[nagdu] some miscellaneous issues and updates from AleehaandDallas

Mon Nov 18 19:53:19 UTC 2013

Only problem is that I don't trust him not to get into mischief if
he's facing backward. He is a scavenger and will grab any old thing.

On 11/18/13, Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net> wrote:
> Hi Aleeha.
> Whatever works.  Sometimes Ben is just determined to be backward, and all
> my efforts to turn him around go for naught.  But, so long as he's not
> getting into mischief, hey, whatever.
> If Dallas is nervous about getting under your chair, it is especially
> important to be patient with him.  If he thinks you're getting annoyed
> with him, he may get even more nervous.
> You can try working on it during your regular day, but it might be more
> productive to work on it at home at first, where you can both be relaxed
> about it.
> JMO.
> Tracy
>
>> Bi,
>>   I am trying to get him to face outward, but he literally will not. I
>> have to really coax and cajole him to get him settled. In my class
>> today, all he wanted to do was go in head first. Be actually ended up
>> settled next to my chair.
>> Aleeha and the studious Dallas
>>
>> On 11/17/13, Buddy Brannan <buddy at brannan.name> wrote:
>>> Putting the dog under the chair with the head facing backwards also
>>> seemed
>>> counterintuitive to me, and I never did it. At TSE when I went, I was
>>> never
>>> corrected on this; it was a habit I got into with my first dog. In any
>>> case,
>>> it seems to me that having the head facing forward, between your feet,
>>> would
>>> give you better control over where your dog’s head is and what his mouth
>>> may
>>> or may not be trying to grab off the floor, not to mention less
>>> likelihood
>>> of people trying to give your dog stuff without your knowledge or
>>> consent.
>>> --
>>> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
>>> Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Nov 16, 2013, at 11:20 PM, minh ha <minh.ha927 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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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>>>>>>> m
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>>>> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>>>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on
>>>> their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>>>>
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>
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