The major scare

Hello everybody:
Have you ever experienced something like this?
Yesterday I got the major scares. Chris called me, lifted me up and then put
me in the water thing that she usually sits in and relaxes. That was
allright, I didn't mind and sniffed around. But then I heard a hissing sound
and felt water dripping on my paws.

Sorry Chris, do you want to drown me? I escaped and ran away, but returned
when Chris called me. She lifted me up again, put me back and poured that
hissing water over my back part. She said I had peed on myself and stank. O
how I hate that human rain! Chris turned it off soon, but she let me sit in
that water trap for another while before letting me climb out.
But she said I did not excape this time, but stayed by her, so she could dry
m. But boy did I get scared when she turned on the little brother water
hisser in the sink where she cleans her hands and teeth! Fortunately, I am
too large for that one.
I really hope she won't put me in there anymore for as long as I live <woof>
Cheers, Quito.

Good weather, good week

Hello hello:

I have not done too much this past week, but lead Chris to work safely, ask
for pets from her little friend, and also greet my favourite people at work.
Chris makes me sit with the most favourite ones, and then they can pet and
talk. So sitting is a major reward.

Yes, I do find the entrance into work now easily, though I walk there very
reluctantly. I walk and show the entrance though, and I always receive pets
and a treat.

When we go out, Chris does try to call me every now and then, as I am eating
grass or sniffing interesting smells. I still don't come reliably, so we
always start our walks on flexible leash. But once I have done my business
or want to play, she unclips the leash.

We have two games. One is with the rope. First we play tug, and Chris walks
around with me holding on to the other end, or we really tug tough until she
tells me out. I try hard to release the rope, but it always takes a little
while to let go. But when I do, she throws it and I fetch it. O that is such
fun. When I spot it lying somewhere I cannot stop. I pick it up and run back
so fast that I hit it against Chris' knee. It seems to be good, because I am
always praised big time.

I have also been allowed to play fetch with my signal jacket. Chris throws
it a few steps, and I can pick it up and take it back to her. But I still
don't want to hold it, I just want to hand it to her really fast. I can also
run after a ball that she tosses, but I won't pick up anything that is lying
still.

Chris says that doesn't matter, because we are just at the very beginning.
And she is very proud of me, because the coach said I was not a big
retriever. Well, I wasn't a big treat eater, but Chris' treats are fun, and
fetching the items is also big fun.

I will tell you about our second offleash game soon, goodnight, Quito.

visitors at home

Hello and good morning:

Yesterday Chris and I did not have to go to work. She slept late, took me
for a walk and then cleaned up a little. But she spent most of the time in
front of the computer with emails and some other stuff. She says she has to
do something with baseball, whatever that is. Then in the afternoon the
sister arrived with her tiny dog. O that tiny dog is not the most fun,
because he is old, but I did try to play with him. And I really love the
sister, because she plays with me. They talked a lot, and then they both
cleaned the apartment, and then the doorbell rang and two more people
arrved. I lay in my corner and growled at the strangers. They wanted to pet
me, but I did not like that, so they left me alone. The lady mentioned Hapoo
and said she had been looking forward to seeing her - yeah right, just
because I am not Hapoo and don't run up to everybody for pets!
The humans disappeared in the itchen, and I was a really good girl and
stayed in the livingroom while Chris was preparing the food. By now the
sister and the tiny dog had gone, and the man came and brought plates with
food. I was even better, I did not touch any of that. When the humans came
back into the livingroom, I did not beg for food, but I lay on my bed agai,
only once walked around and looked at the strangers. After all, they
weren't bad and I let them look at me and give me pets.

We accompanied them outside after a lot of human chatting, and then they
left. We were back on our own, and that is not bad either. Today we had to
get up early again, so I think it is yet another day of lying still at work.

Have a good day, Quito.

ears on holidays

Hello:

A few days ago Chris and I were outside in the car parking lot where I can
run free. There was a man in his car, and I really looked at him and did not
come when called. The same thing happened again in the afternoon.

Well, am i to blame when there are so many nice branches, leaves to sniff
and people and cars in motion to look at?
Chris insists yes. She claims that coming when called can be crucial, and
she finally put into action her plan of letting me out on flexible leash
only. She says she doesn't want to make the recall negative, so it is good
to have me on flexible leash, so she can help me come back.

I also hear a click quite ofteh these days. And when I hear it it means I do
get a tiny tiny treat. I figure the click means food, so that isn't all that
bad. I think she is allright, but my friend, the man on wheels, says she is
too strict and always calls me ack when I want to climb up on him with my
front paws. But he laughs ahd we both have fun, and I think Chris should
really let me.
She, however, asks that I sit and enjoy his company, and that is so hard, I
wiggle and waggle, my backside on the ground, and that makes Chris laugh.
She says I am a clever, silly kid, and she likes me for that.
Goodbye, Quito.

