Jingles – 11 Months

Do you ever count time and wonder if you have miscounted because the number you came up with can’t be right? That is what I keep doing with Jingles, our guide dog in training with Southeastern Guide Dogs. On Thursday, she will be 11 months old, which means our time with her is winding down quickly. We don’t know when she will be called back to Florida to complete her training, but it will be somewhere between the time she is 14 and 16 months old. We have managed to make it through her “teenage” phase and she has settled down beautifully.

Usually, she is in her kennel in the back of the car when we travel, but we also have to train her to stay in the floor of the passenger side just in case that is necessary. Here she is in a stay and has perfected it well with no jumping onto the seat. We are currently working with her on the close command, which is when she places herself between your legs while seated and turns to face the same direction you are in. This is especially helpful in restaurants or in crowded places so her tail is out of the way of foot traffic. Jingles continues to be an exceptional puppy and we know she is on the path to give someone we don’t know freedom!