Kori Bigge

Kodee was an angel!!! Bass Pro allows dogs on leashes all the time, and I took Kodee and had him wear his Therapy Dog/In Training vest. He was so good!!! He rode in an elevator for the first time - went on it 2 or 3 different times and didn't faze him at all. We practiced stairs - he was terrified at first - they have long staircase there that are hard, and he's only used to the carpeted stairs in our house and of course, to our deck. Anyway, I treated him each time we reached the bottom or top of the staircase, and although he still doesn't love them, he was getting more used to them by the time we left. We practiced greeting everyone in a sit, and several people treated him while he was sitting. Before long he was sitting whenever we started to meet someone. I also had him go into downs whenever I sat on a bench or couch in the store.
The staff there was amazing. They all said that lots of people bring working dogs there, and they all asked if he was on duty before greeting him. I had to ask a couple of people to please not give him commands (everyone wants to get him to do something, it seems). One customer held his hand out and told Kodee "shake." LOL....anyway, we had a great time and he was exposed to so many new things, and I got tons of compliments from people both on how well-trained he is and how beautiful he is.
The funny thing is that while we were training (I practiced doing commands with him here and there throughout the store, under pretty heavy distraction, like under the tunnel next to the waterfall, etc), it dawned on me that he is really going to be a "working dog." It's too much fun to seem like work to either of us, but I am so proud that we are doing so well so far. This is my first time training a dog, and so far I can't believe that it actually seems to be working!!!

We also stopped at Supertarget on the way home, and just ran in for a couple of things. He did great, but he was starting to get restless by the time we left. I knew by then he was getting worn out, and I don't want to overstimulate him. I know I need to stop before it stops being fun for him.
The one concern I have right now is that he is wearing a prong for these outings, to self-correct so he learns not to pull towards people to greet them. Is this a bad idea to be doing this now? I know that he can't wear the prong for the CGC test of the exam for TDI certification...

If anyone has any input re: the prong during this phase of the training, I would appreciate it. I do plan to start the correction phase in the next 3 or 4 mos with the prong, but eventually want to take him everywhere on a flat collar.