[nagdu] Yoga Mountain vs parking meter

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Tami.
Oh ya, I know how it is when the boss isn't looking!  And how, when you're 
trying to be all cool and impressive, the dog is apt to do something silly. 
I hear kids do the same kind of thing.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Jarvis" <tami at poodlemutt.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2013 12:45 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Yoga Mountain vs parking meter


> 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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