Hey! Your favorite furry man here with some new updates and little wins. This week, my trainer has finally listened to my advice and brought my favorite ball on public access trips, so I can get a fun reward for being a brave service-dog-in-training. She has taught me to be patient by teaching me commands such as wait, stay, and leave it. I know the difference between work and play even though my ball is involved. This type of training will also help me improve my impulse control, since I will be working harder to earn that play session at the end! I did say playing with the ball is the best and she is finally listening after seeing how I work so much better, calmer, and more independently when I know there’s a fun game of fetch waiting for me after a successful session. Of course, I know I can’t be dependent on the ball all the time, so my trainer and I will be working on my stamina before going into play mode. I will say although the ball is my preferred form of payment for being the good boy I am, I already see me getting more wins these next few weeks. I’m so excited to show everyone what I can do to earn more play sessions with the ball. I’m going to be the best service dog in that class, and I will definitely be including the ball in my thank you speech when I graduate. Thank you for your support and we will talk soon! 06/09/2023
Hi again! Pericles AHEPA here! I have had a very fun few weeks here! I’ve been spending lots of time with different trainers and we’ve been working on walking nicely and staying focused on whoever I’m with. We took a nice trip to a park one day, too. There were so many smells and so many people, it was a little overwhelming at first! So, we worked on staying on track and walking forward instead of getting distracted. It was hard at first, but once I realized I got yummy treats for ignoring all that other stuff, it was smooth sailing! We spent some time on campus this week, too. I have a real zest for life, so sometimes the hardest thing is just laying down and being calm. But I was able to relax with my favorite toy while my trainer worked on the computer, and she was very impressed with how calm I was the whole time. This week we’re going to be going out to more new places, so stay tuned for next time! 10/2022
Hi, it’s me, Pericles AHEPA! I’m excited to tell you about my week! We started off the week by going to the movies. It wasn’t my first time there, so I knew exactly what to do.
I laid down and relaxed for most of the movie, even though it was super loud. I only got distracted a few times, but it was so dark and I saw people moving, so I just wanted to make sure I knew what was going on!
The next day was even better... We went to an aquarium! I spent so much time staring at the fish in all the different tanks and I even tried to run with them! I’ve never seen a fish before, but they definitely looked super weird.
There are still a few things I’m working on with my trainer throughout my time here. I get so excited when I see a new person that sometimes I sing to them so they know I’m there.
My trainer says my voice is beautiful, but that when we are inside working, I need to stay focused and save my singing for play time later! 10/2022
It’s Pericles AHEPA again! I’m here to talk about my day at the IKEA store. I went through the entire thing, and it was so much fun. I especially loved it when I got to say hi to some kids.
They were so sweet and soft - I got lots of pets. The plant section was my favorite as I was allowed to sniff everything! It was part of my reward for doing such a good job.
I worked on the “side” cue in tight spaces. I really had to squeeze my butt to fit, but eventually I was able to swing around perfectly.
I got lots of praise when I finally got it and LOVED being hyped up. I danced and pranced around all around!
Training update to share with you from the one and only Pericles AHEPA! His updates come in separately since he is training out in Texas. Here is his update:
Hey hey! Pericles AHEPA here to tell you about all of the fun training and exposures I’ve been up to over the past couple of weeks. Things have been really exciting and I’ve been having lots of fun! I’ve been going to Jamba Juice, Peter Piper Pizza, and even the movies to work on settling in various locations. I’ve also been practicing all the cues and skills my future Warrior will need from me when we finally get to meet. I think the most exciting thing that happened last week though, was when I got to meet some real live horses! They were kind of scary, but my trainer said I was very brave and did a great job making new friends. Things are moving so fast here, I can’t wait to see what the coming weeks have in store for me!
So proud of the Sons of Pericles for raising $15,000 and donating for a Service Dog that will be given to a veteran battling PTSD. God bless theses fine young men
