairly relaxed. We practiced some more calls for help and he did SO much better than the other days. I was worried that he wouldn't be able to do it for long enough to find help but man was I wrong. My boy has a STRONG bark when he tries! I was so proud. He sustained about 15 good loud barks before the trainers came to "rescue me" in our room. Afterwards he got a chewy and enjoyed that for all of 60 seconds until it was demolished.

I also practiced in my manual wheelchair for the first time with him today. He did fairly well but we need to figure out a better solution for the leash. With the break-away leg band, the leash tends to get stuck in my wheels. I'm thinking of putting it on the chair itself and shortening the leash a little more. We will just have to test some different options in our free time tomorrow and in the coming days. I don't use my manual chair very often at all but there are times when I have to so I need a safe and convenient way to attach him to me.

In the morning we did more down stays and distractions with treats and toys. As usual, he did great and stayed down for the majority of the time. He didn't eat any of the treats and during the down stays he was awesome.

Afterwards we had a bit of fun and played "hide and seek" with one of the trainers. This is when the trainer closes her eyes and calls out numbers. We then (if that's our number) tell our dog to "help" (bark). The trainer has to come find us based on where the bark is coming from. Troy got a little nervous when he heard the other dogs barking and started to bark when it wasn't his turn. This was very entertaining as it made it hard for the trainer to figure out where to go with two dogs barking at the same time! When it was his turn, he did an amazing job though. :)

In the afternoon we went on our first outing as a group! We took our dogs to Tim Horton's with their harnesses on. Troy did great and I was so happy that he didn't pull too much on the leash today. I think the harness makes a pretty big difference in his walking behavior which is good. I'm not so nervous for days at school and work now. He was still scared of the sidewalk grates but did much better. The first one he went behind me and moved out of the way. However, the second and third ones we went over I made it so that he didn't really have anywhere else to go. I cheered him on as he was walking over it and then treated him afterwards. Hopefully after a few more times of doing this on our walks, he will realize that there is nothing to be afraid of... fingers crossed!

While at Tim Horton's, everyone stared at us. A few people commented on how beautiful he was and asked what his name is. Nobody asked to pet him which was great. One lady did try to talk to him but he did amazing and ignored her when she said "Oh Troy, You're such a good boy". He really IS such a good boy. I couldn't believe how well behaved he was.

When we got back from our little trip we talked a bit about how to introduce our dog to other dogs (pets). This will be very helpful for when I stay over at my boyfriend's house. He has a small dog who may get jealous of Troy since he's pretty fond of me and won't want to share me with Troy. Hopefully when they meet it goes well or else Christmas is going to be pretty difficult this year!

Other than our outing, we had a fairly relaxing day. Troy played with a tennis ball and squeaky toy for a few minutes tonight after dinner which was great. After play time I filled up his Kong with some peanut butter and once he licked it all out, he fell right asleep (as usual).

Tomorrow morning we are taking our pictures for our ID's as well as class photos! I'm super excited for that. When he wakes up (more like when I wake him up...) I'm going to brush him so that he looks extra handsome for picture day.

Goodnight everyone. Thank you for taking part in our adventures together. <3

Troy in his harness :)

Snuggling in his Kong bed. So glad I bought him... us... a huge and comfy bed ;)



Peanut butter filled Kong, on his Kong bed... and no, this isn't sponsored in any way haha. Not yet at least ;)

Day 8: Scared of grates in the sidewalk...but he is in love with his bed!

This morning we learned how to nudge things closed (such as doors, the fridge, washing machine, etc.). This is very hard for the dogs because typically items that they would nudge, have a tie attached for the opposite skill - tugs. When you tell them to nudge they sometimes think that you want them to pull it open since the immediately see the tie and want to pull on it. Despite this, I think that Troy did a great job at nudging things closed! Since he's naturally a gentle boy, I don't really have to worry about him slamming the fridge or a door closed. He does it slowly. The only flaw with this is that sometimes it doesn't close all the way which could be troublesome if it's the fridge or freezer. We will continue to work on this though!

