We're Done! Now, We Begin.

Tonight's post is late. Sorry. We had dinner with our Aussie friends and then packed the van. The only things left to throw in the van will be hygiene and fridge items. You can't tell we are ready to be out of a motel, can you?

In all honesty, the folks at this establishment have been fantastic. They bought special, gluten-free and casein-free items so Sean could eat in the dining room. They know us by name. The LOVE the dogs. There is little they will not do to help out. And, it is all done with smiles and the utmost in courtesy. In Dayton? Want a place to stay? Just ask. We've got a suggestion.

Today was the ultimate test called the "public access test." Can the handler deal with the dog in a public situation? Dad took lead for the test and Mojo did everything flawlessly. While he is really still a puppy, he knows his stuff. Jeremy just watched as the test proceeded. He knew there would be no problem. He knows our dog. He picked him for us. We cannot tell you all enough how fantastic the training staff is at 4Paws. Between Jeremy and Jen, they can pretty much recite everything from the 2+ hours of video we sent them about Sean. They can do the same for each and every placement that they make. Don't even get us started about Karen. She is the ONE. We are truly going to miss them and are already looking forward to (shorter) trips back to Xenia - not for any other reason than to visit and support future classes as our predecessors so graciously came back to support us. Home. Family. 4 Paws.

This afternoon was graduation. Pics will be up once the blog master makes it home and can breathe again. Facebook pics will be up sooner. Goodbyes, so-longs, and a few tears marked the end of this part of the journey. We feel very close to our classmates and their dogs. We have been talking online for so long, we felt like we knew each other forever when we got here. Two weeks feels so long and so short at the same time. We will stay in touch. We have no choice. We're linked. Really, so cool.

Now we come to the next stage. Mojo gets to go HOME tomorrow. For him, of course, it's an adventure into the unknown. It's going to be stressful for him. New surroundings, new people, and on Monday, lots and lots of kids. Thankfully, there are only three weeks of school left and then we get to slow down for the summer. A breather and chance for him to adjust.

Thank you all for following along. We know you're there and we appreciate all the thoughts and prayers that have followed and continue to follow us through this. It is a blessing to be able to share it with you all. YOU made it possible. Until tomorrow...

(Ben, you really do exist in every dog that 4 Paws places. Thank you.)

Tonight's Quick Post

Today was a kind of round-up (with a tracking session, of course). We went through more distraction training (food on the floor, a cat walking through the mix, etc.) where the dogs had to go through their paces (or remain motionless in a "down"). Sean did a great job at adding distractions be walking through the mix - with a ball in his hand. Oh, doggies and tennis balls. Mojo LOVES to play fetch. He was a good dog throughout, however. Jen was fantastic with the training and we got through it all and had some more Q&A time.

Tracking was so-so. Mojo wasn't into it (he's tired, too) and Dad pulled him off a lead that he probably should have followed. (Sean HAD been there, he'd simply moved with G-ma due to an intense bee population.) We'll continue to practice. Jeremy has little in the way of reservation when it comes to Mojo's tracking abilities. He's still learning/memorizing Sean's scent.

This afternoon was spent in the training room going over more things that we need to be ready for as we head for home. More hygiene, tracking tips (for home-use), you name it. Lots of great information - and stories - from Jeremy.

Sean, Mom, and G-ma went out for dinner while Dad stuck around the hotel. It was time for Mom to have lead time with Mojo. Things went great. We met up with classmates and had a great evening just having somewhat rambunctious discussions. We chased a lot of paying customers out of the lobby (to their rooms), but we had fun and, darnit, we've been stuck here for almost 2 weeks.

Tomorrow brings the "public access" test. Dad will take Mojo through his paces at the mall. We'll make sure that the handlers (Dad/Mom) can control Mojo in an appropriate way in a public setting. Then, we have to sit in the food court for a while and ensure that Mojo doesn't go berserk and take out people trying to get to their food. We finish with maneuvering the parking lot and loading Mojo into the van. It should be loads of fun.

Graduation will occur in mid-afternoon. Mojo will officially be official in some official type of official way. In reality, he gets his full license. We'll stick around here tomorrow night and then head home on Saturday.

The blog writer is hoping to have pics up in the morning. FB will have them all. He'll put a few here, as well. If you'd like source files to any of our pics, please let us know.

