Time to just be me

Part of Toby's training is making sure that he is comfortable in different environments, and that he is comfortable around different animals. The home that is puppy raising him has adults and children - but also has four cats in residence and two adult dogs.

The two resident dogs are both SPCA specials that include Border Collie - so they are both smart and have a strong work drive. The cats are mostly SPCA specials with one Maine Coon thrown in for good measure - and they are relatively spoilt with absolutely no work drive. All six of them are helping Toby to learn how to socialise with other animals, and are helping him learn that other animals are not for chasing or annoying. Toby has the most fun playing with Dewey, as she is playful and will run around with him in the backyard.

For the last week or so Toby has also had a Labrador called Benjy to play with. Benjy was in training to be an assist dog with another organisation but lacked the drive to do the job so he now has the really important job of being a pet. Benjy has been another really great source of socialisation for Toby, and has enjoyed playing with Toby.

Play time is being carefully balanced with work time for Toby, and he is a really quick learner who is already impressing people with the commands that he knows. While he is still a playful doofus at times, he is also already well on the road to becoming a safe, and gentle companion for his little person and their family. Watch this space for more information about Toby and how his training is going.

Toby's life lesson # 2

While wearing a cape means that I am working and have to remember my manners around people - when the cape comes off I can be as much of a goof ball as I want! And when I am being a goof ball I can play with all the toys in the dogs toy box, play with the big dogs, or fall over my oversized feet while being cute.

And the best toy of all is the soccer ball sized tennis ball that I play with outside - it is so big that I can roll around on it and chase it around the garden.

Training in leaps and bounds

Toby has been making really good progress with his training, and everyone is amazed at the commands that he already knows.

90% of the time Toby sits on command the first time that the command is given. The other 10% of the time he either sits the second time you ask him, or he runs off to play with the dogs or the toys.

Toby has also mostly mastered the wait command. At meal times he sits without being asked and waits for his bowl to touch the floor. At first we had to cover the bowl to stop him diving into his food, but now he sits and waits with just a hand in the way (at breakfast) or until you say okay at lunch or dinner. He is not perfect with this yet, but at only 11 weeks it is really great that he already has this mostly learnt.

We spent a few minutes working on down the other day and he picked it up very quickly. A few more sessions and we can hopefully get him going into a down more quickly than he is at the moment.

His second meeting with his little person went really well - he is still jumping around like puppies his age do which is a little startling - but he settled down after playing and even had a picture taken with his family.

So at the end of three weeks of training Toby has nailed one command, and is on the way to having perfected a further five. Going out on field trips has exposed Toby to the big wide world, and he has started making friends wherever he goes. Riding safely in the car is one of the commands that he is learning, and he is already learning "car" really well.

Toby's life lesson # 1

Do not try and retrieve socks while the person is still wearing them. Wait until they are on the floor in the bedroom or laundry and then take them to the living room. This will cause the humans to exchange the washing for a fun toy.

The first two weeks

Tonight marks two weeks since Toby arrived from Arangold in Christchurch, and it has certainly been an interesting two weeks.

Toby is sweet, a real charmer, and a quick learner. He already knows the command "busy" and he is learning to "busy" on different surfaces including grass and bark.

After allowing a few days for him to settle in, we started training him seriously and he is well on his way to knowing the "wait" command, and he has made a good start on "sit". Because he is not fully vaccinated yet training on the lead has been baby steps, but he is learning to follow the lead rather than eating it.

Retreiving training has also begun with Toby learning to retrieve toys, and he is learning the safe place to travel in the car. After several photos of him fast asleep we finally managed to take pictures of him while he is awake. Including this picture of Toby with a John Campbell toy from the General Election '08.

Look out for words of wisdom from Toby over the coming months - he has already discovered a few life lessons over the past two weeks.

The new puppy

On Saturday a new puppy arrived to begin training as a Companion Dog. His family has named him Toby and he is being trained for a very special young man from the North Shore.

Toby has come from Margaret in Christchurch and he is already proving to be a very sweet and smart little boy. Thank you Margaret for trusting us with another of your very special dogs, Toby is everything that he should be and a lot more.

The first week has been all about him settling in, but he has already made good first steps towards learning the "busy" command for toileting and he had started walking on a lead. His is socialising well with pets, and has been meeting people of all ages, shapes, and sizes on his first outings.

Check back about once a week to check Toby's progress.