[nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative

[cheryl echevarria]

I agree shannon being a grad of gdf also.

Cheryl Echevarria
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "solsticesinger" <solsticesinger at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 5:27 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative


> I love GDF's "find the way" command. I find that my dogs have both had 
> good
> initiative, although Caroline is a bit better in this area than was my
> Rachel. Still, it seems that, if the dog knows that his or her decisions 
> are
> taken seriously, he or she is more likely to make them.
>
> Shannon and Caroline
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 8:15 AM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] How to encourage dog initiative
>
>
> It's been a while since I've had a new dog, knock wood, but I think that
> what I do to encourage initiative is to encourage the dog to make
> decisions when we get into a situation, and show him that I'm willing to
> go with his decisions once he makes one.  At first, this can involve
> standing somewhere and saying Hup-up in a cheerful way, and sometimes some
> gentle handwaving to suggest possibilities.  I've even found myself giving
> that wonderfully mystic GDF command "Find the Way!"
> In my experience, this kind of thing requires me to work my dog on my own
> quite a bit.  Standing still and waiting for the dog to figure out a
> challenge seems to drive sighted people buggy.  Even if I explain before
> we set out that I am trying to teach the dog that he can figure things out
> without much help, when the situation comes up, the sighted person barges
> ahead saying "Oh come on; this way."  So, instead of the dog learning that
> he can make decisions, he learns that if he waits, someone will go ahead
> and he can follow them.  Not the conclusion I want.  Someone told me that
> her dog would look around for a sighted person to follow, if the dog felt
> her person was confused.  That's initiative too, but not the kind I want.
> So, for me, it's really important to work with my dog alone in the
> beginning.  Maybe other people have better control of their sighted
> partners than I do, but for me they can be quite a hindrance to
> team-building.
>
> In the beginning, and not much after either, I wouldn't expect the dog to
> figure things out if I was facing the whole wrong way or something. An
> experienced dog can sometimes figure that out, but really it's my job to
> at least aim in the generally right direction.
> Although once, at a state convention banquet, I had to step out, and I
> pointed the way I thought we should go and told Echo "Outside!"  She led
> me the other way than I pointed, around the table and to a clear aisle,
> and then took me to the door.  I was very impressed.  Just like in the
> Seeing Eye dog books!
>
> I may have messed up Ben's initiative a bit by not trusting his decisions.
>  It's hard for me to tell when he's going around something and when he's
> going to sniff something, especially in suburbia, where the work is less
> challenging and he gets more distracted. Luckily, Ben has lots of
> confidence and initiative, so I haven't made a complete hash of things.
> Tracy
>
>
>
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