After we practiced "nudge", we did some calling for help. Last time, Troy only did one or two strong barks and the rest were more like moaning or whining. Today he did so much better! We even tried it in our room. The trainer would knock on my door and then I would whisper, "troy, help". He barked really loudly 5 times in a row which is excellent (for right now... eventually this will hopefully last even longer). Once he barked 5 times the trainer would come in and say "hey, is everything okay in here". This makes it more realistic for Troy rather than all the dogs barking in a room together.

We also practiced a lot of down stays today. We also did this in a variety of environments. Troy is a superstar with his down stays. Here's a picture of a stack of treats directly in front of him and he didn't move at all! We also had a ton of treats on the floor at one point and the trainers would bounce tennis balls back at forth in front of all the dogs. None of them got up which is incredible and we were all so proud of them.

He didn't give in to the temptation of treats, tennis balls, toys, or other dogs. Such a good boy!

In the afternoon we took a quick walk down Kerr St. to Lakeshore and then back up Wilson St. All of the dogs had a much better time outside today than the did on our last walk. Troy pulled a little bit but I didn't run him over at all! He is getting much better with his "right". The only issue we had was that he is afraid of sidewalk grates! I didn't realize until after we had gone over one and he jumped to the side really quickly. We will definitely have to work on this as I like to take walks downtown Toronto and there are a ton of subway grates there. When the sidewalks are busy, he can't avoid all of them!

After our walk we learned how to push the little tiny red door buttons. Until today the dogs had only practiced with us on the bigger door buttons but today we tried out the red ones. The trainers were shocked that all of the dogs kept persisting until they hit it. She said that usually some of the dogs get frustrated because it is so hard for them. Troy was able to hit it on his second try. I can imagine how hard those buttons must be for a dog since they cannot see the colour red, and they are so tiny compared to the size of their paws!

Last but not least, we had some play time after dinner. He seems to be enjoying this a little bit more and we are going to do our best to play at least once a day. He brought a tennis ball back to me a few times so I would throw it for him. After about 5-10 minutes he got kind of tired/bored so we went back to the room and filled up his Kong with peanut butter. He really enjoyed this so I think I'm going to experiment with different "Kong recipes" when we get home! It's a great way to keep him entertained for a few minutes after a tiring day of work.

Brushing his teeth is still a battle but he's getting slightly better at this as well. He actually seems to enjoy having his fur brushed which is great news! Now if only he would let me brush his teeth without licking off all of the toothpaste first...

Tomorrow we are going on our first outing with harnesses...Yay! We are going to try going to Tim Horton's with all of the dogs. Let's just hope it doesn't snow! Check back tomorrow to see how our first outing goes :)

Troy absolutely loves his bed. Tonight he gets to sleep on it, instead of in the crate and I'm sure we won't have any problems. I have to actually wake him up to take him out for a pee once he's fallen asleep on it!

Day 7: Troy's day off!

Today was Sunday which meant that there are no classes. I think Troy enjoyed his first day off with me. In the morning we took it easy. I had a shower and did my makeup while he laid on a towel next to me for about an hour.

At lunch one of the cutest thing I've ever seen happened. Troy was laying on the floor beside me at the table and was taking up most of the space that him and Frito (another dog in my class) have to share. Once Frito and Kelly got to the table, Frito had to find a place to lay down. He squeezed in beside Troy and to get comfortable, he placed his head on Troy. I am so shocked that Troy stayed still and let Frito lay on him - especially since Troy was awake (which is also shocking. He sleeps all day usually)! I couldn't believe what I was seeing and was so proud of him. It was the cutest thing and well, here, see for yourself....

Frito, another dog in my class, laying his head on Troy at lunch time. So cute!

After lunch my mom came to visit and he got to meet his "grandma"! I think he did fairly well and enjoyed meeting someone new and being pet quickly by her. After a quick greeting from my mom, I put him in his crate and went to Target with my mom. I didn't know they had any good sales but I just love Target so much that I always like to go there. I figured I'd check out the pet aisle to look for a toy or supplies for Troy. They had all of their poop bag holders and refill packs on sale for $1.50! They're regularly $4.99. I picked up two as I figured I should keep one on my power chair and one on my walker. When we get home, it will depend on the weather for which mobility aid I use to take him out with. If it's not icy or snowy, I will probably use my walker but if there's any danger of falling, I'll be using my powerchair. I also picked up a super cute pair of fox socks for $1 as I forgot to pack/tell my mom to bring more socks.

