[nagdu] Pulling up the harness was Do you ever get angry with your dogs andhowtocontroleit?

[doug weil]

Hello,
You've picked a subject I've seen for years and must give you my opinion as an 
Instructor. Dogs are taught to pull into the harness by pulling back on the 
handle while encouraging them forward with the leash. I teach this on the 
treadmill with a person in front offering food rewards and encouraging the dog 
to move forward while I'm pulling back on the handle. It's a positive experience 
for the dog and they learn to pull against the tension on the handle. It 
transfers to the sidewalk after about 3 or 4 sessions on the treadmill. If I 
want my dog to go faster, I'll actually pull back harder on the handle and they 
will dig in and speed up. There has to be positive tension on the handle in 
order for the dog to be able to guide you effectively. If there's no tension on 
the handle, the dog will slow down and then you've lost most of that connection 
the dog needs to guide you with. You should be able to set your pace and not let 
the dog dictate his pace.

The most common problem I see with graduates out in the field is #1 handlers 
following position, #2 Driving with the harness handle (suitcasing the dog). The 
handle is not a steering wheel or a gas pedal. For some reason, most dogs are 
very forgiving and learn to accept the steering and pushing and have learned how 
to compensate for poor following position and improper handling techniques. They 
still manage to get the job done, Yeah for the dogs!!

This was not meant to be a lecture, just my opinion (for what it's worth) and my 
observations from years of seeing graduates (from all schools) with a common 
problem. Good Luck to you all and Hug the Dogs!!

Doug




________________________________
From: Bernadetta Pracon <bernadetta_pracon at samobile.net>
To: lirving1234 at cox.net
Cc: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Sent: Sat, March 5, 2011 12:44:44 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Pulling up the harness was Do you ever get angry with your 
dogs andhowtocontroleit?

Hi guys:
I've been told not to lift up the harness to speed my pup up when a TSE trainer 
came out for a follow up a few years ago. She said that it may speed him up 
temporarily,but it does actually cause the harness to dig into the space between 
his front paws and his belly. In Kipp's case, it actually slowed him down more 
often than not, when I did that. The instructor said that the more affective 
approach is to pull the leash forward with the right hand, like some people have 
already suggested on here. Also, I find that if I pull the harness back 
slightly, by curving my elbow a littlemore, it causes a little more positive 
tension, which motivates him and makes him pay more attention to the pace.  I'm 
not saying that this is good advice for everyone, because some harnesses may be 
designed in a way where they don't cut into the dog's paws if pulled up; I'm 
basing this on a TSE harness.

Just thought I'd add some useful input.

all best

Bernadetta

-- Email services provided by the System Access Mobile Network.  Visit 
www.serotek.com to learn more about accessibility anywhere.


_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/doug.weil%40yahoo.com