[nagdu] Distracted by other dogs

[Sarah]

I have a very interesting question.  When you went to training 
for your guide dogs, what was it like at the graduation when the 
guide dog saw its puppy raisers again?

 ----- Original Message -----
From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog 
Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:09:23 -0500
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Distracted by other dogs

I agree with what everyone else has said about distractions while 
in
harness, but...I wonder if there's something else going on.

Guide dog puppies spend their first year essentially in a 
constant meet
and greet with people, places and new things.  They attend group 
classes
where they often interact with the other dogs, if not during the 
actual
class then before or after.  It seems fairly common for there to 
be more
than one dog in the puppy home.  Puppy playdates are not unheard 
of.
then the dog goes off to the program for more training, where 
they are
with a bunch of other dogs.

Enter the blind handler and a new home.  Sometimes there are 
other dogs
in the home and sometimes playdates are arranged, but mostly it's
solitary work for the dog.  All the doggie socialization comes to 
a
complete stop or is cut down to a trickle.

I like dogs a lot and enjoy spending time with mine, but I also 
need
people.  I need to talk and share ideas and do people things.  I 
wonder
if dogs feel the same way?  they need some dog time to socialize 
in the
dog way.

All that to say I wonder if spending a Saturday morning at a dog 
day
care with other dogs or arranging play dates with well behaved 
neighbor
dogs could help?  Perhaps the slow increase in dog distraction 
over the
past few months while in harness is a symptom of a need to 
interact with
other dogs.

I'm not saying that the distracted harness behavior is okay 
because it's
not.  I'm just suggesting that meeting her dog needs out of 
harness
might help her not to crave that interaction while in harness.  I 
also
freely admit that I might be totally off here and increasing dog
socialization time out of harness will increase her interest 
while in
harness too.  I don't know your dog and won't presume to know how 
she
might react.  I do know that for my guide, Monty, it has helped a 
lot.

all my best,
Julie


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