[nagdu] Owner training questions

Sat Aug 2 07:56:06 UTC 2014

At gEB, the instructors always had us change up the obedience routine
so tat the dog would not anticipate our next cue. They also would have
us do the daily obedience while on route or just out in public. At the
school, they changed up the obedience routine by adding in
distractions. They would throw treats and/or toys at us, and release
dogs or cats while we were doing obedience. It definitely got more
interesting as the days went on.
When I got home, I continued doing daily obedience, but I also added
tasks in, such as locating different kinds of chairs, trash cans, and
working on off-leash recall as I have stated in other posts. I also
made it interesting just like the instructors at GEB did. I took the
Golden Guy out in the backyard and he had to do obedience with a dog
hanging out on the other side of the fence. I had my siblings call to
him and make silly noises to get his attention while he was in a
down-stay. Or while he was in a sit or down-stay, I had my family run
around him, or throw toys and food at him. First, I did all this stuff
on-leash so he would learn what I wanted. Then I did it off-leash, and
slowly increased his distance from me until I could be standing across
our large yard from him. Then I left the area altogether while my
crazy family was still trying to distract him. I did everything I
could think of to prepare him for the real world. I wanted to be able
to trust my dog 100%, so for about 4 weeks, I put him through some
pretty interesting obedience routines. Our neighbors probably thought
we were crazy, or that we just had gotten a really good dog for him to
not react to our antics.

