[nagdu] Training success!!!

Sat Jul 26 23:08:55 UTC 2014

Lexia still wears a chain collar similar to the ones that GDB used to issue.
I find that corrections do work for me, but that is probably because I
really do not use them that much, and I only use them when it is clear what
I am correcting for. More often than I use leash corrections, I use verbal
corrections, or even just asking Lexia what she is doing. Even though Lexia
probably does not know what it actually means, if I say, "Lexia, what are
you doing?" when she is doing something goofy or is acting really
distracted, it is usually enough to get her back on track. Also, I say it in
a slightly exasperated voice. Okay, maybe exasperated is not the word for
it, but I don't just use a monotone voice.

Nicole and Lexia

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Raven Tolliver
via nagdu
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2014 10:04 AM
To: Daryl Marie; NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training success!!!

Daryl,
Great to hear you and Jen are succeeding with positive training methods!
Once I switched from correction to redirection, it made things so much
easier and fluid for me and the Golden Guy. He's a big softy,  so
corrections actually hinder his work. Corrections would always slow things
down drastically, and lead to confusion and frustration for both of us. It's
so much simpler, time-saving, and uplifting to just redirect behavior rather
than yanking on the leash.

And I believe the collar you guys are talking about is a martingale collar,
or a half-check. I used that for a while with the Golden guy before just
getting a nylon buckle collar. However, I don't usually pick up on his body
language through the leash and collar unless I'm walking him out of harness.
When we're working, I can feel just about everything he's doing through the
harness.

On 7/25/14, Daryl Marie via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Danielle,
> Agreed, to a point. Jenn's a bit of a harder dog, but even from the 
> time the trainer left, corrections became less and less effective. I 
> got to my whit's end, because corrections just weren't doing anything.
> Ironically, taking this option away has improved her work.
>
> In high-distraction environments like pet stores, I use a Halti (think 
> a sturdier Gentle Leader). It keeps her nose out of everything and 
> keeps her focused. We do distraction training fairly regularly as 
> well, but with so much stimuli like pet stores and vets it's just simpler
to use the Halti.
>
> Daryl
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Danielle Burton <danielleburton94 at gmail.com>
> To: Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca>, NAGDU Mailing List, the 
> National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 09:26:30 -0600 (MDT)
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training success!!!
>
> We have the part nylon and part chain ones on our dogs. I like this 
> collar but I can't always get enough feedback from it. The clip nylon 
> collar which is higher up by her ears helps me feel whether her head dips
down or not.
> She could also be nonresponsive to correction due to too many corrections.
> I've been told that the muscle gets tough if you use correction too 
> much. I like to stop and do some obedience if it's a high distraction 
> area. That seems to work well for Willa and gets her focused back on me.
>
> Danielle and Willa
>
>
>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 11:11 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu 
>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Danielle,
>> The correction collar we used to use was part nylon, part chain (for 
>> correction).
>> Now she has a clip nylon collar. i am not entirely happy with it, so 
>> will probably get her a buckle collar at some point, but I like it!
>>
>> Some dogs respond to corrections, others don't. Jenny has become 
>> increasingly unresponsive to corrections. Perhaps this is because I 
>> myself am getting frustrated, or perhaps she just doesn't care. 
>> Either way with her new collar, if she runs off after a dog, it's not 
>> me correcting her; she's correcting herself.
>>
>> Daryl and Jenny (who really hates this rain and is glad she has a 
>> poncho)
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Danielle Burton <danielleburton94 at gmail.com>
>> To: Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca>, NAGDU Mailing List, the 
>> National Association of Guide Dog Users <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 08:59:24 -0600 (MDT)
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Training success!!!
>>
>> Daryl, that's great! What kind of collar are you using on Jendnny? 
>> I'm just curious. I use a correction collar with Willa but it's one 
>> with a clip and is made of nylon instead of the chain collar.
>>
>> Danielle and Willa
>>
>>
>>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 10:30 AM, Daryl Marie via nagdu 
>>> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> hey!
>>> Just thought I would share.
>>>
>>> Since moving away from the correction collar two weeks ago, we've 
>>> hit a bit of a snag when it comes to Jenny's sniffing/scrounging 
>>> habit. I've struggled a bit with feeling her head movements - when 
>>> is her head down, etc.? - so she's probably gotten away with a bit more
than I would like.
>>> However, the past three days have been fantastic! She has still 
>>> wanted to sniff or scrounge, but I have been able to calmly redirect 
>>> her attention, even if it means pulling back on the harness to 
>>> prevent a quick snatch-and-grab. The sniffing/scrounging has 
>>> decreased, and Jenny has been more willing to leave whatever it is and
then keep going.
>>>
>>> Since we finished training 10 months ago, we've struggled with 
>>> getting off the bus and finding the angled steps to the LRT station 
>>> - there's always been something yummy from the Tim Horton's by the 
>>> bus bench or the fence or, well, you get the idea. Wednesday, she 
>>> nailed it! First trip to the station in a month, and she got off the 
>>> bus, walked calmly to the stairs, and down the stairs we went!  On 
>>> the landing she went for a tasty morsel, I waved her over to a heel, 
>>> made her sit, and then down we went again. Found the door to the 
>>> station no problem and found the stairs down with no fuss (she used to
insistently try and take me to the elevator).
>>> On and on we went! It was a beautiful thing!
>>> Even yesterday I told her (far too soon) to find me a garbage can to 
>>> throw away her "business baggie". She found it, no big deal! Nose 
>>> up, ignoring the garbage can smells.
>>>
>>> I know we will still have problems, but I am liking this lack of 
>>> correction collar thing :)
>>>
>>> Daryl and Jenny
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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--
Raven
"if God didn't make it, don't eat it." - John B. Symes, D.V.M.
http://dogtorj.com

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