[nagdu] owner training and pulls

[The Pawpower Pack]

Jordan,

Like Julie said, most dogs will pull in harness if you pick up the  
handle and apply a gentle pressure.  Laveau, my current Doberman mix  
guide is an exception.  I really had to work hard to get the kind of  
pull I wanted.  I first clicked for forward movement.  Then I upped  
the criteria a bit and only clicked when she was giving me a bit of  
pressure.  Gradually I would continue upping my criteria, only  
clicking for harder and harder levels of pull until it got to where I  
wanted.  I'd say it took four months until her pull was to a level I  
find satisfactory.  I've also noticed that the more confident Laveau  
becomes, the harder she pulls.  I wouldn't say she's a hard puller;  
I'd say it's a medium to light pull, but she started with basically no  
pull at all.  She would walk in the guiding position, just not pull.   
I have a balance disorder so it's a fine line between enough pull for  
me to get her to counterbalance me, and too much pull which will pull  
me over.

As for your second question...
I'm Deafblind and would need my guide dog class instruction in  
American Sign Language.  This means that the program hires ASL  
interpreters or that the instructors themselves are ASL fluent.  There  
aren't many programs that will offer this type of instruction.  There  
are a few programs that I know will offer Deafblind people the option  
of getting class instruction in ASL-- I know both Leader Dogs and  
Guiding Eyes do.  However both of these programs make you wait a  
probationary period of two years before one can obtain ownership of  
the dog.  This is unacceptable to me.  I want nothing less than full  
ownership of my dog upon completion of the program.  I know many folks  
don't mind the program owning the dog, but for me it's a deal breaker.
Julie also pointed out that as owner trainers we can feed what we  
like, give, or not, which vaccinations we like, use what equipment we  
like and train using whatever we like.
For me, feeding a raw diet, vaccinating minimally and using the  
principles of Natural Rearing are very important.  I also want my dog  
to be clicker trained from the beginning.

Because I have multiple disabilities, I need to train quite a few  
tasks and I like that I can customize the dog to my needs from the  
start.
Also, I just enjoy the act of training, the working toward a goal with  
the dog, the gradual building of a partnership into a solid working  
unit.  It is hard work, it takes up all of your time and money, but if  
you enjoy the process, it can be a labor of love.  Even if I weren't a  
person with a disability working with an assistance dog, I'd still be  
a dog trainer because I just love working with dogs.

Julie is also right in that I can pick my own breed.  Laveau is a  
Doberman mix and I want my next dog to be a Dobe.  They are just the  
right breed for me, and there is one program in the country which does  
train Dobes but they don't match any of my other "must haves" in a  
guide dog program.
Long answer to a short question!
LOL
Rox and the Herbal HenchHounds
Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
"It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point  
out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half- 
wit, and the emperor remains an emperor."-- Neil Gaiman
http://www.pawpowercreations.com/retreat.html
pawpower4me at gmail.com
AIM: Brissysgirl