[nagdu] which side are you on?

L Gwizdak leg1950 at cox.net
Sat May 25 17:46:28 UTC 2013


Buddy,
I've heard that dogs are trained to walk on our left is because most people 
are right-handed.

Guns! LOL!  I got an image of blind folks toting guns and spouting second 
amemdment rights! LOL!  This would be the case for police dog handlers who 
must be able to grab his gun when needed.

Lyn and Landon
"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buddy Brannan" <buddy at brannan.name>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 7:34 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] which side are you on?


The gun thing I seem to recall someone telling me once…that hunters have 
their dogs working on the left so they can hold their guns in their right 
hands. Or something like that. Who knows? Now, i think it's done because 
that's how it's always been done.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On May 24, 2013, at 8:50 PM, Tami Jarvis <tami at poodlemutt.com> wrote:

> Buddy,
>
> Hm... I like your explanation of why left working dogs like to track left 
> and vice versa. It is consistent with what Mitzi tells me when I ask her 
> to track left. /smile/
>
> I have heard various reasons for the tradition of keeping the dog to the 
> left, but the gun is new. /lol/ One reason I have heard is that it leaves 
> the right hand free for shaking hands. Having the guide dog harness and 
> leash in the right hand does make that trickier, although for a leftie the 
> shaking of right hands is not natural to begin with. /lol/
>
> Tami
>
> On 05/24/2013 04:48 PM, Buddy Brannan wrote:
>> i,
>>
>> Why yes, yes, I have had people try to micromanage where my dog walks, 
>> and it's terribly annoying. All the explanations in the world don't help, 
>> and while your friend needs to get a grip, he won't understand this need.
>>
>> While my current dog has a right tendency, I believe this is somewhat 
>> unusual. My first two dogs, both from different schools from each other, 
>> had very definite left tendencies and would walk on the left side of the 
>> walkway. Since our dogs work on the left (a matter of tradition as I 
>> understand it, no actual technical reason for it, except something to do 
>> with holding a gun in your right hand), my suspicion is that the dog will 
>> generally find it easier, less work, and less for him to have to pay 
>> attention to and account for if he walks on the left rather than the 
>> right. Think of it from his point of view. If he's got you on his right, 
>> he has to move over less often to avoid things he'd naturally avoid 
>> anyway. In other words, let's say he's walking and he sees an obstacle. 
>> He would naturally walk around it giving himself enough clearance. If he 
>> knows he also has to clear you, it's much easier for him to do this if he 
>> can do so by only taking his own body width into account. So, he'll
> go around the obstacle, putting it on his left, with still enough room on 
> the path for you, and not having to go further out of his way to clear the 
> obstacle and do a stellar job and earn that "atta good boy" from you. 
> Contrast that with walking on the right. OK, the dog sees an obstacle and 
> has to clear it. Going around it to the right, putting the obstacle on the 
> left, will push you off the path. But going around the obstacle to the 
> left, putting it on the right, and also having to account for your body 
> width, means he has to judge that width more precisely. And what if you 
> clip it because he's too close? Earning that "atta good boy" is a whole 
> lot more intensive for him, certainly more work, and like any good human, 
> your dog is most likely to take the path of least resistance.
>>
>> So, you might ask, why not just walk down the center then? Ideal, sure. 
>> You can then piss off both sides of the sidewalk. Only kidding. Again, 
>> that's not the path of least resistance for your dog. Walking on an edge 
>> means that your dog has something to follow. Not so walking down the 
>> middle. No edge = more work to keep a straight line.
>>
>> OK, now everyone tell me where I went wrong on this doggie brain 
>> analysis.
>> --
>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>>
>>
>>
>> On May 24, 2013, at 6:51 PM, "Daniel" <daniel.sweeney1 at comcast.net> 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have just spent a troubling afternoon with a couple of great friends. 
>>> We
>>> were on a walk in Golden, Colorado, through town and along the river 
>>> trail.
>>> My friend kept telling me to stay to the right on the path because of 
>>> all of
>>> the foot and bike traffic on the trail. The trail is a wide, cement 
>>> trail,
>>> approximately 10' wide. Cass always walks to the left  on any path. My
>>> friend became increasingly upset with me because everyone had to move 
>>> around
>>> me to avoid missing me and Cass. I tried to have Cass move to the right, 
>>> but
>>> she insisted to continue to travel on the left side of the walk, as she
>>> always does. It is true the path was very busy, but I told my friend 
>>> that
>>> Cass would avoid anyone that was in her way. He became very irate, 
>>> telling
>>> me I should walk with Cass on my right side instead of my left side. I 
>>> told
>>> him that this was not an option, and that I knew what I was doing, and 
>>> just
>>> chill out and let me and Cass do what we do. He said it was absurd that 
>>> any
>>> dog would not be trained to walk on the right side of a path, and I told 
>>> him
>>> that she was following the side of the walk.
>>>
>>> Does anyone come across any of the same remarks from people. Do your 
>>> dogs
>>> travel on the right or left on a path with no curbs, or buildings to 
>>> line
>>> either side.
>>>
>>> I must admit I do not remember having ever discussed this during 
>>> training
>>> with Cass. I naturally assumed that Cass would follow along the left 
>>> side.
>>> My friend said that everyone else had to move out of the way for me, and
>>> that it was not right that I took up the left side. Just because I was 
>>> blind
>>> did not give me the right to make everyone else move out of the way for 
>>> me,
>>> and that I had to be more considerate of them. Needless to say I was 
>>> just a
>>> bit pissed off at this point.
>>>
>>> What do you think about this?
>>>
>>> I told him to forget about ever trying to get me to move my dog to my 
>>> right
>>> hand, it was not going to happen. Other than that, I fell short of 
>>> giving
>>> him a good reason for travelling on the left side of the walk.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Daniel and Cass
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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