[nagdu] Stress Issues
Ann Edie
annedie at nycap.rr.com
Mon Sep 5 19:41:12 UTC 2011
Hi, Steve, Lora, and Everybody,
Steve, the implied answer to your rhetorical question about the root of
behavior problems in guide dogs is, "the handler." However, I don't think
this is necessarily a fair answer. It could as well be "the breeding
program" or "the puppy-raising program" or "genetics" or "the nature of
dogs" or many other answers which I haven't thought of off the top of my
head, that has caused the problems.
I think it is unfair to blame the handler for all behavior issues in guide
dogs or in pet dogs for that matter. Sometimes it truly is that a dog is
not cut out to be a guide dog 24 hours per day, that the only way that dog
made it through training was because it was only worked for an hour per day
and was then put back in the kennels where there was no opportunity to
counter surf, chew up everything in the bathroom wastepaper baskets, eat the
kids toys and everyone's clothes and shoes, steal a whole roast or a stick
of butter off the dining room table, and dash out the door any time he isn't
tied down. The trainers/instructors never see these behaviors because they
don't live with the dogs. And if a dog comes to the blind handler with
these behaviors established in his history, even if the handler follows to
the letter the instructions of the program as to how to gradually allow the
dog more freedom in the house and religiously performs obedience exercises
daily and gives the dog opportunities to play and release stress, etc., the
unwanted behaviors will most likely appear as soon as opportunity presents
itself and will be extremely difficult to change because they are so
reinforcing to the dog.
In my own case, I had had several pet dogs which I had raised from puppies
before I got my first guide dog. My pets were always very well-behaved in
the house as well as in public, and had many admirers who expressed their
willingness to offer my dogs a home if a situation ever occured which
prevented me from keeping them. I also competed in obedience with several
of my pet dogs, so I know something of formal obedience as well as just good
manners in dogs.
My first guide was not only a fine working guide but also had the house
manners I expected. He could be left off-leash in the house without fear
that he would eat the kids' toys or food from the counters, or, after a
little training, even the food in the pet dog's bowl. He waited for
permission to go through the door and had a reliable recall. And I didn't
have to go through any herculean efforts to achieve this result. That dog
performed his guide tasks admirably and lived as a beloved member of my
family for 9 years, until his death. At the time, I didn't consider any of
this extraordinary. I thought it was just what was to be expected of a
highly trained and specially bred guide dog.
My next 2 guide dogs were completely different. They had horrible house
manners and terrible prey drive. They showed lots of stress symptoms, such
as losing hair, chewing on their legs and feet, having relieving accidents
indoors, having feeding problems, and losing weight. Dealing with these two
dogs and trying to salvage the partnerships with each of them was
emotionally devastating as well as physically exhausting to me. If I hadn't
had the background with my pet dogs and my first guide dog that I had, I
surely would have been convinced that I was simply a poor handler who
couldn't maintain the precious investment of time and effort that had gone
into producing these special dogs. And the often stated opinion expressed
by long-time dog handlers on lists such as this one, that problems in guide
dogs after placement were almost invariably due to lax discipline on the
part of the blind handler, certainly did not help or support me in my time
of struggle.
In the end, I had to conclude that further efforts to keep working with
those dogs were not going to succeed, and that their return to the school
was the only viable solution. Neither of those dogs was reissued to another
blind handler, although both were certainly young enough to make this the
logical course of action, if it had been a "mismatch" or poor choice of
handler which had caused the problems with these dogs.
In other words, my considered opinion is that the guide dog training
programs are not perfect. They do occasionally put out dogs which are not
temperamentally suited to be guides and dogs which cannot take the stress of
full-time guide work, as opposed to being a dog in training. From what Lora
has said, it sounds as if she has sought and followed the advice of her
training program on how to deal with the issues that have come up with her
dog. It sounds as if she has made sincere efforts to retrain the dog and to
manage the undesirable behaviors. I would not want Lora to feel that she is
somehow to blame for her dog's poor house manners or dangerous behaviors,
either because she was not rigorous enough in her discipline or because she
was too strict and controlling of her dog's every move.
Certainly, the types and amounts of unwanted behavior that each of us is
willing or able to live with in our animal companions differs, and may
differ with our living arrangements and family circumstances as well as
other lifestyle variables. But I don't think there is anything wrong with
having a bottom line when it comes to behavior, either in the home or in
public, either guide work behaviors or companion or social behaviors.