On 8/1/14, Nicole Torcolini via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hahaha, yes. I did not stop the daily obedience until after I came home
> from
> class, but, before class was over, Lexia was extremely bored with it, and
> she would actually do the next command before I could say it.
> I think that what people mean when they ask if you are training the dog is
> if the dog knows enough to be trusted as a guide dog yet. Yes, the training
> process never stops, but, at some point, somewhere between 80% and 90% of
> it
> is done, depending on how much you continue to train after that. I think
> that most of us do a good amount of training with our dogs after returning
> home or when there is a major change in the environment, especially if you
> have your dog target specific objects or remember certain routes; Lexia
> excels at both of these and will basically train herself. And then there is
> just random training sprinkled here and there, but I would not say that I
> am
> necessarily training 100% of the time. If someone asked me if I was
> training
> Lexia, I would probably either say no or no but she learns new things when
> we go new places or something like that as I think that saying yes would
> confuse people.
>
> Nicole and Lexia the lerner
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Buddy Brannan
> via
> nagdu
> Sent: Friday, August 01, 2014 6:15 AM
> To: Julie J.; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Owner training questions
>
> Ooh.I really love this answer, Julie.
>
> I agree with you on formal obedience sessions. Within weeks after I have
> gotten home from guide dog school, I also stopped the formal obedience
> sessions. I figured that my dog would get enough of that in the regular
> course of our day. He has, and anyone who's met me and my dog(s) would
> probably tell you I have well-mannered and well-behaved dogs. Besides, they
> know when they're being set up and when they are not.
>
> It's sort of like when people ask me, "Are you training that dog?", which
> doesn't happen very often anymore. The correct answer is, "Yes, every day".
> When will you be through? Hopefully never. Seems to me that even
> maintaining
> training is itself training.
> On Aug 1, 2014, at 7:19 AM, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> Barb,
>>
>> It depends on how you define "train".  I work on skills with the dog
>> every
> waking moment.  In the house that's manners, refining housebreaking,
> playing
> nicely, keeping reasonably quiet and other necessities of peaceful living.
> It's not a formal training session, but I am actively monitoring and
> redirecting or correcting as needed.
>>
>> I'm not a huge fan of the formal obedience practice sessions.  In the
>> very
> beginning when the dog is learning sit and down etc.  I will set aside
> specific time to work on those things.  When the dog shows some level of
> understanding I pretty much stop doing specific obedience sessions.  I
> sprinkle obedience throughout the day, incorporating it into our regular
> activities.  The dog learns to behave all the time and that sit means sit,
> in the yard, at the park, in the laundry room, when there is food, when
> someone is at the door, when the neighbor's dog is coming for a visit etc..
>>
>> Out of the house loose leash walking or harness training, varies quite a
> bit.  In the beginning I try to do more trips that are shorter.  Later
> we'll
> do less outings, but each will be for longer.  I pay attention to what the
> dog can handle and how much exercise they need.  I do have a fenced yard
> and
> they run out there quite a bit.   When Jetta was here when she was a baby
> puppy, I'd take her out probably 3 or 4 times a day, just for a walk around
> the block or the two blocks to the park or the like.  Those were probably
> only 5 or 10 minute walks, but it was all she could handle at the time.
> She'd sit in the middle of the sidewalk when she was done and she would not
> move.
>>
>> Gradually as the dog matures and it physically and mentally able to go
>> for
> longer stretches, I increase the duration and difficulty.  A slow day for
> harness training for Monty was 20 minutes.  Most days we'd go for more like
> an hour.  Remember too that I live in a very small town.  I can walk to the
> city limits in any direction in less than an hour.   Towards the end of
> harness training I was increasing what he was doing until it reached the
> same level as I would need from a fully trained dog.
>>
>> My philosophy is that if the dog is awake, you are training him.  You can
> teach him what you want or you can ignore him and he'll choose what to
> learn, which may or may not be what you had in mind.
>>
>> Julie
>>
>>
>> From: Barb breuer via nagdu
>> Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 10:34 PM
>> To: Amber Meloy ; the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU
>> Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Owner training questions
>>
>> I was wondering  how many hours aday do you people who train your dog
> train?
>>
>> Barb
>>
>> Sent from Xfinity Connect Mobile App
>>
>>
>> ------ Original Message ------
>>
>> From: Amber Meloy via nagdu
>> To: the National Association of Guide Dog Users NAGDU Mailing List
>> Sent: July 31, 2014 at 4:43 PM
>> Subject: [nagdu] Owner training questions
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> There has been a large amount of discussion recently about owner training
> on the list and since I have decided to get a new guide dog, I have made a
> number of decisions, and I am now considering another one.
>>
>> The first decision that I made was that I wanted a poodle because I would
> not have as much problem with hair.  I searched and searched but the only
> school that I could find that issued poodles to anyone who did not have
> allergies or someone in their family with allergies, was Pilot Dogs.
>>
>> I applied and continued to research various topics about poodles, about
> training methods, about how I felt about training etc etc.  As I searched,
> and the more questions I asked myself, the more I started thinking that
> maybe I wanted to owner train.
>>
>> There are a lot of things that I am very unsure how to handle, and I
>> am writing here in the hopes of finding some advice.  I understand
>> that having a grasp of the training methods you choose to use is
>> essential, and I have every intention of practicing alone and in my
>> head and reading before actually attempting to teach a dog anything.
>> But before I get to the point where I teach a dog anything, there are
>> a few things I have to take care of.such as acquiring the dog.
>>
>> And so this brings me to a few of my first questions:
>>
>> What strategies have you, as an owner trainer, used to find the right
>> dog?
> I have read a lot about a test that is done to test temperament, but I do
> not recall this test's name at the moment, nor do I know for sure that this
> is what is used.  I understand that no one can be absolutely guaranteed to
> have made the right choice; that dogs wash out; that this is a fact I may
> have to face.  But there has to be something that you did in the beginning
> to say, yes, I think I'll give this dog a try.  You didn't pick him or her
> because s/he was cute.  Or cuddly.  Or energetic.  Or did you?
>>
>> Another big question I have is about costs.  Before anyone comments that
> of course there will be costs, don't.  I understand that.  But what I am
> looking for is a general idea of some of the things you bought/paid
> for/services needed, and maybe an average of how much that
> thing/service/experience costed you.  For example, if I choose to get
> various vaccines, I can look those up anywhere.  Any vet's office will let
> me know those things.  If I want to know about the cost of a crate, I could
> look online or go to a pet store.  If I want to know the cost of foods I
> will feed, I can find that information.  But what I'm looking for
> information on is acquisition of your dog; acquisition of puppy vest for
> still in training; acquisition of harness; any assistance for sighted
> assistance in training, whether that was for training traffic checks or for
> observation only or for a trainer's professional opinion etc.  Expenses
> that
> aren't readily available for me to just look up.
>>
>> Finally, if anyone is willing to talk with me off list, I would be very
> grateful.  If there is such a thing as a list for owner trainers so that I
> am not cluttering this list with my questions, I would also love to know
> about that as well.  I joined the clicker solutions list and am hoping that
> when I come across a problem with particular behaviors I am trying to shape
> that this will be a viable resource.
>>
>> Thank you all for your input, however much or little it is.
>>
>> Amber M
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-- 
Raven
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