[nagdu] anticipating

[Tamara Smith-Kinney]

Julie,

I am all for anticipation and intiative in my guide.  And I take pretty much
your approach in refining and encouraging it to teach my poodle thing to use
her strong will and initiative in good decision making.  And, yes, I've been
informed that is all wrong, that she is supposed to wait for me to tell her
what to do when and to be completely submissive to my will.

Er...  I was a bit startled the first time I heard that one, because it was
after a meeting with a guide who is not only a total but who has a brain...
Non guide dog user, though.  I stood up when we ended the meeting, so did my
dog (only about a year and far from fully trained then), so I took the
handle of our shiny new On-the-Go Sport Harness and followed her to the
door, reaching out to open it...  That was when I got the news that I was
training my dog wrong because I was supposed to tell her what to do
first....Oh.  At least that wasn't delivered put-down style, and the guy is
a teacher of another subject, so it wasn't totally offensive or anything.  I
was new enough to the guide dog thing -- and my dog was just starting to
guide in harness on a limited basis and to be trusted (-ish) to lie quietly
during such meetings.  In fact, I was ridiculously proud of her for having
done so, and for having gotten up without a fuss and taken me to the door
without my having to interrupt my conversation to argue with her about what
to do...

So I did think about it over the next few days and decided that she had done
what I was training her to do and had actually displayed behavior that was a
bit more advanced than I expected at that point.  Because I don't want to
have to put a whole lot of energy and time and distraction into telling my
dog what to do when a simple change of body language or a hand gesutre will
do.  Also, for Pete's sake, part of the benefit of guide dog dog over cane
is that the guide dog can do the work of processing the environment and
knowing what's what and where it is, so that I don't have to stop and listen
and interrupt the person I'm talking to so that I can hear better and
remember where the door is so that I can move my mobility tool in the right
direction ...  I can do that, and I'm not bashing the cane by any means!
It's just that the dog has a couple of key features the cane does not:  a)
eyes that see stuff;  and b) a brain!  Since I lack the former, why should I
strain the latter when she can just figure it out and do what I want her do
whether someone else picks up on my wishes or not?

And of course, there are those times I genuinely believe I know what's going
on and that my dog should isten to me and do what I say...  Which are times
I inevitably discover the reasons guide dogs are trained to practice
intelligent disobeidence! /grin/  I have come to the conclusion that any
guide of mine is going to need lots and lots of that or I'll get us both
into more trouble than we can handle thinking I know what's what and where
things are.  /grin/

Anyway, interesting question, and I'll be really interested to hear from
those with proram dogs, be it traditionally trained and with lots of
experience between both team members, or new handlers learning the ropes
with some of the new training methods that schools are starting to use ...

Meanwhile, we're getting ready to head out, so we'll see if I have enough
handling experience to follow my dog around without requiring her to
practice intelligent disobedience.  /grin/  Then again, we're actually
having August weather here, so there's always the possibility of a good knee
licking.  /lol/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Julie J
Sent: Friday, August 13, 2010 12:14 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] anticipating

Heya all,

I will have had Monty two years tomorrow. We have worked together as a team
for about 10 months of that.  I was reflecting back on all the progress we
have made and how smoothly we are working together, at least most days.
*smile*

Anyway this morning on the way to work I was pondering the issue of guides
that anticipate turns.  My understanding is that most of the programs
discourage this.  I'm talking about a dog who makes a turn on a regular
route without direct direction from the handler to do so.  

Monty does this all the time.  I have actually cultivated the skill because
I appreciate it.  Of course if I feel him begin a turn and I want to go
another way I simply stop, praise him and give the new instructions.  Also
if we pass a place where we have turned in the past, but it's not a really
regular place, he'll sort of do a half turn with a pause and look back to
see if that's what I want.  I absolutely love this and can't imagine working
it differently.

My route to work is basically straight west with only a deviation of one
block north.  I vary the route as much as is possible.  It really makes no
difference where I choose to turn north, he always figures out where to go
at the next corner.  

I'd love to hear how all of you balance the initiative of the dog,
anticipating turns, indicating possible turns and the like.

Julie
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