Murphy goes to the big city

I got Murphy's report today, and I am so relieved. It was good! All "good"s except for one "fair" in restaurants/social settings.

Here's what they said:

Murphy has continued to progress in his training. We have most recently been working on the final phases of traffic training and platform training and exposure. He was a little tight initially on the platform but with time to relax and in learning the appropriate response for the platform he was able to relax and display that he is safe and displays the appropriate response to both the platform and also traffic. Murphy is very comfortable and responsible while on the platform.

Murphy’s street work continues to be the same. He has a nice solid work pattern. His distraction continues to be average. He is learning that it is ok to work amongst distraction. He can be refocused through both voice and leash.

Last week Murphy ventured to NYC to train in the busy environment and also to ride the subways. The hustle and bustle of the city adds a significant amount of work pressure to the dogs. Murphy handled it well but along with it being busy the city also adds a significant amount of distraction too. There are many dogs of different breeds and sizes and also many new smells. Murphy’s work was nice he handled the city and all that is has to offer very well. Initially he was hanging a little left not uncommon for his left behavior to reappear in times that he feels stress or pressure but by the end of the first block he had settled himself in and had a very nice route. He was unfazed by the subway and had his usual reaction to distraction. I was able to address the distraction with him and then he was able to continue working. He passed several dogs with out giving them a second look; he prefers the small yappy ones. We will continue to work on this. Murphy has struggles a bit with pedestrian clearances. They can be the hardest to teach as most people move out of the dog’s way.

Murphy is a sweet boy who has a nice established work pattern. He shows good problem solving skills. Murphy will do well in any environment he handles environmental pressure well. He does need and finds support in is relationship with his handler. This is a good thing, in turning to the relationship foundation between handler and dog he has learned how to support himself. I look forward to continuing his training and completing final blindfold in the weeks to come.

I had to laugh because 'small, yappy ones' were always his biggest distraction when he was with me.
I am so proud of him. The report is a little bittersweet. I had begun to wonder, when I hadn't heard, whether there was a problem, and so I was thinking just a little about having him back.

But this is what we trained him to do. He's one heck of a dog.