[nagdu] Indoor Behavior - So Confused

[Kelby Carlson]

Speaking as someone a bit younger than you (I'm in college) I 
would find this situation utterly intolerable.  Luckily, I 
established boundaries immediately with my parents (immediately 
being the day Elvis and I came home) and while they don't treat 
him exactly the way I do they respect the things I ask of them.  
I know advice as simple as "move out" probably isn't helpful, but 
if my parents refused to let me travel with them if I brought 
Elvis I would be looking for room and board somewhere else 
immediately.  Being a new guide dog user myself, I can only 
confirm that I think what the others are saying is spot on.  
Since I live in a dorm, I don't actually let Elvis off leash 
much: only when it's explicitly playtime or he is working or 
feeding.  I'm kind of curious if anyone else does this with their 
dogs.  Elvis doesn't seem to mind.  (Also, if anyone responds to 
this question, please change the thread so we don't have two 
topics at once.)

Kelby



 ----- Original Message -----
From: avapup.7 at gmail.com
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Sun, 9 Sep 2012 19:08:58 -0400
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Indoor Behavior - So Confused

Thanks Shannon, smiles.

I didn't think it was terribly out of the ordinary for Cocoa to 
stick her head in the chip bag, I mean, it was left wide open on 
the floor!! That didn't even require counter surfing -- just 
walking up and shoving her big head into it! Is that ideal? No.  
But is it a tragedy as my family seemed to think? I don't think 
so.

Haha! I wonder what your first guide thought of his drink of Dr.  
Pepper!

I think keeping Cocoa leashed is going to be the best solution.  
It's like I'm dealing with an adolescent dog all over again.  Is 
this Cocoa's mid-life crisis? Grins.

Leash corrections definitely work when she begs.  She's gotten 
them her entire life when she tries to push her boundaries a bit 
( she is a very strong willed dog ), and she responds to them 
very well.

She's an owner-trained dog, so I think part of the problem is 
just that my family doesn't take her seriously, not like they 
would a school trained dog.  Even though we've never had an 
access challenge ( amazingly ), nor has anyone ever guessed she 
was not trained by a school, my family tends to think of her much 
more as a pet than a working dog.  And I mean, she is my little 
girl! But she also helps me immensely, which I don't think they 
accept.  My parents refuse to even go anywhere if I bring Cocoa.

Thank you!
Ava and Cocoa

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 9, 2012, at 8:24 AM, Shannon Wells 
<oldtimechristian at gmail.com> wrote:

 Ava,
 Yes, I'd say it would be pretty normal for a pet to stick his 
head in a bag of chips and munch away.  After all, the humans dig 
in to it all the time.  Once, my first guide stuck his head in to 
my friend's glass of Dr.  Pepper and had himself a drink.  
hahahaha!

 Families are difficult to deal with, sometimes.  I would say, 
since you asked for help, maybe keeping Coco on leash all the 
time for a couple of weeks is a good idea.  If others do not like 
it, so what.  Be firm and tell them since Coco is your dog, you 
feel it is necessary.

 My parents and grandparents used to feed my first guide when I 
didn't know about it.  Once, my grandpa even fed George a white 
cupcake while he was working.  George took it, ate it and kept on 
walking.  I never new until much later.  No matter how much I 
insisted they shouldn't feed my dog, they did it anyway.  My 
grandma even cried and said, "But, you don't know how sad he 
looks at me!"

 Would leash corrections work when the begging starts? Maybe even 
a firm "no" would help.  I have only had one dog which I did not 
train myself, so I'm afraid I don't know what else to tell you, 
but I do know where you are coming from when it comes to families 
and their interference.

 Hope this helps.
 Shannon Wells
 On Sep 9, 2012, at 4:31 AM, avapup.7 at gmail.com

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