Hey, fur-iends! Blake here, back with another weekly update. I have to say, it’s been a week full of emotions and lessons in our house. Captain has been a little sad lately, and I could tell because her face got all wet (humans call that “crying”). I wanted to cuddle with her, but she didn’t let me this time. She said I’m still young and learning, just like Little Paw. I think Captain was trying to protect us from the big, heavy feelings she was having.

Captain also had a lot of new thoughts about my training. She kept saying she wasn’t sure if she was good enough to train a dog like me. Can you believe that?! My Captain is the best! She’s been reading so much, and we’ve been working hard together every day. But I guess sometimes humans feel like they aren’t doing a good job, even when they are.

This week, Captain decided to take me on a special adventure to the park. We didn’t go inside the dog park part because she said it’s better for me to just look for now. We watched the other dogs play and then practiced my “come here” command in a big field. I did pretty well, especially when Captain had snacks in her pocket—yum! We also worked on “sit” and “down” with lots of new distractions around. It was hard, but I was a good girl! After we worked on some obedience, we just sat down and observed all the things – I liked watching the ducks best of all.

I also decided I’m done being scared of the bath. We’ve been taking it nice and slow but by the end of the week, I actually jumped into the bath instead of out. It turns out, bath time is a lot of fun! I don’t know what I was so scared of, but I’m sure grateful for Captain showing me everyday that it could be great. Now, I love it! I even played in the water this time. It also helped me build up my confidence. Every time I get comfortable with something I’m unsure of, it helps me feel secure and builds my relationship with Captain!

Captain also talked to a new trainer this week! His name is Nate, and he sounds super smart. Captain says he knows a lot about dogs like me and how to train us right. She seems a lot more confident now, which makes me feel really good too. I want to do my best to be a good hearing dog for her, and I know we’ll get there together.

We’re still working on our commands—my “sit” and “down” are almost perfect and “come here” is getting better too, even when there are exciting things happening around us. This week, we’re going to start learning about something called “leash pressure” and a new collar. It sounds like a lot, but I know Captain will make it fun.

I’ve also been practicing staying calm when things get crazy. Captain learned that if she stays calm, I stay calm too. Like the other day, Little Paw accidentally knocked down Captain’s favorite Lego house (don’t ask me what Legos are, but they seem important to Captain!). Instead of getting mad, Captain just took a deep breath and calmly cleaned it up. I watched and realized, “Oh, we’re not panicking? Okay!” It’s cool how Captain’s energy helps me know what to do.

So, even though it’s been a tough week with some sad moments, we’re finding little victories everywhere. Captain says that’s what matters most—taking things one day at a time and celebrating the small wins.

Next week, we’re heading back to North Carolina to visit our extended pack member again. Last time I went to a hotel, restaurants, even the hospital! I handled it all perfectly. Since we had more time to plan this trip, we found a nice little house to stay at with a fenced in yard for me. That’ll make this trip even better.

If you want to know more about our training journey or why Captain picked our new trainer, head over to the Captain’s Log! She’s got all the details there.

Thanks for following along, fur-iends. Until next time, keep your tails wagging and your hearts full!

Love,
Blake