[nagdu] Where's your leash?

Sat Mar 7 05:22:16 UTC 2009

I admit that I am guilty of not always hanging onto my leash.  However, 
Lexia has never actually run away from me, unless it was to see someone that 
she really liked, which only happened once or twice, and that person was 
right there, so it was not really running away, and she went right back to 
where she belonged.  However, she has earned the nickname of "iceberg" 
because she can try to creep. This only occurs when she's off leash at home. 
She's also been known to turn around to face the direction of action. 
Usually, there's not really anything wrong with this, but I make her turn 
back around anyways, just to remind her whose in charge here and that's 
she's still on duty. Just my opinion, but I don't really think that it's the 
harness that tells a dog that he or she is on duty.  Yes, the dog knows that 
he or she could be worked at any moment, but most dogs know, okay, I'm 
laying down under the table, yes, I should behave, but I'm not really 
responsible for much at the moment, as long as I don't get told to do 
something.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Allison Nastoff" <anastoff at wi.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 8:59 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Where's your leash?

I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of not keeping good track of
Gilbert on occasion.  My trainer told me to always have the leash
under my leg, or foot, even when we are not working.  Sometimes,
I fall into the "Gilbert's such a good boy.  He won't go
anywhere," or the "my hearing is good, so I would know if he got
away," trap, or I will shift in my chair and not realize that the
leash is not under my leg anymore.
About a month after I got Gilbert, and my third day of college,
class had just ended and I was packing my things up to leave.
Everyone else had already left, including Gilbert! I found this
out when a boy came back in and said shyly, "uh, your dog's in
the hallway." Fortunately, someone found him, and brought him
back.  In another incident, my vision teacher took me and a
friend out to lunch.  At that particular restaurant, I thought
the best place for Gilbert was a little corner up against the
wall right by our table.  I was able to reach down and touch him,
but I didn't have the leash under my leg.  You can probably guess
the rest of the story.  I got caught up in conversation, and a
while later realized, "Uhoh, I have not checked where Gilbert is
in a while.  Sure enough, during our conversation, he sneaked out
from his corner, and was laying on the other side of my feet.
Needless to say, I felt like such a looser.
Trainers can advisse you to keep the leash under your leg at all
times, but only after a couple of real-life experiences did I
take this advice seriously.  I think it is cool that the dog
trainers tried to simulate what could happen if you weren't
vigilant.  I don't agree with the tears and humiliation, but the
concept is a great idea for a first-time dog handler.
Allison and Gilbert

> ----- Original Message -----
>From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com
>To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 19:03:31 -0500
>Subject: [nagdu] Where's your leash?

>OK, this is one of those stories old fart guide dog handlers tell
about the
>bad old days.

>My first class, at Pilot and then again first class at GDF
featured
>instructors who were vicious about you knowing where your dog
was, and hence
>where your leash was.  Before we got the dogs, at Pilot anyway,
we had to
>carry our leashes around with us and keep track of them.  There
are a couple
>trainers at Pilot who can sneak a leash and/or dog away from you
without a
>sound or touch.  It's scary.  I've also watched while one of them
coaxed a
>fellow student's large female Dobe out from under his chair while
he
>snoozed.  That dog  crept out without touching his legs and
crawled along the
>floor.

>If you forgot your leash or if you were unlucky enough to have it
sneaked
>away, you owed a nickel.  Fines went up as time went on.  There
were also
>fines for missing dogs during that first class.  I think only one
person had
>his dog spirited away.

>What this taught us was that you pay attention to where your dog
and leash
>are at all times.  Now this did get a little out of control with
some fairly
>humiliating exchanges and tears from one person which were
totally
>unnecessary.

>At GDf it was a little tamer, no fines and no pushing it to the
humiliation
>level, but you'd still better be aware of that leash and dog,
lest they
>suddenly be gone.

>I've heard over the years of things like this rigid teaching of
dog
>awareness going too far and becoming spiteful nasty ways for
trainers at
>some schools to tease people.  That said, I'll put on my old fart
hat and say
>I'm glad it was drilled into me when it was and I think a little
more of
>that kind of dog awareness emphasis would not hurt people.

> Jenine Stanley
>jeninems at wowway.com

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