[nagdu] which side are you on?

[Tracy Carcione]

Hi Daniel.
I believe that the reason the dog is trained to walk along the left side of 
a sidewalkless area is so that you are facing oncoming traffic, instead of 
having it coming up behind you.  I imagine that makes it easier for the dog 
to see the traffic, and I think it's how all pedestrians are advised to 
walk, if they must walk in the street.
The dog does not make a distinction between a sidewalkless street and a 
sidewalkless trail.
Also, in crowded areas, it's not uncommon for the dog to stay left, so that 
passing people aren't stepping on or bumping her.  I try to keep the dog in 
the middle, if I can, but it's not always that easy. It might also be that, 
if she's on the left, she doesn't have to look past you to see that you're 
not too near the edge, as she would if you were walking on the right.
I've been in your situation myself.  It's very annoying.  But I'm not going 
to go nuts about getting the dog to move, just to please someone else.
Fidelco teaches a command "over right", which tells the dog to move over 
right.  I have tried to teach this command, but with limited success.
I have sometimes tried working the dog on my right, for very short stretches 
because of some thing I could only use my left hand for.  It felt very odd 
for both of us.
Tracy
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel" <daniel.sweeney1 at comcast.net>
To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 6:51 PM
Subject: [nagdu] which side are you on?


> 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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