Rogue and I would like to take a moment to appreciate and thank everyone who has ever brought a deaf dog into their home. This includes foster homes as well as those who have welcomed a deaf dog into their family. As I sit here at the computer and play fetch with the dog who will not EVER stop, I can't imagine life without her and she can't imagine that I would ever want or need to stop throwing the toy.
So, since last time, Rogue has earned her Canine Good Citizen certification. I admit, I didn't expect her to pass and took the test to see what we needed to work on. She was awesome and did everything I asked of her. This is a great first step toward therapy dog certification. It's not necessary to get the CGC to be a therapy dog, but it includes a lot of the same tests and it's a good measure of what you have to work on before you try therapy dog certification.
At the Australian Shepherd Rescue Midwest party and fund raiser, Aussiepalooza a couple weeks ago, she was great. There were a lot of dogs and the only time she had issues was when we were in some tight quarters. Her dog reactivity is still a concern since she doesn't give any subtle hints but goes straight for shouting at the top of her voice. Work in progress and only a problem when she's on leash. In fact, there were over half a dozen aussies frolicking in a fenced field with her and she had fun when she wasn't sitting by the fence wondering where I was.
At one point, I was able to leave her with a couple of kids while I went into an enclosed area and it worked out well. The kids enjoyed some Rogue kisses and I was able to see how she is with other handlers when I'm within sight. She was great!
So, since last time, Rogue has earned her Canine Good Citizen certification. I admit, I didn't expect her to pass and took the test to see what we needed to work on. She was awesome and did everything I asked of her. This is a great first step toward therapy dog certification. It's not necessary to get the CGC to be a therapy dog, but it includes a lot of the same tests and it's a good measure of what you have to work on before you try therapy dog certification.
At the Australian Shepherd Rescue Midwest party and fund raiser, Aussiepalooza a couple weeks ago, she was great. There were a lot of dogs and the only time she had issues was when we were in some tight quarters. Her dog reactivity is still a concern since she doesn't give any subtle hints but goes straight for shouting at the top of her voice. Work in progress and only a problem when she's on leash. In fact, there were over half a dozen aussies frolicking in a fenced field with her and she had fun when she wasn't sitting by the fence wondering where I was.
At one point, I was able to leave her with a couple of kids while I went into an enclosed area and it worked out well. The kids enjoyed some Rogue kisses and I was able to see how she is with other handlers when I'm within sight. She was great!
Rogue makes two new friends.
She was well loved and I was surprised how many people asked me if that was THE Rogue. I can't imagine there being two of them. She's getting a bit of a reputation in the places that we frequent and made a great impression at the feed store that just opened up. Everyone always comments about how sweet she is. It really warms my heart to hear that. The breed isn't known for being that accepting of strangers.
So, now that we have our CGC, what next?
We're still working on Barn Hunt and I'm going to start trick training her. We need something to do once it gets too cold to swim in the pond and chase frisbees. I want to work on some disc dog tricks that don't require a lot of space so that once it's disc season again, we'll be ready to do more than just toss and fetch... assuming she's not sick. (sigh)
Not so much exciting at the moment, but I couldn't not post on Deaf Dog Appreciation Day.
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