Today Marshall made a visit to the bank. People on the street were amazed that this little guy of just 16 weeks was walking calmly by my side. I think I detected Marshall's first "sit and ignore the stranger and look at my handler" response, when talking with some businessmen on the street. But I'm not ready to say that just quite yet. Up until now, he's been very social in seeking attention on his outings.
At the bank, I didn't realize I had let go of the leash. He wandered off a bit (very calmly), but I quickly put him in a sit. Very soon, I realized he was laying at my feet without being asked. I'm sure this isn't all me. It is amazing to see this breeding. It's almost like he knows when he's "working" when the leash is on because, trust me...at home, we all know he is very adventurous!
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Wow, Marshall is doing so well in public! I can't wait till Tucker is at that level. He's almost there, but not quite ready for a bank!
ReplyDeleteYou are not imagining things. He DOES know. In the normal course of events and normal development of his little puppy brain, you will see an ever-greater sensitivity to context: strong preference for routine and "pack" relationships over all else. Strong and quick response to anything out of the ordinary. Strong inclination to attend to what YOU attend to. This is the extended/expanded version of a dog that runs to the door when you jingle car keys. Our future service dogs live their lives attaching significance to every move we, the pack leaders, make. To them, every human twitch and step is significant, and they build their lives around our actions. That's exactly WHY they are so effective in homes with children who put themselves unknowingly at risk. Nothing at all gets by these dogs; the slightest abberation sends them running to "tattle" to a parent.
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