We look forward to seeing everyone. This has been a long journey. It has been truly rewarding. Again, our many thanks.

Peace.

Day Nine - Let the Rain Return

Ah, for the love of rain. If we loved it that much, we'd wish for it every day. We haven't been doing a lot of wishing, yet the rain keeps coming. What do you do? Track anyway! Sean is water-logged, Mojo stinks like, well, a wet dog, but still the training continues.

This morning was more obedience. Jen and Jeremy are really good about changing things up, but the dogs still understand that they are in their training room. It's a weird environment. They really are different dogs when they are in that room. It's where they grew up. They know the expectations in that room. Transferring those expectations out of the room and from trainer to "parent" is what we're doing. Things are still fantastic. Dad took Mojo to a national chain pet store tonight and the folks coming out of obedience training were floored at Mojo's ability to ignore their dogs. Not a "HA-HA" moment. It was one that made Dad respect the training these dogs have been given even more. Mojo even got a new toy - indestructable - to celebrate.

Tracking? RAIN (again)! Mom lead the track with Grandma as a trailer so she could see the process. A different classmate (again, THANK YOU!) hid with Sean so that we could isolate the scent of Sean even more. Things continued to improve. Moisture, believe it or not, really enhances tracking. Skin cells stay moist, so they keep giving off scent. Mojo had little problem.

The afternoon was an at-your-need session at the mall. We spent the majority of our time going up and down stairs. Sean handled them with Mojo and without the use of a handrail. YEAH! He did an up-and-down set with both Mom and Dad. Both sets were (nearly) flawless. We will continue to work on this. The new harness is an adjustment (it's a rigid, leather harness with a handle) and Sean has to learn that he cannot let go, but he is quick on the pick-up. He's learning that Mojo is there, even when railings are not.

We are startled that we have but TWO days left. It has crawled by at the same pace that it has flown. There are so many questions. There is confidence that we share. Thankfully, we know we have a great support network through both 4Paws and waiting for us at home.

HOME. That's a funny word these days. We love where we live, we love what everyone has been to us and done for us. We hope we have been and will be able to give back to you all in equal measure. The 4Paws families that we are associated with has, also, become just that, HOME. Everyone gives. We are a family and will be forever. While our hometown is truly HOME, so is a little building in Xenia, OH. So are all the people involved. There need be no place to hang a hat. It's who people are. We're very thankful for so many giving, caring people. YOU ARE OUR HOME!

Thank you all, again, so very much.

Sleep comes slowly, so this writer must start soon. G'night.

Day Eight Comes To An End

Well, eight down, three to go. Today was relatively normal by the standards that have been set. We worked on tricks this morning during obedience. Shake, Hi-Five, Five, Play Dead, and Roll Over were the biggies. We won't use all of them with Sean, but it was pointed out that when you present such amazing dogs to kids, it is inevitable that the first question posed by them is, "What tricks does s/he do?" It's cool, it's fun, and it's a nice break. Mojo is hesitant, but we'll work on it.

One of the things that we have learned is that if you train a dog to do things "on command," they will periodically do them "off command," or on their own. We are careful in the thing that we are working with Mojo on, especially when they can be things that might knock Sean off-balance. Dad will keep them in the repertoire, but only at the fringe edges. As Sean grows, we can add them into everyday use.

We finished the obedience portion with a session outdoors. We worked some off-lead commands (no leash). Mojo, as has been posted previously, is bored. He REALLY showed it today. During the session on pavement, he took off into a kennel to get a ball when he was supposed to be coming to Mom. Luckily, Mom was able to trap him in and control the situation. Then, when we went out into an open "play" area to work on the "come" command, Mojo refused, preferring to play with a deflated basketball. We have gotten some sage advice from Jeremy and will work to correct this issue. No worries!

We transistioned into tracking later in the morning. Another classmate hid with him today, someone new. Dad handled during the track. We had a couple of major distractions that threw Mojo off the track. After some remediation and advice, we continued and the track was finished successfully. So much to learn, so little time. He's really learning Sean's scent by having his companion changed with every track. He's getting good - read on.

