LD training2 Juno

The first full day at Leader!

Great news to start the day, my suitcase was found, *dances* As someone on my twitter said, “now I don’t have to run around naked!”

I received the call around 11:40PM that someone found my suitcase. Too bad for me that I didn’t see the call until after one in the morning. *cries* I could have have had it last night…I blame the excitement of the first day that I forgot to take if off vibrate. Ah well, just call them first thing in the morning.

That’s just what I did and I think I woke the poor guy up too, *whoops* He didn’t need that sleep anyways, right?

So called the poor guy and he said my suitcase would arrive sometime during the day! On with the day a much happier than when I ended the night before.

Juno walks:
Juno walks are where the instructors pretend to be your puppy. They hold onto one end of the harness while you hold onto the other and they guide you around and act just like a dog might. The purpose to this is to get an idea of your pace, pull, show you how it feels when the dog is moving you around something and so on.

Assigned seats:
*yay* the JMK group got their wish and our table stayed the same and here is the group that was nominated the *wild* group….we nominated ourselves that by the way, ha!

*whoops* think it would have be great to find out the right spellings of names. So erm sorry guys if you ever read this and I spelled your name wrong. You can beat me for it some other time!

Jackie, Jack, jim, John, Jessy, June, Karen and May

So, did any of you pick up anything also cool about the group I’m in?…*no* the go back and read the list again and see if you can figure it out cause I’m not telling, ha!

Hint:
months of the year . . .

During breakfast we found out that an instructor would be joining us at our table starting on tomorrow…*today, one of these days I’ll post this darn thing the night of and not the early morning after* Anyways, we found out that an apprentice instructor named Tina would be joining us and that she would be under blind fold.

*wicked smile* what was Jessica thinking, that poor instructor at our table!! I’d tell you what we already have planned for poor tina, but shhhh Jessica might read this and tell!

*checks time* nope, still no suitcase..on with the day then!

First training session:
Damn! I should have did an audio recording of the training center while I was there before doggy. Why didn’t someone mention that? *sighs* ah well, just means more fun doing it after I get doggy, right?

So, the training center, one great place that I can get school work done. Well, that’s when I’m not procrastinating and visiting with other people. *grumbles* school work getting in the way of more fun stuff, *sniffs* Nothing too exciting about the training center, just wait and wait and wait some more for your turn. Remember I have Jessica the team leader so I am always first and last to go in my group ha!

The first walk:
*cheers* I have a harness in my hand again!! Oh it’s been so long and man it feels weird. I’m just sure I’m like going to totally screw up the first time and all the commands will just fly right out my head.

But wait…what’s with the leash holding thing? *cries* Leader holds their leash the same way GDB, *guide Dogs for the Blind* does. But hey, unlike last time when I first saw this strange method I’m not working with a floppy leash that kept trying to escape and taps me on the leg. *nope* this time I have a leash that’s stiff enough to poke someones eye out! I still feel like I’m going to lose my leash holding it this way…talk about keeping me distracted. My dog might have to give me a few corrections, *going for things he/she shouldn’t* before I’m use to it.

I think Jessica must have been reading my mind cause my Juno definitely snuck something by me during our first walk, *grumbles*

I was pretty nervous when we started out and didn’t quite walk at my dog walking speed, but it was close enough to get the job done and get me use to it again. Plus, I was still stuck on the darn leash thing while trying to also pay attention to Jessica/Juno *whew* good thing there’s at least 10 of me floating around in my head to do all this multi-thinking.

As if that wasn’t enough for me to think about…hey May, here’s something else new to learn, *cut backs* Um, if I confuse you when I tell it don’t worry it just means I’m still confused too and maybe one day like years from now I’ll get it, ha!

Cut backs are when you’re speeding down the street and say pass a sidewalk on your right that you will need, but it’s before the curb. You get to the curb, praise that lovely dog of yours, give it some treats and then tell puppy right. When you are telling puppy right and doing all the signals you’re also making a 180 turn so that you’re going back the other way. Now, when you’ve turned yourself around tell puppy left and off you should fly up the sidewalk you needed to go up.

*make sense?*…no, well, that’s ok I just learned it so I still have to think before doing it too.

Moving right along. Here’s where that mean Jessica/Juno of mine must have read my mind. We did a street crossing and she did not cross straight. *whoops* but I like totally wasn’t all there for that one. It did not click in my poor raddled brain until the second time Jessica/Juno told me that it was a short street crossing. *gasp* ok, now I feel stupid! Mentally hit myself in the head. Back on course we go.

Poor Juno:
Payback! I get us back on course and we’re happily making our way back to the training center when Juno trips. Um, I don’t think it’s a good thing when you’re Juno can’t walk straight, do you? I need a new Juno or maybe I should just give her better caffeine! Of course she tripped right in front of a funeral home, lol.

That was the first adventure. Pretty fun and painless and just a little *duh* moments.

Was that *really* v8 juice in that can?
A group of us pile back on the van and head to campus and one of the instructors who will remain nameless…check out her blog right over here popped open a can as she plopped in the driver seat. She claims it was v8 in that can, but I don’t know. I think someone might want to check her drinks, *chuckles*

*whoops* red light! Instructor applies breaks, *chuckles* tries to stop, bus says *sorry* not stopping, instructor then says *screw it* and on we go through the light, hahahaah! what a rush.

So instructor, sure you don’t need the practice driving these buses too? *sweet smiles*

Back to campus in one happy piece and more ammo to tease am instructor over and even better news I get to my room and my suitcase is here!!

Afternoon training:
OMG, what did my Juno have for lunch…or maybe I should have asked why didn’t someone feed my Juno for lunch? I had a very very bad Jessica/Juno for the second half. She was definitely distracted and found the biggest things possible to pick up…paper towel roll, a *huge* stick, but missed the beer can, ha good thing. She even tried to cross the street without me. I don’t know where she thought she was going, but leaving me behind is *not* an option and most definitely not trying to cross a street when I didn’t say so, *tsktsk*

I’m going to have to be on my toes with whatever dog I get from Jessica. who knows what my dog might be sneaky about, *smiles*

The second session went better in the department of pace and pull. I was a bit more relaxed for the second half.

Tomorrow, dog day…*today again one day I’ll post on the night of*
I’m excited and nervous and a bit overwhelmed with thoughts of Noah and meeting new dog. I was prepared for the emotions to hit me at least one more time and they have started. Will they hit when I get my new puppy, I don’t know but I’m ready I think if they do.

So here’s to dog day!