[nagdu] Follow

Fri Apr 15 21:48:50 UTC 2011

Tracy and Rox,

Teehee!  Maybe we should start a stubborn guide dog club?

Mitzi drives DD absolutely nutty sometimes when he goes into overprotector
mode and decides he knows best and should be the one making decisions about
how she should do her job.  He's really very good about remembering and is
getting better and better at behaving himself when I have to remind him to
be good...  But since he only slips into the overprotector gear when he's
really stressed about stuff he can't control, he's not at his least stubborn
then, either.

Parking lots are the worst!  Mitzi is very firm on doing things her way in
parking lots.  I am very firm on refusing to use "follow" under any
circumstances in parking lots.  DD is certain that we're both going to die
horribly if we don't follow him step for step and do exactly what he tells
us to do when he tells us to!  We must look like quite the circus sometimes.
Especially since I either give in to the temptation to argue with him as he
angles across the lot while Mitzi tracks to the right at right angles, or I
lose it and just go along giggling my head off because it is all just too
ridiculous.

One of these days, DD is going to remember to let Mitzi do her job in a
parking lot, or even give it up and do the right angle route with us.  We'll
probably all get run over while we're recovering from the shock of that!
/grin/

Tami Smith-Kinney

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of The Pawpower Pack
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 6:48 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Follow

Tracy, yes! Laveau is also, always right!  She doesn't trust anyone else to
make choices to keep me safe and if she doesn't like the path ahead she has
been known to lose the person, find a better way around and then meet up
with them again. 

Rox 
Sent from my iPhone

On 15 Apr 2011, at 07:31 AM, "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net> wrote:

> Hi Rox.
> My Benny isn't a keen follower, either.  He's an independent thinker. He's
> a  labrador, with cat or shepherd tendencies.  He'll follow someone for a
> little while, if I want him to, but then he'll decide that's too dull and
> we'll lose them, if I don't check periodically.  I rather like it that he
> doesn't get locked in to follow mode.  I'd swear my shepherd would follow
> someone off a cliff, once he got into follow mode.  But poor Nestor was an
> anxious guy, and follow must have been easier for him than always worrying
> about making the right decisions.  Ben doesn't care; he figures he's
> always right.
> Tracy
> 
> 
>> Lisa,
>> 
>> I'm Deafblind and my dog needs to be very solid in the "follow" cue.
>> I can't communicate in spoken English and signing tactually while
>> walking is nearly impossible unless you are going sighted guide so my
>> dog is expected to follow whom I designate.
>> 
>> She does not follow random people.  The "follow" cue is like any other
>> cue.  If you used their logic then why teach the dog any cue because
>> the dog may decide to randomly perform it such as turning left even if
>> you haven't told the dog to do so.
>> What I notice with many dogs is that they like the "follow" cue
>> because it is less work to follow someone than to actually guide and
>> be focused.  We all like to take the easy rout, dogs included.
>> I'm very lucky and probably different than most on this list.  My dog
>> is a Doberman and she does not enjoy following others.  She hates
>> being forced to walk behind someone and not to make the decisions.
>> Controlling? yeah, just a bit. :)
>> But I guess I'll keep her.
>> 
>> Rox and the Botanical Barkers:
>> Bristol (retired), Mill'E SD. and Laveau Guide Dog, CGC.
>> "The only problem with troubleshooting is, sometimes, trouble shoots
>> back."
>> http://www.pawpowercreations.com
>> pawpower4me at gmail.com
>> AIM: Brissysgirl
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
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