Journey got "get it" !

Aaiiiieeee tooo excited and beaming not to post this update now. I can cheat a little, because Journey made 8 months old today. We have been working on the basic behavior shaping for him to retrieve objects for me, but he proved he is further along than I thought.

Journey picked up his first item out in public today and handed it back to me when I asked!!

Granted, it was a dog toy, but it's the first time he's done it while we have been out shopping and not home. It wasn't one he was playing with either, it was one I accidentally knocked off the rack!!

It fell and I muttered figuring I'd have to somehow raise it where I could reach the tag, but I decided to ask him first. In the past he has picked stuff up but then tosses, drops, or nudges it and flumps on the ground, causing me or Ember to have to get it anyway.

Today he sprawled next to it and nudged it and I was about to resort to collect it myself, but something told me to try one more time. So I asked again. He grabbed it, stood up, and held it till I took it and told him to give it to me, tail wagging the whole time!

He got a huge jackpot and some weird stares from shoppers trying to figure out why I raised such a commotion.

We also met some nice people today and spoke with them about service dogs.


Here is a picture of Ember and Journey. Journey has a tongue to rival that of Gene Simmons from KISS.