Waiting for the Woof

As if one needed to teach a retriever to retrieve! Well, yes, we do! They have to learn to retrieve what we need when we need it. They need to learn to recognize objects by command, to locate and bring them to us. Objects like:

• the portable phone
• my cell phone (I leave it all over the house!)
• my palm pilot (ditto)!!
• my dropped cane – about 20 times a day!!
• a forgotten cane in the other room – about 13 times a day!
• a dropped or left set of keys
• dropped coin(s)
• take money from a cashier or teller and give it to me (or vice versa)
• use a target stick or a laser pointer to target an item to retrieve off a shelf or off the floor (like shoes from the floor or a can at the store for instance)
• bring in groceries (in canvas bags)
• unload suitable groceries from canvas bags
• fetch food bowl / water bowl

Pals Pup Learns Money Retrieval*

These are only a few of the many retrieving tasks an assistance dog might need to do. Actually I can see needing many if not most of these tasks! I won’t have grandsons around to help with grocery unloading forever. They do grow up and leave home for college, military and marriage. Even the Ol’ Curmudgeon will grow more decrepit, and his back will become less reliable. So I need to plan on relying on my wonderful Woof for many of the tasks my grandsons and the Ol’ Curmudgeon do for me now.

So, Woof, you little ol’ retriever you! You will be able to retrieve to your heart’s content! Between your tasks for me and your GoDogGo, and the frisbees, you should be a happy camper, honey!

*Note – this darling PAALS pup will NOT be my Woof, but demonstrates just one of the MANY training tasks these pups learn!