Hey guys!!! Picasso PASSED! I am so excited!
Today was the biggest test and a prelim to the official test that comes in a month. Little guy was really put through all kinds of stuff! They had him do basic obedience (sit, down, stay, etc.), tested him with treats and toys, and of course saw how he was on a leash.
Then they brought in people in wheelchairs and walkers, to see how he would react to that, gently pulled and prodded him (as children may do at the Children's Hospital or at schools), brought in "neutral dogs," had 4 people hug on him at once, used noisemakers to see if that rattled him, etc... he was so wonderful!!! Nothing daunted him and he just kept on smiling. I was SO proud.
My husband and I are training as a team, so I went first with him, then we waited 30 minutes, then my husband did the test again. Now we have about a month of weekly meetings and trainings before he goes through the official test with the Delta Society to become a Hand-in-Paw therapy dog (
http://www.handinpaw.org/)
Here are some snapshots from today...
Picasso gets ready:
The DH and Picasso get tested: