[nagdu] positive training, dog ownership, abuse, etc.

[Amelia Dickerson]

I think it's okay to identify what school I've received my dogs from,
because I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience.
All 3 of my dogs have come from Guide Dogs for the Blind, and all of
my experiences with them have been  respectful towards me as a person
who is blind and I feel as though I have received top notch training
in how to best get my dog to do what I want and need.

I learned about clicker training with my second dog, and suddenly I
had this resource that enabled me to teach my dog new things really
quickly. There is a ton of literature out there on clicker training,
and you can get a clicker from any pet store, so even if you don't
know about it from your school, the resources are certainly available.
However, I have found that a balance between corrections and food
rewards is ideal. If my dog bumps me into something, usually saying,
"Albert, careful," is plenty for him. Where correcting more comes in
has to do with when he gets distracted by other dogs. (We want to say
hi to statues of other dogs). As soon as I know that he has spotted an
interesting furry creature I stop and give him a correction to get his
attention. As soon as I have his attention and he is in heel and
sitting, then I'll often hold a piece of kibble in my hand and have it
close to his mouth, but I won't quite let him have it. This way
though, all of his attention is on me. I've done a year or so of work
with him that started out really basic, using the clicker and
rewarding him every time he looked up at me versus something else, but
now the piece of kibble in my hand- which he eventually receives after
a minute or so- is enough to get him back on track. I can then
continue on my way, with Albert guiding like the rock star he is. I
think both correcting and the clicker are tools, and I want to have as
many different tools available to me as possible so I can use each one
when it's appropriate.

As far as abuse goes, I don't think I've ever been reported to my
school or anyone else, and I'm not particularly concerned with it
happening. As I said before, I think I've got a great relationship
with people at GDB, and I view them as another resource I have when
things come up, certainly not as big brother. Not to brag or anything,
but I'm going to brag anyway. I know GDB has one of the more complete
post-graduate services programs, and it has been invaluable to me. At
least a couple times a year, I know the graduate services
representative I've worked with for years now will be in my area, and
I can ask her for some of her time while she's in my area. I don't
know what the official policy is as far as when they need to visit and
check in or if there is one exactly, but that system also gives a
representative from the school an opportunity to see that my dogs are
clean, well fed and in shape, and that they are generally well cared
for. I don't see this as babying me in any shape or form. I am a
person who is pretty sensative to being treated particular ways
because of my blindness, and I have been treated with the utmost of
respect and confidence in my abilities.

Just as with child abuse, there is a ton of gray area in animal abuse.
Some families spank the kids and others don't. The decision to spank
or not is probably not going to be a single factor that determines the
relationship between a kid and the parents, and the same is true with
dogs. I have one friend who has always owrked her guide dogs on a
nylon collar, because she does not feel any need to ever correct once
she has established a relationship with her dog, whereas I feel like I
am constantly potentially facing something new, and I want to have
that tool available. Either way, local officials are going to be far
more occupied with the dogs that are maiming and killing people than
the specific treatment of a dog who is not hurting anyone. This is
where hte on-going relationship with GDB comes in. I know there are
grads from GDB with very little continued contact with the school, but
I truly believe they want me to have a guide dog, so they aren't going
to plot against me in achieving that end. I do get the "Oooooooh poor
dog," sometimes when others see me give a correction, but I mostly
tell them that he's fine and I assume they don't know the first thing
about a working dog. And, as always, I am aware of my surroundings and
the kind of people around me. When I stop by the local Humane Society
to use their puppies as dog distractions I keep my corrections to a
minimum and do a lot more of maintaining a high collar and I am hyper
vigilant about any hint he might be getting off task. That way I can
put him into heel and sit before any correction is required. A little
bit of obedience always reminds him where his attention needs to be.

As far as the harness thing goes, my harness for my first dog had
already been repaired several times and was in the process of falling
apart further when she retired, so it went to the big home in the sky
for retired harnesses. But, my understanding on why they want the
harnesses back is because they are expensive and they can be reused in
settings such as Juno training, home interviews, and the training that
occurs at the school. I'm sorry if anyone truly does feel that a
harness would be forceably removed by their school, and if I were in
that situation, I would re-evaluate the relationship to see if there
is a way to improve it or if I want to work with a different school.

Lastly, here are my 2 cents on the definition of a service animal. In
Colorado, the law says that someone is allowed to ask you if you have
a disability and if your animal is a service animal. They are not
allowed to ask about your disability or what the animal does for you
or ask for a demonstration of your animal working. As long as someone
else has control over their animal and their animal doesn't interfere
with my dog's work, I am more inclined to let other people alone. Of
course there will be people faking it. But I figure I want to be left
alone, and even if someone else is faking it, I'd rather err on the
side that will increase my freedoms versus on the side that would be
more limiting. It's sort of the live and let live perspective. The
only times anyone has given me a hard time about bringing my dog in to
a store or restaurant has been when they are from outside the country
and do not yet know how things work in the U.S. I simply inform them
that my dog is a service animal and that in the U.S. service animals
are allowed in places like this. I inform them of this calmly and
politely and with my dazzling smile. Sometimes they've gone to get the
manager, but it has never gone beyond that.