Once we got back I took Troy for a little play time. He seemed to enjoy it much more than the first time. I threw the ball a few times and he really liked that. The floors are really slippery which makes it hard for him to run and I think this might be why he doesn't enjoy play time too much right now. Hopefully when we get home and he has grass to run on, it will be a lot better.

After play time and a little bit of socializing with the other visitors, my mom left and then I had dinner and fed Troy.

A few of the other ladies in my class decided that they wanted to go to the grocery store tonight and since I know the area, I offered to come with them and help out. So around 6:00 we crated our dogs again and headed out to the store. I bought a few small Christmas presents since when I get home I won't have much time to go shopping, as well as a few more healthy snacks to eat in the evenings.

Since I got back form the grocery store Troy has been off-leash and just hanging out/sleeping on the bed that I bought for him. He seems to really like it which is great. He doesn't want to get up and do anything. He just wants to sleep so I'm letting him. It's his day off after all!

Sorry this blog post is so short, but we honestly didn't do a lot today. We had a little bit of snuggle time and practiced some more "up" and "push commands but that's about it in terms of him working. He needs a day off to rest just as much as we all do.

Hopefully I will have a more interesting post for you tomorrow!

Goodnight everyone. xoxo

Day 6: Playing is too much work, I'd rather sleep!

Although today was Saturday, we still had to wake up at 6:30. The only day we get off of class are Sundays. So we woke up bright and early at 6:30 like every other day. I quickly had a shower and got myself ready before taking troy out of his crate to relieve himself. Once he got "busy busy" I had my breakfast. Around 8:30 I fed him his own breakfast (I am trying to feed him later in the morning so that he can have dinner around 6 instead of 4 because when I get home, 4:00 is too early for my schedule).

In class this morning we learned a new skill. We got to practice barking for help! Troy had a bit of trouble at first because his bark isn't very strong. He started off with more of a growl or yelp than a bark. After a few tries though, he was able to get out 3 strong barks which was good enough for today (since it was our first time practicing). Afterwards we also practiced stay which is another new command for us. He did great at this one and the trainer even joked that he was showing off! He didn't move at all until I came back to him and said "okay". So yes, he had a bit of trouble with calling for help... but my boy sure knows how to do a down stay!

Once we finished practicing some more skills and commands (tugs, push, etc.) we took an hour long walk outside. We walked all along Kerr St. which is very stimulating and busy for the dogs. Troy had a bit of a tough time staying "right" as he kept wanting to walk in front of my chair and was pulling on his leash. He was not the only one. All of the dogs had a tough time this morning on our walk. We made it back to the building just before lunch and he was pooped when we arrived!

In the afternoon we took it fairly easy since all of the dogs (and us!) were tired from the morning adventure. We went out into the parking lot and practiced some more distraction work with two unfamiliar dogs. Troy did amazing with this. He didn't even get up from sitting when the dogs walked right in front of him. He couldn't have cared less that they were there, which is EXACTLY what we want.

We also practiced with our trainer's cat today. The cat is very used to dogs and Troy didn't really move towards her either which is great. He's getting much better with distractions so that's exciting!

The last thing we did today was a bit of supervised play time. For 15 minutes we created a play area in our classroom and put down a variety of toys for the dogs to play with. They each had 15 minutes to play individually. Troy spent almost all of the 15 minutes just sniffing around the room, especially the floor. He didn't want much to do with the toys. He played with a rope toy for about 30 seconds and then he layed down in the middle of the room for the remainder of play time. I'm not sure if it's just because he was tired or if it was because his trainer was watching from the side of the room. Another possibility is that he doesn't really enjoy toys... We'll have to wait and see what he does next time I guess.

