[nagdu] Aberrant Bailey Behavior

Thu Oct 3 16:45:53 UTC 2013

Normally, I would consider using the gentle leader, but the current collar I am using prohibits such, and acts as a gentle leader in any case.

Robert Hooper, Undergraduate Research Assistant, HDFS Early Childhood Development Lab
Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu
The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology; Department of Neuroscience
166H Campbell Hall
1787 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
Cell: (740) 856-8195

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
Sent: Thursday, October 3, 2013 12:07 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Aberrant Bailey Behavior

Robert,

I think you are definitely on the right track with the obedience exercises. I would also recommend lots and lots of praise as well as food rewards whenever Bailey does not respond to David's presence.
Have you tried using a gentle leader or similar gear to help focus bailey while he is working? My dog is extremely people oriented, no matter stranger or friend and I found that just by having the gentle leader on her, she's a lot more subdued with her greetings.

Minh

On 10/2/13, Shannon Dyer <solsticesinger at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, Robert.
>
> I think you're on the right track with the obedience and limiting 
> contact between Bailey and David. Also, the obedience seems like it could work.
>
> When Bailey does not respond to David's presence, give him some praise 
> and calm petting. This might help him get the message that this is the 
> desired behavior.
>
> Shannon and the Acelet
> On Oct 2, 2013, at 10:38 PM, "Hooper, Robert M."
> <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hello List:
>>
>> I have an interesting situation with which I would like to deal with 
>> the upmost haste and thoroughness. I have a few ideas about how to 
>> begin, but I thought I would "open the floor for discussion," as it were.
>> As the subject line indicates, the topic is aberrant Bailey behavior. 
>> So, here's the breakdown. There is a good friend of mine-we'll call 
>> him David Bonderman. Mr. Bonderman and I "outhang" frequently-we go 
>> to gatherings together; he will come over to my apartment to watch 
>> OSU play various sports; we will spend time with mutual friends-you 
>> get the picture. Well, we also have class with one another this 
>> semester. I suppose that you more experienced dog handlers are starting to grasp where I am going with this.
>> Bailey can be people-oriented, particularly if he knows them. If he 
>> knows someone, he is horrifyingly lab-like with regards to his 
>> expression of affection. As a shepherd, he is prone to vocalizations, 
>> and will squeak away madly when encountering David Bonderman. 
>> Usually, this is manageable, as we encounter one another outside 
>> class, and I can get Bailey under control before we need to be 
>> anywhere. However, sometimes one of us will show up to class a bit 
>> late and will have entered already. When it is he who is late, there 
>> isn't much difficulty. Bailey will alert, and may emit a few squeaks, 
>> but settles down rather quickly, with little to no prompting on my part. However, when it is me who is a few minutes late...
>> Let me stop to explain to those of you who have left 
>> classrooms-lecture halls in particular-behind. I have a regular seat 
>> in the front row that is reliably open. I go there, passing David on 
>> my right-this is good. Bailey is on my left, so I am between them. 
>> However, he is still pretty focused on David-I can tell this, despite 
>> his squeaking. I Then have to sit down, remove my backpack, position 
>> the dog, position the backpack, raise the attached mini-tables for my 
>> laptop, etc. Bailey insists on a sniff if he can get one, and 
>> persists in his squeakage for a few seconds after I get him down. 
>> Then he subsides into perfect service animal mode, but commences 
>> squeaking as soon as class is dismissed. So, what should I do in 
>> delicate situations like these? Correction? I think not, especially 
>> in the beginning. He is very vocal during corrections, and the 
>> lecture would be underway. I will not disrupt class in such a 
>> fashion. Maybe after class, but I'm still a bit hesitant. As much as 
>> I would like to dismiss public opinion, there's just something I 
>> dislike about the prospect of making a spectacle of myself either 
>> coming in or leaving class with a hundred or so people looking on. My 
>> initial thought was to address this behavior outside of class, where 
>> I wouldn't need to be as concerned with class disruption or leaving negative impressions with those who might decide whether I get into graduate school. So, things I've started to do:
>>
>> 1.       During our casual hang-out sessions-i.e. when David is over at my
>> apartment, I am at his, or we are somewhere else where an 
>> out-of-harness Bailey is acceptable-I have highly restricted David's contact with Bailey.
>> Whereas previously he would play with Bailey, I have reduced his 
>> interactions to calm petting for seconds at a time.
>>
>> 2.       Something much more recently implemented (so its effectiveness
>> can't yet be gauged): if I feel Bailey is distracted by David's 
>> presence, I will stop and run Bailey through some obedience 
>> exercises. Sometimes this has the desired effect, at others it seems to excite him further.
>> I should note that David is very good about adhering to my wishes 
>> regarding his interaction with Bailey. Here are some things I am 
>> considering. However, I thought I would get some opinions first.
>>
>> 1.       Doing some clicker-based distraction work with Bailey. However,
>> this would require dedicated time on the Part of David, as Bailey's 
>> people distractions are localized to those he knows-and in particular, David.
>>
>> 2.       I guess there isn't really a "2" yet. As I said, I'm kicking
>> around various ideas, but would like input before proceeding.
>>
>> This is sort of a frustrating issue. As I said, when we are outside, 
>> I do correction or obedience-whichever I feel the situation merits at the time.
>> However, this isn't feasible when getting settled into a lecture or 
>> meeting. Furthermore, I doubt that this is the last time such an 
>> issue will arise during my lifetime of working with dogs. I will 
>> attend additional classes with those I know; I will no-doubt attend 
>> professional meetings, conferences, research colloquiums, etc. with 
>> other friends and colleagues. So, as I'm sure I haven't been the only 
>> one with such an issue, I would appreciate your input as much as a 
>> Piaget devotee enjoys validation of the conservation problem in preoperational children. Hint:
>> they like that very much, despite it having been shown that Piaget's 
>> methodology was sufficiently flawed to discredit much of his work in 
>> developmental psychology. So all you Piaget fans out there, it's time 
>> to get current with your research!
>>
>> Robert Hooper, Undergraduate Research Assistant, HDFS Early Childhood 
>> Development Lab 
>> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu<mailto:Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
>> The Ohio State University, Department of Psychology; Department of 
>> Neuroscience 166H Campbell Hall
>> 1787 Neil Avenue
>> Columbus, Ohio 43210
>> Cell: (740) 856-8195
>>
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