Day 7: Stairway to Heaven (Or At Least, Escalator to Kitchen Ware)

My commute includes a couple of escalator rides at the BART stations.  So today I learned how to work with Chase on escalators.  As with everything else, he’s trained.  I’m not. 

The escalator ride is a juggling act.  First, you give the command, “Find the escalator.”  Then you say, “Good dog” and give him/her a treat.  You drop the harness and hold onto the leash.  Then step on.  The dog follows and places himself beside you.  You grab his collar lightly and when you feel the handrail start to straighten, you begin to walk off, telling the dog, “Let’s go.”  The dog does.  And you end up off the escalator with a heeling dog.   There’s a second option.  (Nothing, it seems, is simple.)  You can also “work” the dog off the escalator.  That means taking hold of the harness right after you get on, and being ready to say, “Forward.”  When you say forward, the dog walks off the escalator.  If you’re holding the handle, so do you.  The dog keeps walking forward.  We were in Sears at the mall near Guide Dogs practicing.  I think we forwarded into pots and pans, but I’m not sure. 

In the store, I also had a little boy – toddler size – come up and pet Chase.  If it had been an adult or older child, I would have explained he should ask first before petting my working dog.  But he was so cute and Chase was so patient, I simply had Chase sit and let the little boy pet him.  It was my first experience with someone petting my guide dog.  I’m sure it won’t be my last.

Chase also did a great job of passing the spilled popcorn on the floor near the theater multiplex.  If you’ve ever had a Labrador retriever, you know what a feat that is. 

I spent a little more time on clicker training today, working toward Chase, the BART Seat Finder. 

 Late this afternoon, Chase and I took our first solo walk.  We went over to the play yard.  It’s a fenced-in area with grass and dirt where the dogs can play safely.  Chase lived up to both his name and his breed.  I threw toys and he chased them.  Then he retrieved them back to me.  With his harness off and a toy on the run, he became a normal young dog, romping in the play yard.  It was fun, and it made him a quiet dog this evening as he lay next to me while I wrote.

We met a young dog being trained today that has the perfect guide dog name:  Seymour.