[nagdu] Programs Requiring Use of a Head Collar One Time

Fri Aug 1 22:11:28 UTC 2014

Tami,
I had no problem with knowing how to use the GL.  I used to ride horses and 
you are not supposed to jerk on the reins attached to a bit in the horse's 
mouth. When learning the deal with the GL, I discovered it was just like 
using the reins on a bridle - NO yanking!  But, I suppose it may take some 
getting used to if you weren't a rider!

Lyn waiting for a class for new dog
"Asking who's the man and who's the woman in an LGBT relationship is like 
asking which chopstick is the fork" - Unknown
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tami Jarvis via nagdu" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, July 28, 2014 8:48 AM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Programs Requiring Use of a Head Collar One Time

> Nicole,
>
> I suspect you are right about the once-only introduction of the head 
> collar during class. That doesn't give the dog time to get used to it in a 
> conducive environment or to learn what the expectations are for it. It 
> also doesn't give a student new to handling with a head collar time to 
> adjust, especially if the rest of the training involves corrections. If 
> it's habit to jerk, even lightly on the leash, then reversing that habit 
> when the dog is wearing the head collar won't just happen by magic. I 
> usually spend a few days getting a dog used to the head collar before 
> doing basic loose leash work with it, then I make sessions very short at 
> first, ending once the dog has quieted down and done one good thing after 
> throwing a hairy fit over being restrained by the head collar. Then I work 
> on keeping the dog going without stopping to try to brush it off.
>
> Getting a correct fit is important, too, since the noseband lies over a 
> super sensitive area. You need to have it tight enough that the dog can't 
> brush it off too easily but not so tight that it is putting constant 
> pressure on the nose or preventing the dog from panting. This is easy on a 
> poodle with the long, beaky nose. On our wide-mouthed, short-muzzled mutt, 
> it's a whole different story. On her, the band is close under the eyes, 
> too. She seems to accept it well these days, which is good because she is 
> so strong that I need the extra control doing leash work outside the yard. 
> But I don't think I would be as cavalier about leaving it on for long 
> periods the way I do with Mitzi.
>
> Mitzi, as far as I can tell, is fine with the GL on as part of her working 
> gear, and I like being able to have the feedback about what her nose is 
> doing -- now more because I get clues about the environment and what she 
> is paying attention than because I am worried The Nose is getting up to 
> trouble. /smile/
>
> I do worry about the leash getting caught on things and jerking her head 
> unnecessarily, but so far have managed to keep that from happening. She 
> has gotten excited a time or two and jerked herself on it while I just 
> stood there, which makes me cringe. But it does remind her to keep a grip 
> when she's excited. When I do use the leash for, say, sniffing, I use only 
> a gentle, steady pressure to pull her head away from what she is 
> distracted by. If that doesn't work, then I use other methods to redirect 
> her. She's not always that stubborn, and generally an absent-minded voice 
> cue keeps her on the straight and narrow. But she does have her moments 
> every now and then still. /smile/
>
> Tami
>
> On 07/27/2014 09:04 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu wrote:> When I received 
> Lexia from GDB about seven years ago, they gave us gentle
> > leaders as part of the free equipment  and had one route on which we 
> > were
> > required to use them. They told us how to put them on the dogs and how 
> > to
> > work with them, but, although Lexia seemed fine at the time,
> something must
> > have gone terribly wrong. The next time that I put the gentle leader
> on her
> > because I thought that it would be helpful in a crowded environment,
> I ended
> > up taking it off right away because Lexia would not budge a millimeter.
> > Perhaps what they had recommended for the best tightness for the nose
> band
> > was too tight; my mother said that Lexia had a mark on her nose from the
> > time that she had worn the gentle leader in class. Anyway, I wonder if
> > schools are doing more harm than good if they require people to use a
> head
> > collar once during class because the dogs have not had time to get
> used to
> > it.
> >
> > Nicole and Lexia
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Danielle Burton [mailto:danielleburton94 at gmail.com]
> > Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2014 8:42 PM
> > To: Nicole Torcolini; NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of
> Guide
> > Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Programs Requiring Use of a Head Collar One Time
> >
> > the school I went to does it on an individual basis. For example some
> dogs
> > will not need it and it could hinder them and some dogs may need it.
> i was
> > never introcuced to one in train. I have a softer dog so I doubt she
> would
> > work in one. But for high distraction I do some obedience and treat.
> and I
> > use my voice to get her attention Like I try to be more interesting
> than the
> > distraction to get her to want to focus on me instead.
> >
> > Danielle and Willa
> >
> >
> >> >On Jul 27, 2014, at 11:18 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu
> > <nagdu at nfbnet.org>  wrote:
> >> >
> >> >Has anyone else had the experience where a program required you to use
> >> >a head collar on your dog just once during class, during which time
> >> >your dog seemed to do fine with it, but, after the end of the program,
> >> >the next time that you tried to use the head collar, your dog
> refused to
> > work?
> >> >
> >> >Nicole and Lexia who luckily does not need a head collar
> >> >_______________________________________________
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> >
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> > com
> >
> >
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