[nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from Aleeha andDallas

Thu Nov 14 13:29:21 UTC 2013

hey aleeha, I wonder what it is about these dogs that set off the veehicle 
nervousness? If I remember correctly you went to training the class before I 
did (summer)? And I know Irene is having issues with all veehicles along 
with another member of my class. As for the chair thing: at tse they taught 
us to put the head facing towards the back of the chair...for some reason 
irene hates this. I've just started putting her with her head facing the 
table (or the front of the chair) and now she does just fine...
When you get over the veehicle problem with dallas, could you let me know 
how you did it? I'm trying food rewards and they don't seem to have much 
affect...
hope dallas is doing well,
daniel and the allways sleeping Irene.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Aleeha Dudley" <blindcowgirl1993 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from Aleeha 
andDallas


> Hi all,
>     I contacted The Seeing Eye last week and spoke with someone about
> these behaviors. I am working on them and hope to get them to improve.
> Dallas did show his fear of vacuum cleaners during training, but never
> exhibited any of these other fears.
> Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions!
> Aleeha and the currently snoozing Dallas
>
> On 11/9/13, Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
>> Did Dallas exhibit any of these behaviors during training? Have you
>> contacted the school about any of them? As for suggestions...
>> Do you have a chair at home with which you can practice him going under 
>> the
>> chair? You might want to try it without the harness a few times as he 
>> might
>> be nervous about the harness getting hung. Also, I would not recommend
>> forcing him to go under the chair if he is afraid as this might just make
>> things worse. Do you have a clicker and use clicker training? You could 
>> try
>> to use it to train him to go under the chair. Start by sitting in the 
>> chair
>> and having Dallas lay between your feet facing away from you. Click and
>> treat. Once he is comfortable with that, make sure his tail and hind legs
>> are not sticking out and gently scoot  him back a tiny bit toward the 
>> chair
>> by putting both hands on his chest and pushing backwards. Don't push him
>> all
>> the way under the first time but rather work up to it. Each time, have 
>> him
>> stay in that position for a little while and then let him get up. When he
>> gets up, make sure that he is not getting hung. He might be afraid of 
>> going
>> under the chair because he got stuck once. Also, of course, make sure 
>> that
>> you do not inadvertently move the chair while he is under it and get on 
>> his
>> feet or tail or ear or something.
>> As for the bus, I would recommend giving Dallas treats. Can you tell when
>> there is going to be a stop? If so, you could pet him and try to keep him
>> from jumping up. I would not use a correction for him jumping up. 
>> Instead,
>> gently pull him back into a down position and try to calm him down. Once 
>> he
>> is back in the desired position, give him a treat. Also, is this 
>> something
>> that he does in all vehicles or just in buses?
>> What does Dallas do when you vacuum at home? You could try get him used 
>> to
>> it. Take Dallas in a room and shut the door. Have a friend go a few rooms
>> away with the vacuum cleaner, but make sure that you have some way to
>> communicate, such as a cell phone or walky talky. Put Dallas in a down
>> position and give him a treat. Then have the other person turn on the
>> vacuum
>> cleaner. If he immediately jumps up, turn the vacuum off and start over.
>> Keep doing this and using treats until he does not jump up any more. It 
>> may
>> take a few sessions as doing it continuously for a long time can make it
>> worse. Once he does not jump up, slowly increase the amount of time that
>> the
>> vacuum cleaner runs. Then, once he can tolerate it for more than a 
>> minute,
>> have your friend move one room closer so that the noise is louder. Keep
>> doing this until Dallas can tolerate it in the same room.
>> If you take Dallas out on a regular schedule and know that he does not 
>> need
>> to go when he pulls over into the grass, then I would give him a leash
>> correction, and the same for when he just randomly stops, especially if 
>> it
>> seems random and he does not seem to be confused or anything.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Aleeha Dudley
>> Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 1:21 PM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from Aleeha and
>> Dallas
>>
>> Hello all,
>>   I know I haven't written in a while. It's been quite the busy time 
>> here.
>>   Good news: Dallas did fairly well at our state NFB convention last 
>> week.
>> He didn't have an accident in the hotel, but he was a bit constipated for 
>> a
>> couple days. The biggest issue I saw was his dog distractions. He likes 
>> to
>> twist around in harness, making things very difficult. Most of the time,
>> nothing but a high collar will get him even close to past a distraction.
>>   I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for a couple of problems I'm
>> having with Dally boy. He's a wonderful guide, but these issues are
>> somewhat
>> annoying. The first of them is his hesitance to go under chairs. I almost
>> have to drag him under the chair, which makes both him and me
>> uncomfortable.
>> A sighted person says he shows some fear when I try to get him settled.
>>   Second, Dallas has a similar behavior on busses. He seems very fearful
>> and, at times, cowers under the seat, leaping up at every stop.
>>   Third is his irrational fear of vacuum cleaners. I can handle this at
>> home, but when one is being used, in a restaurant, say, I literally 
>> cannot
>> keep ahold of him.
>>   The last issue is the most serious. Dallas likes to pretend he needs to
>> park, pulling off to the grass and not going. He also has a tendency to
>> stop
>> in the sidewalk and stand there, looking around. No amount of coaxing 
>> will
>> get him going again.
>> Any suggestions?
>> Thanks,
>> Aleeha and the little yellow Dally boy
>>
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>
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