In-home assessment interview went well yesterday. New wrinkle to it though. After we went through the usual q & a, Tracey wanted to check out my dog handling skills (since I'm a repeat client). She pretended to be my dog and we did a short tour of the apartment. Sometimes she'd be heeling quite nicely, staying with me, paying attention; sometimes, not. If she was not focusing, not following, I had to correct her and bring her back on task. It felt weird doing it with a human, especially since after 11 years Rain (my most recent companion from the school) and I were so bonded, I hardly had to do any of that.
Tracey explained a few changes in class process as well. For one thing, they've extended the training class to a full two weeks; it used to be 11 days with travel to & from Oakville bookending & a day off in the middle. That allows them to ease off on the evening "homework"/training sessions--more time for both dogs and human partner to relax and absorb information. So not quite as intense as it used to be.
I am to expect the formal acceptance letter in January. The school closes for two weeks over Christmas season--the dogs in training go back to their foster families for that time. Tracey expects sometime between February and April of the coming year my class would be scheduled.
I'm excited! It's been 11 years since I was last at the school and there've been a lot of changes, in personnel, training process and even in the dorm room furnishings. For one thing, thanks to a generous donation from a major charitable foundation, all the dorm rooms now have Internet access!
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