[nagdu] which side are you on?
Cindy Ray
cindyray at gmail.com
Mon May 27 16:33:09 UTC 2013
Well, I think I wasn't clear. They sure can be trained for either side, but you couldn't probably do that easily in just an afternoon because some testy friend wanted you to. <Giggle>
CL
On May 25, 2013, at 5:26 PM, "Margo and Arrow" <margo.downey at verizon.net> wrote:
> But, dogs are successfully trained on the right side as well. I also think
> the circumstances can dictate what naturally happens with a given dog.
>
> Margo and Arrow
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie Phillipson
> Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 11:11 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] which side are you on?
>
> I've always been told that dogs just naturally go to your left side for what
> ever reason. It is more difficult to train a dog to work on your right side
> and takes longer.
>
> Julie Phillipson
> ----- 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 10:34 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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