obeys a number of commands: sit, down, stay, come. Those are pretty standard and self-explanatory.”
“I understand,” Howard said.
“Good. Take Token for a short walk and practice them. You need to know what each one feels like. It’ll help you get the feel for him.”
“Okay. Forward,” Howard said, and Token began to walk. “Sit.” Token stopped and his angle changed. “Stay,” Howard said and took a few steps away, releasing the harness. “Come,” Howard said, and he heard Token come up to him and wait at his left side.
“The command is ‘around’ and he’ll switch sides,” Wendy said from behind him. Howard said it. A few seconds later he reached down and found Token waiting on his right side.
“You’re a very good boy,” Howard said, stroking Token’s head. “Around,” Howard said again, and once Token had switched sides, Howard felt for the harness and issued the command to walk.
“You’re getting the hang of this,” Wendy said, her voice displaying her pleasure. “There are direction commands. ‘Forward’ will start him walking. There’s also ‘right’ to turn, ‘hup up’ to get him to speed up, and ‘steady’ to slow down. Speak clearly and accentuate the consonants. Those are what resonate with the dog. He can also find things. The command is ‘Find the….’ Token knows a number of different things like door, chair, curb, and over time he’ll learn more as he works within your life.”
“Is he a pet?” Howard asked.
“Yes and no. When he’s in the harness, he’s working, and when he’s not, Token will be your companion. He’s very friendly, gentle, and loves attention. None of our dogs are taught to be aggressive in any way. But like most dogs, once you build a relationship, Token may become protective.”
“Are you taking him back with you today?” Howard asked.
“That’s up to you. I have his dishes and bed with me in the car. We can continue working for a while, and then I can help you get him settled. Normally when we transition a dog, we have the new owner come to a facility where we work with both of you for sometimes up to two weeks. But the nearest facility is in Cadillac, and since I’m local it didn’t make sense for both of us to travel, so I can leave him and then I’ll come over and work with you directly until both you and Token are comfortable.”
“That would be nice,” Howard said, stroking Token’s head. “Umm, what about when he needs to do his business?”
Wendy chuckled. “You’ll need to ‘park’ him a few times a day. Once you get into a regular routine of feeding and parking, everything will be just fine. I also have the contact information for a veterinarian we’ve used in the area. They work with leader dogs, and if you call for an appointment, they can arrange to pick you up for the appointment.”
Wendy worked with him for a few more hours, making sure Howard understood all the commands and how Token would react. Then she got Token’s bowls, and they set them in a corner of the kitchen. Howard showed Token where they were, and Wendy explained the feeding schedule. She also left him food.
“Where would you like Token’s bed? He’s been trained that his bed is where he sleeps, so if you want him to sleep in the corner of your bedroom, then that’s where you place the bed. I suggest you figure out where you want it and keep it there. The more routine you have in your life, and his, the better off you are. Over time, Token will learn your routine and anticipate it.”
“You can place the bed in the corner of the bedroom near the dresser.” Howard led her into the room.
“This should be a good spot,” Wendy said. “It shouldn’t be too close to the closet.”
“Token, come,” Howard called, and he heard Token walk through the house. He settled in his bed, and Howard knelt down and stroked Token’s ears and neck slowly. “You’re going to be a great companion, aren’t you?”
“I think that’s
“I understand,” Howard said.
“Good. Take Token for a short walk and practice them. You need to know what each one feels like. It’ll help you get the feel for him.”
“Okay. Forward,” Howard said, and Token began to walk. “Sit.” Token stopped and his angle changed. “Stay,” Howard said and took a few steps away, releasing the harness. “Come,” Howard said, and he heard Token come up to him and wait at his left side.
“The command is ‘around’ and he’ll switch sides,” Wendy said from behind him. Howard said it. A few seconds later he reached down and found Token waiting on his right side.
“You’re a very good boy,” Howard said, stroking Token’s head. “Around,” Howard said again, and once Token had switched sides, Howard felt for the harness and issued the command to walk.
“You’re getting the hang of this,” Wendy said, her voice displaying her pleasure. “There are direction commands. ‘Forward’ will start him walking. There’s also ‘right’ to turn, ‘hup up’ to get him to speed up, and ‘steady’ to slow down. Speak clearly and accentuate the consonants. Those are what resonate with the dog. He can also find things. The command is ‘Find the….’ Token knows a number of different things like door, chair, curb, and over time he’ll learn more as he works within your life.”
“Is he a pet?” Howard asked.
“Yes and no. When he’s in the harness, he’s working, and when he’s not, Token will be your companion. He’s very friendly, gentle, and loves attention. None of our dogs are taught to be aggressive in any way. But like most dogs, once you build a relationship, Token may become protective.”
“Are you taking him back with you today?” Howard asked.
“That’s up to you. I have his dishes and bed with me in the car. We can continue working for a while, and then I can help you get him settled. Normally when we transition a dog, we have the new owner come to a facility where we work with both of you for sometimes up to two weeks. But the nearest facility is in Cadillac, and since I’m local it didn’t make sense for both of us to travel, so I can leave him and then I’ll come over and work with you directly until both you and Token are comfortable.”
“That would be nice,” Howard said, stroking Token’s head. “Umm, what about when he needs to do his business?”
Wendy chuckled. “You’ll need to ‘park’ him a few times a day. Once you get into a regular routine of feeding and parking, everything will be just fine. I also have the contact information for a veterinarian we’ve used in the area. They work with leader dogs, and if you call for an appointment, they can arrange to pick you up for the appointment.”
Wendy worked with him for a few more hours, making sure Howard understood all the commands and how Token would react. Then she got Token’s bowls, and they set them in a corner of the kitchen. Howard showed Token where they were, and Wendy explained the feeding schedule. She also left him food.
“Where would you like Token’s bed? He’s been trained that his bed is where he sleeps, so if you want him to sleep in the corner of your bedroom, then that’s where you place the bed. I suggest you figure out where you want it and keep it there. The more routine you have in your life, and his, the better off you are. Over time, Token will learn your routine and anticipate it.”
“You can place the bed in the corner of the bedroom near the dresser.” Howard led her into the room.
“This should be a good spot,” Wendy said. “It shouldn’t be too close to the closet.”
“Token, come,” Howard called, and he heard Token walk through the house. He settled in his bed, and Howard knelt down and stroked Token’s ears and neck slowly. “You’re going to be a great companion, aren’t you?”
“I think that’s
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