[nagdu] Indoor Behavior - So Confused

Mon Sep 10 03:38:36 UTC 2012

Ava and cindy, and all,

I think Cindy is correct that the dog is probably confused by the
family members who want to treat her like a spoiled pet one minute and
wonder why she doesn't behave like a perfect guide dog the next.   I
think that some people want dogs to read their minds.  Sometimes they
let the dog bark, but the next day the dog barks too much...  Or
perhaps they give it food once, and the next day the dog beggs, and
it's like OMG why is this dog so out of control?  That's just
something I noticed after growing up with spoiled pet dogs and then
going to guide dog school and taking a psychology class.  Dogs really
aren't that complicated, but they can't read minds either.

You don't need a sighted person to play food distraction games with
your dog.  I call them games, but really, they're very very serious
obedience things.  I did it all on my own because there are few people
who I trust to tell me honestly what my dog is doing without giving it
their own spin.  So we did little obstacle courses with food laying
around.  I also dropped food in front of her.  This is tricky because
you have to make it clear that you are not teasing the dog with the
food.  I never looked at her while dropping the food, so since dogs
understand things through eye contact, it worked.  Be creative...  You
can always sit her next to you at the dinner table on leash and
correct her for begging or eat alone and have her lay down by your
chair but ignore you eating.

Some things are much easier with a sighted person, but food
distraction work, I found, to be much easier without.  That way you
know where the food is at all times...  In other words, you don't have
the well-meaning sighted person moving it on you.  The dog will notice
the change and probably go after it just to fool you.  These dogs are
tricky!

On 9/9/12, Larry D. Keeler <lkeeler at comcast.net> wrote:
> Just as an aside but rather funny!  My wife has chore aids that come over to
>
> help us keep the place clean.  Well, she had stopped by Izzy's a really good
>
> hogey shop near us.  She baught one and put it in her opened purse on the
> floor.  I had left Holly home because it was really hot out.  My wife pretty
>
> much lives in a hospital bed that she can't get out of in our front room.
> Well she saw Holly messing around with something on the floor but she
> couldn't see what it was!  The chore aid grabbed her purse and looked
> inside.  Thart Hogey was gone!  The wrapper was on the4 floor and Holly had
>
> a smile on her face!  She started to yell at my dog! I cut her off and
> explained that yes, she is trained!  But, I wasn't here and sence someone
> lerft that thing in an open purse on the floor, who was really responsible!
>
> Holly said thank you!  I also informed her that our dogs don't generally get
>
> that kind of thing and they may have to clean up if she brings it back up!
> She didn't.  -
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <avapup.7 at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2012 7:08 PM
> 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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-- 
Julie McG
 Lindbergh High School class of 2009, National Federation of the Blind
of Missouri recording secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and proud graduate of Guiding Eyes for the Blind

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16