[nagdu] Holding the leash RE: guide dogs

[Julie J]

Jeanine,

Thanks! That's almost exactly what I was going to say. LOL

I did have the leash in my right hand when I was training Monty.  It's just 
easier to keep better track and be able to more accurately direct a very 
young, very inexperienced dog that way.  I will still take the leash in my 
right hand in very limited circumstances.  When I want him to slow down and 
he doesn't see the need, when the footing is unstable, when he's a bit too 
interested in the scenery and the like.  As he matures and gains more 
experience I find myself putting the leash in my right hand less and less.

Again, it's a case of whatever works! *smile*
Julie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jenine Stanley" <jeninems at wowway.com>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2010 5:22 PM
Subject: [nagdu] Holding the leash RE: guide dogs


> Jennifer,
>
> Just to clarify. Not all schools have you hold the leash in one hand and
> harness in the other. In fact, most schools have you hold the leash and
> harness in the same, left, hand, if your dog is trained on the left side 
> as
> is the usual way.
>
> Maybe the Pilot grads can answer this one with more current info. When I 
> got
> my first 2 dogs from there in the late 1980's, we were indeed taught to 
> hold
> the leash in our right hand and harness in the left. My first instructor 
> did
> show people how to hold the leash in the left hand but it was reserved 
> only
> for those with good control of the dog, both speed and behavior-wise. That
> was definitely not me with my first dog. <grin>
>
> The leash used at Pilot is very long though, almost half again as long as
> the Seeing eye leash. I measured these leashes once when fully extended 
> and
> can't recall the exact measurements now, but the GDF leash fully extended
> measures around 4 feet from edge of leather to edge of leather, leash 
> clips
> not included. The Pilot leash I had for many years measured 6 feet from 
> the
> same spots when fully extended.
>
> There are generally 2 ways to hold the leash if holding it in the same 
> hand
> as the harness. You can either put your hand through the loop and allow 
> the
> leash to rest on your wrist, feeding over the handle from your palm. Mine
> comes up and goes over the handle between my index and middle fingers.
> Holding the leash this way allows you to drop the handle and still be
> connected to the dog, hopefully. <grin> I believe it's also the way Seeing
> Eye has you hold the leash.
>
> The other way is not to put your hand through the leash but to let it hang
> over the handle and put your hand on top of it, holding it along with the
> handle. Some people even double over the last bit of the leash to hold it
> this way. It then feeds between either your index and middle or middle and
> ring fingers.
>
> My left hand is way too small to hold the leash that way but if that's how
> people initially learned, a lot of them like to continue to do it that 
> way.
>
> Sometimes you will need to tighten up the connection of the leash and that
> can be done holding it in either position. Sometimes too you may need to
> reach over with the right hand and grab the leash while still holding it 
> and
> the harness in the left hand. That's mostly done for correction or better
> stated, redirection.
>
> The situations where you might hold the leash in your right hand if that's
> not the standard practice for the school might include encouraging the dog
> to speed up, getting better control of the dog's head and probably a host 
> of
> other things I'm not remembering at the moment. <grin>
>
> Some schools also use hand signals with the right hand, sans leash. GDF 
> uses
> these. I've talked to a lot of our grads though who don't continue using
> them once home. I like them because I can give the dog directions or
> encouragement or can just clarify something without having to talk. In 
> noisy
> or very quiet environments, this is nice.
>
>
> Jenine Stanley
> jeninems at wowway.com
>
>
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