Lora wrote asking for ways that she might use to relieve stress in her dog.
How about we just answer her question without adding to both her own stress
and that of the dog?
In that vain, Lora, have you found any safe fenced place, such as a tennis
court or fenced yard, where you can play supervised games with your dog such
as tug-o-war or fetching games, where there are not too many things that he
can get in trouble with? When he is indoors, can you keep him on leash so
that he goes with you wherever you move rather than putting him on a tie
where he has to stay in one place? Have you tried giving him his food in
one of the puzzle toys where he has to work to get the food out a piece at a
time? Have you used T-Touch or massage with him for relaxation? Have you
played little training games with him (on leash) where you have someone drop
a piece of food (or paper) or something that is not too attractive to him
and then reward him instantly with a higher value treat for not diving for
the dropped item immediately? Does he have favorite chew toys available to
him frequently? Does he know explicitly which objects are his own to do
what he wants with and which objects are not his and are entirely off
limits? Has he been checked out by a vet for medical reasons for his stress
level or for causes of some of his obsessive behaviors?
I hope you will be able to find ways to help your dog relax while at the
same time helping him behave in acceptable ways so that you can all live
together comfortably. And, if nothing works and you find that you simply
cannot continue to live and work with this dog for your own peace of mind
and for his safety, then don't think it is your fault in any way. You have
given it a good try, and that is all that we can do. If the dog is not cut
out for the job, then he will never be happy in that life. Hopefully, if it
comes to that decision, there is a wonderful dog out there just waiting to
be your guide and companion, and there is a wonderful family somewhere who
would be delighted to have your dog as a pampered pet.
Best,
Ann
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Johnson" <blinddog3 at charter.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'"
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2011 1:10 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Stress Issues
>A good friend of mine pointed out to me after I made a comment how all of
>my
> dogs had similar habits. They simply said, in a question, and what is the
> common denominator? This made me think very closely to what I was doing
> right and those things I let slide. I also know of others who have had a
> number of dogs in a short period of time, and I always simply ask this
> question. So, what is the common denominator?
>
> Steve
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Cindy Ray
> Sent: Monday, September 05, 2011 10:44 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Stress Issues
>
> Wow! I don't think "I guess this dog just can't be an off leash dog" is
> really an acceptable answer. I have had a batch of dogs and several
> problems, but I never had one that had to always be tied, leashed, or
> crated. Cindy
>
> On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:39 AM, Lora wrote:
>
>> My school gave me lots of methods that I tried to get this dog to
>> listen of leash and finally the school was like well I guess this dog
>> can't be an off leash dog.
>>
>> On 9/5/11, Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I can't remember if you have spoken to the school about this. You
> shouldn't
>>> have lots of off leash problems with him at this point. If it was stress
>>> though, wouldn't his guiding be affected, too? I don't really know. I
>>> had
> a
>>> dog once that the vet said was stress drinking, but she was a good
> working
>>> dog. I hope someone can help you more than I can apparently help.
>>>
>>> CL
>>>
>>> On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:25 AM, Lora wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've had him for about a year. I know I have a very busy lifestyle.
>>>> His guide work is amazing and I like him as a dog. His off leash
>>>> issues are about the only issue. I've had previous dogs that have had
>>>> lots of problems.
>>>>
>>>> On 9/5/11, Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I can't remember how long you have had this dog. Weren't you having
>>>>> trouble
>>>>> with him from the time you got him? I can't remember for sure. I can't
>>>>> remember where he came from either, though in the end that wouldn't
>>>>> matter.
>>>>> Why do you think he has so much stress in his life?
>>>>>
>>>>> Cindy
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sep 5, 2011, at 10:08 AM, Lora wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hello List:
>>>>>> I know we've probably had this discussion before but I would
>>>>>> appreciate it if we could have it again. My dog is loosing a lot of
>>>>>> hair and I think it is due to stress since he is on a good diet. I
>>>>>> can't trust him off leash since he doesn't listen at all. I have
>>>>>> tried
>>>>>> letting him play on a flexilead but he won't run around. I play with
>>>>>> him tug of war and other games like that but I don't think he's
>>>>>> getting enough stress out of his life. Do you have any suggestions?
>>>>>> Thank You.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Lora
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Lora
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Lora
>>
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