Gwen: wait, recall, toys and glo balls

Gwen continues to work hard, play hard, as per your last Pupdate!

She's proving to be a 'wait' and 'recall' superstar. 'Wait' is when Gwen doesn't move a muscle until she's told she can. Below, you can see Sandy, Gwen's Volunteer Puppy Trainer, taking Gwen through her paces.

Sandy will be saying 'Waaait... waaaait... waait...' while walking backward, all the time watching Gwen, while Gwen watches back. Eventually Sandy will say 'Come on!' and Gwen will be able to run around again - after a lot of fussing and treats, of course.

Why is Sandy training her to do this? Because Gwen will need to wait at certain times, for example when getting out of the car, or on a train station. When she's partnered with a deaf person, Gwen will need to stay still for her own good - and everyone else's.

So what's recall then? Let's see it in action first!

So, can you guess? That's right - it's almost the opposite of 'wait'. For recall, Gwen needs to come back every time when she's called, via a whistle or a call. Again, this is all in preparation for helping a deaf person, who needs 100% assurance that Gwen won't just disappear in a park or a forest.

How about playing hard? Well, how about playing with a glo-ball...?

She doesn't just have glo balls you know. She has toys, which she asks very politely to be played with...

... and then keeps to herself...

... and she even has her own book! She can't read... yet.

Sandy and Colin have done such a great job with Gwen, and not just training her. They've made sure she's suitably stimulated. It all makes for a happy doggy, and this in turn makes for much more effective training. It's all good!

And when Gwen is out and about, she really does make sure she enjoys herself...

It's all looking so promising for little Gwennie. Look, she even suits her new 'I'm learning to be a hearing dog' burgundy coat! The colouring is just right for her, don't you think?

Finally, how could you resist...?

Thank you for sponsoring Gwen!