[nagdu] working up to obstacles

[Larry D. Keeler]

For Holly, I think it depends what the obstacle is.  If its a bicycle or toy 
on the sidwalk, she'll just go around. If its a branch or something she'll 
go up to it maybe 4 to 6 feet away and want me to decide. If its water, 
sometimes we stop and sometimes not. I had a discussion with another member 
on the list about how we should handle power lines that are down. Do the 
dogs sense the power in them or what! Those could be unsafe to check out 
with your feet especially in my case.  I love sandals and my feet sometimes 
get wet. I shutter to think about touching my wet toes against a power line! 
Lastly, I think it depends on where we are. In our neighborhood, Holly is 
familiar with which way I would take to go around things so she feels more 
comfortible just going a round. However, in an area where we don't go often, 
she hesittates more and shows me more stuff. At Pilot when we did our 
obstacle courses, Holly was the only dog who looked at the course and 
decided not to take me down there! We had to coax her and she did great butr 
I think she looked down there and thaught, Are you kidding!! We're not going 
down there!!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>
To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 9:59 AM
Subject: [nagdu] working up to obstacles


> I’m wondering how everyone else’s guides work impassable obstacles?  For 
> example, let’s say there’s been a severe thunderstorm and a largish tree 
> branch has fallen across the sidewalk, entirely blocking it off.
>
> How would your guide work that situation?  If you’ve had more than one 
> guide did they work something like this differently?
>
> Do they go all the way up to the branch and then stop to wait for further 
> instruction?
> Would they alter course from a distance, so you never get close?
> Would they stop a few feet away, at the most obvious turning point to go 
> around the thing?
> Something else?
>
> Monty has always worked obstacles from a distance, meaning he will choose 
> a clear path from as much as half a block away.  Of course, I never taught 
> him this.  I have no idea what obstacles are that far away so I could 
> offer instruction from that kind of distance.  This is just how Monty has 
> interpreted his job duties.  Mostly I appreciate not walking up to the 
> obstacle only then having to double back and go a different direction. 
> Sometimes though, it is rather annoying, not having the slightest idea why 
> he is insistent that we go a different way. He is zealous about safety to 
> the point of insanity.   If he views something as unsafe, no amount of 
> coaxing, prompting or encouraging will get him to budge.
>
> I do appreciate his stubborn insistence on safety, I just wish I 
> understood better what we were going around.   I also wish I knew how I 
> managed to give him the impression that he should stop so far away. 
> *sigh*
> It’s not really a problem so much as a curiosity to me.  He’s a very smart 
> dog.  I wonder what goes on in his fat head.
>
> Julie
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