Training Internship: Day 8

 I knew today was going to be a good day no matter what because I was expecting for a puppy assignment and I got to go out with the instructors! I arrived at 8am and went and found my mentor in K2 and I did quiet work with the dogs while the instructors loaded their dogs. I only had about 20 min left before I got to go out with the instructors so I went out and scooped/acceled/sprayed a quad of kennels.

I headed to the training office to meet up with the advisor who was taking me out. He told me I was going to get to observe traffic training! I was kinda bummed I didn't get to experience blindfold work again, but I am thankful I got the opportunity Friday. The string of dogs I went out with, this was their first time being exposed to traffic training. Traffic training consisted of a team (instructor & dog) walking a route in a quite neighborhood, and a GDB car and driver setting the dog up. The setups were: backing out of a driveway, quickly pulling into a driveway, cutting the team off in a crosswalk, chasing the dog in the crosswalk, starting the car and pulling out of a driveway & backing up and re-pulling into the driveway. What I thought was most interesting was when the car was backing out of the driveway if the dog did not catch on they would bump the dog with the car to really let the dog know a car is a bad thing. Of course they did not hurt the dogs, and the dog quickly backed up and was confused as to what just happened! But the dogs need to learn that cars are very dangerous for them and their partner. From here on out the dogs will be worked out in busier neighborhoods and be set up with non GDB cars and every day traffic, until their final traffic exam.

 Most of the dogs caught on real quick that cars are not safe to be around and they needed to back up quickly or speed up to the curb, it's the dogs decision to either back up or speed up to the curb based on their intelligent disobedience & what they decide is safe. It was really fun to follow the team and watch the dogs catch on really fast to traffic. After I followed a few teams, I rode in the GDB van with a supervisor who was setting all the dogs up. He explained a lot to me as to why they do this setup and what the dogs initial reaction should be. I really enjoyed going out with the team, they are all so friendly and willing to answer any questions and are just happy to have us interns there.

I got back to campus close to lunch time, and went back to K2 and handed out enrichment to the dogs and locked them in and went to lunch.

Lunch always goes by way to fast, but it's always fun to get back to work! The rest of my afternoon went pretty smooth and normal. I collected all the enrichment in K2 and started doing quiet work while the instructors got their dogs for an afternoon route. My mentor had meetings most the afternoon so I floated between all 3 kennels and in K3 me and 3 other people took four dogs on a cemetery walk. It was a really nice afternoon and not scorching hot like it has been.

All the CWT's had a meeting today, and I got to attend. It was a presentation from a vet tech about how to properly and confidently do an IV bag of fluids for any dog in a kennel. It was very informational and fun to watch the demonstrations. The meeting ended and I headed back to kennels to start scooping food and fed the dogs. The dogs eat in about 1 second and then the bowls are collected and washed. I locked in a quad of dogs and started scooping/spraying out the runs. My mentor asked me to accel the outside center hallway that all the instructors use to train their dogs about overhead and ground obstacles, so I of course said yes and that took me the rest of my time I there this afternoon. I put all my cleaning equipment away and headed home!

~Katlynn