[nagdu] statement re: ownership and qeustions re:schools policies

Mon Mar 2 17:26:52 UTC 2009

I think that it is important to look at a school and a trainer from the
perspective of providing good training and giving you tools with which to
work in working with and training your dog. It has been my experience that
treats and/or food has been suggested for me to use with my dog from the
Seeing Eye to teach a certain task. It was also emphasized that it should be
accompanied with praise. Remember, SEI grads, "affection, correction and
praise" that balance is important. The other thing that is important is not
to over feed the dog when giving treats. So, if you use food, make it small
amounts and subtract from daily feedings if it's of any significance. Also,
never do it if it becomes a distraction for your dog. I.e. the dog is
thinking "oh boy, I get a treat" not "wow, she wants me to show her this?" I
once had a dog, my third, who just didn't want to move down the side walk at
any pace. Despite encouragement, enthusiastic, "hup, hup". and "good boy!"
he just plotted painfully slowly. One of the trainers suggested soda
crackers. I would give his leash a little pull forward praise him and give
him a soda cracker. Then if he moved praise him. It took a few soda crackers
but he finally caught on and I just stopped giving him the soda crackers. 
I believe that there are very few absolutes in dog training. Each dog is
different and, as one of the trainers at SEI says "you have to get into the
dog's head and figure out what he/she is thinking". 

On the wet dog issue, I have taught my dogs the command "shake". I use it
before we enter the house with fairly good success. It's harder to use in a
place of business because you could be shaking water all over some
unsuspecting customer, but I have found some ways to do this when there's a
cover in front of the door which is wider than the door way. The rain coat
also helps. 

On the issue of grooming and caring for your dog and it affecting your
access into a place. I feel strongly that proper care of your dog is it's
pay check and when you are not grooming, feeding, giving obedience
exercises, providing proper veternarian care and keeping your dogs behavior
within appropriate boundaries, it's you who should suffer because you are
not keeping up your end of the partnership. All to often, the dog is blamed,
not the user. Most of the time it's the person, and not the dog who is at
fault. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Merry Schoch
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 5:23 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] statement re: ownership and qeustions re:schools
policies

I certainly appreciate everyone's input.  I have had two dogs that I've 
worked and neither had clicker training.  I had great success with their 
work in new places, and the three quarter praise, one quarter correction 
seemed to be the key to our success.

Thanks to all for sharing your experiences with me.  I will have to talk 
openly with the school I ultimately decide to get a dog from and be as 
percise as I can as to what I am looking for.

Thanks again,
Merry

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wayne Merritt" <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 2:05 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] statement re: ownership and qeustions re: schools 
policies

> When at The Seeign Eye last September, they said that all of the dogs 
> had been introduced to clicker training at one time, but that it was 
> probably something that most students would never use. They said we 
> could use it of course, but that most people wouldn't. I think that 
> this is because clicker training, from what I've heard and from their 
> description of it, is so involved in that you have to click and treat 
> at the exact instance that the dog does the desired behavior. So 
> anyway, as far as clicker training goes, they left it up to us. I 
> don't see a need for it myself since my Shepherd, Gucci, seems to pick 
> up on things very quickly, even if its her first time in a new 
> environment.
>
> I'd encourage you not to marka  school like The Seeign Eye off your 
> list just because they may use both food and clicker training. They're 
> still a good school, in that they take the time to work with you as an 
> individual. If you don't want to food reward your dog, they'll support 
> your decision and continue to help you build that working 
> relationship.
>
> Jmt,
> Wayne
>
> Wayne
>
> On 2/28/09, Angie Matney <leadinglabbie at mpmail.net> wrote:
>> Hi Merry,
>>
>> Jenine's description of food at GDF sounds like what I experienced at
>> Seeing
>> Eye a little over a year ago. At least one person in my class was trained

>> to
>> give food rewards in certain instances. I was not, and it was not a part 
>> of
>> over-all class training.
>>
>> Angie with Yani
>>
>> On Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:19:02 -0500, Jenine Stanley wrote:
>>
>>>Merry,
>>
>>>I can answer the GDf food question for you.
>>
>>>We do not use food in most training situations, i.e., daily class 
>>>work.
>>>We
>>>do introduce the use of food for solving problems or teaching certain
>>>behaviors, along with how not to use food and the fact that food should 
>>>be
>>>tapered off in favor of praise.
>>
>>>Some instructors may, with some teams, use food or even introduce the 
>>>clicker, for specific issues, but it's not part of overall class 
>>>training.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> My blog:
> http://wayneism.blogspot.com
> My websites:
> www.wayneism.com
> www.whitecaneday.org
>
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