Robyn: Home, work, play

It's Robyn time again!

For this Pupdate, we thought you might like to see three aspects of Robyn: at home, at play, and at work!

Firstly, let's see how Robyn's doing with her training. Her Volunteer Puppy Trainers Heather and Guy are doing such a great job with this. Below you can see how well she coped with a visit to a shop.

Outside the shop, she's so attentive, focused on the person she's with rather than anything going on around her - the sliding doors, the people going in and out, even the reflections on the windows for example.

It's the same inside. Look at that focus!

It's so important that Robyn's attention is on the person she's with. Her eventual deaf partner will want to go to shops, coffee houses, supermarkets - all busy places with plenty of distractions. When they do, they'll need to know they have a friend who is looking after them, not wandering off and being distracted. They also want their friend to be happy doing so, not scared or timid. This is why Heather and Guy are doing so well, making sure Robyn has already 'been there, seen it all' through gentle encouragement.

That's work. How about some play? In the woods?

We love this photo. It's Robyn with Heather and Guy's own pet dog called Charlie. They get along so well, and they're clearly having a lot of fun here. 

Still, Robyn continues to show how well behaved she is...

Did you see that? An immediate reaction to the call. This is 'recall' - the readiness of a dog to come when called or whistled. Again, this holds so much promise for the future. A deaf person must have confidence that their canine companion will come back when they call them, instead of disappearing into the undergrowth or chasing around after pals in the park. Robyn is a recall superstar!

So, we've covered work and play. One thing we still haven't shown you - and which we rarely get to see - is behind the scenes of it all. Yes, the photoshoot, where our local award-winning professional photographer takes beautifully composed shots of your sponsor puppy to appear in the training updates (all the photos and videos in the Puppy Pen are provided by Heather and Guy).

How does this magic happen? See below.

Yes, you guessed. Food. Treats. The best way to a Labrador's heart! And, incidentally, the best way to make it wait, because it knows a treat is coming, and the trainer here knows all about that!

Again, this shows how Robyn is coming along well. Through 'reward-based' training, she knows that if she does the right thing - in this case, being a good girl and lying down - she'll get a treat. Doing the 'wrong' thing isn't chastised, it's just ignored. And so Robyn learns in a positive, fun-filled way, how to behave without pestering anyone.

What do you think of it all Robyn?

Yes, we thought so. She loves it!

She's coming along so well, and this is because of your support. What next? We'll let you know soon. In the meantime, thank you so much for sponsoring Robyn!