[nagdu] Barking - revisited?

Thu Dec 18 17:40:53 UTC 2014

A single, occasional bark is probably not the worst behavior a guide
can have. It seems as though Jenny feels nervous or threatened and she
is trying to express her discomfort in a non-aggressive way. If you
can tell she is staring at something/someone, attracting her attention
will break the eye contact and might make her feel more at ease. my
favorite for distractions is the "touch" command. It forces my dog to
look away from that cat that's hissing at him or the overly-friendly
person talking to him. Of course, this would only work if you could
tell Jenny is uncomfortable before she barks.
My dog has only barked in harness a few times, about four out of the
five of these times were directed at another animal.

Danielle and Thai

On 12/18/14, Dan Weiner via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Well for better or worse I do have a dog that doesn't bark--lol.
> He is just a very calm guy.
> I mean I have heard him bark twice in two and a half years.
> Once at guide dog school when we had a graduation ceremony and he saw a
> cute
> female golden--lol--and once when he wanted me to play fetch with him and
> that's it.
>
> My second dog Evan was that way too.
> Now first and third dogs, Grant and Carter, mind you, those were barkers,
> they had manly barks to beat the band.
>
>
> Dan and the quiet Parker Hound
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie J. via
> nagdu
> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 10:04 AM
> To: Daryl Marie; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
> Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking - revisited?
>
> Can you move her away or head the people off before they upset her?  It
> sounds like she's uncomfortable or uneasy and is barking as a warning.
> Barking in this sense is good because it is her way of communicating the
> person is invading her space in some way. Dogs who don't bark are truly
> scary.
>
> Still I get that you don't want her to bark.  Jetta barked in a hotel once
> at someone in the lobby area.  I was going toward the lobby and did a 180
> and went back the way I had come.  I found a chair in a deserted hallway
> and
> did some obedience with her.  I also put her Gentle Leader on.  She's a
> head
> strong dog.  I have to be super clear about what is and what is not
> allowed.
>
> She perceives softness as weakness.   I've found that the "Nothing in Life
> is Free" approach and obedience exercises sprinkled throughout the day go a
> long way in managing her attitude.
>
> Jenny is a lab though.  She may have entirely different reasons and
> motivations.  What worked for me may not work for you.  I do hope that you
> find the right combination of things that will work for you.
>
> HTH
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> Visit my new website on developing courage and living authentically:
> http://www.falling-up.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Daryl Marie via nagdu
> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 8:48 AM
> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nagdu] Barking - revisited?
>
> Hi, guys!
> I just wanted to discuss barking in harness... again.  This does not often
> happen, but it happens enough that I think I need more than a "Quiet"
> command.  Let me start off by saying that the barking is not constant, but
> it is 1-3 "Woof!"s.  based on what I can piece together from her body
> language, Jenny is not overly friendly, but not overly hostile when she
> does
> this...
>
> Occasionally, Jenny will bark in harness.  This almost always happens when
> we are waiting for a bus.  it seems to be only if someone is making
> prolonged eye contact with her (just a guess on my part), and this seems to
> be primarily done by members of the homeless population in this particular
> neighborhood.  She will bark once or twice, I say "No" or "Quiet", she
> quiets down, but then the person will try and talk to her or pet her, which
> causes her to either bark again or move away if she can.  It is usually a
> quick exchange, but I can't seem to find any further patterns than what I
> have described, except this tends to happen more after work...
>
> but last night I was having supper with a friend in a mall food court, when
> someone who was definitely under the influence of alcohol - perhaps
> something else as well? - approached our table.  Jenny is not normally
> affected by intoxicated people, but he bent down to her level.  The minute
> he touched her, she tried to back away, and let out a bark when she
> couldn't
> move any further away.  I told him to not pet the dog, Jenny quieted down,
> but then he started talking to her, which got her barking again.
>
> I am not sure what to do here... would love any suggestions.
>
> Daryl
>
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