[nagdu] Leashes? and Pull in the Harness

Toni Whaley blind_treasurer at verizon.net
Sat Mar 1 15:33:26 UTC 2014


Hello!

In school they have you relieve the dogs on a long leash (both SE and GEB
have leashes that can be adjusted). However, once home with the dog
adjusting well, I relieve the dogs on a short leash. This is particularly
important in the city when you're relieving the dog between parked cars at
the curb. You don't want your dog to have enough leash to get out into the
traffic. Also, in general, I find it easier to find the "present" when the
dog is on a short leash. I should mention here that in center city
Philadelphia (called downtown  In other cities) you can walk a long distance
to find a grassy area. In addition, there are certain streets where you
never relieve the dog at the curb because there aren't any parking lanes on
them. Over time the dog learns to pull to the curb when she wants  to
relieve. If we're in the city on one of those dangerous streets,I tell the
dog, when she starts to pull to the curb, that I know she needs a "pit
stop". I then head for one of the many alleys that are safe. To make sure my
dog will releive on almost any surface, I relieve on my driveway for a long
time after I bring the dog home. Eventually, all my dogs get to the point
where they'll relieve almost anywhere. (Of course, at convention it usually
takes my dog some time to adjust and releive in the place provided. Often,
the dog never adjusts, and I have to find another appropriate place and make
sure I pick up any presents.)

Regarding pull in the harness, I like my dogs to have a relatively hard pull
when I get them. I've found that over time the amount of pull decreases
particularly when working in a familiar area. (This has been the pattern for
all my eight dogs.) This change in strength of pull happens gradually so you
adjust to it. Moreover, by then you are so used to the dog that you are
aware of very slight movements. Of course, when working in an unfamiliar
area the pull is back. I think the gradual decline in the pull is due to a
kind of boredom with the routine as well as the aging of the dog. 

I've discussed the lack of pull with the schools. they tell me to vary the
route. However, there are only a few ways to get to the train station. Over
time, the dog gets to know all of them. Also, to tell the truth, I'm often
running late and so take the shortest route. 

Toni

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alyssa
Sent: Friday, February 28, 2014 10:39 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Leashes?

Hello Daryl. Is your short leash adjustable? Most of the leashes the U.S
guide dog schools distribute are this style. They are also sometimes called
a 6-way leash.
Alyssa 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Feb 28, 2014, at 3:59 PM, Daryl Marie <crazymusician at shaw.ca> wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> Does anyone have any particular preference regarding leashes?  I have two
for Jenny - a shorter leather one that I use for guide work, and a longer
one that I use more for fun or relieving.  I have noticed lately that Jenny
seems to respond better to the longer leash, but it is much much too long.
Does anyone have any advice?
> 
> Daryl and the finicky Jenny
> 
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