Aw...Snap!

Celeste is our CFR (community field representative). She is in charge of Guide Dogs' puppies in this territory--you might think of her as one of GDB's dog whisperers!

I knew that Celeste was there to evaluate Cabana at our puppy meeting a couple nights ago. In the back of my mind, I wondered if that was going to be Cabana's last night as a guide dog puppy in training! But, wisely, Celeste said she'd put off an actual evaluation until Cabana has gone into season (ha, whenever that happens).

Celeste took Cabana with her flat collar for a little stroll and assessment--and I was glad to see Cabana on her best behavior. She walked calmly, looked at Celeste solicitously (I could see her mind going, "What does this person want from me?"), and followed all her commands, with the exception of laying over on her back (Cabana hates to be rolled over). But overall--hooray, good girl, Cabana! There's hope for her yet.

We were given a handy new collar called a snap or snap-around collar (pictured above). Because it's clipped on, rather than having to go on over the head like the usual training collar, it has a much closer fit. Effective corrections can be given with the slightest tug, rather than a big yank with accompanying zipper sound to take up the slack as with a training/chain collar.

This snap collar has definitely made Cabana more likely to mind her p's and q's. Does it make her perfect? Alas, NOOO! But to her credit, that's mostly because I am far from the perfect puppy raiser/walker. Cabana has been pulling for all these months, and she's pretty bound and determined to keep pulling, even at discomfort to herself.

The first day after we got the snap collar, Cabana was a little dreamgirl on our walk. If I had written this post yesterday, I might have titled it "Magic Collar". But today, with the novelty worn off, Cabana got a bit ornery. Celeste had warned me that this would happen, though, so I should have been more mentally prepared for the hard hit of reality. Tomorrow, Cabana and I are going to shake it off, go for a shorter walk, but keep expectations high.