[nagdu] posts and petting

Sat Feb 9 17:46:12 UTC 2013

Keeping the dog on track when everybody is intent on petting and talking 
and making noises at said dog is a tough one sometimes, especially with 
a younger dog. Used to make me crazy, but now I guess we're both used to 
the extra attention and have our ways of working through or around it 
down... Mostly. /smile/

So with Mitzi, I use positive reinforcement to bring her attention back 
to me and to her job, which does help to avoid the meltdown. I also 
discovered that she doesn't like to be embarrassed in public, so just a 
soft stern word when she would be super squirly in front of her fan club 
would do the trick. /lol/

It turned out, too, that all the fans would add to the positive 
reinforcement by being really impressed when the adorable one would do 
something simple like going forward on command. /lol/ Then I could 
praise her for that or put her on a find, which she really likes to show 
off, so that would get us out of the crowd quick while everybody just 
ooh'd and aah'd like a stiff breeze. /lol/

Now that she's more mature, the attention doesn't turn her head so much, 
most of the time. Every now and then she will have a floozy episode, but 
it's pretty easy to remind her just with voice commands to ease up on 
the friendly. And she's pretty good at being all work when it counts and 
we're in a difficult or even just normal setting with obstacles and 
stuff. So she's guiding. It's when we're just standing around or in a 
nice level open place where I'm not going to run into anything that she 
will indulge herself. So then if she goes too far, I can reel her in 
gently by using positive commands (leave it forward) and praising or 
clicking for that. Or just getting a little stern. /smile/

I don't know why your dog melted down in that one case, but I know it 
can be stressful on the dog when there are a ton of human distractions 
while the dog is still having to keep its handler safe... So finding the 
best way for the dog to keep it on track and confident enough in its 
work without being so overconfident it turns snotty (or is that just 
mine?) is a learning experience...

I'm wondering about the psychology now from what people have been saying 
about just refusing to tell everybody the dog's name... Does that 
somehow cause the dog to seem less like public property in their minds 
or something? I use Mitzi's name in commands a lot, but less now that 
she knows when I'm telling her something as opposed to when I'm talking 
to someone else. Used to be everyone knew her name everywhere we went 
because of all the "Mitzi, this!" or "Mitzi, that!" Hm...

On 02/09/2013 08:51 AM, d m gina wrote:
> I understand what you are saying, where how do you keep your dog on
> track of traveling when he wishes to be petted.
> When you know that he can be top dog.
> I would have to call the school.
> My dog shut down, wasn't going to work at all.
> yesterday in the mall he did beautiful.
> When he stopped and started sniffing, I said no sniffing keep walking.
> he was so focused on getting threw a crowd that he really did do quite
> well.
> I know this can be done, where I felt safe with his choices on how we
> had to get around displays and such.
> Original message:
>> I also have a shepherd. I tell everyone his name is "John" similar, to
>> but
>> yet not his real name. At my university, everyone wants to pet my dog,
>> and,
>> I figure it's a losing battle to stop it. So, I just correct him when he
>> gets distracted by the petting, and let people do what people are
>> going to
>> do. Some battles are just not worth fighting.
>
>
>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Marsha Drenth" <marsha.drenth at gmail.com>
>> To: "the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List"
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 7:36 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] posts and petting
>
>
>>> Sorry to all those who have had posts bounce for some reason, its
>>> cclearly
>>> on the list side. I will drop the NFB.net owner a line, to let him know
>>> what is going on. Be patient until things are fixed.
>
>>> Now about petting, with my previous guide I had a sign, but no one pay
>>> attention to it. and she was a shepard. I loved it because it held poo
>>> bags. I made the mistake of telling lots of people mma's name. With my
>>> current pup, very very few persons know my pups name. No one at my
>>> university knows. I even had someone ask me recently on Capital Hill
>>> what
>>> her name was, and I politely say I don't give out her name. I have been
>>> home 4 months, and I think I have had 2 people pet my dog without
>>> asking.
>>> In my opinion it has to do with the name thing, maybe I come across
>>> rude,
>>> but its my way. *shrug*
>
>
>
>>> Marsha drenth
>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>> http://adventureswith2feet4paws.blogspot.com
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>
>
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>