Treats and walks with Winnie

More Winnie time!

She's had a lovely summer, going for plenty of walks with her Volunteer Puppy Trainer Liza.

She became particularly good at finding treats!

But even when it's Winnie's 'downtime', her training continues - and really pays off too.

Below, you can see how even though she's wandering along beside the river, with plenty of interesting sights, sounds and smells, she never goes too far away.

In fact, she even keeps checks to make sure her human is nearby!

This is wonderful. It means she's focused on the person she's with, looking after them, making sure they're OK. When she eventually looks after a deaf person, they'll be confident in the knowledge that she'll always be their faithful friend, by their side.

You see, Winnie's life and training are very much one and the same thing. As well as having treats for being a good girl while out walking, Winnie also learns 'impulse control' with treats.

See how patient she is? She knows that, if she waits for her cue, a treat will come her way. There's no need to fuss or bother people.

And there you go Winnie! What a good girl!

This is so important. Imagine how difficult it would be for her deaf partner if Winnie were to tug them towards the meat counter at the supermarket, or drag them to meet other interesting dogs in the park. It just wouldn't do. So, Winnie has been so very well brought up, to be a patient, attentive, well-behaved dog.

More training coming up...

This is Winnie's settle, which she showed off at the Grange restaurant, based at our Southern Training Centre. Again, she's showing off her training: she knows that, in a cafe or restaurant, the best thing to do is just take it easy.

Or, in Winnie's case, very, very easy! The burgundy 'I'm learning' coat is still true however - she's learning that it's OK just to watch the world go by.

Winnie has also met plenty of people, as government restrictions have allowed, in plenty of places. A motorised scooter could be quite scary for a young puppy, but not for Winnie. It's another excuse to be the centre of attention!

Again, this shows why hearing dogs are so great. They stimulate conversation and help deaf people to feel more connected with the world around them. A lot of deaf people tell us this is life-changing: their dogs get lots of friendly smiles and pats, and people often ask them about their dogs, and how they help them. New friendships are forged, and lives made immeasurably better, and all because of a lovely, intelligent dog.

Winnie seemed to want to emulate the scooter however. Don't worry, we don't train our dogs to drive (yet...) Besides, she is in the passenger seat after all. She looks quite cool, a black Lab against the black leather seats, don't you think?

Sometimes she's so good at the training, she gets a bit bored of it all...

Not really. She's waiting for the bus, and we all find waiting for buses a bit tedious, don't we?

Finally, a super photo. It's Winnie, with Winnie!

We think she's so clever, and beautiful, with that lovely delicate line along her nose. Don't you agree, Winnie?

That's a yes!

We also think you are wonderful for supporting her. She's living a lovely life, and doing so well, because of your kindness. One day she'll change a deaf person's life. Right now, it's a huge thank you for sponsoring Winnie!