Full-service dog

Claren and I passed our re-certification test this evening at Tysons 2, the mall for the rich and fashionable. For one of the tests, the trainers find a little kid to pet the dogs and the dogs need to they stay sitting. Even the little kid was wearing a tuxedo. Granted, it was a T-shirt tux but still ...

We had a couple of flubs in the test, or I did. We went in the elevator and I should have asked the person holding it open to block the door with a hand. I didn't, though, and my little sister just used the button, a no-no in CCI.

I understand the thinking. Soon after I got Claren, I got on an elevator at work. She lagged behind because she used to hate elevators. The doors somehow closed on my arm with me on one side and Claren and most of my hand on the other. It didn't close all the way, but it didn't open either. I had to wait for someone to wander by and persuade the elevator to open. Now, I trust my chair to stop the doors in needed, but I ought to have asked my sister to block the door.

The other mishap was during the "get your leash" part of the test. You walk along, drop the leash, order your dog to get the leash and retrieve it from her.

I dropped the leash fine. But then I said "Get it," not "Get your leash." "Get it" tells Claren to get something on the floor like a pen or phone, not her leash -- that has a specific command. Like a good dog, then, Claren started looking around for something to pick up. I realized my error so I told her to get the leash and she did perfectly.

Then she showed her true comedian colors. I reached out my left hand for the leash and she went on my right side. I reached over on my right and she went onto my left side. Funny, funny.

We did well all in all. Most of the dogs looked a lot younger than the Wonder Dog although one was 8. One gal asked what my dog's name was and I told her Claren. She said, I thought so. I read your blog. Ha! Claren has a fan!