Right now Troy is laying on a dog towel with his leash and halti off. He's being so good and started by chewing on his bone but now he's fast asleep. I'm very impressed and happy to know that he enjoys laying on the towel because tomorrow my mom is coming to visit and she's bringing his dog bed. I'm hoping that once we have the bed, he will no longer have to sleep in the crate! *fingers crossed*

My mom is secretly excited to meet Troy and I hope he behaves and likes her as well. If not, he will have to be put into his crate while my mom is here. My mom and I might go out for lunch tomorrow too. If we do, he has to stay in my room, inside his crate while I'm gone. Hopefully he doesn't miss me too much and start a fuss if I leave! Check back tomorrow to see how his visit with "grandma" goes! ;)



Getting so much better at laying under the table while we all eat in the dining room!



I'm so proud of Troy for sleeping on the towel while mommy does laundry and writes this blog post. :)

Day 5: Our first walk!

Today was a day full of firsts.

After breakfast we did a few more distraction exercises and just repeated simple commands like sit, right, etc.

The new skill we learned today was "push". This is what you say when you want the dog to open a door using the automatic button. We practiced a few times on different sizes and shapes. Troy is very good at doing this. He missed a few times  but got right back up and did it again. He seems to like pushing the buttons for me and I've even noticed him looking at them before I push them myself. Right now I am only allowed to have Troy push 50% of the door buttons for me so that he is not over worked. This will increase later on.

PJ's Pets was very generous and donated some amazing goodie bags to us. It included a red kong, rope toy, slicker brush, toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, and a nylabone!

Tonight Troy and I used the slicker brush that I got in the goodie bag. He seemed to like it more than he did last night which is a good sign. We also opened the nylabone and I put it in his crate for when he's bored. The rope toy seems to be a big hit but I'm worried about him swallowing pieces or chewing it apart so I only let him play with that for a few minutes. He doesn't seem to be a big chewer but I don't know him that well yet so just to be safe, I put it away and gave him the nylabone instead.

After practicing buttons and receiving our goodie bags, we did something really fun for the dogs. We took a walk outside around the parking lot! After that the trainers decided we would make it a little more challenging and we walked to the park behind the building. The park essentially surrounds the training centre so we walked through the park and all the way around the building. Troy and the rest of the dogs all did a fantastic job. Much better than most of us expected. There were a few dogs he has never seen before, cars and trucks, as well as a bunch of birds chirping in the bushes. He got a little distracted when he heard the birds but even I got distracted so I don't blame him!

Once we came back inside we practiced the "come" command. This is where one of the trainers take the dog and you go a few feet away then tell him to "come". Troy is getting very good at this and didn't have any trouble at all today.

Once we finished lunch we talked about dog food and we also talked about how to have strangers meet your dog. This is important as my mom is coming to visit and meet Troy on Sunday. That's just 2 days away. I can't believe how quickly this week has gone. In 14 more days we are already going home! We have so much more to learn before then.

The rest of the day was spent practicing "tugs" (he opened the fridge today for the first time), "push", and we are still working on "sit". This seems to be kind of tough for him. Especially while we are in my room after dinner. Right now he is happily sleeping in his crate. I kept the door open and he would keep looking at the door and gently pulling on his leash so I walked him over to the crate. He quickly walked in and started chewing away on his nylabone. I took the opportunity to finish today's blog post for you while he's having a little nap :)

Today we were also allowed to have the dog off-leash and take off the halti for about 30 minutes in our room. Troy did fairly well with this again today. He mainly slept beside the desk while I was on the computer and we played a little bit with the nylabone. He followed me into the bathroom as usual and then I put him back on his leash. Hopefully tomorrow we will increase this time again and maybe even have another playtime or snuggle session.

Here are a few pictures of Troy from today. Check back tomorrow to see what we are up to on our first weekend together!

He's getting so good at pushing buttons! :D

Being an excellent boy on our first walk through the park!

Distracted by some birds but at least he's sitting patiently! :)

Day 4: He finally got "busy busy"!

This morning started off wonderfully for Troy. He had a bit of trouble going in the crate last night. Even after throwing in a treat he was insistent on staying out. Finally after some determined "kennel" commands, he went inside. Once inside he was VERY well behaved. He did not bark or whine at all! I was so proud.

