I was able to get her to eat this morning, as she turned her nose up at it but I use a tiny bit of olive oil for my hair after I wash it. So I dipped my fingers in the little bit I had and dripped it on her food a couple of times and mixed it around. Well she ate about 3/4's of the 2 cups so I was really happy with that. :) We did the country walk (walking on a street with no sidewalk) and did the U shape around the GDF campus, downhill and uphill and then walked along Jericho Turnpike- the 4 lane main highway at the top of the U to get back to the residence building. Nothing fazed her. :) She was awesome. :)
We then later went back to the neighborhood we'd walked through yesterday and she was at a good pace and not pulling much at all. We were in a spot where a tree hangs over the sidewalk which I knew as there, well in the yard just ahead of the tree a sprinkler had come on. I stopped her and was trying to time it that we'd pass the tree and sprinkler and not get wet. I told her forward and because I was so focused on the tree, she tried to move, but I wasn't focused on her and smacked the branches of the tree. So I stopped her and turned her around real quick to get back before the sprinkler got to us, frustrated at myself because I knew I should have just let her go and listened to her.
So I said ok, let her do her thing and if I get wet, then I get wet, we'd be heading back and I can change. So I told her forward and we did a big S shape, going around the tree to the right and she took me around the where the sprinkler was hitting on the left. Yeah I praised her BIG time for that one. LOL! Got back to the van and Greg was just laughing at me as he got out. I said I smacked the tree and that was my fault, not hers, I wasn't listening. He was like yeah, she's got a pretty good memory and just chuckled. :)
We got back to the Foundation and gave the dogs a break and Greg came and got me and said come on, grab your harness, there is a group of kids here going on a tour, let’s take advantage of the opportunity to get some kid time in. :) It was a group of girl scouts that came in to visit the Foundation. Just to make sure she'd be good with kids and not get too excited, we went in and I put Favor at a sit and we had 4 kids come up and pet, and then 6 more kids came up and pet her. I wanted to make sure I could do this with her because even though I've told the kids to ask first and also told the kids with the new dog they wouldn’t be allowed to pet, I know with going into the school and going into our mega-church, I will be bombarded by kids. She absolutely did amazing! She just sat there and nosed them and then licked one kid on the chin. She did great! :) So that pretty much relieves my biggest worry with her. :)
So I think we are going to work out just fine, just have to keep plugging away. :)
So I did my laundry this afternoon and think I'm going to turn the lights off and take a nap to rest a bit before we get up and do dinner. Then hope to work on some obedience with her tonight as well as work on some paperwork for some various things I have to get sent off too. :)
Signing off from Smithtown, NY.
Dinner was amazing as usual and the nap was good and much needed! After Dinner, Greg announced that he was headed down to the TV lounge to watch the Michigan game of the finals and students were welcome to join in. So Favor and I headed downstairs and we happened to be the first ones down there. She was just dying to get to him as he’d pretty much given her a cold shoulder all through the week in trying to help along the transition from him to me. She sat there just staring at him and started whining. I asked if it would be ok for her to come see him for a few minutes to get it out of her system and he was like yeah that’s fine. He came over and she “talked” and let him know what she was thinking and her tail was just going wild as she gave him kisses and was thrilled to be loved on by him. After this she was a happy camper and able to settle down considerably. I had brought a nylabone down with us to give her something to do while I was hoping to watch the game. Since she’d gotten her “Greg fix” she rolled over on her back and was holding the nylabone between her paws and chewing on it happily. Before long other students began to file in and she contentedly chewed on her bone, rolling around on the floor. Everyone enjoyed each other’s company and the dogs did too, though a couple of them kept trying to swipe each other’s nylabones as others brought some with them too.
