Today Glaze starts Phase One in her training. This phase is dedicated mostly to physical health. During her physical evaluation, her hips will be x-rayed and her eyes/ weight will be checked. She will then be assigned a "string" and a specific training kennel. A string is about 35-55 dogs with 5 instructors and 4 or 5 Canine Welfare Technicians, although Guide Dogs has just launched a new expedited training program where the dog to instructor ratio is much smaller and each dog gets twice as many training sessions per day. I hope she is placed in the expedited group.
Prior to meeting her trainer, Glaze's personality and controllability will be evaluated in order to prepare her instructor how to motivate her most effectively.
Of course her days will not be made up solely of intense training. Check out some of her kennel enrichment activities:
-Food-stuffed Kongs (she is gonna LOVE that!)
-plush and squeaky toys
-baby pools
-playground equipment
-Different scents (vanilla, peppermint, lemon etc) sprayed into the kennel
-bubbles
-mirrors
-music (Bad to the Bone?)
-T-Touch, massage and Reiki
-treadmills, campus walks
-cuddle time
Many of these are things I was not allowed to do with her, or wouldn't have even thought to do with her (Reiki? Massage? Scents?) and I know that she is going to be in doggy heaven!
I spent the better part of Sun. de-Glazing my house. Swept up all the fur-bunnies hiding out in the corners and under the furniture. Took apart her crate and cleaned it out, putting it away until a new inhabitant arrives (it's just too darn sad to look into an empty crate). The house is much quieter without her nails clicking around on the floor downstairs, sometimes it's so quiet that I find myself looking for her in all the bathrooms--whenever the house was quiet when Glaze was here it was most likely because she had her head in the toilet, tanking up. I am enjoying my freedom, but am missing her none-the-less!
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