This morning I quickly brushed my teeth and went to the washroom before turning on the lights. As soon as I turned the light on, Troy got very excited and couldn't wait for me to open the crate. We went to the relief area and he finally pooped! I was so proud because he had not gone since I had gotten him yesterday afternoon. However, after being with him all day, I think he might be a once a day kind of guy. He hasn't gone yet tonight either. He pees a lot which is great so I'm not concerned.

After we both had breakfast, it was time to start class. The trainers and I both decided that he might do a bit better on a shorter leash. My powerchair has very odd armrests and the leash doesn't really have anywhere to catch so it tends to slip off. We are still finding a solution for this however I think we have found a solution to make Troy stay more to my right side. We found a shorter leash that clips in two places to create two different lengths. While he is sitting/laying down for an extended period of time, I make the leash a bit longer so that he doesn't choke himself and can lay comfortably. While walking around, I just quickly unclip and clip the leash at a much shorter length. This has seemed to help him stay more to the right and less in front of me since he can't get too far ahead. He still has lots of room to go behind me through doorways which is great.

In the morning we did a lot of distraction work. At first he did great but then the trainers dropped human food on the ground mixed in with some dog toys and treats. Walking by the first time was alright but then the second time we walked by he quickly snatched up the piece of bread with peanut butter on it. One of the trainers stopped him and helped me discipline him for eating the food on the ground. I could tell for the rest of the morning that he was slightly on edge after being disciplined. He had trouble sitting still in class and paid less attention than he typically would. Although he has to be disciplined for doing what he did, we all understand how hard it is for him. We are all so surprised at how far he has come in just over 24 hours. He is extremely well behaved and obedient. Mistakes are going to be made and I'm sure that it won't be his last. Everything right now has just been turned upside down and he has no idea who I am and feels like he doesn't have to listen to me. That will change quickly I'm sure. We just need to bond a little more first!

Today we also practiced the "up" command. This is when the dog jumps up on your lap with his front paws. This command is useful for many things as a wheelchair user. Most of the time I walk independently in my home but there are times where I may be in my wheelchair inside the house. In these times I would use "up" to make putting on his collar, halti, and leash easier. It is also a great way to cuddle with the dog quickly. It can also be used while grooming the dog to get him to stand on a short grooming table or on your legs. There are many uses for the "up" command and it is a fun one to practice because you get to cuddle and pet your dog a lot. Troy struggled with "up" at first. Maybe it was because he was still a little on edge from being disciplined, or maybe it was because he's so gentle and doesn't want to hurt me. However, after a few tries he was able to stay in the "up" position for about 5-10 seconds with some petting and treats. We also practiced 3 more times tonight while I sat on the bed and brushed him. I tried to brush him while he had two paws on my legs but he didn't seem to like it very much. Then I stood up and tried to brush him while he was standing on the floor and this was a little better, however he still doesn't seem to like it. Hopefully in time this will become easier for him (as we grow a better bond with each other). I was able to get the job done with a few treats and praise so I'm sure in a few weeks or months. grooming will be a much easier task.

Today he was also allowed to be off leash and halti in my room for approximately 15 minutes. This is to prepare him for sleeping out of his crate in the upcoming days. He did really well! He followed me into the bathroom and back to the desk. He sat somewhat patiently (only got up and sniffed around a few times) while I browsed the internet.

Now he is in his crate because he kept looking over to it and tugging on the leash a little. I thought maybe he wanted to go inside for some quiet time and I was right! I told him to sit and wait while I opened the door and as soon as I said "kennel" he went in right away.

In a few more hours I am going to relieve him once more before we both go to bed. Hopefully he behaves as well in his crate as he did last night!



My boy is definitely a drooler. So gross, yet absolutely adorable. <3



The trainers were bouncing tennis balls to work on distraction and he slept right through it! I've noticed that he sleeps a lot already!

Day 3: It's a Boy!

This morning started off a fire drill as well as a bit more training work using Fleetwood and Anouk. After practicing how to put the dogs in the crate and more relief time, we went to lunch. After lunch was when the exciting part of the day began.

