So, onto "Echo's Big Day":
It started off as normal. When Amy woke up to get ready for work, she took Echo out. She took a picture, as well. During a break at work, she found another picture of Echo. She created the following:
The original plan for this week was for me to take Amy to work each day. That way, I could take Echo places for socialization. For various and sundry reasons, that did not happen this morning.
So, I took the "Gunny Highway" approach (Clint Eastwoods' character in "Heartbreak Ridge"): "Adapt, Improvise, and Overcome."
About a mile's walk from our house is a "strip mall". It has a convenience store, the dry cleaner I use, a coffee shop, a Subway sandwich shop, a fairly active parking lot, and there is a bus stop in front of it. (among other things)
Echo needs : physical exercise, mental exercise, exposure to new stimuli, get over her apprehension about parking lots, get used to being under a table in an eating place, etc.
Getting there, experiencing the place, and going back home, fulfilled ALL of those criteria. So, that's what we did.
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To give you an idea of the area we are talking about, here is a shot from Google Maps:
View Larger Map
I will be referring to the map as we go along.
For starters, find Alder Glen Dr SE. We live just to the right of the apex of that street. Near the "Map" button.
Anyway, I have found that Echo works best if she hasn't eaten in a while, and has an opportunity to run off some of her "puppy energy". I had fed her about 10:30 that morning. So, about 3:30, I put us together (filled the treat bag, put her vest on her, made sure I had appropriate cap and jacket, etc), and we headed out.
I've mentioned walking her to the part and back, before. The park in question would be Thornbury Park, in the middle of the map. We headed out that way. It's a route she is familiar with, and gets that we are on a walk. This part of the world has been discovered. She does not need to explore it.
When we got to the end of the street, she "planted". You can see a gray smudge in the park, near the end of Alder Glen Dr. That is a half basketball court. There were a number of kids playing basketball there. I have found that if you want to break Echo's attention, put her in spot where she can see other dogs, or kids. Actually, this time, it worked in my favor. Instead of making the turn to go back to the house, I was able to get her to turn right on 54th (heading west, or left, on the map) rather easily, after dangling a Cheerio in front of her.
Things went pretty well, until we got to the large white building on 54th. That is Aspire Middle School for the Performing Arts. Their cheerleaders were having practice in the parking lot. Echo was FASCINATED. This is one of the things I love about Echo (apparently, it's a "collie thing"). Every other puppy I have had would have barked, charged, or been skittish. Not Echo. She "planted" and watched. Watching her, it's as if you could see the wheels turning in her mind, as she attempted to figure what she was seeing. No Cheerio was going to break her concentration. So, I pulled out the "big guns", shredded mozzarella cheese. Dangling that in front of her face would get her to move about 10 feet. Then, she "planted", and watched. Until she could be enticed with cheese, again. Using this process, it took us about 5-10 minutes to get past the school.
Then, it was onto the intersection of 54th and Ruddell. On that corner (the northeast one), is a bus stop with a small shelter, and a bench. It was my intention to spend 10-20 minutes there. Let her acclimatize to the traffic, and do some work on sitting next to me, and waiting. As with all plans, this one was decimated almost as soon as we got there. Ruddell, at that time of day, is a pretty busy street. I figured that she would be skittish or want to watch. She could have cared less. On the other hand, the area around the bus stop is like a miniature park, outside of a gated community. She wanted to go check out all the scents in the grass. The only thing that distracted her was a bus going the other way, and, then, for only a few seconds. Seeing that there was no real training to be had there, I decided it was time to move on.
We headed south on Ruddell. Our destination was the series of blue colored roofs on the map. The strip mall I mentioned earlier.
As we approached the strip mall, we encountered a number of people that wanted to engage Echo. I explained that she was a in training to be a Service Dog, that she was "working", at the time, and that she shouldn't be distracted. All of them were very gracious, and let her work. ... After commenting on how beautiful she was. (I had a "proud Dad moment" or two. ... I think she is a gorgeous puppy, but to hear others confirm the opinion is nice.)
Once we arrived at the strip mall, I decided the first thing we should do is explore the parking lot. Some of Echo's trainers have said that she exhibits anxiety in parking lots. Once again, "best laid plans", and all of that. She could have cared less.
At this point, I want to interrupt the narrative, and tell a story that happened a few weeks ago. Kathy had come to my house to work with Echo and I. We went to Thornbury Park to work. One of the things Kathy wanted to try was introducing Echo to new people. We came across a woman that was stretching out for a jog, and worked on it. Instead of letting me handle Echo, the woman took charge of the situation. The introduction went correctly, except for the fact that this woman "handled" Echo, and I didn't. ... It struck me as odd. (This relates to the story I am telling, I promise.)
Back to the parking lot ...
