Leave it!

This past weekend, Ricky was supposed to meet up with his Therapy Dog Prep classmates at The Pooch Patio.

I was so excited- Love the name, and when I looked it up online, it sounded like a cool little spot~a fun, outdoor bar that was dog friendly.

Unfortunately, altho it is dog friendly, almost no one (dogs or otherwise) was there.  The two of us showed up a little early to check the place out.  I wanted Ricky to have time to settle in around all the guests and customers  before the other students showed up. 

 But apparently, it's not as hot of a spot as we had hoped for.  So not hot in fact, that they close around 5pm on Saturday-- What kind of a bar is that anyway?!

This little cutie was the only other customer that was there while Mr. Ricardo and I waited for class to start.

Only one other student showed up, and bad traffic made the instructor over half an hour late.

We didn't get to practice using good manners in a crowd, because, well, there wasn't a crowd!  So we just practiced without the crowd.  (Not near as challenging!) We had our pups walk near the grooming area with lots of loud sounds going on-- barking, blow dryers, etc. (Ricky handled it very well!) We also took our dogs off leash and had them practice staying in a sit and down position. (Again, way to go, Ricky!)  To make it a little more challenging, the teacher threw a few treats on the floor and we were told to tell our dog to "leave it" if they tried to go for it.

Ricky Ricardo paying close attention to the teacher's directions.

Ricky came to me when I called, but then the 2nd time through, he saw the treats and started veering towards them.  I was nervous because we were being observed (how stupid!), and I ended up using an uncharacteristically stern voice and picked up his leash and yanked it. :(  Usually, I sound way more like a cheerleader than a drill seargant.  Apparently, I completely freaked Ricky Ricardo out because he not only left the food, but wouldn't look at it or walk near it again.

We've played the "Leave it/Take it" game many times before with treats and toys.  But since that day at the Pooch Patio, once I say "leave it", game OVER.  I can't entice the "Take it" part the last couple of days.  I traumatized Little Ricky!!!  He's a very sensitive little man.  I won't make the same mistake again...

Exhausted on the drive home from school at the Pooch Patio