We were all told to go into our rooms and a trainer would bring a dog to us. I know I was only in my room alone for a few minutes but it seemed like hours.

When Rhonda, one of my trainers, knocked on the door I quickly pushed the automatic door button. I saw a cute little black nose peeking around the corner and then in walked Rhonda with my new best friend. His name is Troy!

Troy is a very gentle black Lab. I absolutely love his name and I couldn't have picked a better one for him. He is so sweet and is already a very good listener. I didn't expect him to listen this well considering that we just met a few hours ago but he seems to be warming up to me very quickly.

At first he would kind of back up if I went to pet him but after a few treats and kind words, he is starting to enjoy being pet.

After a few minutes of bonding in my room it was time to go and meet everyone else's dogs! We all got labs. One lady has a white/yellow lab named Willow. My friend Kelly has a black brindle named Frito and the other four of us have black labs.

After I fed him dinner I took him to the relief area. He didn't want to go so after a few minutes of saying "busy busy", we went into the dining room where everyone eats dinner together.

After quickly eating meatballs and rice (and maybe some pudding too...) I took Troy back to the relief area. This time he went pee! I was so proud and gave him a treat as we were on our way back to my room. As soon as we got back I figured it was time to share my furry friend with all of you.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do!

Now I'm off to give my dog some more love and maybe order him a new collar (I've been waiting so long to order things for him but couldn't until I knew whether I was getting a boy or girl).

Thank you all for sharing this exciting time with me. Enjoy the pictures below!

Right after I got him. Look at that cute face <3

Troy is a very good listener in class. I can't wait to see him attend class with me at Humber!

Right before he plopped down on the floor for a rest beside my computer chair - he's pooped!

Day 2: Orientation and Commands

Today was a much more interesting and exciting day than yesterday. The first hour or two was spent going over rules of the school and we played a game with the seizure response class to help us begin to think of how a dog feels when being told to do something. English is not their first language so it can sometimes be confusing and tough for the dog to understand what you want them to do. The game really enlightened everybody about this.

Before lunch we went over some very basic commands. (Heel/Right [depending on which side you keep your dog], sit, behind, etc.) We first used the trainers as our dogs while practicing walking around the room and trying to keep them focused (away from any distractions). After lunch we were introduced to two of the six dogs that we will eventually be using. Their names were Fleetwood and Anouk. Fleetwood is a gorgeous brindle lab (black with brown/grey patches) and Anouk is a beautiful yellow lab/golden retriever cross. As I will be using my dog on the right side, my commands to practice first were "Right" and "Behind" (which is used when going through doorways to get the dog to move behind you). I used Fleetwood all day (as well as a few other people in my class) as Anouk was trained on the left side and Fleetwood is trained for the right. At first it was tough. There are so many things to think about. Is there enough slack on the leash so that he doesn't choke himself going through doorways? Is he right beside me? Is he getting distracted? What do I say next? After going through the little pathway we created using chairs in the room a few different types with increasing difficulty, we learned about relieving our dogs. I had a chance to take Fleetwood to the relief area and get "busy busy" which is the command for the dog to go to the bathroom. He was very good and went immediately after I told him to get "busy busy". After having a treat we returned to our classroom and practiced feeding the dogs. This is trickier than it sounds. We had the dog attached to our chair while going across the room to pick up a few pieces of kibble. This was distracting for Fleetwood because he wanted the food that was in my hand but we still had to walk to the other end of the room before I told him to "sit", followed by "wait", until I put the food in the bowl. Once the food was in the bowl I said "Okay" which means that he can now eat. Other than being slightly distracted on our walk to the bowl, he did very well and waited patiently until he was told "okay".

We finished up with a few more small lessons about collars and haltis (a device used to help us have more control over our dog) as well as crates and how to properly crate our dogs (which I only plan on doing while in training - once I get home I will be using a dog bed).

I still don't know which dog I will be getting. Hopefully we all get to find out tomorrow. I know everyone in my class (there are six of us) is very anxious and excited to see which one we will be getting.

Tomorrow morning we have a fire drill at 9AM. Hopefully afterwards we will get our dogs! Fingers crossed...