[nagdu] finding one's way with dog was RE: Mobility and Dogs

Mon Aug 22 14:51:50 UTC 2011

If I am in an unfamiliar place, like at a convention, I may have my
dog sit and point things out to her while praising her. For example,
our hotel room. By doing this several times, it helps ensure that she
takes me back to the right room. It doesn't always happen this way,
but she does get pretty close. I will also do it wiht her if she runs
stairs or down curbs too much, and then we will go back and rework
things. It seems like in recent years, more of the larger dog guide
programs are teaching or at least offering clicker training for
students.

Wayne

On 8/21/11, Tami Kinney <tamara.8024 at comcast.net> wrote:
> Well, yes; also, she taught me how handy they were. /smile/
>
> The truly most wonderful thing about applied operant conditioning, where
> you are using positive reward and motivation to train for desired
> behaviors, is that once you both click with each other and are
> communicating well, the animal you are training will offer up behaviors
> for you to approve of... So, then, all you need to do is reward a new
> behavior that comes in handy for you, and there you have it. /grin/ It's
> not exactly that simple, but at the same time, it is exactly that
> simple.
>
> So as Mitzi and I have figured out this whole guide dog thing together,
> she's shown me things she things might be helpful, I've clicked and
> treated or just laughed delightedly and told her how clever she is, then
> we refine it and start doing things that way. Saved me having to figure
> out how to use a guide dog to go up or down stairs, stuff like that.
> She's become an active participant in working that sort of thing out.
> The trick, with her at least, is to maintain balance in the partnership
> where I am the final decision maker if there's a question, while also
> following her lead when she's the one with the information and knowledge
> and, now, experience to know which way to go or what's ahead the I'm
> insisting she run me into. /lol/ It does make my life a lot more fun,
> because we can just head out to wherever, orient, show each other
> landmarks and other items of interest, then relax and have fun
> adventuring together, then fin our way back by our combination of eyes,
> ears, noses, and the nonverbal signals we give each other through the
> leash or harness... As well as my being able to tell her to fin this
> landmark or that so that I am oriented, too. Now that we're heading off
> more with the trailer for travel, I am loving it, because while DD is
> doing his thing to get the trailer set up when we arrive, I can just pop
> out of the truck with dog, leash, cane, harness or not, whatever, and
> orient around, give Mitzi a good sniff and potty break, check out some
> other stuff, relax, have a smoke, chat with whomever we're visiting,
> unless we just break out and get to a campground on our own, explore the
> house, come out, see how DD is doing with the trailer... /lol/ Then he
> will remember his stern duty to watch out for us and spend some time
> rumbling at us to slow down and be careful... /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On Sun, 2011-08-21 at 15:21 -0400, reinhard stebner wrote:
>> Did you train her to do these things?
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>> Of Tami Kinney
>> Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 3:14 PM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] finding one's way with dog was RE: Mobility and Dogs
>>
>> Yup. Mitzi does that, too. She will show me escalators while making it
>> clear she would prefer another way of getting up or down stairs. /smile/
>> In a new place, we tend to circle the perimeter so that she can show me
>> the things like restroom, stairs, drinking fountain, and Starbuck's. I'm
>> usually listening for sound cues inside the space. So it works. /smile/
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On Sun, 2011-08-21 at 10:08 -0400, cheryl echevarria wrote:
>> > my dog finds all of those things, wont go anywhere near escalators (I
>> don't
>> > use them either), poor maxx cut his paw on one and never goes near them.
>> >
>> > Leading the Way in Independent Travel!
>> >
>> > Cheryl Echevarria
>> > http://www.echevarriatravel.com
>> > 631-456-5394
>> > reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>> >
>> > Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Superior Travel, located in
>> >
>> > Baldwin, NY. www.superiortravel.com
>> >
>> > Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Absolute Cruise & Travel,
>> Inc.
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "The Pawpower Pack" <pawpower4me at gmail.com>
>> > To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
>> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> > Sent: Sunday, August 21, 2011 10:03 AM
>> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] finding one's way with dog was RE: Mobility and
>> > Dogs
>> >
>> >
>> > > My dog can find a series of landmarks such as doors inside and
>> > > outside, steps, elevators, escalators, trash cans, counters, etc.
>> > >
>> > > I don't know to what degree the various programs train this skill but
>> > > my dog is a pro at it which is necessary for me.
>> > >
>> > > Rox and the Bayou Barkers:
>> > > Bristol, Mill'E, Laveau, Baylee,!
>> > >
>> > > "A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never
>> > > reads lives only one." --George R. R. Martin
>> > > http://pawpower4me.blogspot.com
>> > >   pawpower4me at gmail.com
>> > > AIM: lillebriss
>> > >
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>> > >
>> >
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