[nagdu] Barking

Tue Dec 16 18:41:55 UTC 2008

Sure, you should try your very best to make it work.  Sure, you shouldn't
give up on a dog at the first signs of trouble.  But you must realize that
sometimes it will just never work.  Sometimes your very best effort is not
enough.  I speak from 28 years of experience.  When I was young, working
with my first and second dogs, I thought that hard work would solve every
problem.  I tended to harshly judge people who were obviously having
problems controlling their dogs.  Then I got my third dog, and he just was
not cut out for the job, at least not here.  He might have been fine in a
less stressful place than New York City, or even with the quieter life I
lead now, but he simply could not take the life I was living then, with a
long commute through very crowded places.  No amount of hard work could
change that. I felt like a failure at the time, but eventually I came to
realize that it was just not meant to be.

My dog is part of my family.  I'll do a lot to keep him happy and well,
and to make him the best guide he can be.  But if, say, my husband needed
to live somewhere else to be healthy and happy, we'd move.  If my dog
needed to live somewhere else to be healthy and happy, the dog would move,
and I would get a new dog who would be happy being where I need to be.
You have to consider your dog's needs, and yours as well.  There may be
times your dog's needs will come first, like if he's sick, but, if I'm
spending a great deal of time and effort for months to get the dog to do
the job he's supposed to be already trained to do, I think it's perfectly
reasonable to say "enough is enough" and give up on him.
Tracy

> Sharonda.  What a wonderful post.  I agree with you.  I had some
> issues with my dog when I first got her.  It lasted until about a
> year after I received her.  Everything I tried just wouldn't work
> and finally we learned how to best work with one another and she
> also is a wonderful guide and loyal friend.  The key is
> consistancy.  No dog is perfect, and one thing we always must
> remember is that they're not machines.  They're dogs.  Dogs first
> and guides second.  Yes, we have to rely on them.  Yes they
> should behave correctly around other animals, but some dogs have
> more difficulties with this than others.  Should they be pushed
> away? No, I don't think so.  Not without working your hardest to
> try and help them.  After all, they're part of the family.  If a
> family member needed help and had a really difficult time either
> understanding or accepting your help, would you throw them out
> into the cold? No, you wouldn't.  It's important to see the
> relationship between a guide and human the same way.  If I've
> offended people on this list I'm truly  sorry, but I feel
> passionate about this subject.  Hope and Beignet
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>From: "Sharonda Greenlaw" <sbgreenlaw at gmail.com
>>To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>>Date sent: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:15:09 -0700
>>Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking
>
>>Lora,
>>I want to first say that Julie's suggestion of trying to find a
> behaviorist
>>in your area is the absolute best.  I have had some issues with
> my dog guide,
>>Rusty, and the behaviorist really helped me bunches.
>
>>The first thing I did was to purchase a prong collar.  It has
> been a Godsend
>>against pulling and lunging.  The second thing I did was to work
> like has
>>already been explained with the click-and-treat system so that
> his attention
>>can always be refocused on me.
>
>>Lastly, I want to say this publicly concerning what the
> behaviorist told me.
>>When the dog is being trained at the school, it is a puppy.  It
> is not an
>>adolescent.  The school is not aware of the behaviors that the
> dog will
>>exhibit in its adolescent years.  You might have 20 dogs and two
> might show
>>aggression during adolescence.  If you are willing to put in the
> hard work,
>>most, if not all of this aggression can be squashed.  Sure, there
> may be an
>>instance where your dog doesn't change, but I know that my dog's
> issues were
>>a bit worse.  With much hard work and repetitive training, while
> also
>>learning my dog and him learning me, I have not only a great
> guide but a
>>loyal and faithful companion.
>
>>If you can, hang in there!
>
>>Sharonda
>
>>On Sun, Dec 14, 2008 at 9:51 PM, Lora and Myrtle
> <blindhistory at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>> I have a dog from Leader Dogs.  Today my dog Myrtle started
> barking at
>>> another dog before she saw it and before the dog started
> barking.  She has
>>> done this ever since she has got home.  I ahve contacted leader
> dogs and
>>> have
>>> tried a gentle leader.  I have tried leash corrections and
> verbal
>>> corrections
>>> with no luck.  I think it is aggressive behavior because her
> tail goes up
>>> and
>>> her ears are forward with her fur behind her shoulders and tail
> sticking on
>>> end.  She lunged at a dog tonight and I almost fell on the ice.
> Otherwise
>>> she
>>> is a very good guide.  Normally she barks at a dog when she sees
> them and
>>> lunges at them.  What do you guys think.  I have contacted my
> trainer several
>>> times and the suggestions she has told me to do have not worked
> out.  I'm
>>> worried I am going to get hurt one of these days because my dog
> pulls so
>>> hard.  I don't know if I will go with LD again.  I would like
> this to stop or
>>> at least be able to get my dog under control.  I don't want to
> go to student
>>> seminars because she can't even handle one dog let alone alot of
> them.
>
>>> --
>>> Lora and Leader Dog Myrtle
>>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
>
>>--
>>Come, read and take a journey with me at
>>www.WorldOfShariG.blogspot.com
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