[nagdu] Juno walks

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Dan,

Oh!  I've always feared I was committing some heinous crime by giving Mitzi
harness checks, but they're what works best for us.  If she's being really
snotty and sniffy, I don't feel too terrible if I lift her off her feet even
(she's a very light dog) because of the way the harness spreads out the
stresses on her body.  I've only done it a couple of times; otherwise, a
harness check is just a reminder and maybe a hint that I mean business.

I think it embarrasses her, too.  I did it once in front of someone we knew,
and she was depressed for the rest of the day.  So now if she's super
distracted by her crowds of admirers, I can just hint that I might do
something that would make her look bad, and she shapes right up.  /lol/
Mine is a strange, strange dog.

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Dan Weiner
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 2:51 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Juno walks

Well, during my last sojourn at LD we had a Juno walk, of course, several.
I had gotten in to the habit of giving Evan, my last pup, may he rest in
piece, harness checks rather than leash corrections for minor infractions.
The first time I did that, it was quite a harness check and it took the
harness right out of the trainer's  hand because I think he didn't expect
it.
I was startled to,  when I found I didn't have Juno and dropped the
harness--smile.
Talk about harnessing your knowledge of dogs.
Anyway, we got it sorted out.

I'm not sure if everyone uses the same term, so I mean by the phrase harness
check,  sort of flicking the handle forward  and back to get the dog's
attention when he's say, sniffing. It works better for some dogs.
It also can help slow down some dogs, because it gets them off balance and
they think: "Oh, this is what happens when I pull, oh my"--smile


Dan W. and Carter, who does sometimes get harness checks.

 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of AnnaLisa Anderson
Sent: Saturday, October 31, 2009 3:05 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] Juno walks

Hi Angie and all,

This reminded me of something funny that happened during my last training
class, when I got Sunny.  I was doing a juno walk with my trainer, and at
one point Juno stopped to sniff something I think, and I gave a correction
and pulled the harness right out of the trainer's hand.  Actually it
happened more than once. <smile>  I didn't even think it was that hard of a
correction, but I caught the trainer off guard I guess because I was so
quick about it.  He teasingly accused me later of taking Juno's head off.
No, I don't make it a routine to give hard corrections, and no one I ever
did a juno walk with ever asked me to give the hardest correction I could.
I do remember my first trainer though, tying a harness and leash to a fence
post and telling me to give a two-handed leash correction with everything I
had.  I respected him so I did as he asked, but I remember it broke my heart
because I was thinking, I hope I never have to do that with a real dog.
Fortunately I've never had to correct a real dog that hard, and since those
days I have learned a whole lot, and I think the schools have too, that
positive methods work much better.

AnnaLisa and Sundance



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