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

[Lisa Irving]

Hi Doug,

Let me see if I've got this correct. Pull up on the harness without 
dragging; or remotely dragging pup. Lead with the leash and definitely 
reward w/ praise and treats. I like your description of training dogs on the 
tread mill. The last thing I want to do is cause my pup discomfort.

Today, Bernie's pace seemed pretty consistent. The changes I made included: 
gently pulling back and slightly up on the harness handle. This positioned 
my arm further back. Landon's handler showed me how to angle my arm ever so 
slightly. Praise and food rewards are a given when we're on route. Bernie 
goes bonkers when we play the clicker game.

Incidentally, for those of you that have not had clicker training, you might 
consider contacting your school to see if they've incorporated clicker 
training; useful for targeting and landmarking. I can't rave enough about 
this awesome GEB has made in it's already excellent training program.

Thanks again, Doug.

Lisa and Bernie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "doug weil" <doug.weil at yahoo.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 05, 2011 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Pulling up the harness was Do you ever get angry 
withyour dogs andhowtocontroleit?


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

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