So, we were behind the convenience store, on the north side of that parking lot. That is where the dumpsters are. There was a woman putting something in the dumpster. The dumpsters are surrounded by chain link fence, with a gate. Echo was fascinated by the sound and movement of the gate. At this point, I am working on "acclimatization", so, I let her watch. When the woman was finished, she saw Echo and came over to us. I, originally, thought that she was an employee of the convenience store. I was wrong. Immediately behind the convenience store is Companion Veterinary Hospital. The woman was a Vet Tech at the Hospital. We talked, and Echo did a marvelous job with her greeting.
During this conversation, a person in a white lab coat comes out of the Vet's. Because I am still engaged in conversation with the Vet Tech, I, only, give a cursory glance to the person. Then, I notice that Echo is responding to the person walking up. Echo is using her "friend/family" tail wag, while holding her "sit". This strikes me as odd, so, I look at the person walking up. It is the "woman from the park"! I find out in the ensuing conversation that the "woman from the park" is Dr. Paula Sommerville, THE veterinarian of Companion Veterinary Hospital.
(In follow-on conversations via email, Dr. Sommerville has volunteered her waiting room for further "socialization" of Echo. More on that later.)
After that, we moved to the convenience store.
This convenience store has an ATM, and I needed to use it.
I took Echo in, and there was someone at the ATM. I didn't want to try getting her to sit in a line. So, we went on a tour of the store. She did great. Except for the candy aisle, and near the "fast food" area. Too many interesting smells in the carpet. Which I find interesting. Within the house and backyard, Echo has shown time and time again that her nose is nowhere near as acute as Gimli's.
We, finally, were able to walk up to the ATM. I put her in a sit, and she held it pretty well. In the course of the using the ATM, I had to put her back in a sit about 3 times. (The ATM was a bit more "cranky" than I am used to.)
I hadn't eaten all day, and was hungry. This strip mall has a "Subway" sandwich shop. So, that was our next destination.
Getting in was fine.
While checking out the menu, I began to notice that Echo was beginning to "hit her wall". She was doing good, but her ability to stay that way was fading fast.
When we were waited on, the lady that fixed my sandwich gushed over Echo. In the process of making my sandwich, I told her the story of Echo, the All American Dogs program, and that Echo was a smooth coat collie.
Like I said before, however, I could tell that Echo was "hitting her wall:". In the process of getting my sandwich, she "yipped" about 5 times. It wasn't a bark. It was a "yip".
After we got through the line, and went to a booth, she did GREAT! She did "under", and she did "down". She perked up a few times at people moving past, but there was no noise, and she did not try to get out from under the table.
I finished eating, and, as we were going out the door, the person I took to be the manager said that Echo was welcome back anytime. (Another "proud Dad moment")
By this point, I knew that Echo was "hitting her wall". It was about 4:45, and we had started at 3:30. But, I "went for the gusto". There is a bus stop in front of this strip mall, and the next stop on the line is the one at 54th and Ruddell (where we started). The bus was supposed to be at the strip mall shortly after we were done at Subway. So, we went to the bus stop, and waited. As we waited, I could tell that Echo was "losing it". She was hitting her limits of ability to "work".
Then, the bus came, and I tried to get her to join me on the bus. "Little Girl" was having none of it. She "planted", and was not getting on the bus, for anything, not even mozzarella cheese, AND she gave me "the look". When the bus driver began to be testy, I gave up.
At that point, I knew I had to get her home as soon as possible. She had hit "overload", and she was no longer capable of working. She was, just, a puppy.
The bad thing was that we were almost a mile from home, and we were going to have to walk it.
We were fine walking past the business area.
Once we hit the residential area, well, this cartoon begins to tell the story:
Then there was the school. The cheerleaders were still practicing. This was rougher than the first time.
Finally, we got home around 5. She went into the backyard, and peed twice. After that, she found "her spot" in the living room (that maroon pillow) and crashed HARD for about 2 hours.
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Shortly before 7 that night, Echo woke up.
So, I grabbed the treat bag, and we worked on "commands" for about half an hour.
We started off with "sit", "down", and "up". With a treat after each success.
Then, on "sit" and "down", I started throwing in, randomly, "wait".
Then, I started doing "sequences" of three commands at a time, before the treat. ... For you military people out there, it was "grass drills" .... down, sit, up, treat .... sit, down, up, treat ... when she did an "automatic sit": up, sit, down, treat ... up, down, sit, treat ... you get the idea.
The fun part is that Gimli "played along". He knows the traditional "sit", and "down". His up is to perch himself on his rear-end, with his body vertical.
It was fun. I had to refill the treat bag twice, in this process.
We did that for about 30 minutes.
After that, Echo crashed HARD.
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It was a BIG day for my LITTLE girl.
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