On His Best Behavior

 Spam Lite. 

That's what I took with me this morning to the Frederick Chamber's Summit Award breakfast. Talos and I were there to accept the At Your Service award for Smart Dog University. 

It was diced into tiny pieces and it was my super-duper high value reinforcer for Talos to reward a job well done. He earned quite a few pieces this morning. 

We walked into a full room – over 100 attendees were there for breakfast and the awards. Talos noticed the bacon wafting through the air while we were still in the parking lot! The room was packed and to navigate through the sea of people, Talos had to follow closely behind me as I cut a path through the room. 

He's a big dog – he stands taller than the standard table top – so everyone's breakfast was at the perfect viewing, smelling, and eating height for this hungry Great Dane. He passed every plate he saw, not even stopping to get a better view (or smell). I took him through the buffet line and he politely kept his muzzle clear of the blueberry pancakes, crispy hot bacon, scrambled eggs, and oven roasted potatoes.

Upon returning to our seat, I cued "your mat" which means lay down on your mat and be a good, quiet boy. The picture above, taken by crazy-talented Mary Kate McKenna, is proof that he earned his Spam Lite this morning by doing everything I asked. 

 He sat patiently through the meeting. You'd have thought he'd been training for years as composed as he was when we were introduced and received our award. He was more pulled together than I was! 

Then the other recipients came up to receive their awards and carefully stepped around Talos and his tail. Talos never batted an eye. As if he was born to accept awards and attend ceremonies. What a dog. 

Finally, the ceremony came to a close, and it was picture taking time.  He got to have some fun after the formal ceremony was over and really enjoyed the social aspect of the event. 

If he's anything, it's a social butterfly. Never one to turn down a scratch under the chin or a belly rub, Talos is always up for whatever attention will come his way. 

A quick thanks to everyone who came up to say hello to Talos – every function he attends with me is a learning experience for him. You're not just saying hello, you're helping him learn. 

Here's a little bit of the morning on video: