Skills Are Locked In

I determined previously that Kodi had become comfortable with learning certain skills in a specific environment and had some trouble translating those skills to new environments. An example being that we learned 'pick it up' in the house, without his vest or lead on and he had trouble performing the same skill outdoors.

Recently he's begun to respond to those same cues outdoors and at times performing those skills without a command. Just the other day he went into the yard and picked up the outdoor spigot cover from the grass and handed it to me.

Kodi has been helping me get ready for bed for many months now, probably a year. When I come into the bedroom at night and approach my side of the bed he gets down on the floor beside me, waiting for me to get undressed. When I sit on the edge of the bed, he takes my socks off and hands them to me, if I kick my shoes off he'll pick them up and hand them to me. He waits for me to get my legs into bed, then comes up and lays down beside me.

He would only get up on the bed, on my side of the bed and would only wait on my side for me.

We changed our furniture around in the bedroom yesterday which put my side of the bed on the other side of the room, near the dresser, creating a narrow pathway for me to navigate. I was concerned as to whether he would be uncomfortable completing his tasks in that small tight space.

He was very helpful while we were moving furniture. He picked the 'moving men' up off the floor and brought them to me, picked up anything that fell while I was going through things and tossing things out. He was such an incredible help throughout the whole process.

Last night he came to my side of the room, sat on the floor and waited for me to get myself ready for bed. He took my socks off and handed them to me, he picked up my sneakers and handed them to me. He waited, as he always does, for me to get into bed and jumped up on my side of the bed, just like always.

He wasn't phased by the change, he was able to complete his skills regardless of the surrounding layout. He wasn't distracted by the tight space. He made the adjustment to the changes. I couldn't have been more proud of him.

He's been listening so well lately that I've been able to take him out on the deck and down the ramp without a lead on. He goes into the yard to potty and comes right back. He responds when I tell him to 'wait', if he has gotten ahead of me. He stops, turns and waits for me to reach him before starting toward the yard. At the end of the ramp he stops and sits, waiting for me to reach him.

What a great feeling to know that we have made so much progress, that some of our skills are locked in. Now I can feel comfortable about adding some new skills to his repertoire.