Sunday, December 19, 2010

The Big Test

The big test for therapy dog certification by Penny's From Heaven Foundation was Saturday, December 18, at 2 PM. As you know, Luc and I have been working towards this since the end of last June.




Denise from Penny's From Heaven Foundation checks our tote bags to see that all items, such as a down mat, paper towels, antibacterial wipes, brush, bendryl, lint roller, water, water bowl, ID tags, emergency numbers, and etc. are packed.



Bosley and Weasel waiting to be tested.


Tuxon is his usual laid-back self.


And, of course, here's Luc.

And how did the testing go?  Well, Bosley, Weasel and Tuxon passed and are certified therapy dogs.  Luc passed everything but the "no kissing" part and is not certified.  He is almost there but not quite. 

Frankly, it has been difficult to train for that part because when we are out on field trips, people do not seem to understand why I'm correcting him to not lick even though I explain.  The best way is to approach a person, explain that your dog is in training to be a therapy dog, and ask them if they will pet your dog.  Since Luc is a licker, I'm then giving a little yank on his leash and saying "no lick."   It has been hard for me to ask strangers when I know his nature to lavish kisses upon any and every stranger and known persons.  I've also been hesitant to constantly work the lobby at Stay n Play for fear of being in the way.  But, that notion is over.  Charlotte at Stay n Play assured me that I will not be a pest, and it is the best place to correct this behavior because opportunities abound with people and staff coming and going and I do not have to explain. 

At this point, it was decided that we do not need to do a full retest when Luc is consistent in not licking.   Denise of Penny's From Heaven is returning to Austin in January at which time she will make arrangements to test Luc on this one item.  However, should Denise and Patsy, executive director of Penny's, decide otherwise, I'm okay with redoing the entire test. 

Wild man, Luc, has come a long way from when we started this training in June.  He was well-mannered and obedient at home, but he was wild and very hard to handle in public.  If you will recall, Luc enthusiasm was involved when I broke one of my ankle bones last December.  Nevertheless, we'll get certified soon or maybe not so soon.  Whatever.  lol

Until next time, God bless.



5 comments:

DJan said...

Oh so close! It's his way of connecting to people, but I'm sure he can overcome this. I look forward to the day when he's certified, too!

SquirrelQueen said...

So close! I imagine it would be difficult to break Luc, a very loving dog, of that habit. But like you said he has come a long way.

I know you can do it Lynn, Luc will pass the last test and get certified very soon.

Donna said...

Poor Luke can't control his "licker"! LOL. I know how much work you've put into this and it's frustrating when he's sooooo close! He's just trying to show affection and doesn't understand yet. Keep at it - he's almost there!

The JR said...

Is there something that taste really bad that you could use to break the licking?

Sorry he didn't pass that test.

Lillian Robinson said...

I feel your pain! Sadie was once so well behaved. Her bad point is sniffing everyone. Even though I try to correct her when guest arrive, there are some that encourage her otherwise. It makes it terribly hard to keep her in check. And don't even get me started about Mr J slipping her snacks from the table!

Let us know what happens in Luc's retest.