[nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from AleehaandDallas

Sun Nov 17 04:20:11 UTC 2013

I agree with Nicole, that just seems counterintuitive for a dog to do
that. Also, a lot of chairs have bars and stuff on them so I don't
think squeezing them in there would be very comfortable.

On 11/14/13, Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
> Head facing the back of the chair? No offense , but, JMHO, there's your
> problem right there. Some dogs don't like putting their heads in confined
> spaces. Also, they like to be able to see what's going on, even if they are
> not directly involved in it.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of daniel
> Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2013 5:29 AM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from
> AleehaandDallas
>
> 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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