[nagdu] Barking

[Hope Paulos]

Hi Cyndy.  Do you also have a Fidelco dog? I have Beignet, my 
first guide from Fidelco.  Have had her for 4 years now.  I was 
trying to remember how John Byfield told me to teach "target" but 
couldn't.  Good job with describing how to teach the command.  If 
your dog is from Fidelmo, I might email you off list because I 
have a question about teaching my dog to find pedestrian poles 
and elevator buttons.  Would you use the same "target" command in 
conjunction with the "find button" or "find pole" command?
I hope you can help me.  Didn't work on this with John because we 
have so few lighted intersections in my area, but will be going 
to Boston and other cities so want her to beccversent with this 
skill.

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Cyndy Otty" <ceotty at gmail.com
>To: NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:29:35 -0500
>Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking

>This sounds like what Fidelco calls "*targetting*" — I know a 
few other
>schools are doing similar commands, too.  The way Fidelco teaches 
it is that
>you have a treat in your fist and when your dog hears its name, 
she should
>touch her nose to your hand and she gets the treat.  You start 
out with the
>dog right in front of you in a *sit* and then work up the 
complexity, such
>as making your dog touch an empty fist first then the fist with 
the treat
>(before getting the treat) or being further from the dog and 
making her come
>to you, sit and touch your hand before getting the treat.  
Anyway, the basic
>idea is that you get your dog's attention via positive 
reinforcement.  It has
>practical applications, too, such as being able to recall your 
dog or get
>them into harness or in conjunction with *leave it*.  When using 
it with *leave
>it*, you call the dog's name when she's distracted (or doing 
something she
>shouldn't be) and if she doesn't respond *then and only then* do 
you correct
>with a *leave it* and call the dog's name again.

>As for using it with the aggression issue, well, I can't say much 
on that.
>Aggression is an issue all onto itself and my personal opinion is 
that
>you'll need more than just yourself to deal with that.  I would 
definitely
>insist an instructor come out to observe the dog or as Julie 
suggested try
>and get a local behaviorist or trainer to help you out