The afternoon consisted of a Q & A session and a run through of some of the finer things that we need to know. Little things like feeding, mouth/tooth care, ear care, grooming, and proper play items for the dogs. It was very enlightening. Jeremy is full of wonderful stories and we already have a couple of our own. It really is amazing how much misinformation that there is out there.

We had dinner at the hotel tonight and Mojo performed the way you would expect a service dog to. He slept. Grandma showed up during dinner (having driven over from IL after work), making life for Sean a little brighter than having to deal with Mom and Dad alone. G-ma will stay through graduation to help keep an eye on Sean as Mom and Dad learn. We spent the evening at the mall, working with the mobility harness (a stiff handle/harness that Sean can hold onto), going up and down a long flight of stairs. We practiced with the elevator (there are procedures for such things), and then did a short mall track that Mojo completed with ease. What was cool about it was that was the first track that we had ever done without Jeremy being there.

Tomorrow? Who knows. I guess you'll have to check in to find out.

Feel free to comment on the posts. We love to hear from you and to answer any questions you may have. It may take a day, two, or five to get back to you, but every question will get answered. If you feel like it's taking too long, resubmit the question.

Also, a preemptive warning. We will leave on Saturday morning. The primary blog writer is going to have to get ready to teach on Monday upon our return home, along with catching up on two weeks away from the classroom. Blogs may be hit and miss during the first week home. He will do his best to note all major accomplishments and get them up as soon as possible.

Wearily submitted by Sean's Dad.

Day Seven - timely, even

Day seven started as most days have with more obedience training. While we are still learning, Mojo seems to be becoming bored with doing the same things over and over. We have been told that this is normal for some dogs and that you simply have to work through it. Also, changing the location of training (a.k.a. going home) should make things easier. Another issue creating problems is, because of the mobility assistance portion of Mojo’s training, we are now having to re-train on some things. Where with a “come” command, the dogs are usually taught to come to you and go into a sitting position, doing so with Sean could potentially pull him down. So, Mojo has to learn to remain at a stand at times.

We have also found that using Mojo as a therapy “pillow,” where Sean nuzzles into a crook between Mojo’s leg and body when Mojo is laying on his side is currently perceived by Mojo as play. We’ll have to keep working on that one, too.

Last night we went out to a local restaurant. For those of you familiar with it, it was much like Texas Roadhouse, where there were peanut shells on the floor – EVERYWHERE. Mojo was very reluctant to go into the “down” position under the table, as he is supposed to. Once we got him settled, he was fine, but we did our best to sweep as many shells out with our feet. The experience was very positive, overall. The wait staff and management were very receptive to Mojo’s presence, as were the patrons seated around us. Our waitress was a bundle of questions.

Sean slept through the night last night (until 4:00 am) and went right back to sleep after being covered up again. Hopefully, we can train Mojo to respond during the night with a “lap” command so that Sean goes right back to sleep without Mom or Dad having to intervene. It is these things of which we dream.

Outdoor tracking went well. We were at a park and Sean’s track was through and around the diamonds. Bill, one of our classmates, took Sean on his path and hid with him so neither Mom’s nor Dad’s scents were associated with the search. The only real hiccup was when Mojo found a baseball under a bush toward the beginning of the track. Since his reward at the end of each successful session is playtime with a ball, he figured that he was done. A little coaxing got him back to business.

The afternoon found us back at the mall. This time we tracked through a JCPenney store. Compared to outdoor tracking, this was a breeze. You do not use the 30-foot retractable lead that you use outside. You use his standard leash but at a slower pace. Mojo gave very specific indication when he had the scent trail and went straight to Sean each time.

Well, that’s about it for today. A few pics should go up shortly and there should be a video, as well.

Days Four, Five, and Six - A Digest

Things have been, needless to say, a little busy. Sorry about the delay in getting info on, but we have been training and becoming fast friends with our class in the evenings and then collapsing into bed. In many respects, Mojo is like a new baby and we have to learn his ins and outs. It takes a LOT of time.

Tracking continues to go well and Mojo has not missed finding Sean. Friday was our last day to have a trainer hide with Sean. Mom hid with him, as well. Jeremy, the head trainer, helped start the track but then handed the leader (leash) to Dad and Dad, with help, controlled the track. All was fun and games until Mojo stopped tracking Sean's ground trail, found his air trail, and dove through a bunch of forest growth to get to Sean. Saturday, Dad hid with Sean without the tracking assistant accompanying us. We are weaning Mojo until he focuses on Sean's scent, alone. Mom lead the track. Mojo decided to track trough a creek (okay, over a bridge and then tried to go under it) and through the forest. Funny thing how skin cells move in the wind... Sunday, Mom hid with Sean again and Dad started and ran the track. Thankfully, on Saturday and Sunday, we got a break from tracking through downpours. From here on out, we will have other classmates hide with Sean so that Mojo isolates Sean's scent.

Obedience training continues. Mojo is very good at most commands, even the ones he was previously reluctant to do. There are some commands that he is trained for that we will not be using (shake, high-five, touch) because they could throw Sean off-balance and cause him to fall. There are others, like "lap" and "over") that we are working on as a way to help calm Sean when he is upset. With the lap command, Mojo puts his head in Sean's lap and just leaves it there. "Over" is where Mojo will literally lay over Sean's lower or upper legs or stomach and apply his body weight to Sean. Mojo is not a big fan of this yet, but we're working that direction.

Saturday was our first "out" experience. After tracking and obedience in the morning, we met at a BIG local mall in the afternoon and did work in public, under the careful gaze of Jeremy and Jen (the assistant trainer). We moved around the mall, in, through, and out of stores, up and down stairs and elevators (escalators are NOT allowed), and through crowds and the food court. Lots and lots of distractions for poor Mojo, but he did an excellent job, gaining praise from both Jeremy and Jen. Also, Sean was tethered to Mojo for much of the time and both of them were very successful. Sean just thinks it is as funny as can be. There is still work to do in getting Sean to follow appropriately, but it was an overall success. Mojo and Sean even negotiated a VERY long set of stairs with Sean supported only by Mojo. It was a long, laborious process, but the three involved got it done.

Tomorrow, we continue with obedience training (including the use of "distractions" such as food on the floor, other dogs, cats, toys, etc.), another outdoor tracking session, finishing with a tracking session in a large mall store.

We'll try to get a post up tomorrow night. We thank you for following what is going on with Sean and miss those of you who we left or who have left us.

Day Three - Let the Tracking Begin

Day three started with a review of commands we have worked on already over the last two days and adding some new ones. The goal is that we will be in good enough command of the dogs that we can head out to a local mall for our first "public" appearance on Saturday afternoon. There is so much to learn and master. Mojo has been a willing participant (most of the time). He's just waiting for us to get it right before he'll listen.

The middle part of the day was our first tracking exercise. We were next to last to have our dog track the trainer and Sean (and Dad). Mom and Dad did a lot of running while other dogs tracked. Then it was Mojo's turn. He went directly to the trainer and Sean using air sniffing rather than a scent trail (left by skin cells dropped as we move). It is amazing to see these dogs work. The only bad part about the whole thing was that it poured the entire time.

We had lunch and then started two new commands today. "Come," which, along with track, is one of the ultimate commands that you have to have complete confidence between dog and handler at all times. The dog should drop everything else and follow that command, regardless of circumstances. On lead or off, it has to be obeyed, so the dog has to think it is one of the most fun things in the world to do. The dogs always get their most favorite treat in return for following the command. We also worked on the "under" command that we will give to Mojo when we go out for dinner. It causes him to duck under whatever table we are sitting at and stay there. It keeps him from getting stepped on by passers-by.

Today was a great day, but one that was bittersweet. As a part of our lead-up to training, we have become fast friends with the "Wisest Wonderful Women in the World." In the picture at the beginning of this entry are Lisa Beth ("Tink"), Denise, and Peg ("Lady Neener-Neener"). Today was our last day to see them together. Tink headed home to Arizona, Denise headed home to Kentucky (unless her hubby lets her come back for a day next week), and we lose Peg (back to Alaska) on Saturday. It was a blessing to have their companionship, support, and experience to help us figure all of this out. We also, happily/sadly saw Miss Becky head home. It was time for her to be at home with family, but to have her here to experience this with Sean and be able to carry what she learned back to the classroom with her is priceless. We thank her for her and the school district's willingness to be a part.

As always, a HUGE thank you to each and every one who has supported, cajoled, and otherwise been a part in this journey.