My First Instructions

A couple days ago, I received a phone call from my instructor (actually I think it's one of a team of instructors ). Yakkety-yak-yak for 10 minutes and I mentioned I'd never had a dog before. She reassured me that GEB has successfully placed guide dogs with newbies like me. Yakkety-yak-yak and I mentioned I had a lot of questions to ask at school (kind of my "I'm sorry" disclaimer up front). No problem she said.

She verified my email address which brought up writing children's books and she asked if I planned to write one about guide school/guide dog. When I told her I was blogging my way through, she informed me that students are asked not to blog about their dog until the end of the first week. I asked why. 

She explained that instructors can use interview data, recoded footage of students and conversations to help select a dog for each of us. What they cannot anticipate is the chemistry between dog and person. On an occasion, a person and a dog just don't mesh. 
[ Um..Lord, could I bypass this step and go directly to 'good fit'?] 

If that happens, there's a dog switch takes place. The school doesn't want any puppy raisers who put so much time and love into a dog to see on social media that "their" dog didn't match well. Thus, the request to wait until the first Friday to be sure of the match. Besides, what a self esteem plunger to think you can't fit with a sweet, trained dog!

So dear friends and family, the suspense may drive you batty but my posts will have to refer to my partner as Mystery Dog or Doggie X to protect the innocent. That also means I can't post a picture until Friday * big sigh*

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Today I got an email with instructions for the first 3 days and our daily schedule. Up at 6:00 AM to park (word for bathroom-ing your dog)-feed-water-park your dog. 
Breakfast is at 7:15 and we start training at 8:00-8:15. 

Did I miss the time for shower and dress?

My best guess is the first couple days I'll manage to get dressed but maybe skip the shower, unless I can zip through the shower while the dog eats. Oh wait, for the first week, you can't leave your dog loose in the room while you're in the bathroom. Okay, I guess that means just a power bar for breakfast! 
Yup, like having a new baby...fit your needs in around their schedule or do without!

Also, there's a list of commands to become familiar with before going to school. Training commands involve a verbal command and a physical cue (hand signals). In the "explanation" of commands, some involve switching the leash to the right hand and using the left hand for the signal, even though most of them are done with the right hand. Can you say pat-your-head-and-rub-your-tummy at the same time? Never could master that one.

Most of the commands seem simple enough and I already get it that when you use the command "Touch" the dog is exepting a food reward. When I taught, I always found paper clips in every pocket. Now I think Iit will be kibble.
Looking over the command list, I imagined my 4th grade students being given a list of vocabulary to learn for science, social studies, or health units. I guess my grade depends on knowing this list.

I'm wondering....can people flunk guide school even if the dog has his/her act together? Sounds like an interesting plot point for my book!

Nine days and counting down.
Gail