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    At School with Chance.

Chance's 1st Class - by Chance's mom, Heather

     Chance attended her 1st session at Basic Obedience with 12 other dogs, all kinds, most young and all very friendly in the class. Chance was the only Great Dane, and the only deaf dog. Chance was edgy and distracted at first and would not settle long in a SIT or DOWN. By the time the class was almost over, she was willing to flop down on her side with a big thump. She was able to become more and more focussed on me (with yummy treats to help).
     As far as I could tell, she was no more or less distractable than the other dogs and her deafness made no difference to her ability to do what was needed when asked. She already knows all the commands the class would teach - and my purpose was to increase her socialization, to help her be consistent in obeying even in very distracting places and to see if I can learn anything new for me.
     Chance met and gret (greeted) about half her classmates and after a few moments of sniffing, went into a play bow, ready to be friends. The other dogs are also very nice although a bit intimidated by Chance's size. And yes, Chance was far and away the LARGEST dog there!

Chance's 2nd Class - by Chance

     Dear friendth,
     Thith ith Chanthe. Mom hath taken me 2 timeth to the vet plathe...but we went at night and inthtead of going into the regular part of the building, we hang around in the parking lot for awhile.
     Then I meet lotth and lotth of people and other dogth. After awhile, my mom dragth me away from all my new little friendth and admirerth and we go upthtairth to a big room. It thmellth of gazillionth of other dogth! What a great plathe!
     In the big room, all the dogth and humanth have a plathe to go to. It changeth every week tho we can meet everybody up clothe and perthonal. Latht week I wath bethide Molly, a little itty bitty terrier doggie. She weighth leth than my tail! And altho bethide Hardy, a black lab pup. We wanted to play but our humanth thaid no. Meanieth!
     Thith week I wath bethide a cocker thpaniel (can't remember her name)and Juno, a very nithe German thperherd. We hadda show our trainerth that we could THIT, DOWN and walk nithe on a leash. I already know all thith thtuff but it ith WAY harder to do when there are tho MANY innerethting dogth and people there! Then we practithed COME. I got to go with Marlieth who ith one of my favourite vet peopleth and she held my leash and my Mom hadda sign to me. At firtht Marlieth took me to the thame thpot on the floor in the middle of the room where the other dogth started from....my Mom signed to me and I took 2 thepth toward her and Th-r-e-t-c-h-e-d my neck out to get the treat. Everybody laffed but hey, why wathte the work to walk when you can jutht thtretch??? Then Marlieth took me clear to the other thide of the room and Mom signed to me again. I guethth I need a Dane thized dithtance to work with. I did get to Mom eventually, after I took a thtep and looked around, and another thtep and looked the other way, and another thtep, you get the idea!
     I didn't really want to DOWN either...the floor ith hard! Tho I did the famouth "Dane Forever Thit" - you know, I take about 82 thcondth to plant my rump on the floor. And I did the "Dane Molaththeth DOWN" - my front end went down fine but my rear took tho long to get to the floor, every other dog wath lying down 'cept my for my rump. Every body laffed....
     I learned a new thing too - my mom hath been trying to get me to LEAVE thingth like toyth and fir coneth and other thtuff and I had NO IDEA what she meant. NOW I GET IT! COOL! She waves her hand from thide to thide, palm down in front of my fathe and that meanth I gotta not touch the treat or the toy. And then she gives me a different nummy treat she wath hiding if I LEAVE IT.
     And we practithed WATCH ME the whole time I wath at clathth....that meanth I hafta look at Mom'th fathe.....And I get a treat! if I look at her. I like thith one!
     Then we all went home and I FINALLY got my dinner - Mom thez I will work harder and pay more attention to her if I have the "proper motivation" (that meanth I am hungry and will do motht anything to earn a treat!) Finally, I lay down on my favourite dog bed by the fireplathe and thlept all evening.....until bedtime and then I thtaggered outthide to pee and went to bed in Mom'th room and thlept till way patht breakfatht time the next morning.......thchool ith hard work!
     I like thchool.....can we do it again?
     Love and kitheth, Chanthe