Aikman is growing up: CBS News Texas' Canine Companions puppy takes his training into the real world
It may be hard to believe Aikman is the same little puppy who first walked into CBS News Texas earlier this year.
Aikman is the Canine Companions puppy-in-training we've been following since March. He now weighs 53 pounds and is approaching 7 months old. While his physical transformation is easy to see, it's how much he's matured that may be even more impressive.
During his first few months of training, Aikman's world was relatively small. Before receiving all of his vaccinations, much of his work focused on basic commands, routines and, of course, plenty of puppy play.
Now his world is getting much bigger. Aikman has started venturing into restaurants, coffee shops, stores and other public places with his weekend puppy raiser, Larry Nelson.
Those outings aren't just field trips. They're an important part of preparing a potential service dog to remain focused even when surrounded by people, children, noise and other distractions. That's something we've been able to watch happen right here at CBS News Texas.
During Aikman's early visits to the station, his excitement sometimes got the best of him. He knew there were plenty of people waiting to pet him and would come bounding into the newsroom, sometimes pulling Nelson along for the ride.
These days, Aikman walks in much more calmly, listens to his handler and is learning when it's time to work and when it's time to play. He still gets excited when his CBS Texas friends call him onto the set, though.
His skills are advancing, too. Along with familiar commands such as "sit" and "shake," Aikman is learning to position himself on a person's right or left side and respond to commands such as "touch."
When given the "touch" command, Aikman uses his nose to make contact with a person's hand or another target.
That seemingly simple skill can eventually become the foundation for much more advanced service-dog tasks, including using his nose to push or close objects.
During the week, Aikman continues his training through the Canine Companions prison puppy raising program at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth.
On weekends, Nelson takes over, giving Aikman opportunities to practice his skills and experience the sights, sounds and distractions of everyday life in the community.
Through it all, Aikman's personality is becoming increasingly clear. He's calm, easygoing, affectionate and attentive, and those working with him are encouraged by his progress and potential as a future service dog.
There is still plenty of work ahead. Aikman will eventually have to successfully complete the next stages of Canine Companions' training before he can graduate and be matched with a person with a disability. For now, though, the puppy who once came bounding into CBS Texas is growing up right before our eyes.