Rollercoaster days

Hello,

I am a little depressed, just a little.
You know I am trying hard, but we are having rollercoaster days. Sometimes
Chris is in a great mood, smiling singing and cheerful. And those are the
days when I work best and don't get distracted all that much.

But then there are the days when she is tired and not so upbeat. That is
when I get distracted, mess up at curbs and don't come when called.

I tell her it is because I am sensitive, and she says I am terribly
sensitive, but work is work and I will hopefully learn that life isn't
always sunshine, not even for her. O I know, for when I screw up it's no fun
at all.

Two days ago in the car parking lot there was a man sitting in a car, and I
thought I should go and look at it, not caring about Chris calling my name.
She didn't say much about it, but yesterday she always put on the flexible
leash for the dog walks in the parking lot and made sure I came when called,
so I couldn't shut my ears. She only let me off the leash when we played
with the stick. I brought it once, and now Chris puts it in a place where
she can find it. And when she throws it I run and fetch it. I love that
game, because we also play tug with it.

Sometimes my work is louzy, and sometimes it is flawless. When I am not
performing well enough Chris lets me rework the mess, and I don't like it,
but I just cannot help it sometimes.

And then there was the man with his dog yesterday, and I wanted to go play
with him. The man said to Chris:
"But that dog of yours is not ready trained, is it? He gets distracted a
lot!"
I am not a he, escuse me! And Chris told him I was still young. I crossed
the street and raced along, ignoring the traffic light. Of course I had to
return, and then I found it.

Yes, I m a curious girl, wanting to look at everything. Yesterday there were
man in my playing car parking lot, and I growled at them. Chris ignored that
and walked on, and one of them laughed. I dn't like strangers where they are
usually not, they might do something to me. Two mornings go I saw a person
with a trolley standing still in a corner. I growled and backed up. Chris
made me turn around, and then that person moved and I also walked on. I am
suspicious of strangers just standing and looking at me, they are
intimidating!

Allright, Chris wants the computer to go quiet, because we have to go to
work soon. Cheers, Quito.

about my past

Hello - why does nobody answer? Hello!

 

Chris says I am silly, for you will answer via this PC box!

Oh, that's why !!!

 

I want to tell you about the time before Chris, so you know it all.

 

I was born with a few other sibblings, and my parents were living with us. We also had cats, cows, horses and humans around us. I wasn't there for too long. One day there were visitors. Me and a sister were the only ones remaining from our litter. The visitors looked at us, and then Petra picked me up. I was told my name was Jayra then, but I really don't remember. Petra took me in the car with her and held me in her lap for a long long time until we arrived at another home. From then on I was called Quito. Chris says that was her first influence, as she had selected that name. I don't know the reason for the name change yet, but will keep my ears and nose open.

 

I had a human family for the next two months or so, which consisted mainly of a woman and a boy. When the woman had a man step into her life, she no longer wanted me. She had shared looking after me with Anne's family, which includes Anne and the man and two girls. I stayed with Anne for a while, but she could not look after me all the time, because she had to go to work.

 

I knew work, because both families sometimes took me with them. There I met Chris and the old lady dog she calls Hapoo. I know Hapoo, the entire place here smells like her, I even wore her harness for a while until my own arrived two days ago. Hapoo let me play with her, but she was bored of my romps soon, so she ate grass. I liked her, I always gave her kisses. Chris petted me, too, I remember, and said I looked cute with my big big paws.

 

I changed families, and this time I moved into a place with a garden, with grandparents and a little girl. The grandparents were no good leaders of the pack. They said I played too rough with the girl, and so I had to go. Nobody really liked me but Petra. She took me with her again and we went on a long ride again.

 

We ended up at a place with many dogs and many cats. There I met my coach, a great leader for sure. She started taking me into the city with her, and so I slowly learnt guiding. I stopped at curbs ald took in all the impressions of the big wide civilized world, although Anne and the other lady had also taken me to the city on occasions.

 

Most of all I loved playing with the other dogs. Some left, new came, and I really had fun, even though training became a more serious business. We moved places, and I was taken inside the house, so the coach could check my inside manners. And then the day came when we walked into the train station and my leash was handed over to Chris.

 

If the coach came back, I would be in heaven, but I have this strange suspicion that she is not going to. I am left somewhere else again, but Chris says I am going nowhere, except with her, or maybe when she goes somewher really unfit for dogs, like that music maker's show, which is noisy beyond all I have heard so far. Maybe I can stay with Chris' mom and the sister and the little old dog, or better yet, with Petra or Anne, or possibly with Daniel. Chris says before that we will go on several journeys. One to the headquarters, which includes a long train ride, one wth Daniel to watch flying balls she calls tennis, and one more to another place where she needs to work. Travelling should be fun.

 

I have got to go to work now and help Chris find her way, goodbye, Quito.

What a week

Hello, Quito here - can you hear me?

 

I must tell you about my week now.

 

Last weekend we got one more person in the living space Chris calls apartment. That person she calls friend and I did not get along too well, but we accepted each other and went our own ways.

 

When we were back on our own, Chris packed the small backpack, and the next morning we went to work very early. I wasn't even awake, so she took me on the morning walk and immediately afterwards put on the harness, so we could go to work. Generally along the week she says that I did a great job. The only thing is that I don't like to go back into work when we have been out on a dog walk with playing session. I try not to show Chris the right entrance, but she makes me walk back to the exit gate, turns me around and makes me walk back to the entrance until I show it to her. Stupid game indeed, but I simply prefer staying outside to lying at work.

 

Plus here is another mean trick Chris played on me. I have two mega favourite people at work, Petra and Anne, the food lady. One of the days when Chris and I came back from playing outside, Anne met us. Chris made me sit and then greeded Anne. I jumped up to greet her, too, but Chris wouldn't let me. She made me lie down several times, but I always got up. Finally she made me lie down and put her foot on the leash - mean trick! She talked with Anne and they hugged several times until I lay quietly. Only then we walked upstairs. The same mean trick was applied when I saw Petra in the cafeteria, and Petra was even worse. She walked around me, even climbed over me, and I lay there on the floor, finally very quietly. I honestly didn't think Petra and Chris and Anne would co-operate in this matter, as Daniel the wheelchair man always tells Chris that I am allowed to climb up on his shoulders. Chris tells him I can do so at home, and only when I behave well otherwise. I think she is finally putting down clear rules. Hey Chris, I am only a youngster, I want to play!!!

 

however, I need to be fair. She always wrestles with me when we are at home, and one afternoon I was allowed to watch her unpack a wonderful smelling package. I smelled interesting things, and Chris immediately handed me one thing she says is a dried cow foot. That thing is fun to chew, and sometimes Chris throws it around for me.

Goodnight, quito.

I - quito - woof!

This is sooo cool, that I can talk for myself!

Some of them call me Baby, but I am not, because I am two years old and have a job and can type on Chris' keyboard. I have watched herintensively while resting at her feet, and she talks in this anguage, too.

 

I will not talk much for now, because it still takes long to type. But next time I will tell you more, quito.

Day Nineteen - the last official training day

We changed things a little that morning, as we first walked to the bakery. There were no dogs in sight at the crucial traffic light, and Quito showed it perfectly. We sat down and had a final tea, before going to work. Of course, all traffic lights worked well, and Quito even walked at a nice pace. Again we changed things a little. I usually let her run free in the little parking lot and played with her. This time I did not do so, but we went upstairs, greeted a few colleagues and walked into the cafeteria, where I allowed a little rest, while chatting with a few colleagues. The way back from work was equally wonderful. And if Quito walked slowly, I simply let her, as long as she did not sniff. At the first traffic signal there were many bicycles blocking the way, so we waited for the pole to be free. Next thing was a dog, and Quito, after a gentle reminder, looked at him even more, so I turned her around and waited for the third green light before finally crossing.

Then we went grocery shopping, but we let Quito walk without the harness. Of course, at first she sniffed a lot, but when she got too tired, she skipped that. We had lunch at another bakery, the coach checked out another little store, and I met my physiotherapist, before we returned home.

The coach picked up the things that had remained in the partment, I also gave her a flower that will bloom red hopefully soon, and then she left. Quito knew something was going wrong. Where Hapoo would have followed me around the place, Quito has decided that the strategically best place to wait at is the entrance door. When the coach had gone, Quito rested at the door a little more, while I was unpacking the grocery. When I took her to her place, she immediately fell asleep. At this moment she does not want me, I can feel it, but it will be food time soon, and she will be wanting to play, if I know her well enough. The weekend will probably be a quiet one, before our routine has us back.

　

In summary I can say the following:

Quito is a wonderful dog, of course. Her strength is obstacle work, I hardly ever hit overhead or even open side obstacles. She has a pleasant, not too hard pull. She meets dogs in a friendly manner and will jump back when they are too bossy, She will not eat anything when running free or on flexible leash. She is generally alert but does not bark at all.

Currently her weakness are dog distractions. O when she meets them, she would rather go play than work, but I am sure as she grows older that will change. And as we bond things will probably change again, for we will get to know each other. Off we go, Quito, A wide enough path is laid out for us to walk it together. I hope I will be a good team player that you can trust and respect, just like I am going to do my best trusting you - respect guaranteed.