[nagdu] Yoga Mountain vs parking meter

[Tami Jarvis]

Tracy,

Hm... Harking back to when Mitzi was an excitable young thing, still in 
training, I probably went from yoga mountain to parking meter on a 
couple of occasions I can remember. Those were outdoors in 
high-stimulation environments, so I really did just have to wait for her 
to start to come down before I could hope to work with her. I mean, I 
could have cheerfully stomped the fool beast into the ground, but that 
wouldn't have gotten me anywhere anyway. So when I was talking about the 
puppy pulling, I'm also talking about an adolescent who knows better but 
is just too excited. Also, we're just out on the sidewalk where I can 
work on getting her attention now that she's got more maturity. If that 
makes sense.

So that's different from when the dog is into working and in those 
places of public accommodation and so forth that you are talking about. 
By that time, the dog should know better, and so should you!

Funny you mention a GDB instructor... A couple of years back, I caught 
myself doing the parking meter thing while chatting up a GDB instructor 
at a function. He was standing with a refresher trainee having it sit 
just as pretty as you please, while I was standing with my dog believing 
she was doing the same thing... Until I absently-mindedly put my hand 
down to ruffle her topknot... Oh. That explained why I had started 
hearing a smirk from the trainer. Why will the sidewalk not open up and 
swallow me when I want it to? /lol/ At least Mitzi returned and sat when 
I asked her to. That would have been a perfect opportunity for her to 
make me look like more of an ass than I already did. There was just no 
saving face at that point, but at least I didn't lose what I had left. 
So I'm still blushing with mortification! /lol/

Someday I'm going to catch myself chatting away and still keeping track 
of my dog... She's less likely to take advantage of my distraction by 
now, but you know how it is when the boss isn't looking! /lol/

Tami

On 02/22/2013 05:41 AM, Tracy Carcione wrote:
> Hi Tami.
> I was reading your description of being a yoga mountain while the puppy
> dances madly at the end of the leash, and wondering, and hoping, that
> that's different from what a GDB instructor aptly calls "parking meter",
> where the handler just holds on to the end of the leash while the guide
> dog does whatever it likes.  Parking Meter really bugs me, when I go
> somewhere where there are other guide dogs, and someone's dog is
> spinning around happily at the end of its leash, while its person stands
> there apparently oblivious. Tell me this is not a positive-training
> technique to be used in public!
> One of the TSE trainers felt strongly about what she calls the 5-second
> rule.  (I forget if it's 5 seconds, but that's pretty close.)  The
> 5-second rule is, if you're going to be standing somewhere for more than
> 5 seconds, have the dog sit, so it's under control.  It's not a bad
> rule.  Not that I always follow it, but I must follow it enough, because
> Ben often sits automatically if I'm just standing around waiting for
> something or gossipping.
> Tracy
>
>
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