[nagdu] handling steps

Jenine Stanley jeninems at wowway.com
Mon Nov 15 18:39:00 UTC 2010


I wrote this message over the weekend and inadvertently deleted it before
sending so let's see if I can recreate my thoughts. <grin> 

This is not training advice in any way but my own personal experience and an
explanation of how GDF teaches step refusal. 

First off, handling steps is probably one of the more scary and intimidating
aspects of learning to travel without physical vision. After you take a
couple unexpected falls down what you thought were only one or two steps but
turned out to be six or more, you tend to get a little gun shy. <grin> 

This, in my experience, is when you have to really toss out the visual cues
you might still be getting and rely on your other senses when possible.
Stairs inside buildings, such as the 2 to 4 steps often used to change
elevation slightly along a hallway or mall concourse can be really hard to
figure out. Usually there will be some type of texture change at the stair
tread though. If you are using a cane, you should be able to feel this. If
you are using a dog, the dog should stop at the top or bottom of stairs,
regardless of how it was trained from then on. 

When outside, you want to listen for things like traffic or pedestrian noise
and how level it is to where you are standing. This doesn't always tell you
everything about steps, but it sure can help. 

Sometimes carrying a short cane in a belt holster can help too if you have
difficulty hearing or feeling the surroundings. This may take some getting
used to for your dog but it can work well in giving you the assurance you
need at stairs or other changes in elevation. 

Now, here's how GDF dogs are generally trained to handle changes in
elevation. Obviously, your mileage may vary. 

At the standard curb or single step of average height, the dog should stop.
For up-curbs we do allow a pause rather than a full stop but in training
anyway, we have you stop once both of you are on that up-curb. 

When you give the "forward" command and step off with your right foot, the
dog will go forward up or down the single step. 


If you come to a flight or more than 1 step down, your dog should stop. If
you practice step refusal, and you can undo this easily by ignoring it, your
dog should stand fast until you investigate and place the correct foot on
the next step down. 

Generally, GDF dogs are encouraged to cross in front of you to a hand rail
whenever one is present, whether you've asked them to find the steps or you
come upon steps unexpectedly. Obviously many sets of steps don't have hand
rails so the dog will just stop at the top. 

Step Refusal involves the following procedure. If your dog stops and you're
not sure if it's a down curb or a flight of stairs, you are to investigate
with whatever means you have, put your left foot down on the next step, feel
with a short cane, whatever. If you simply swing that right foot out or put
it down on the step and issue the "forward" command, the dog is not to move.
In the dog's mind, you haven't indicated that you are ready to go down these
multiple steps if that right foot is on the next step. The dog is waiting
for your left foot to be on that next step. Then it's safe, you realize
these are multiple stairs and you both go upon the forward command. 

When you are practicing this at home or where there are known steps, give a
slight verbal correction if the dog moves with your right foot movement. 

When on class at GDF, we practice this in the open stairwells. 

The dog is also technically supposed to wait until you place your foot on
the next step going up as well. 

So, what if the place where you've stopped isn't a step or a down curb but a
hole, or platform, or really high step? Your GDf dog should cross in front
of you to block and turn you away from the danger. 

Hope that helped a little. 
Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com







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